NewzIntel.com

Category: Justice

  • MIL-OSI Security: Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker Delivers Remarks at John F. Kennedy International Airport’s International Mail Distribution Center

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    Remarks as prepared for delivery

    Thank you, Director Russo, for that kind introduction.  I especially want to thank you and your brother for following in your Dad’s footsteps and going into law enforcement.  Thank you for 23 years of service.

    I also want to thank:

    • Rich Donoghue, our U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York,
    • Phil Bartlett and our postal inspectors,
    • Keith Kruskall and Michael Abraham with DEA,
    • Port Director Frank Russo,
    • Director of Operations Troy Miller, and
    • Assistant Special Agent in Charge Christopher Lau.

    Thank you all for the tour and for the briefing. 

    But most of all, thank you to our CBP, DEA, Postal Inspection Service Agents who are here for the interdiction work you do every day.

    Your work is more important than ever—because today we are facing the deadliest drug crisis in American history.  Last year 72,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses.  That’s the highest drug death toll in American history.  More Americans died of drug overdoses last year than from car crashes or from AIDS at the height of the AIDS epidemic.

    Despite rising prosperity and better technology, life expectancy in the United States actually declined over the last two years in a row.  The last time that happened was 55 years ago.

    Millions of people are living with the painful consequences of a family member’s addiction or an addiction of their own.  I personally know people whose families have been torn apart by drug addiction.  These days, it is likely that most of you do, too.  We all do.

    New York has not been immune to this problem.  No one has. 

    Drug overdose deaths in New York City have gone up by 81 percent in just the last three years.

    The situation is daunting.  But law enforcement has a unique opportunity to reverse these trends.

    President Trump has a comprehensive plan to end this crisis.  The three parts of the plan are prevention, treatment, and enforcement.

    The President has improved our prevention efforts by launching a national awareness campaign about the dangers of opioid abuse—a campaign I strongly support.  In the long run, getting more and more people to reject drug abuse in the first place will stop addiction from spreading.

    The drugs on the street today are as potent and as dangerous as they have ever been.  That is because of synthetic opioids—drugs like fentanyl and carfentanil. 

    These drugs killed 20,000 Americans last year—more than any other kind of drug.  Three milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal.  That’s equivalent to a pinch of salt.

    And you don’t have to go to a street corner to buy these drugs.  With a few clicks of a button you can go online and have them shipped from overseas right to your door.  The odds are good that those packages come through this room.

    I’m told that you process more than 800,000 pieces of mail every day just at this airport, including a majority of international mail entering the United States.  I’m also told that you intercepted dozens of packages of fentanyl just in this last fiscal year.  That is incredible work and I have no doubt that it has saved lives.

    Just last month, the President signed into law major legislation that I believe will make you more effective.  Under the new law, the Postal Service must share electronic information with CBP about packages coming into the United States.  That information includes where it’s from, where it’s going, and what’s in it.  That will help law enforcement track suspicious packages, find criminals, and it will help us prove our case at trial.

    And that is critical.  You are our strong first line of defense against these drugs.  But you need a strong offense, too. 

    And that’s where we come in.

    We don’t just want to stop packages once they get here—we want to prevent them from being sent in the first place.

    By prosecuting traffickers and breaking up the supply chain, our work ultimately will make your work safer and easier.

    One of President Trump’s first Executive Orders was to the Department of Justice, telling us to dismantle the networks of transnational organized crime.  We have been faithful to that order.

    In fact, the Trump administration is the first administration to prosecute Chinese fentanyl traffickers.  We know that China is responsible for the vast majority of fentanyl in this country.

    Last October, we announced the first two indictments against Chinese nationals for trafficking synthetic drugs in the United States.  Over the summer we announced our third case—a 43-count indictment against a drug trafficking organization based in Shanghai.

    This summer I went to China and I spoke with Chinese officials about this exact problem.  I made it clear to them that we need better information from them on packages coming to this country.  Just like we want to improve our law enforcement cooperation with them, we need their cooperation on this issue, as well.  This administration is paying very close attention to this problem.

    Nevertheless, with your help, the United States is interdicting drugs coming into this country at record levels.

    In just the first three months of 2018, the DEA seized a total of more than 200 pounds of suspected fentanyl in cases from Detroit to New York to Boston.  Depending on its purity, that can be enough to kill tens of millions of people.

    In fiscal year 2017, we broke the record for fentanyl prosecutions at the federal level—and in fiscal year 2018, we broke that record again.

    Last July, the Department announced the seizure of the largest dark net marketplace in history – AlphaBay.  This site allowed you to send packages of drugs from China straight to your door.  They hosted some 220,000 drug listings and was responsible for countless synthetic opioid overdoses, including the tragic death of a 13 year old in Utah.

    Earlier this year we filed charges against a married couple who we believe were once the most prolific synthetic opioid traffickers on Alpha Bay and on the darknet in North America in general.  We also worked with our partners in Canada to help them indict a man we believe was the third most prolific darknet synthetic opioid dealer in North America.

    And we have new weapons to be even more effective in the future.  In January we began J-CODE, a new team at the FBI that focuses specifically on the threat of online opioid sales—the sales that are so often sending packages through this building.  J-CODE has already begun carrying out enforcement actions nationwide, arresting dozens of people across the country.

    And in the districts where drug deaths are the highest, we are now prosecuting synthetic opioid trafficking cases, even when the amount is small.  We have sent 10 more prosecutors to help implement this strategy in those 10 districts.  We call this effort Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge—or Operation S.O.S.

    We tried this strategy in Manatee County, Florida—which is just south of Tampa—and it worked.  This past January, they had half the number of overdose deaths as the previous January.  We want to replicate those results across the country.

    We have also sent more than 300 new federal prosecutors to our U.S. Attorneys offices across America.  This is the largest surge in prosecutors in decades.

    We have also hired more than 400 DEA task force officers this year alone.  That is a record increase.

    All of these efforts are delivering results. 

    Federal drug prosecutions overall went up by six percent over the last fiscal year, and fentanyl prosecutions have increased dramatically for two years in a row.

    Most importantly, we are seeing an impact on people’s lives.  While 2017 saw more overdose deaths than 2016, data for the last months of the year show that the increases may have finally come to an end.  Drug overdose deaths fell by two percent from September 2017 to March 2018.

    We are right to celebrate these accomplishments, but we have to acknowledge that we still have a lot more work to do—and the stakes have never been higher.

    That is why I am so glad that we have this incredible facility and the dedicated professionals who make it a success.  You are our strong first line of defense—and we appreciate you.

    And so I want each of you to know: we have your back and you have our thanks.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein Delivers Remarks at the Department of Justice American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month Observance Program

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    Remarks as prepared for delivery

    Thank you, Tracy, for your kind introduction. I appreciate your devoted service as Director of the Office of Tribal Justice. I first met Tracy more than 20 years ago when we were young attorneys in the Criminal Division.  I am grateful to the employees of the Office of Tribal Justice for everything that they do to promote public safety in Indian Country.

    I also want to thank everyone throughout the Department who works to improve our relationship with tribes and to further tribal justice, as well as those who worked to create today’s event.

    It is my great privilege to join you in celebrating American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month.

    The theme for this year’s observance is, “Sovereignty, Trust and Resilience.” It encourages us to reflect on the important contributions of Native Americans and Alaska Natives to the Department, and to our nation’s economic, academic, and cultural institutions.

    American Indians and Alaska Natives are an indispensable part of our national fabric. They are business owners, teachers, first responders, law enforcement offices, and community leaders. They serve with honor in our Armed Forces. And they work proudly in the Department of Justice.

    President Donald Trump said last month, “Native Americans have fortified our country with their traditions and values, making tremendous contributions to every aspect of our national life.  We remain committed to preserving and protecting Native American cultures, languages, and history, while ensuring prosperity and opportunity for all Native Americans.”

    Consistent with the President’s words, we recognize the many contributions and sacrifices by members of this community. Today, we recommit ourselves to ensuring opportunities for all Americans. Every American enriches the quality and character of our great nation.

    The Department of Justice plays a unique role in the government-to-government relationship between the United States and Tribal Nations.

    Our U.S. Attorney’s Offices and law enforcement components, such as the FBI and the DEA, are responsible for investigations, prosecutions, and victim services in 51 judicial districts that include Indian country. Federal prosecutors exercise criminal jurisdiction over 250 distinct regions of Indian country, covering more than 55 million acres of land.

    Our offices work together with Tribal law enforcement, state and local law enforcement agencies, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to improve the safety and security of Native American and Alaska Native communities.

    The Justice Department also handles a large caseload of civil litigation in Indian country. Our civil cases include matters relating to environmental and natural resources, Tribal treaty rights, and Native Americans’ civil rights.

    Our grant making components provided over $259 million to Tribes last year. Those components include the Office of Justice Programs, the Office for Victims of Crime, the Office on Violence Against Women, and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Their grants support police, serve victims, combat domestic violence and sexual abuse, and strengthen tribal justice systems.

    We are particularly proud of the Tribal Access Program. That effort is coordinated by the Office of Tribal Justice and the Department’s Chief Information Officer. It provides computer kiosks that allow Tribes to access federal crime databases. The kiosks allow Tribes to protect victims of domestic violence, identify sex offenders, keep guns out of criminals’ hands, and help locate missing people.

    There are many success stories involving the kiosks.

    Last year, the Gila River Police Department received a report about a sexual assault against a juvenile. Police quickly identified a suspect, and a warrant followed. But the suspect fled.

    Using a kiosk, tribal police entered the warrant into the FBI’s National Crime Information Center, which we call NCIC. NCIC is a computerized index of criminal justice information. One of its most important functions is to help police apprehend fugitives.

    When police encountered the suspect outside Tribal territory, an NCIC check revealed the tribal warrant. Police took the suspect into custody and transported him to the tribal jail where he was booked using a federal workstation.

    Successes likes that would not be possible without the kiosk system. Since the program started in 2015, 47 participating Tribes have entered more than 600 sex offender registrations into the system. Participating Tribes also have entered arrest data that prevents criminals from purchasing firearms. And Tribes have conducted more than 4,500 fingerprint-based record checks for civil purposes, including employment.

    The total number of tribes with kiosk access will expand to 114 by the end of 2019.

    We are also proud of the Department’s new program to appoint Special Assistant United States Attorneys to work on Tribal issues. The initiative, funded through the Office on Violence Against Women, hires prosecutors to bring cases in both tribal and federal courts. That increases prosecution capacity and helps to prevent criminals from avoiding prosecution because of jurisdiction or sovereignty issues. It will promote the goal of ensuring that every perpetrator of domestic or sexual violence is brought to justice.

    These initiatives demonstrate our Department’s steadfast commitment to improving public safety in Indian country by promoting coordination among tribal, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.

    As part of our observance today, we are fortunate that John Tahsuda is here as a guest speaker.

    Mr. Tahsuda is an enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Oklahoma State University, and a law degree from Cornell Law School.

    Mr. Tahsuda then worked as the acting general counsel of the Oneida Indian Nation of New York. He also taught classes at Cornell Law School about federal Indian law, policy, and history.

    Mr. Tahsuda later served as general counsel and legislative director of the National Indian Gaming Association, where he monitored legislation and policy issues affecting the organization’s 180 member tribes and assisted with their lobbying efforts.

    In 2002, Mr. Tahsuda joined the staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, first as senior counsel and later as staff director. He handled policy and legislation affecting gaming, federal recognition, self-governance, and Indian health care.

    From 2007 through 2017, Mr. Tahsuda worked in the private sector, providing clients with advocacy and counsel services about tribal affairs policy issues.

    Last year, Mr. Tahsuda was appointed as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior. Indian Affairs manages Federal trust, treaty, and other responsibilities to 573 federally recognized Indian Tribes. Mr. Tahsuda helps to develop and interpret policies affecting Indian Affairs bureaus, offices, and programs.

    He is a strong advocate for Indian country issues, and we are grateful to him for joining us today. Please welcome John Tahsuda.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein Delivers Remarks at the “SamSam” Ransomware Press Conference

    Source: United States Attorneys General 13

    Remarks as prepared for delivery

    Good morning. I am joined by Criminal Division Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito, and FBI Executive Assistant Director Amy Hess.

    Also on stage are the two prosecutors handling this matter: Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Herring, and Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section Senior Counsel William Hall Jr.

    A federal grand jury in New Jersey indicted two Iranian citizens for a three-year scheme that involved hacking into computers of hospitals, municipalities, public institutions, and businesses. It involved a high-tech, sophisticated extortion plot.

    The defendants allegedly hijacked victims’ computer systems and shut them down until the victims paid a “ransom.”

    The conspirators collected more than $6 million in extortion payments and caused more than $30 million in losses.

    Many of the victims were public agencies with missions that involve saving lives and performing other critical functions for the American people. 

    The indictment was returned on November 26, and unsealed today in Newark, New Jersey. It alleges that Faramarz Shahi Savandi and Mohammad Mehdi Shah Mansouri used sophisticated software to execute their computer hacking and extortion scheme.

    Acting from inside Iran, the men developed and deployed a form of ransomware that they named “SamSam.”  Ransomware is a destructive computer code that encrypts victims’ computers and then holds the computers “hostage” until a “ransom” fee is paid.

    Starting in January 2016, the defendants gained access to victims’ computers by exploiting cyber security weaknesses.  After gaining access to the computers, they remotely installed ransomware.  The ransomware encrypted computer data, crippling the ability of the victims to operate their businesses and provide critical services to the public. 

    The victims included two major municipalities – the City of Atlanta, Georgia and the City of Newark, New Jersey.  The defendants also sought to interrupt critical transportation infrastructure by infiltrating the Port of San Diego, California, and the Colorado Department of Transportation. 

    In addition, the defendants infected the computers of six health-care related entities from across the country, impairing the ability of these businesses to provide health care to sick and injured people. 

    The defendants chose to focus their scheme on public entities, hospitals, and municipalities.  They knew that shutting down those computer systems could cause significant harm to innocent victims.

    The indictment alleges that the defendants demanded payment from their victims in the form of the virtual currency known as Bitcoin.  Bitcoin contributes to the increasing sophistication of criminal schemes.  It is a common currency for criminal schemes, including websites that distribute child pornography and deadly opioid drugs, and ransomware and other tools of extortion.

    The defendants allegedly communicated with victims using Tor, an encrypted computer network designed to facilitate anonymous communication over the Internet. 

    We support the use of encryption to safeguard private information and strengthen cybersecurity.  But this case highlights another example of the challenges posed to law enforcement by encryption designed to resist law enforcement. 

    Sophisticated encryption technologies like the Tor network are used by cybercriminals to commit serious offenses.  These sophisticated technologies pose a real threat to the government’s ability to keep people safe and ensure that criminals and terrorists are caught and brought to justice.

    Every sector of our economy is a target of malicious cyber activity.  But the events described in this Indictment highlight the urgent need for municipalities, public utilities, health care institutions, universities and other public organizations to enhance their cyber security. 

    Publicly revealing this nefarious hacking scheme makes it harder for the perpetrators, and others like them, to do business in the future.  As a result of the Indictment, the defendants are now fugitives from justice.  They face arrest and extradition to the United States in many nations that honor the rule of law. 

    We call on all civilized nations to prevent their citizens from using the internet to perpetrate fraud schemes in foreign countries.

    By making clear that criminal actions have consequences, we deter schemes to victimize the United States government, businesses, and citizens, and we help to protect foreign allies.

    This case demonstrates the Department of Justice’s commitment to identifying and prosecuting cybercriminals, regardless of where they base their operations. 

    We are grateful for outstanding work and collaboration between American and international law enforcement partners in this investigation.  In particular, I want to thank two United Kingdom agencies – the National Crime Agency, and the West Yorkshire Police – and two Canadian agencies, the Calgary Police Service, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. 

    Our National Security Division and our Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs also provided critical support.

    Next, I want to invite Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski to provide some remarks. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Twenty-Nine Individuals Sentenced to 378 Combined Years in Federal Prison for Running Armed Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking Ring

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

    EVANSVILE- 29 defendants have been sentenced to a combined 378 years in federal prison for their roles in a large methamphetamine and fentanyl drug trafficking organization that operated in Southern Indiana.

    According to court documents, between January 2020 and November 2021, the following 29 individuals conspired together to distribute a total of nearly 500 pounds of methamphetamine and over three kilograms of fentanyl. This investigation led to the seizure of over 80 pounds of methamphetamine, over 560 grams of fentanyl, and $240,000 in United States currency.

    Jeramey Smith served as the leader of the drug trafficking operation. Smith began obtaining multiple pound quantities of crystal methamphetamine from Julian Green in early 2020 until April of 2021 when he changed his source of supply to a cartel linked individual based in Houston, Texas. In June of 2021, Smith was robbed of a large amount of cash and was unable to pay his supplier for the lost product. Smith resorted back to Green to obtain the crystal methamphetamine.

    DeJarnett was one of Smith’s top methamphetamine customers, often purchasing up to 20 pounds at a time. After Smith obtained the methamphetamine from either Green or his Mexican source of supply, he then distributed the methamphetamine to mid -level distributors in Indianapolis and Evansville.   

    In September 2021, Smith branched out to also begin selling large quantities of fentanyl-laced pills. Smith would obtain fentanyl powder from Markey and/or Moore, who would then press the powder into pills. Smith then used his same distributors to distribute the fentanyl throughout Southern Indiana. Law enforcement seized an automated pill press during the course of the investigation. Smith also used violence and intimidation to further his drug business by having his distributors robbed of their drug proceeds at gun point.

    Additionally, several members of the drug trafficking used firearms to protect themselves and their profits. In total, law enforcement officers seized over 30 firearms from the defendants during court-authorized searches at multiple locations in Indianapolis and Evansville.

    The charges and sentences are described below:

    Defendant Charge(s) Prison Sentence
    Jeramey Smith, 35
    Indianapolis, IN

    Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

    Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    Obstruction of Commerce by Robbery

    240 months (20 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Julian Green, 36

    Indianapolis, IN

    Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    210 months (17.5 years)

    Indianapolis, IN

    Hannah Kissel, 28

    Indianapolis, IN

    Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

    97 months (8 years)

    3 years supervised release

    Jordan Wilson, 41

    Evansville, IN

    Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

    Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    216 months (15.7 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Timothy Rice, 35

    Evansville, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    204 months (17 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Archilles Johnson, 40

    Evansville, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

    180 months (15 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Deonte Howard, 36

    Evansville, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

    180 months (15 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Julie Hunt, 37

    Petersburg, IN

    Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

    60 months (5 years)

    3 years supervised release

    Torrance Mimms, 34

    Evansville, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    180 months (15 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Keisha Jewell, 40

    Princeton, IN

    Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

    108 years (9 years)

    3 years supervised release

    Davion Hays, 38

    Evansville, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

    144 months (12 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Jason Mitchell, 43

    Henderson, KY

    		 Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

    204 months (17 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Denny Taylor, 49

    Princeton, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

    180 months (15 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Aaron Hardiman, 42

    Princeton, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl

    120 months (10 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Roman Wills, 43

    Evansville, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

    180 months (15 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Michael Sanders, 48

    Owensboro, KY

    		 Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    168 months (14 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Gregory Snyder, 62

    Evansville, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

    36 months (3 years)

    4 years supervised release

    Joshua Gahagan, 41

    Evansville, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

    180 months (15 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Gregory Markey, 35

    Indianapolis, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

    168 months (14 years)

    5 years supervised release

    L.C. Moore, II, 31

    Indianapolis, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

    120 months (5 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Dominique Baquet, 31

    Indianapolis, IN

    		 Obstruction of Commerce by Robbery

    57 months (4.7 years)

    3 years supervised release

    Antonio DeJarnett, 36

    Evansville, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

    264 months (22 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Ryan Pinkston, 42

    Evansville, IN

    Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    Felon in Possession of Ammunition

    240 months (20 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Robert Embry, 46

    Evansville, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    60 months (5 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Becky Edwards, 39

    Evansville, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    120 months (10 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Edward Meredith, 59

    Evansville, IN

    		 Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    120 months (10 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Joshua Wilson, 33

    Evansville, IN

    		 Use of a Communication Facility with the Intent to Commit or Facilitate the Distribution of Methamphetamine

    30 months (2.5 years)

    No supervised release

    Tabitha Seabeck, 32

    Henderson, KY

    		 Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    180 months (15 years)

    5 years supervised release

    Zachary Addison, 42

    Evansville, IN

    Conspiracy to Possess with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine

    Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    300 months (25 years)

    5 years supervised release

    “The members of this conspiracy will spend decades in federal prison for pumping pounds of methamphetamine and fentanyl onto our streets,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Drug use devastates so many families and kills hundreds of Hoosiers every year. That’s why we will work with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to dismantle armed organizations trafficking in deadly drugs. The sentences imposed in this case demonstrate our continued commitment to protecting the public from these dangerous criminals.”

    “Dismantling a major drug trafficking organization that was responsible for distributing multi-hundred-pound quantities of methamphetamine and kilogram quantities of fentanyl onto the streets of Indiana was a big win for law enforcement. Because of the exceptional collaborative efforts by law enforcement, we were able to achieve this remarkable outcome,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Michael Gannon. “This investigation was a wonderful victory for all Hoosiers and sends a crystal-clear message to major drug dealers we will continue working together with our partners to dismantle their illicit operations.”   

    “This sentencing is a significant victory in the relentless fight against the trafficking of deadly drugs and underscores the FBI’s commitment to pursue those who wreak havoc on our communities through their illegal drug trade,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure those who endanger public safety and contribute to this crisis are held accountable.”

    “I would like to thank the dedicated Evansville Police Officers and Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office Deputies as well as our federal partners in the DEA and US Attorney’s Office for their roles in getting these individuals off our streets. The manufacturing and distribution of methamphetamine and fentanyl have brought death and destruction to our communities and have done irreversible damage to families in the worst way possible. This community will not tolerate that kind of behavior and illegal activity, and we will use every resource available to us to stop it and put dealers behind bars.”

    This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Evansville Resident Office, with the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Evansville Vanderburgh County Joint Task Force, DEA Indianapolis and Indianapolis Metro Drug Task Force providing valuable assistance. The sentenced were imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Matthew P. Brookman.

    Acting U.S. Attorney John E. Childress thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Wheatley and Jeremy Kemper, who prosecuted this case. 

    According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal, depending on a person’s body size, tolerance, and past usage—a tiny amount that can fit on the tip of a pencil. Seven out of ten illegal fentanyl tablets seized from U.S. streets and analyzed by the DEA have been found to contain a potentially lethal dose of the drug.

    One Pill Can Kill: Avoid pills bought on the street because One Pill Can Kill. Fentanyl has now become the leading cause of death for adults in the United States. Fentanyl is a highly potent opioid that drug dealers dilute with cutting agents to make counterfeit prescription pills that appear to be Oxycodone, Percocet, Xanax, and other drugs. Fake prescription pills laced with fentanyl are usually shaped and colored to look like pills sold at pharmacies. For example, fake prescription pills known as “M30s” imitate Oxycodone obtained from a pharmacy, but when sold on the street the pills routinely contain fentanyl. These pills are usually round tablets and often light blue in color, though they may be in different shapes and a rainbow of colors. They often have “M” and “30” imprinted on opposite sides of the pill. Do not take these or any other pills bought on the street – they are routinely fake and poisonous, and you won’t know until it’s too late.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Convicted Felon Sentenced to Seven Years for Possession of Firearm

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

    Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Sherron Gary (41, Tampa) to seven years in federal prison for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. Gary pleaded guilty in October 2024.

    According to court documents, on April 9, 2023, officers with the Tampa Police Department (TPD) attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Gary after observing the vehicle had a broken taillight. Gary failed to pull over and instead fled from the officers at a high rate of speed. A police helicopter followed Gary. After Gary’s vehicle was boxed in by law enforcement, Gary fled from the officers on foot, which the helicopter was also able to capture.

    As Gary fled, the helicopter crew observed Gary discard an item as he was running that resembled a firearm. TPD officers apprehended Gary. After the arrest, the helicopter crew directed officers back to the location where they had observed Gary discard the firearm. Officers located a 9mm Walther Creed semiautomatic pistol at the location.

    At the time, Gary had four prior felony convictions, including aggravated battery and armed burglary of a dwelling, trafficking of cocaine, delivery of cocaine, and delivery of cocaine within 1,000 feet of church. As a convicted felon, Gary is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tampa Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Samantha Newman. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Suzanne Nebesky.

    This case is 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.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Serial Fraudster Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Stealing Nearly $3 Million and Five Indianapolis Homes

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

    EVANSVILLE— James Henley, 35, of Greenwood, Indiana, has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit access device fraud, two counts of money laundering, and eight counts of wire fraud. Henley has also been ordered to pay $1,887,426.63 in restitution.

    According to court documents, over the course of three years, Henley orchestrated multiple large and complex fraud schemes, resulting in a total loss of $2,927,758.95 to individual homeowners, an Indiana attorney, a bank, and ten state governments. As part of his fraud schemes, Henley registered five fake businesses (OnTrack Real Estate Solutions, LDI Investments Corp, Lucario Investments, 317 Traffic, and Henley Real Estate Solutions) with the states of Indiana and Kentucky, claiming to serve as the Chief Executive Officer for most of them. None of the businesses were legitimate. Instead, Henley used the businesses to mask his identity, make his schemes appear more credible, and launder the stolen money.

    Henley’s schemes are broken down as follows:

    COVID-19 Fraud:

    Between May 2020 and March 2021, James Henley, his wife Jameka Henley, and his associate Jimmie Bickers used the stolen personally identifiable information of 76 real individuals to submit 120 unemployment insurance applications to ten states during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the applications were approved, the trio used 65 unemployment insurance debit cards to make purchases at retailers and withdraw cash at ATMs in the Evansville and Indianapolis areas. The states paid a total of $1,119,426.63 in unemployment benefits in connection with the group’s fraudulent applications.  In July 2020, Henley used funds withdrawn from ATMs to buy a Chevrolet Camaro for $22,801.

    Bickers and Jameka Henley have been formally charged for their roles in this scheme but have not pleaded guilty.

    Home Title Fraud:

    Between December 2021 and May 2023, Henley stole five homes in Indianapolis by filing fraudulent deeds with the Marion County Recorder’s Office. Through the filings, Henley claimed that the homeowners had sold their homes to his fake businesses, but, in reality, he had never even spoken with the homeowners.  Unbeknownst to the victims, Henley filed these fraudulent deeds and then sold the homes for significantly less than their market value, pocketing more than $260,000 in profits.

    Henley also attempted to steal and sell an additional 14 homes in Indianapolis and Evansville.  With one exception, the individuals who bought the homes from Henley took possession and ultimately kept the homes.

    For one homeowner, the property Henley stole was her childhood home. She purchased the home while her mother was in the hospital with the hope that, when her mother’s condition improved, her mother would be able to live out her remaining years in the house.

    Mortgage Fraud:

    In November 2021, an associate of Henley’s purchased a home in Indianapolis, using a mortgage loan from a bank.  In April 2022, Henley filed a fraudulent document with the Marion County Recorder’s Office to make it seem as if the mortgage loan had been paid off, when it had not been paid. Henley then filed a deed naming himself a joint owner of the home. Henley and his associate subsequently sold the property for $255,000, pocketing all the proceeds, even though the bank should have received the majority of the funds.

    Auto Loan Fraud:

    In March 2023, Henley purchased a Dodge Durango in Indianapolis for $71,479, using an auto loan from Everwise Credit Union. A few months later, in June 2023, Henley purchased a Chevrolet Silverado in Plainfield for $54,270, using a second loan from Everwise Credit Union.

    In October 2023, Henley connected a JPMorgan Chase bank account to his auto loans, via Everwise’s online payment portal.  Henley falsely represented that the Chase account belonged to Jimmie Bickers, and that he had authority to make payments on his loans using funds from the Chase account.

    The Chase account was actually an Indiana attorney’s Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Account (IOLTA), which is a highly regulated bank account used by lawyers to hold client funds.  The interest earned on IOLTA accounts is used to fund grants for nonprofit groups that promote pro bono and access to justice programs. Henley did not have the attorney’s permission to access or withdraw funds from the IOLTA account.

    Between October and November 2023, Henley used the IOLTA account to make two payments, totaling $98,000, toward his auto loans.

    Henley has prior felony convictions for financial crimes, including theft, forgery, and fraud.

    “James Henley went to great lengths to coordinate exceptionally greedy, complex schemes that exploited hard-working families and state government programs,” said John E. Childress, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “Undeterred by prior felony convictions for the same conduct, this defendant stole over a million dollars, wreaking financial and logistical havoc on hundreds of victims. The Department of Justice will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate allegations of fraud and seek prosecution as appropriate.”

    “James Henley filed fraudulent unemployment insurance (UI) claims in the names of identity theft victims in order to receive UI benefits to which he was not entitled. He enriched himself by defrauding a program that was intended to assist struggling American workers during an unprecedented global pandemic,” said Megan Howell, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General. “We and our law enforcement partners are committed to protecting the integrity of the UI system from those who seek to exploit this critical benefit program.”

    “This lengthy prison sentence sends a clear message: individuals who attempt to exploit and commit financial crime and identity theft will be brought to justice,” said Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “IRS Criminal Investigation and our fellow law enforcement partners are committed to protecting the integrity of our financial institutions and will continue to hold criminals like James Henley accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”

    “This case should serve as a powerful reminder that individuals with a history of financial crimes will face significant consequences when they demonstrate a blatant disregard for the law and continue to exploit and deceive others for personal gain,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “The FBI, working alongside our law enforcement partners, will continue to hold those who perpetuate such offenses accountable and protect the public from those who manipulate the system for their own benefit.”

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, Department of Labor-Office of the Inspector General, and the Indiana Attorney General’s Office Homeowner Protection Unit investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Matthew B. Brookman.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Miller, who prosecuted this case.

    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 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.

    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

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lycoming County Man Charged With Child Exploitation Crimes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Christopher Stout, age 48, a resident of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, was indicted on February 4, 2025, by a federal grand jury with production of child pornography, online enticement, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.

    According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the indictment alleges that Stout used the internet and an electronic device to persuade and coerce a minor to engage in sexual conduct and to produce child pornography.  The indictment also alleges that on or about July 28, 2024, Stout received child pornography and on August 23, 2024, Stout possessed child pornography. 

    The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigations –Philadelphia-RAC Williamsport, the Hughesville Borough Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Lycoming County District Attorney’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorney Tatum R. Wilson is prosecuting the case.

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

    The maximum penalty under federal law for the crimes charged in the Indictment is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.  A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

    Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

    # # #

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Montgomery Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

               Montgomery, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced the sentencing of a Montgomery, Alabama man for producing child sexual abuse material. On January 30, 2025, a federal judge ordered 49-year-old Cleveland Dewayne Chambers to serve 240 months in prison. The judge also ordered that Chambers remain on supervised release for seven years following his prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

               According to Chamber’s plea agreement and other court records, in July 2022, law enforcement in Pennsylvania were conducting a child exploitation investigation on an individual in the City of Eaton. Investigators in that case discovered electronic communications leading them to suspect Chambers was also involved in producing or sharing illegal images of children. Further investigation revealed that, from March 2022 through July 2022, Chambers communicated with a woman in St. Louis, Missouri, directing her to create images and videos of sexually explicit conduct with her two-year-old child. Chambers would then share and distribute the images and videos to others using a messaging application on his cellphone.

               “Protecting children from exploitation is one of law enforcement’s most important responsibilities,” stated Acting United States Attorney Davidson. “Producing and trading in child sexual abuse material is an incredibly tragic crime that robs children of their innocence and inflicts long lasting harm. While all child sexual exploitation is unacceptable, the sexual abuse of a two-year-old is absolutely reprehensible. I applaud the efforts of all the agencies involved in this case for stopping Chamber’s criminal activity before more children were victimized.”

               This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

               The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) investigated this case, with assistance from the Montgomery Police Department and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Assistant United States Attorney Tara S. Ratz prosecuted the case. 

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jacksonville Convicted Child Sex Offender Pleads Guilty To Attempting To Entice A 13-Year-Old To Engage In Sexual Activity

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Jeremy Wayne Leggett (38, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to attempting to entice a child to engage in sexual activity. Leggett faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison, and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Leggett is a registered child sex offender, having been previously convicted in Florida in 2020 of traveling to meet a minor to commit an unlawful sexual offense and transmitting harmful materials to a minor. Leggett was arrested on June 19, 2023, and has been in custody since then. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for April 28, 2025.   

    According to court documents, on June 16, 2023, an undercover FBI agent (UC) in the Jacksonville area, posing as a minor child, was working online in a particular social media application (app) to identify individuals seeking to contact and engage in sexual activity with children. The UC engaged in an online conversation with an app user “dAddi” who posted a notice in a public chatroom that read “Lookingfor[under 18 emoji] wannaspoiladaughter.” During this online conversation, user “dAddi,” who was subsequently identified as Leggett, was advised that the “child” was 13 years old. Leggett asked if the “child” “[l]ike[d] older men,” and sent the “child” a photo of himself. After more conversation, Leggett suggested that they meet in person for sexual activity, and he sent the “child” an explicit photo of himself. On June 17, 18, and 19, 2023, Leggett reinitiated text messages with the UC and continued attempting to persuade the “child” to meet for sex and to send him sexually suggestive photos.

    On June 19, 2023, Leggett and the “child” made arrangements to meet at a location in Jacksonville. Later that evening, Leggett went to the agreed-upon location and drove around the parking lot for about 30 minutes. When law enforcement officers attempted to make contact with Leggett, he quickly reversed his vehicle and fled the scene. A short time later, officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and FBI agents located Leggett at a home in Jacksonville and he was arrested. 

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

    It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: US additional duty rejected

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government today expressed strong disapproval of the imposition of additional 10% duty on Hong Kong products set out in the Federal Register notice of the US Customs & Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security, and the temporary suspension of inbound postal items containing goods from Hongkong Post by the US Postal Service.

    The Hong Kong SAR Government said the US’ imposition of additional duty on Hong Kong products ignores the basic fact that Hong Kong is a separate customs territory, which is recognised by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and clearly stipulated in the Basic Law Article 116.

    It highlighted that Hong Kong has been a staunch supporter of rule-based multilateral trading system, maintaining constructive and mutually beneficial trade relations with trading partners all over the world, including the US.

    As a founding member of the WTO, the Hong Kong SAR has all along been upholding the principle of free and unimpeded trade. The Hong Kong SAR Government strongly opposes any attempts to undermine the city’s reputation and erode its status as a separate customs territory.

    The Hong Kong SAR Government urged the US to take urgent action to rectify the notice as well as lift the suspension of accepting inbound postal items containing goods from Hongkong Post as a matter of priority.

    It emphasised that if the US does not rectify its wrongdoing, the Hong Kong SAR Government will take all possible actions to defend the city’s legitimate interests, including considering taking up the matter in the WTO.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James and Coalition of 13 Attorneys General Issue Joint Statement on Protecting Access to Gender-Affirming Care 

    Source: US State of New York

    NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today joined a coalition of 13 attorneys general to reaffirm their commitment to protecting access to gender-affirming care in the face of the Trump administration’s recent Executive Order. The coalition released the following statement: 

    “As state attorneys general, we stand firmly in support of health care policies that respect the dignity and rights of all people. Health care decisions should be made by patients, families, and doctors, not by a politician trying to use his power to restrict your freedoms. Gender-affirming care is essential, life-saving medical treatment that supports individuals in living as their authentic selves.

    “The Trump administration’s recent Executive Order is wrong on the science and the law. Despite what the Trump administration has suggested, there is no connection between ‘female genital mutilation’ and gender-affirming care, and no federal law makes gender-affirming care unlawful. President Trump cannot change that by Executive Order.  

    “Last week, attorneys general secured a critical win from a federal court that directed the federal government to resume funding that had been frozen by the Trump administration. In response to the court’s order, the Department of Justice has sent a notice stating that ‘federal agencies cannot pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate any awards or obligations on the basis of the OMB memo, or on the basis of the President’s recently issued Executive Orders.’ This means that federal funding to institutions that provide gender-affirming care continues to be available, irrespective of President Trump’s recent Executive Order. If the federal administration takes additional action to impede this critical funding, we will not hesitate to take further legal action. 

    “State attorneys general will continue to enforce state laws that provide access to gender-affirming care in states where such enforcement authority exists, and we will challenge any unlawful effort by the Trump administration to restrict access to it in our jurisdictions.” 

    Joining Attorney General James in issuing this statement are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Nevada, Rhode Island, and Vermont. 

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Welch: “We need an Attorney General who will share my shock in a President acting in such a lawless way.”

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)

    Before voting NO on Bondi’s nomination for Attorney General, Welch took to the Senate Floor to urge his colleagues to stand up against Trump’s illegal power grab
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, took to the Senate Floor late last night before voting against Pam Bondi’s nomination for Attorney General of the United States. Senator Welch cited President Trump’s lawlessness, and Ms. Bondi’s unwillingness to stand up against President Trump and preserve an independent Department of Justice. He called on his colleagues to  stop enabling Trump’s illegal and cruel overreach of his authority.  
    Watch more here:  

    Senator Welch’s Committee and Subcommittee Assignments for the 119th Congress include:   
    Senate Committee on Finance 
    Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry   

    Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Rural Development, Energy, and Credit   

    Senate Committee on the Judiciary   

    Ranking Member, Subcommittee on the Constitution   

    Senate Committee on Rules & Administration  
    Senator Peter Welch has spent the bulk of his life working to improve the lives of folks who too often get left behind. After fighting housing discrimination in Chicago, he enrolled in law school at the UC-Berkeley, and later settled in White River Junction, Vermont, where he worked as a public defender before founding a small law practice. He was first elected to represent Windsor County in the Vermont Senate in 1980. Senator Welch was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives where he served for 16 years before being elected to the Senate in 2022. In the Senate, he’s focused on lowering costs for Vermonters, making Washington work better for Vermont, and protecting civil rights and democracy in America and abroad.   

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta and 14 Attorneys General Issue Joint Statement on Protecting Access to Gender-Affirming Care

    Source: US State of California Department of Justice

    Wednesday, February 5, 2025

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

    OAKLAND – Attorney General Bonta today joined a coalition of 14 attorneys general to reaffirm their commitment to protecting access to gender-affirming care in the face of the Trump Administration’s recent Executive Order. The coalition released the following statement:  

    “As state attorneys general, we stand firmly in support of healthcare policies that respect the dignity and rights of all people. Health care decisions should be made by patients, families, and doctors, not by a politician trying to use his power to restrict your freedoms. Gender-affirming care is essential, life-saving medical treatment that supports individuals in living as their authentic selves.  

    The Trump Administration’s recent Executive Order is wrong on the science and the law. Despite what the Trump Administration has suggested, there is no connection between “female genital mutilation” and gender-affirming care, and no federal law makes gender-affirming care unlawful. President Trump cannot change that by Executive Order.  

    Last week, attorneys general secured a critical win from a federal court that directed the federal government to resume funding that had been frozen by the Trump Administration. In response to the Court’s Order, the Department of Justice has sent a notice stating that “federal agencies cannot pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate any awards or obligations on the basis of the OMB memo, or on the basis of the President’s recently issued Executive Orders.” This means that federal funding to institutions that provide gender-affirming care continues to be available, irrespective of President Trump’s recent Executive Order. If the federal administration takes additional action to impede this critical funding, we will not hesitate to take further legal action. 

    State attorneys general will continue to enforce state laws that provide access to gender-affirming care, in states where such enforcement authority exists, and we will challenge any unlawful effort by the Trump Administration to restrict access to it in our jurisdictions.” 

    Joining Attorney General Bonta in issuing this statement are the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta and 13 Attorneys General Issue Joint Statement on Protecting Access to Gender-Affirming Care

    Source: US State of California

    Tuesday, February 4, 2025

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

    OAKLAND – Attorney General Bonta today joined a coalition of 13 attorneys general to reaffirm their commitment to protecting access to gender-affirming care in the face of the Trump Administration’s recent Executive Order. The coalition released the following statement:  

    “As state attorneys general, we stand firmly in support of healthcare policies that respect the dignity and rights of all people. Health care decisions should be made by patients, families, and doctors, not by a politician trying to use his power to restrict your freedoms. Gender-affirming care is essential, life-saving medical treatment that supports individuals in living as their authentic selves.  

    The Trump Administration’s recent Executive Order is wrong on the science and the law. Despite what the Trump Administration has suggested, there is no connection between “female genital mutilation” and gender-affirming care, and no federal law makes gender-affirming care unlawful. President Trump cannot change that by Executive Order.  

    Last week, attorneys general secured a critical win from a federal court that directed the federal government to resume funding that had been frozen by the Trump Administration. In response to the Court’s Order, the Department of Justice has sent a notice stating that “federal agencies cannot pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate any awards or obligations on the basis of the OMB memo, or on the basis of the President’s recently issued Executive Orders.” This means that federal funding to institutions that provide gender-affirming care continues to be available, irrespective of President Trump’s recent Executive Order. If the federal administration takes additional action to impede this critical funding, we will not hesitate to take further legal action. 

    State attorneys general will continue to enforce state laws that provide access to gender-affirming care, in states where such enforcement authority exists, and we will challenge any unlawful effort by the Trump Administration to restrict access to it in our jurisdictions.” 

    Joining Attorney General Bonta in issuing this statement are the attorneys general of Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Rhode Island and Vermont.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Regarding the approval of INVL Technology prospectus

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    INVL Technology (hereinafter – the Company) informs that under the provision of the Law on Collective Investment Undertakings of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter – CIU), the Company operating under the CIU is under an obligation to have a valid prospectus (hereinafter – the Prospectus) prepared in accordance with the requirements of the CIU or of the Law on Securities of the Republic of Lithuania (hereinafter – LS).

    In order to meet the above-mentioned requirement, in August 2019 the Company’s management company INVL Asset Management, UAB (hereinafter – the Management company) prepared a Prospectus in compliance with CIU. Considering that at the time of publication of the information there are no grounds that the Company should prepare and own a prospectus complying with the requirements of the LS, on 5 February 2025, the Management company of the Company approved the updated version of the Prospectus and approved its publication.

    The Prospectus was submitted to the Bank of Lithuania in accordance with the CIU. 

    The person authorized to provide additional information:
    Kazimieras Tonkūnas
    INVL Technology Managing Partner
    E-mail k.tonkunas@invltechnology.lt

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Guatemalan Nationals Charged for Alleged Possession of Firearms Following IH-35 Road Rage Complaint

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WACO, Texas – Two Guatemalan nationals were arrested in Waco on criminal charges related to their alleged aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm as undocumented noncitizens.

    According to court documents, Anderson Morales-Calderon and Ever Morales-Calderon were subjected to a traffic stop on Jan. 24, by officers from the Troy Police Department (TPD) and Lorena Police Department (LPD) as response to a road rage complaint called into 911. The 911 caller alleged that an individual pointed a rifle at a semi-truck on IH-35. During the traffic stop, officers observed two air rifles and one .22 rifle in plain view in the back seat and on the back floorboard of the vehicle. Further investigation revealed that both Anderson and Ever Morales-Calderon were unlawfully present in the United States.

    The two defendants were in federal court in Austin Tuesday for their initial appearances. If convicted, they each face up to 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are investigating the case with the assistance of the TPD and LPD.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Smith-Burris is prosecuting the case.

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

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Harbour Grace — Driver flees from Harbour Grace RCMP, arrested after colliding with police car

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Twenty-eight-year-old Geoffrey Parsons from Bay Roberts fled from police in Carbonear and was arrested overnight by Harbour Grace RCMP after colliding with a police car on February 4, 2025.

    Shortly after 2:00 a.m. yesterday, Harbour Grace RCMP attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle in Carbonear. The driver failed to stop for police and fled towards Tilton. A spike belt was deployed but was unsuccessful as the driver doubled back and struck the police car. The suspected vehicle further fled and was located behind a nearby business in Tilton.

    Police located and arrested the driver, Geoffrey Parsons, after a search of the area. He attended court yesterday and remains in custody to appear in court again today in relation to the following charges: resisting arrest, flight from police (two counts), dangerous driving (two counts), assault with a weapon (two counts), and mischief causing damage over $5,000.

    No one was injured during this incident. The investigation is ongoing.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How to outwit gambling adverts by ‘inoculating’ people against them

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Jamie Torrance, Lecturer and Researcher in Psychology, Swansea University

    Gambling companies spend an estimated £1.5 billion annually on ad campaigns in the UK alone. Maxx-Studio/Shutterstock

    In a world awash with enticing promises of quick riches and thrilling wins, gambling advertisements have practically become inescapable. These meticulously crafted promotions aim to tap into the hearts and minds of consumers persuading them to gamble – whether that means starting or keeping going.

    With gambling advertising showing no signs of abating, and gambling addiction an ongoing problem across the UK, it is vital that consumers are given tools to resist. Our recent research has found that a targeted approach using “counteradvertising” videos can help people combat these persuasive tactics.

    Gambling advertisements portray gambling in a consistently positive light. They emphasise wins over losses and integrate logos into sporting events, exploiting fans’ emotional bonds with their teams and favourite athletes. For example, our previous research found that an average of 1,565 gambling logos were visible via pitch-side hoardings and on players’ kit during each English Premier League match in the 2022-23 season.

    They also widely promote financial incentives like “free bets”. These are promotions typically giving customers a chance to place a bet without using their own money.

    These incentives often come with opaque terms and conditions, encouraging riskier and potentially more harmful betting behaviour. Social media influencers and affiliates also play a role, disguising promotions as expert advice while profiting from players’ losses.

    The scale of the gambling industry’s investment in advertising is staggering. In the UK alone, companies spend an estimated £1.5 billion annually on ad campaigns spanning television, sports sponsorships and social media.

    While much attention has focused on the effects of gambling ads on children and people with gambling disorders, young adults aged 18 to 29 represent another vulnerable demographic. With lower levels of advertising literacy, young adults are less equipped to recognise and resist manipulative techniques. They also face heightened risks of gambling-related harm when exposed to legal gambling.

    A 2023 study showed that the “safer gambling” messages displayed at the end of gambling ads, such as “take time to think”, are ineffective at reducing harm. Even the term “safer gambling” itself is often seen by viewers, academics and some policymakers as an industry-favoured concept. Research has shown how it can downplay risks, leading to less regulatory oversight by implying that gambling is inherently “safe”. So, it is vital that consumers have the tools to resist the persuasive techniques used in gambling advertising.

    Inoculation theory

    To address this issue, we designed a seven-minute counteradvertising video informed by “inoculation theory”, which is a concept similar to vaccination. By exposing viewers to weakened forms of persuasive gambling tactics, the video aimed to build resistance to these strategies when encountered in the real world.

    Our video targeted five common advertising strategies: the positive portrayal of gambling, demographic targeting, embedding gambling in sports, “free” offers and affiliate marketing. Input from people who had experienced harm from gambling helped ensure the video’s relevance and effect.

    In the video, viewers saw real-world examples of these advertising strategies. Expert narration helped to unpack the manipulative tactics involved. In the segment on “free” offers, the narrator dissected the fine print of a real “free £10 bet” ad. Viewers learned that the offer’s terms were so restrictive that withdrawing the “free” £10 was nearly impossible. It required a £300 deposit of their own money and 50 wagers on slots before any withdrawal was allowed.

    We then conducted a randomised online experiment involving 1,200 young adult gamblers (aged 18 to 29). Half of the participants watched the counteradvertising video, while the other half viewed a video on healthy eating. Participants completed surveys before and after the video and again one month later, measuring their scepticism toward gambling ads, awareness of persuasive tactics and engagement with “free” offer promotions.

    Can counteradvertising videos help to ‘inoculate’ people against harmful gambling?
    REDPIXEL.PL/Shutterstock

    The participants who watched the counteradvertising video reported significantly higher levels of scepticism and awareness of gambling advertising strategies compared to the control group. These effects persisted over time. Even a month later, those who viewed the video maintained their heightened resistance to gambling ads.

    The intervention also led to tangible behavioural changes. Participants who watched the video showed a statistically significant decrease in their use of “free offers”. And 21% of them reported completely ceasing their engagement with such promotions within a month.

    Our findings highlight the potential for counteradvertising to complement broader harm reduction efforts in gambling, such as education and awareness campaigns. In autumn 2024, the UK government announced a statutory levy on gambling operators. It’s expected to generate approximately £100 million annually for research, prevention and treatment of gambling-related harm. But there’s not enough attention on tackling gambling advertising specifically.

    Empowering consumers

    Counteradvertising could be scaled up and delivered alongside independent “safer gambling” messages. By empowering consumers to critically evaluate gambling promotions, our videos have the potential to reduce gambling-related harm at its source.

    Future research could explore alternative delivery formats, such as shorter videos tailored for social media platforms. Or they could examine the long-term effects of repeated exposure to counteradvertising messages.

    With gambling ads dominating our screens, it’s time to level the playing field. Counteradvertising offers a powerful way to help consumers see through the allure of “free bets” and “wins”. And it could help people make more informed choices about their gambling behaviour.

    In the last three years, Jamie Torrance has received: Open access publication funding from Gambling Research Exchange Ontario (GREO), Conference travel and accommodation funding from the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling (AFSG), and an exploratory research grant from the ASFG and GREO.

    Philip Newall is a member of the Advisory Board for Safer Gambling – an advisory group of the Gambling Commission in Great Britain. In the last three years, Philip Newall has contributed to research projects funded by the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling, Clean Up Gambling, Gambling Research Australia, and the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. Philip Newall has received honoraria for reviewing from the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling and the Belgium Ministry of Justice, travel and accommodation funding from the Alberta Gambling Research Institute and the Economic and Social Research Institute, and open access fee funding from the Academic Forum for the Study of Gambling and Greo Evidence Insights.

    – ref. How to outwit gambling adverts by ‘inoculating’ people against them – https://theconversation.com/how-to-outwit-gambling-adverts-by-inoculating-people-against-them-247637

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Enoch — Enoch RCMP charge male with pointing a firearm

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    On Jan. 25, 2025, Enoch RCMP received a report of a break and enter where the suspect broke down the victim’s door and pointed a firearm at them before leaving.

    Enoch RCMP immediately attended and began to search for the suspect. RCMP were successful in locating and arresting the suspect at another residence.

    A search was conducted and RCMP seized a sawed-off rifle, which is believed to have been used in the offence.

    RCMP have charged a 32-year-old individual, a resident of Enoch, with:

    • Pointing a firearm (x4);
    • Weapons offences (x3);
    • Breaking and entering;
    • Fail to comply with release conditions (x2);
    • Mischief.

    The individual was taken before a justice of the peace and remanded into custody with his net court date set for Jan. 29, 2025, at the Alberta Court of Justice in Stony Plain, Alta.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Willis appoints Stephen Kyriacou Head of Litigation and Contingent Risk Solutions in North America

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    NEW YORK, Feb. 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Willis, a WTW business (Nasdaq: WTW), announced today that Stephen Kyriacou has been appointed Head of Litigation and Contingent Risk Solutions, and Senior Director of Transactional Solutions for North America. In this role, Kyriacou will develop and implement specialized insurance solutions for litigation and contingent risks, working closely with corporate, private equity, law firm, hedge fund, and litigation finance clients to design products that address complex litigation, intellectual property, and regulatory challenges.

    With over a decade of expertise in the legal and insurance industries, Kyriacou brings a wealth of knowledge in litigation and contingent risk solutions, most recently serving as Managing Director and Senior Lawyer in Aon’s Litigation Risk Group. There, he advised on litigation risks and structured customized insurance policies for clients across multiple industries. As the first insurance industry professional focused solely on the litigation and contingent risk insurance market, Kyriacou was instrumental in pioneering judgment preservation insurance, insurance-backed judgment monetization, and other creative solutions that have since become standard throughout the industry.

    Kyriacou is widely recognized as a respected leader in the market. He was named a Risk & Insurance “Power Broker” in 2022, 2023, and 2024. At WTW, he will focus on expanding the firm’s litigation and contingent risk solutions practice, structuring and placing customized risk transfer strategies, and building a leading technical risk solutions team. His appointment demonstrates WTW’s commitment to providing innovative litigation and contingent risk solutions to support clients with managing their complex exposures.

    “We are thrilled to welcome Stephen to the WTW team,” said Aartie Manansingh, Head of the Private Equity and Transaction Solutions (PETS) division at Willis. “Our team is committed to delivering comprehensive, bespoke solutions that drive better outcomes for clients, and Stephen’s expertise strengthens that position. His extensive knowledge ensures that clients have access to one of the most technical and experienced brokers in litigation and contingent risk solutions throughout the industry, helping them navigate complicated and unique risks with confidence.”

    Kyriacou holds a J.D. from the New York University School of Law, and is a member of the New York State Bar. He previously clerked for the Honorable Tanya S. Chutkan in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and previously served as a complex commercial litigator at Boies Schiller Flexner, representing clients in high-stakes litigation matters.

    About WTW

    At WTW (NASDAQ: WTW), we provide data-driven, insight-led solutions in the areas of people, risk, and capital. Leveraging the global view and local expertise of our colleagues serving 140 countries and markets, we help organizations sharpen their strategy, enhance organizational resilience, motivate their workforce, and maximize performance.

    Working shoulder to shoulder with our clients, we uncover opportunities for sustainable success—and provide perspective that moves you.
    Learn more at wtwco.com.

    Media Contact

    Douglas Menelly
    Douglas.Menelly@wtwco.com | +1 (516) 972 0380

    Arnelle Sullivan
    Arnelle.Sullivan@wtwco.com | +1 (718) 208-0474

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Why Trump’s rage defies historical and literary comparisons, according to a classics expert

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Rachel Hadas, Professor of English, Rutgers University – Newark

    Donald Trump’s anger has been building and now seems volcanic. Abstract Aerial Art/Getty Images

    The Greek divinity Nemesis, rarely depicted in art, has no place in the Olympian pantheon of a dozen gods and goddesses. But she’s an omnipresent force of retribution, an implacable force of punishment that arrives, if not sooner, then later.

    Nemesis can bide her time for generations, but there’s no escaping her.

    So too, it seems, with President Donald Trump, who is “clearly not a man who discards his grudges easily,” William Galston of the Brookings Institution said recently. This observation is an understatement.

    Trump’s resentment has been steaming since the 2020 presidential election. Now that he is again president, he’s far from appeased; his ire is boiling over.

    “Flooding the zone,” a term borrowed from football, was former Trump adviser Steve Bannon’s way of describing the Trumpian tactic of issuing a barrage of statements whose sheer pace and multiplicity, not to mention contents, are intended to stymie any impulse at rational response.

    As he has gained fame and power, Trump’s contemptuous rage at his opponents and his appetite for vengeance appear to have sharpened.

    Like Nemesis, Trump is now pursuing his perceived enemies, using the power of the presidency. Among his recent retribution: He has
    fired Department of Justice officials and staff who worked on criminal investigations and prosecutions of him; he has revoked security clearances for intelligence officials to “punish his perceived opponents,” as one news story put it. And he has removed the portrait of Gen. Mark Milley from the Pentagon wall that traditionally features portraits of the retired chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, as Milley was. In 2024, journalist Bob Woodward reported that Milley had told him, “No one has ever been as dangerous to this country as Donald Trump. Now I realize he’s a total fascist. He is the most dangerous person to this country” – clearly sparking Trump’s ire.

    As a poet and student of the classics, my impulse is to find analogs for this behavior, this temperament – precedents that might help provide some perspective.

    Trump displays his anger during a rally on Nov. 3, 2024, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

    Tyrants, heroes and horses

    Historians, I thought, would be able to come up with analogs. For example, Trump’s initial choice of a political ally, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, as attorney general – widely seen as unqualified for the post and who later withdrew – was likened to the Roman emperor Caligula, who made his horse a senator. Figures from Greek history, from the Athenian tyrant Pisistratus to Alexander the Great, could be famously power-hungry and vindictive.

    Classical epic and drama furnish plenty of rage, which is the first word of the Homeric epic “The Iliad.”

    Since epic and tragic heroes are in positions of power, temperament and action mesh. The Greek hero Achilles’ clash with the Greek army’s commander Agamemnon at the outset of “The Iliad” is psychologically plausible. Each man feels insulted and slighted by the other; both have cause for resentment.

    Achilles nurses his rage at all his fellow Greeks until, much later in the epic, his grief at the death of his beloved Patroklos sends him back into battle. This larger-than-life hero is vulnerable, changeable and human.

    Perhaps the most famous example of vengeance in Greek tragedy is Aeschylus’ trilogy, “The Oresteia.” When Clytemnestra murders her husband, Agamemnon, on his return from Troy, she has three comprehensible motives. Agamemnon has sacrificed their daughter; he has brought home a mistress, Cassandra; and Clytemnestra feels loyalty, both personal and political, to Aegisthus, her husband’s cousin, whom she has taken as a lover in her husband’s absence and who has his own reasons for hating Agamemnon.

    So vindicated does Clytemnestra feel in having murdered Agamemnon – and Cassandra as well – that she proudly compares her action to rain that fertilizes the crops. As rain is part of the cycle of the seasons, her act has righted the balance of justice.

    Agamemnon was murdered in cold blood by Clytemnestra and Aegisthus, in vengeance for Iphigenia’s death and all the grief he’d given them both.
    Flaxman, artist, from The Print Collector/Getty Images

    Cunning rage leads to death

    Turning to a few of Shakespeare’s more vengeful characters, Iago in “Othello” is an embodiment of a cunning rage that leads him to systematically destroy the innocent Othello’s marriage. He does this by falsely hinting – and then planting a chain of evidence suggesting – that Othello’s bride, Desdemona, is unfaithful.

    Othello eventually kills both Desdemona and himself. But the Romantic critic Samuel Taylor Coleridge famously referred to Iago’s “motiveless malignancy,” since it’s hard to be sure exactly why Iago is so set on destroying Othello.

    Hamlet himself is a reluctant avenger who keeps putting off the act of revenging his father’s murder. In the history play named for him, Richard III’s resentment, going back to having been a deformed and unloved child, makes more sense. Richard lusts after power; he systematically and clandestinely murders his own brother and nephews, who would stand between him and his elder brother Edward’s throne.

    Whether motivated by political ambition, generalized rancor or an inherited assignment, none of these figures ends well. They all have enemies, and they all – except Iago, who will be tortured and executed – die on stage. All have done plenty of damage; none survives long to feel vindicated. Even Clytemnestra’s triumph is short-lived, since her own son, Orestes, will soon avenge his father’s death by murdering his mother – Clytemnestra.

    But all these figures seem to feel personal passion. Even the opaque Iago has one chief target: Othello. They don’t present compelling parallels to Trump, whose anger appears to be simultaneously private and public.

    Easily offended, Trump is quick to strike back with insults; but he also seems to have an insatiable appetite for broader and deeper punishment, meted out to more people and even after a lapse of time. Hence literary parallels are less than compelling.

    Trump’s anger seems more general than personal. His aggrieved sense of having been wronged, victimized by his enemies, is a constant in his career. But his targets shift. One day it’s judges; another day it’s election officials. Yet another day, it’s the “deep state.”

    And Trump’s implacable resentment has struck a chord among many Americans whose resentment has a more rational basis. Trump’s base may believe he is speaking for them – “I am your warrior. I am your justice,” he said in a speech at a conservative forum, but his first priority has always been himself.

    A spirit, ranging for revenge

    The damage done by Trump is often inflicted by others. Their threats, harassment and even violence are done in the name of Trump.

    He has pardoned almost all of the Jan. 6 insurrectionists, some of whom have now boasted they will acquire guns.

    Trump has removed government protection from figures who have dared to disagree with him and have received death threats, including Dr. Anthony Fauci.

    Shakespeare, turning history into great poetry, comes to mind after all. In “Julius Caesar,” knowing that his funeral oration over the body of the assassinated Caesar will stir up an angry mob, Mark Antony muses:

    “And Caesar’s spirit, ranging for revenge,
    With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
    Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
    Cry ‘Havoc!’ and let slip the dogs of war”

    Antony imagines Caesar’s vengeful spirit rising from the underworld to incite further violence. Not only will Caesar’s assassins be punished, but the hell of civil war will be let loose to cause widespread suffering. Precisely who Trump wants to punish appears secondary to his delight in releasing precisely those hellish dogs. Everyone is a potential enemy and a potential victim.

    “I am your retribution,” Trump has said. Nothing in Trump’s continuing story more clearly echoes the classics than this ominous melding of self with a superhuman principle of revenge.

    Such a merging of a mortal individual with a pitilessly abstract power like Nemesis is closer to myth than to history. Or so it would be comforting to assume.

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

    – ref. Why Trump’s rage defies historical and literary comparisons, according to a classics expert – https://theconversation.com/why-trumps-rage-defies-historical-and-literary-comparisons-according-to-a-classics-expert-248510

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Water is the other US-Mexico border crisis, and the supply crunch is getting worse

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Gabriel Eckstein, Professor of Law, Texas A&M University

    View of the Rio Grande flowing through Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, photographed from the Paso Del Norte International Bridge. Paul Rarje/AFP via Getty Images

    Immigration and border security will be the likely focus of U.S.-Mexico relations under the new Trump administration. But there also is a growing water crisis along the U.S.–Mexico border that affects tens of millions of people on both sides, and it can only be managed if the two governments work together.

    Climate change is shrinking surface and groundwater supplies in the southwestern U.S. Higher air temperatures are increasing evaporation rates from rivers and streams and intensifying drought. Mexico is also experiencing multiyear droughts and heat waves.

    Growing water use is already overtaxing limited supplies from nearly all of the region’s cross-border rivers, streams and aquifers. Many of these sources are contaminated with agricultural pollutants, untreated waste and other substances, further reducing the usability of available water.

    As Texas-based scholars who study the legal and scientific aspects of water policy, we know that communities, farms and businesses in both countries rely on these scarce water supplies. In our view, water conditions on the border have changed so much that the current legal framework for managing them is inadequate.

    Unless both nations recognize this fact, we believe that water problems in the region are likely to worsen, and supplies may never recover to levels seen as recently as the 1950s. Although the U.S. and Mexico have moved to address these concerns by updating the 1944 water treaty, these steps are not long-term solutions.

    The Rio Grande flows south from Colorado and forms the 1,250-mile (2,000-kilometer) Texas-Mexico border.
    Kmusser/Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

    Growing demand, shrinking supply

    The U.S.-Mexico border region is mostly arid, with water coming from a few rivers and an unknown amount of groundwater. The main rivers that cross the border are the Colorado and the Rio Grande – two of the most water-stressed systems in the world.

    The Colorado River provides water to more than 44 million people, including seven U.S. and two Mexican states, 29 Indian tribes and 5.5 million acres of farmland. Only about 10% of its total flow reaches Mexico. The river once emptied into the Gulf of California, but now so much water is withdrawn along its course that since the 1960s it typically peters out in the desert.

    The Rio Grande supplies water to roughly 15 million people, including 22 Indian tribes, three U.S. and four Mexican states and 2.8 million irrigated acres. It forms the 1,250-mile (2,000-kilometer) Texas-Mexico border, winding from El Paso in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east.

    The Colorado River flows through seven U.S. states and crosses into Mexico at the Arizona-California border.
    USGS

    Other rivers that cross the border include the Tijuana, San Pedro, Santa Cruz, New and Gila. These are all significantly smaller and have less economic impact than the Colorado and the Rio Grande.

    At least 28 aquifers – underground rock formations that contain water – also traverse the border. With a few exceptions, very little information on these shared resources exists. One thing that is known is that many of them are severely overtapped and contaminated.

    Nonetheless, reliance on aquifers is growing as surface water supplies dwindle. Some 80% of groundwater used in the border region goes to agriculture. The rest is used by farmers and industries, such as automotive and appliance manufacturers.

    Over 10 million people in 30 cities and communities throughout the border region rely on groundwater for domestic use. Many communities, including Ciudad Juarez; the sister cities of Nogales in both Arizona and Sonora; and the sister cities of Columbus in New Mexico and Puerto Palomas in Chihuahua, get all or most of their fresh water from these aquifers.

    A booming region

    About 30 million people live within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of the border on both sides. Over the next 30 years, that figure is expected to double.

    Municipal and industrial water use throughout the region is also expected to increase. In Texas’ lower Rio Grande Valley, municipal use alone could more than double by 2040.

    At the same time, as climate change continues to worsen, scientists project that snowmelt will decrease and evaporation rates will increase. The Colorado River’s baseflow – the portion of its volume that comes from groundwater, rather than from rain and snow – may decline by nearly 30% in the next 30 years.

    Precipitation patterns across the region are projected to be uncertain and erratic for the foreseeable future. This trend will fuel more extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, which could cause widespread harm to crops, industrial activity, human health and the environment.

    Further stress comes from growth and development. Both the Colorado River and Rio Grande are tainted by pollutants from agricultural, municipal and industrial sources. Cities on both sides of the border, especially on the Mexican side, have a long history of dumping untreated sewage into the Rio Grande. Of the 55 water treatment plants located along the border, 80% reported ongoing maintenance, capacity and operating problems as of 2019.

    Drought across the border region is already stoking domestic and bilateral tensions. Competing water users are struggling to meet their needs, and the U.S. and Mexico are straining to comply with treaty obligations for sharing water.

    Cross-border water politics

    Mexico and the United States manage water allocations in the border region mainly under two treaties: a 1906 agreement focused on the Upper Rio Grande Basin and a 1944 treaty covering the Colorado River and Lower Rio Grande.

    Under the 1906 treaty, the U.S. is obligated to deliver 60,000 acre-feet of water to Mexico where the Rio Grande reaches the border. This target may be reduced during droughts, which have occurred frequently in recent decades. An acre-foot is enough water to flood an acre of land 1 foot deep – about 325,000 gallons (1.2 million liters).

    Allocations under the 1944 treaty are more complicated. The U.S. is required to deliver 1.5 million acre-feet of Colorado River water to Mexico at the border – but as with the 1906 treaty, reductions are allowed in cases of extraordinary drought.

    Until the mid-2010s, the U.S. met its full obligation each year. Since then, however, regional drought and climate change have severely reduced the Colorado River’s flow, requiring substantial allocation reductions for both the U.S. and Mexico.

    In 2025, states in the U.S. section of the lower Colorado River basin will see a reduction of over 1 million acre-feet from prior years. Mexico’s allocation will decline by approximately 280,500 acre-feet under the 1944 treaty.

    This agreement provides each nation with designated fractions of flows from the Lower Rio Grande and specific tributaries. Regardless of water availability or climatic conditions, Mexico also is required to deliver to the U.S. a minimum of 1,750,000 acre-feet of water from six named tributaries, averaged over five-year cycles. If Mexico falls short in one cycle, it can make up the deficit in the next five-year cycle, but cannot delay repayment further.

    The U.S. and Mexico are struggling to share a shrinking water supply in the border region.

    Since the 1990s, extraordinary droughts have caused Mexico to miss its delivery obligations three times. Although Mexico repaid its water debts in subsequent cycles, these shortfalls raised diplomatic tensions that led to last-minute negotiations and large-scale water transfers from Mexico to the U.S.

    Mexican farmers in Lower Rio Grande irrigation districts who had to shoulder these cuts felt betrayed. In 2020, they protested, confronting federal soldiers and temporarily seizing control of a dam.

    U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Scheinbaum clearly appreciate the political and economic importance of the border region. But if water scarcity worsens, it could supplant other border priorities.

    In our view, the best way to prevent this would be for the two countries to recognize that conditions are deteriorating and update the existing cross-border governance regime so that it reflects today’s new water realities.

    Gabriel Eckstein is affiliated with the Permanent Forum on Binational Waters, International Association for Water Law, and International Water Resources Association.

    Rosario Sanchez receives funding from the USGS under the Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program Act. She is affiliated with Texas A&M University and the non-profit as a volunteer to the Permanent Forum of Binational Waters, the International Association of Hydrogeologists, and the International Water Resources Association.

    – ref. Water is the other US-Mexico border crisis, and the supply crunch is getting worse – https://theconversation.com/water-is-the-other-us-mexico-border-crisis-and-the-supply-crunch-is-getting-worse-244722

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: Fraudsters withdraw money from ATMs without people’s plastic cards

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Central Bank of Russia (2) –

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Categoris24-7, Central Bank of OF Russia, Miles, Russians Banks, Russians savings, Russians finance, Russians Language, Russian economy, Russian banks

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    Archives Police Privces Guide I would turn the WordPress

    Fraudsters call citizens, including via messengers, and claim that unknown persons are trying to steal money from their account. To prevent the loss of savings, fraudsters convince a person to immediately install on their phone a supposedly mobile application of the Central Bank (the names may vary). Moreover, while it is being installed, they prohibit using the device.

    After this, the attackers ask the victim to launch the installed application, bring their card to their mobile phone and enter a confirmation SMS code from the bank, supposedly to authorize in the regulator’s application and save money in the account. In fact, the program downloaded to the person’s smartphone is malicious.

    It allows the fraudsters to create a virtual image of the victim’s bank card on the phone. As a result, the attackers can use this virtual image to withdraw money from ATMs that support contactless technology: instead of a bank card, they put their smartphone on the device.

    Do not download any mobile applications or programs at the request of strangers, and do not perform any actions in banking or other applications at their request.

    Do not disclose personal or financial information to strangers, no matter what pretext or method they use to obtain it.

    If you have any doubts about the safety of your money in your bank account, immediately call your bank at the number listed on its official website or on the back of your bank card.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Financial news: New rules for admission of credit consumer cooperatives to the financial market are being introduced

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Central Bank of Russia –

    The new rules are intended to increase the level of transparency of credit consumer cooperatives (CCCs) for their participants. The changes to the Law “On Credit Cooperatives” come into force on February 5, 2025.

    Until now, the Bank of Russia has been conducting state CPC registrybased on data from the unified state register of legal entities. Now information will be entered into the CPC register only after the cooperative’s documents have been reviewed by a self-regulatory organization in the financial market or the Bank of Russia (depending on the level of the CPC).

    Regulator installed the procedure for maintaining the register of credit unions and sending documents for entering information into the register. An assessment of the organization’s managers’ compliance with qualification requirements and business reputation requirements will also be conducted.

    More detailed information on the procedures for admission to the financial market of credit unions can be found here on the website Bank of Russia.

    Preview photo: Pratiwi Ambarwati / Shutterstock / Fotodom

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    Please Note; This Information is Raw Content Directly from the Information Source. It is access to What the Source Is Stating and Does Not Reflect

    HTTPS: //VVV.KBR.ru/Press/Event/? ID = 23341

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fairer funding for charities

    Source: Scottish Government

    More than £60 million for pilot projects focusing on essential services and eradicating child poverty.

    A new Fairer Funding pilot to deliver on the Scottish Government’s top priority of eradicating child poverty will provide additional multi-year funding in the form of 45 grants to organisations across Scotland.

    The funding, subject to budget approval, will support projects in areas including health, education, poverty and culture and have a total value of £61.7 million in 2025-26 and £63.2 million in 2026- 27.

    Speaking on her visit today to the Gathering, the largest third sector event in the UK, Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:

    “I know many charities, faced with rising costs and falling donations, need more security and stability to enable them to plan and develop. Child poverty, in particular, requires longer-term interventions to help achieve the solutions we want to see. For that, the third sector needs financial stability and certainty. That’s why I have prioritised delivering on our commitment to provide more multi-year funding where we can to support the vital work of the third sector in Scotland, as part of our fairer funding approach.

    “The pilot is the first step in mainstreaming multi-year funding agreements more widely across the third sector. It will give organisations the ability to plan for the future and make the most of their resources. The pilot’s focus on grants connected to tackling child poverty and the delivery of frontline services to our communities will maximise the impact of longer term funding and support the delivery of our number one priority, eradicating child poverty.”  

    Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) Chief Executive Anna Fowlie said:

    “The voluntary sector has a crucial role to play in delivering essential services across Scotland that people and communities rely on. Multi-year funding models are vital, providing security to voluntary organisations and, crucially, allowing them to get on and deliver for people and communities.

     “We welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to piloting multi-year funding for a range of voluntary organisations across Scotland – a first step, we hope, towards rolling out Fair Funding principles to voluntary sector funding.”

    Background

    Organisations to receive multi-year funding for 2025/26 and 2026/27

    Social Justice

    Scottish Refugee Council

    Scottish Empty Homes Partnership

    Homeless Network Scotland

    Housing Options Scotland

    Poverty Alliance

    CentreStage – Social Innovation Partnership

    COVEY – Social Innovation Partnership

    Flexibility Works – Social Innovation Partnership

    Heavy Sound – Social Innovation Partnership

    MsMissMrs – Social Innovation Partnership

    Street Soccer – Social Innovation Partnership

    WorkingRite – Social Innovation Partnership

    MCR Pathways

    Economy and Gaelic

    Scottish Mountain Rescue

    Constitution, External Affairs and Culture

    Youth Music Initiative

    Sistema Scotland

    Health and Social Care

    Cruse Scotland Bereavement Helpline

    Penumbra Self-harm support pilots

    BASICS Funding PHEC BASICS Scotland

    The Listening Service Samaritans

    Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults

    Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund Management

    Autism Advice Line Scottish Autism

    Young Scot Carer support funding

    Active Play Development Programme Inspiring Scotland

    Active Play Development Programme Actify

    Community Food Networks Edinburgh Community Food

    Community Food Networks Lanarkshire Community Food and Health Partnership

    Community Food Networks Community Food Initiative North East

    Community Food Networks Glasgow Community Food Network

    Drugs Policy: Core Funding Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs

    Drugs Policy: Family Recovery Initiative Fund Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs

    Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder FASD Hub Scotland Service 

    Finance and Local Government

    Planning Aid Scotland

    Education and Skills

    Dyslexia Scotland

    Children’s Advocacy for Children’s Hearings

    Who Cares Scotland

    Inspiring Scotland

    Children in Scotland Enquire National Advice and Information Service on Additional Support for Learning

    Scottish Book Trust Bookbug

    Access to Childcare Fund

    Scottish Association of Minority Ethnic Educators

    Justice and Home Affairs

    Victim Centred Approach Fund

    Apex Scotland

    Medics Against Violence

    These pilots are in addition to the multi-year funding announced last week by Creative Scotland, which has been funded as part of a record £34 million uplift for culture in the draft 2025-26 Scottish Budget.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: AFRICA/GHANA – A debate in Parliament revives the question of the incompatibility between the Catholic faith and membership in Freemasonry

    Source: Agenzia Fides – MIL OSI

    Accra (Agenzia Fides) – Since the end of January, various statements have been made by bodies of the Catholic Church in Ghana, aimed at reaffirming the incompatibility between the Catholic faith and membership in Freemasonry. The issue arose during the parliamentary hearings for the appointment of the Minister of Youth Development and Emancipation, George Opare Addo. During the debate, minority leader, Afenyo-Markin, asked if Opare Addo was a Freemason, to which he responded by openly acknowledging his membership in Freemasonry.The admission generated mixed reactions, and the Archdiocese of Accra reiterated, in a note issued on January 26, that Catholics cannot associate with Freemasonry. In response, Afenyo-Markin, who professes the Catholic faith, indicated that he had not received official communication from the Church regarding his membership in Masonic organizations.”My Archbishop Palmer-Buckle (Archbishop of Cape Coast) has not written any letter to me,” Afenyo-Markin said in an interview on January 29. “I have been seeing letters flying around, but nobody has written to me personally,” the leader of the parliamentary opposition said. The Ghana Bishops’ Conference intervened in the matter through a statement released to the press on January 31, in which it reaffirmed the official position of the Church on the incompatibility between the Catholic faith and Freemasonry. Referring to the teachings of various pontiffs – since the Bull of Clement XII, dated April 28, 1738 – to the provisions of the Code of Canon Law and to the declarations of the then Congregation (later Dicastery) for the Doctrine of the Faith, the note reminds “the faithful that, according to the doctrine of the Church, membership in Masonic organizations is a grave matter that can lead to spiritual harm. Those who may be involved in such associations are strongly encouraged to reconsider their membership to live fully in the light of the Gospel.”“The position of the Catholic Church with regard to Freemasonry is that it is a religion in its own right, with doctrines that are irreconcilable with Christian doctrines.Freemasonry also promotes a form of universalism that ignores the unique role of Jesus in the salvation of mankind. In many cases also, it offers a syncretistic view of religion that undermines the exclusive claims of the Christian faith.”In reaction to these statements, a senior Masonic dignitary, John Edusei, Assistant Provincial Grand Master of the North of the Grand Lodge of Ghana, responded to these latest statements. Edusei, who also professes to be a Catholic, recalls the official statements of the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE), which read: “Freemasonry is not a religion, nor is it a substitute for religion. There is no separate Masonic god, and there is no separate proper name for a deity in Freemasonry.” To avoid confusion between Freemasonry and Catholic orders of chivalry, the Knights of St. John International and Ladies’ Auxiliary of Ghana have issued a clarifying note. In it, they emphasize that it is “a renowned Catholic association that operates under the auspices of the under the auspices of the Catholic Church worldwide and that firmly maintains the position of the Church against Catholics’ membership of the Freemasonry.” (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 5/2/2025)
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  • MIL-OSI Security: Georgia Man Indicted for Firearm Charge in 2023 Shooting of SCHP Trooper

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

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a single-count indictment against Derrick Gathers, 38, of Augusta, Georgia, for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    The indictment alleges that on April 16, 2023, Gathers possessed a firearm and ammunition during an incident where he shot at a South Carolina State Trooper. Gathers has been charged in state court for a number of other charges related to the incident. Gathers has a previous felony conviction that prevents him from possessing a firearm or ammunition.

    The trooper, Lance Corporal Frazier, has recovered.

    Gathers faces a maximum penalty of 15 years. Gathers was already detained on state charges.

    This case is 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.

    The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, Orangeburg County Sheriff’s Office, Dorchester County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bamberg Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Lamar Fyall is prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun Crime

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

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Jason Douglas MaComber, 52, of St. Albans, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 12, 2023, MaComber possessed a Remington model 870 Wingmaster 12-gauge shotgun in St. Albans.

    Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. MaComber knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony convictions for possession of dangerous drugs/controlled substances on November 20, 2007, possession of a firearm by a felon on June 24, 2014, and illegal firearm transportation on July 1, 2019, all in San Bernardino, California, Superior Court.

    The shotgun had a modified and shortened barrel. The short-barreled shotgun was not registered to MaComber in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record as required by federal law.

    MaComber is scheduled to be sentenced on April 22, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

    United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the South Charleston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

    United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney JC MacCallum is prosecuting the case.

    This case is 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.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-148.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Joy, Music, and Community Come Together to Celebrate Martin Luther King Legacy

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    Smiles, singing, and spirits soared at the 2025 Dr. Marting Luther King Living Legacy Convocation last Friday at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts. The event featured performances from UConn’s gospel choir, Voices of Freedom, and special guest Grammy-nominated Gospel artist, Todd Dulaney.

    MLK Legacy Awardees also received recognition during the event. The Living Legacy Convocation was organized by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

    Jonelle Reynolds, director of diversity and inclusion initiatives at UConn, gives remarks during the Dr. Martin Luther King Living Legacy Convocation at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

    The convocation has grown since last year, with a full awardee selection committee, more submitted nominations, and a ceremony in a bigger space with a pre-event reception.

    Jonelle Reynolds, Director of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives, served as co-chair of the awardee selection committee and emcee for the evening.

    Reynolds says she hoped the event would give attendees a chance to breathe and to take a break from stressful news around the world.

    “Anxiety, fear, frustration, anger, hopelessness – those are negative feelings that have been impacting some of our communities,” she says. “This is really an opportunity for people to put all of that aside and just be present in the room with each other.”

    Guest poet Nadia Sims performed a new piece, “Reclaiming My Slice,” that was inspired by her wanting to live and prosper freely as a Black woman and as an American, she says.

    Vice President for Student Life and Enrollment at UConn Nathan Fuerst gives Alexis Monteiro, a residence hall director at UConn, the 2025 MLK Legacy Award for staff during the Dr. Martin Luther King Living Legacy Convocation at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (Sydney Herdle/UConn Photo)

    “I want to get to a place where being American is enough to secure and pursue happiness and liberty and life,” Sims says. “Martin Luther King had a dream and that is my dream – to just do what I need to do as a citizen and have that be enough.”

    After recipients received their awards, Voices of Freedom took the stage and brought energy to the audience. Directed by Lisa Clayton, attendees united with the voices on stage as a giant choir with all voices tuned in the right key.

    “I am excited that Voices of Freedom was asked to honor the memory and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Our amazing students shared their melodious voices to help create an incredible night,” Clayton says.

    The highlight of the evening was Todd Dulaney’s performance. He performed many of his gospel hits and had everyone in the Jorgensen Center on their feet dancing and singing along. Members of Voices of Freedom even had the opportunity to display their vocal talent when several members had solo moments during Dulaney’s set.

    “I’m so glad I came,” one smiling audience member said. “It really was great way to end the week and it way good way to kick off Black History Month.”

    Award winners included a mix of students, staff & faculty, alumni, and community members:
    Undergraduate Student: Andy Zhang
    Graduate Student: Adanma Akoma
    Faculty: Kate Capshaw
    Staff: Alexis Monteiro
    Team: CAHNR Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Strategic Vision Implementation Committee
    Alum: N. Chineye (Chi) Anako
    Community Member: Nelson Merchan

    Based on the crowd’s response, the celebration will continue to grow and be a highlight for many.

    “I want it to be not just something that people are excited about in the UConn community but the entire Connecticut community,” Reynolds says.” “My hope is that five years from now it’s even bigger and the Jorgensen Center will be packed.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah chairs a high-level review meeting on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi

    Source: Government of India

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah chairs a high-level review meeting on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi

    Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Government is committed to wipe out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir

    The ecosystem of terrorism in J&K has been weakened due to the sustained and coordinated efforts of the Modi government

    Union Home Minister directed all security agencies to step up the fight against terrorism with the goal of ‘zero infiltration’

    Our goal should be to uproot the existence of terrorists

    Terror funding from the proceeds of the narcotics trade has to be curbed with alacrity and rigour

    Posted On: 05 FEB 2025 3:40PM by PIB Delhi

    Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah chaired a high-level review meeting on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi today. The meeting was attended by the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha, the Union Home Secretary, the Director of the Intelligence Bureau, the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police of Jammu and Kashmir, along with senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Jammu and Kashmir administration. Union Home Minister, Shri Amit Shah, yesterday also held an important review meeting on the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir, which was attended by the Chief of the Army Staff, General Upendra Dwivedi, the Home Secretary and other senior officers of MHA and Army.

    Addressing the meeting, Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi is committed to completely wipe out terrorism from Jammu and Kashmir. He said that due to the sustained and coordinated efforts of the Modi government, the terrorism ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir has been significantly weakened. The Home Minister directed all security agencies to step up the fight against terrorism by aiming for the ‘zero infiltration’ goal. He asked all security agencies to take more stringent action on infiltration and acts of terror with a ruthless approach. He said that it should be our goal to uproot the existence of terrorists.

    Shri Amit Shah said that the narco network is providing support to infiltrators and terrorists to carry out their activities. He said that there is a need to take prompt action against terror funding from the proceeds of the narcotics trade with alacrity and rigour.

    Shri Amit Shah directed the agencies to make new appointments in the posts of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in view of the timely implementation of the new criminal laws.

    Shri Amit Shah emphasised the Modi government’s ‘policy of zero tolerance’ against terrorism to achieve the goal of a terrorism-free Jammu and Kashmir. He directed all security agencies to remain vigilant and continue to work in synergy to eliminate terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

    Union Home Minister appreciated the efforts of the security agencies for significant improvement in all parameters of the security scenario in Jammu and Kashmir.

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    Raj Kumar/Vivek/Ashutosh/Pankaj

     

    (Release ID: 2099997) Visitor Counter : 87

    Read this release in: Hindi

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –