NewzIntel.com

Category: Justice

  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Businessman Indicted for Tax Evasion

    Source: United States Attorneys General 10

    A federal grand jury in Jacksonville, Florida, returned an indictment yesterday charging a Florida businessman with tax evasion, not filing a tax return and not paying taxes.

    According to the indictment, Phillip Mak, of Jacksonville, was a self-employed businessman who from 2008 through 2020 earned approximately $10.3 million in income. During that same period, Mak allegedly did not pay any federal taxes and, except for two years, did not file tax returns. The IRS allegedly assessed approximately $1.9 million in outstanding taxes, penalties and interest against Mak for tax years 2008, 2009, 2012-2015 and 2019-2020.

    Instead of paying what he owed, Mak allegedly attempted to shield his assets from the IRS by transferring $1 million in cash to his domestic partner’s bank accounts. In addition, the indictment alleges that Mak, after being interviewed by IRS investigators, transferred ownership of his home to his domestic partner’s trust, created a nominee entity and began depositing his income into a bank account held in the name of that entity.

    In total, Mak is alleged to have caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $1.92 million.

    If convicted, Mak faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for tax evasion and a maximum sentence of one year in prison for each charge of failure to file a tax return and failure to pay tax. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

    Trial Attorneys Isaiah Boyd and Michael Jones of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cannizzaro for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Delivers Opening Statement In Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing For President Trump’s Pick To Be FBI Director, Kash Patel

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    January 30, 2025
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during the Senate Judiciary Committee nomination hearing for Kash Patel, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
    Key Quotes:
    “Mr. Patel has neither the experience, the temperament, nor the judgment to lead an agency of 38,000 [people] and 400 field offices around the globe. During the time I’ve served on this Committee, I’ve had the opportunity to consider four prior FBI Director nominations. Each one was a Republican, and I voted for all of them. So, my concerns about the Director of the FBI are not partisan.”
    “As much as Republicans claim that President Biden and former Attorney General Garland weaponized the FBI, let’s look at the record: President Biden kept the FBI Director, a lifelong Republican who had been appointed by President Trump. Contrast that with President Trump, who fired his first FBI Director, James Comey, and forced out his second FBI Director, Chris Wray, for being insufficiently loyal. With Mr. Patel, obviously the President has found a loyalist.”
    “Mr. Patel’s loyalty includes touting conspiracy theories and threaten[ing to go after President Trump’s enemies.] How do we know Mr. Patel’s theories? His beliefs, what motivates him, and what he really believes? He wrote it in a book. The book [is titled] Government Gangsters, and I urge all of you to read [it] before you cast a vote for [him]. In it, Mr. Patel has published an enemies list of 60 people who he calls, ‘members of the deep state.’ This list includes many distinguished public servants who have dedicated their lives to our nation.” 
    “Then there is Mr. Patel’s plan to ‘shut down the F.B.I. Hoover Building on Day 1 and reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state.’’ And he has said, ‘We’re going to come after the people in the media, we’re going to come after you, whether it’s criminally or civilly, [and] we’re putting you all on notice.’”
    “Does this sound like the kind of nonpartisan, law enforcement professional who should lead the FBI? Not to me. This is someone who has left behind a trail of grievances throughout his life, lashing out at anyone who disrespects him or doesn’t agree with him.”
    “Mr. Patel’s record is clear: he traffics in debunked conspiracy theories that serve or benefit his political beliefs. Let’s start with January 6… I will always be grateful to the U.S. Capitol police officers who risked their lives defending me, members of Congress, and visitors of the United States Capitol on that day. Mr. Patel posted on social media, ‘Jan. 6 never an insurrection: cowards in uniform exposed.’ Let me repeat that. ‘Cowards in uniform.’ Who was in the Capitol building on January 6 in uniform—the Capitol Police were. Do you think they were cowards?… And Mr. Patel claims that the FBI, the agency he aspires to lead, ‘was planning January 6 for a year.’ Mr. Patel has gone so far as to co-produce and sell musical recordings of a song performed by January 6 rioters who violently assaulted police officers.”
    “The FBI plays a critical role in keeping Americans safe from terrorism, violent crime, and other threats. Our nation needs an FBI Director who understands the gravity of this mission and is ready on day one, not someone who is consumed by his own personal political grievances. The American people deserve an FBI Director who is focused on keeping the public safe from terrorism, drug trafficking, and violent crime, not the checklist of personal grievances we find in this book. Mr. Patel, your record makes clear that you are not that person.”
      
    Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
    Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
    Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Takes Forceful and Unprecedented Steps to Combat Anti-Semitism

    US Senate News:

    Source: The White House
    COMBATING ANTI-SEMITISM IN THE UNITED STATES: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order to Combat Anti-Semitism.
    Expanding on his Executive Order 13899, President Trump’s new Order takes forceful and unprecedented steps to marshal all Federal resources to combat the explosion of anti-Semitism on our campuses and in our streets since October 7, 2023.
    Every Federal executive department and agency leader will review and report to the White House within sixty days on all criminal and civil authorities and actions available for fighting anti-Semitism.
    Immediate action will be taken by the Department of Justice to protect law and order, quell pro-Hamas vandalism and intimidation, and investigate and punish anti-Jewish racism in leftist, anti-American colleges and universities.
    The Order demands the removal of resident aliens who violate our laws.
    GOING ON OFFENSE TO ENFORCE LAW AND ORDER AND TO PROTECT CIVIL RIGHTS: Immediately after the jihadist terrorist attacks against the people of Israel on October 7, 2023, pro-Hamas aliens and left-wing radicals began a campaign of intimidation, vandalism, and violence on the campuses and streets of America.
    Celebrating Hamas’ mass rape, kidnapping, and murder, they physically blocked Jewish Americans from attending college classes, obstructed synagogues and assaulted worshippers, and vandalized American monuments and statues.
    The Biden Administration turned a blind eye to this coordinated assault on public order; it simply refused to protect the civil rights of Jewish Americans, especially students. According to a December 2024 U.S. House of Representatives Staff Report on anti-Semitism, “the failure of our federal government departments and agencies is astounding.”
    PRESIDENT TRUMP KEEPS HIS PROMISES AND BUILDS ON HIS SUCCESS: In his first term, President Trump kept his biggest promises:
    He moved the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem: After decades of broken promises and despite much criticism, President Trump was the President who finally kept his commitment to Israel to move the American embassy from Tel-Aviv to Israel’s true and rightful capital: Jerusalem.
    He established the Abraham Accords: President Trump delivered the greatest breakthrough for peace in the Middle East in decades by brokering the normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, protecting Israel and Jews and spreading security and prosperity to the entire region.
    Now, President Trump has promised that the Federal Government will:
    Protect the civil rights of our Jewish citizens: “My promise to Jewish Americans is this: With your vote, I will be your defender, your protector, and I will be the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House.”
    Aggressively enforce the law, protect public order, and prosecute anti-Semitic crimes: “I will issue clear orders to my Attorney General to aggressively prosecute terroristic threats, arson, vandalism and violence against American Jews.”
    Deport Hamas Sympathizers and Revoke Student Visas: “To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you. I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses, which have been infested with radicalism like never before.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Lamont Announces 2025 Legislative Proposal: Strengthen the Ability To Prosecute Hate Crimes

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    (HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that the package of legislative proposals he will ask the Connecticut General Assembly to ratify during the 2025 regular session will include a bill consolidating and strengthening the state’s existing hate crime statutes in order to increase the ability of police and prosecutors to charge criminals with these crimes and seek enhanced penalties.

    Connecticut’s hate crimes statutes originate to 1990 when the legislature established a single crime of intimidation based on bigotry or bias. Since then, the legislature modified that law on several occasions and created numerous other statutes addressing the prosecution of hate crimes and expanding the list of protected classes.

    Governor Lamont supports the overall intent of these laws and applauds their adoption, however he has received reports from police and prosecutors who’ve noted that as these laws have become modified and heightened over the years, they’ve become scattered within various sections of the Connecticut General Statutes and contain some inconsistent terminology, complicating the ability of these laws to actually be used in the prosecution of crimes.

    The legislation the governor is proposing, which originates from the work of the Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Council, consolidates all of the state’s existing hate crimes laws into a new hate crimes chapter of the Connecticut General Statutes, which will simplify and make it easier for police and prosecutors to charge and prosecute criminals with these crimes. It also modifies the intent standard to align more closely with the hate crimes laws used in other states by removing the element that a defendant must have acted “maliciously.”

    “Connecticut has led the nation in the adoption of hate crimes laws, and that is a good thing, but in order for them to be effective and for police and prosecutors to be able to use them, these laws need to be streamlined within our statutes,” Governor Lamont said. “Hate crimes are intended to induce fear and terrorize entire groups of people, and that is why the prosecution of crimes involving acts of hate must include enhanced penalties.”

    The Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Council is an advisory body consisting of volunteers appointed by the governor who represent a wide range of community and civic groups. Recently, the group has been researching data related to the reporting of hate crimes and working with professors from UConn Law School to develop procedures and techniques in which the prosecution of hate crimes can be supported.

    “Over the last couple of years, the Connecticut Hate Crimes Advisory Council has been conducting valuable research on the prevalence of hate crimes in the state, and specifically looking into how frequently these crimes get reported to law enforcement and then appropriately prosecuted,” Governor Lamont said. “The council’s research into this topic is going to help us make Connecticut’s hate crimes laws more effective.”

    The following is a list of existing hate crimes laws in the Connecticut General Statutes that Governor Lamont is seeking to consolidate into one new chapter:

    • Hate Crime Causing Physical Injury
    • Hate Crime Causing Physical Contact
    • Hate Crime Affecting Property
    • Hate Crime Affecting Religious Property
    • Hate Crime by Threat of Physical Contact
    • Hate Crime by Threat to Property
    • Hate Crime by Threatening in the First Degree with Respect to House of Religious Worship or Religiously-Affiliated Community Center
    • Hate Crime by Threatening in the Second Degree with Respect to House of Religious Worship or Religiously-Affiliated Community Center
    • Hate Crime by Advocacy or Urging
    • Hate Crime by Deprivation of Civil Rights
    • Hate Crime by Burning Cross
    • Hate Crime by Noose
    • Hate Crime with Mask or Hood
    • Ridicule by Commercial Advertisement
    • Discriminatory Public Accommodations Practice
    • Discriminatory Housing Practice
    • Hate Crime by False Report
    • Hate Crime by False Report to Law Enforcement
    • Hate Crime by False Report Resulting in Serious Physical Injury or Death
    • Hate Crime by Stalking
    • Hate Crime by Misuse of Emergency 9-1-1 System

    Governor Lamont is scheduled to deliver his annual budget address to a joint session of the General Assembly on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Documents containing the full details of his biennial budget proposal and other legislative proposals, including this bill on hate crimes, will be filed on that date.

     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cracked and Nulled Marketplaces Disrupted in International Cyber Operation

    Source: US State of California

    At Least 17M U.S. Victims Affected

    The Justice Department today announced its participation in a multinational operation involving actions in the United States, Romania, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Greece to disrupt and take down the infrastructure of the online cybercrime marketplaces known as Cracked and Nulled. The operation was announced in conjunction with Operation Talent, a multinational law enforcement operation supported by Europol to investigate Cracked and Nulled.

    Operation Talent Seizure Banner

    Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross for the Western District of New York, U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas, Assistant Director Brian A. Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Matthew Miraglia of the FBI Buffalo Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for the FBI San Antonio Field Office made the announcement.

    Cracked

    According to seizure warrants unsealed today, the Cracked marketplace has been selling stolen login credentials, hacking tools, and servers for hosting malware and stolen data — as well as other tools for carrying out cybercrime and fraud — since March 2018. Cracked had over four million users, listed over 28 million posts advertising cybercrime tools and stolen information, generated approximately $4 million in revenue, and impacted at least 17 million victims from the United States. One product advertised on Cracked offered access to “billions of leaked websites” allowing users to search for stolen login credentials. This product was recently allegedly used to sextort and harass a woman in the Western District of New York. Specifically, a cybercriminal entered the victim’s username into the tool and obtained the victim’s credentials for an online account. Using the victim’s credentials, the subject then cyberstalked the victim and sent sexually demeaning and threatening messages to the victim. The seizure of these marketplaces is intended to disrupt this type of cybercrime and the proliferation of these tools in the cybercrime community.

    The FBI, working in coordination with foreign law enforcement partners, identified a series of servers that hosted the Cracked marketplace infrastructure and eight domain names used to operate Cracked. They also identified servers and domain names for Cracked’s payment processor, Sellix, and the server and domain name for a related bulletproof hosting service. All of these servers and domain names have been seized pursuant to domestic and international legal process. Anyone visiting any of these seized domains will now see a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain has been seized by law enforcement authorities.

    The FBI Buffalo Field Office is investigating the case.

    Senior Counsel Thomas Dougherty of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Kruly for the Western District of New York are prosecuting the case.

    Nulled

    The Justice Department announced the seizure of the Nulled website domain and unsealed charges against one of Nulled’s administrators, Lucas Sohn, 29, an Argentinian national residing in Spain. According to the unsealed complaint affidavit, the Nulled marketplace has been selling stolen login credentials, stolen identification documents, hacking tools, as well as other tools for carrying out cybercrime and fraud, since 2016. Nulled had over five million users, listed over 43 million posts advertising cybercrime tools and stolen information, and generated approximately $1 million in yearly revenue. One product advertised on Nulled purported to contain the names and social security numbers of 500,000 American citizens.

    The FBI, working in coordination with foreign law enforcement partners, identified the servers that hosted the Nulled marketplace infrastructure, and the domain used to operate Nulled. The servers and domain have been seized pursuant to domestic and international legal process. Anyone visiting the Nulled domain will now see a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain has been seized by law enforcement authorities.

    According to the complaint, Sohn was an active administrator of Nulled and performed escrow functions on the website. Nulled’s customers would use Sohn’s services to complete transactions involving stolen credentials and other information. For his actions, Sohn has been charged with conspiracy to traffic in passwords and similar information through which computers may be accessed without authorization; conspiracy to solicit another person for the purpose of offering an access device or selling information regarding an access device; and conspiracy to possess, transfer, or use a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit or to aid and abet or in connection with any unlawful activity that is a violation of federal law.

    If convicted, Sohn faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to traffic in passwords, 10 years in prison for access device fraud, and 15 years in prison for identity fraud.

    The FBI Austin Cyber Task Force is investigating the case. The Task Force participants include the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, among other agencies.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys G. Karthik Srinivasan and Christopher Mangels for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Tindall for the Western District of Texas handling the forfeiture component.

    The Justice Department worked in close cooperation with investigators and prosecutors from several jurisdictions on the takedown of both the Cracked and Nulled marketplaces, including the Australian Federal Police, Europol, France’s Anti-Cybercrime Office (Office Anti-cybercriminalité) and Cyber Division of the Paris Prosecution Office, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt) and Prosecutor General’s Office Frankfurt am Main – Cyber Crime Center (Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Frankfurt am Main – ZIT), the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) and Guardia Civil, the Hellenic Police (Ελληνική Αστυνομία), Italy’s Polizia di Stato and the General Inspectorate of Romanian Police (Inspectoratul General al Poliției Romane). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Venezuelan Man Charged with Being in the United States Illegally After Having Been Previously Removed by Immigration Officials

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Jorge Humberto Moreno Martinez, 34, of Venezuela, has been charged by criminal complaint with being unlawfully present in the United States after having been previously removed by immigration officials.

    On January 28, 2025, Moreno appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle, who ordered that Moreno be detained during the pendency of this matter.

    According to court records, Moreno was previously removed from the United States by immigration officials on November 15, 2016, after he completed a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence following his New York felony conviction for burglary in the second degree. At that time, Moreno was advised and acknowledged that due to his criminal history he was prohibited from entering or attempting to enter the United States. Despite that warning, Moreno re-entered the United States and his presence in the country thereafter was in violation of U.S. law.

    Court records also state that when agents from the Department of Homeland Security attempted to arrest Moreno at a parking lot in Williston, Vermont, on January 27, 2025, Moreno fled in a vehicle, hitting three law enforcement vehicles before travelling at more than 100 miles per hour on a busy street before he was apprehended. As he drove, items were discarded from Moreno’s vehicle. Law enforcement recovered some of those items, which tested presumptively positive for cocaine base and cocaine.

    The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations only and that Moreno is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Moreno faces up to 20 years’ incarceration if convicted. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

    Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Department of Homeland Security, including its Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Enforcement and Removal Operations (“ERO”), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP”) divisions, with assistance from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”).

    The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Colin Owyang. Moreno is represented by Brooks McArthur, Esq.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Sanger Police Officer Convicted on Eight Counts of Sexually Assaulting Women While on Duty

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FRESNO, Calif — On Wednesday, a federal jury in Fresno convicted former Sanger Police Department Officer J. DeShawn Torrence, 42, of eight counts of deprivation of constitutional rights under color of law for sexually assaulting four women whom he encountered during the course of his official duties. The jury found that the offenses included kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, and attempted aggravated sexual abuse, and also caused bodily injury.

    Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kathleen Wolfe of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith for the Eastern District of California, and Special Agent in Charge Siddartha Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office made the announcement.

    The evidence at trial proved that Torrence sexually assaulted four women. He kidnapped a 21‑year-old woman who was walking to a store to buy groceries for her young children, drove her outside of town in his police car, and sexually assaulted her at an isolated dead end. Torrence forcibly raped a second victim, a 67-year-old woman, after following her into her home during a DUI investigation. With a third victim, Torrence showed up at her door in his police uniform after midnight, entered her apartment, pinned her against the kitchen counter, and sexually assaulted her. Torrence showed up multiple times at the home of a fourth victim, a domestic violence victim, supposedly to investigate a prior domestic violence incident. During those follow up visits, Torrence forced the victim to expose sensitive parts of her body for no legitimate reason, and he sexually assaulted her.

    “Law enforcement officers are entrusted with great power to protect the public and keep them safe from harm. This officer’s crimes were an egregious breach of that trust and an appalling abuse of power, as he repeatedly preyed on the women in his community and violated their civil rights,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Beckwith. “We stand ready to investigate and prosecute such crimes with all the tools we have available.”

    “The FBI Sacramento Field Office is grateful to the brave victims who came forward and trusted us to investigate the allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of a police officer,” said Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel. “The FBI is deeply committed to working with our partners to thoroughly investigate such cases to protect the American people and preserve public trust in law enforcement.”

    The FBI Sacramento Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office. Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar for the Eastern District of California are prosecuting the case.

    Torrence is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7, 2025. Torrence faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine for five of the counts. The remaining counts each carry a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former U.S. Postal Employee Guilty Of Stealing Mail Contents

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on January 16, 2025, SONIA MILLER (“MILLER”), age 54, a resident of New Orleans, pled guilty to theft of U.S. mail matter by a postal employee, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1709(a).

    According to court documents, on or about March 14, 2023, MILLER unlawfully removed the contents of several parcels of mail entrusted to her as a postal employee.

    At sentencing, MILLER faces a maximum sentence of 5 years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to 5 years of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

    The case was investigated by the United States Postal Service, Office of the Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Mary Katherine Kaufman of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Former California Police Officer Convicted on Eight Counts of Sexually Assaulting Women While on Duty

    Source: US State of Vermont

    A federal jury in Fresno, California, convicted yesterday former Sanger, California, Police Department officer J. DeShawn Torrence, 42, of eight counts of deprivation of constitutional rights under color of law for sexually assaulting four women whom he encountered during the course of his official duties. The jury found that the offenses included kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, and attempted aggravated sexual abuse, and caused bodily injury.

    “Law enforcement officers are entrusted with great power to protect the public and keep them safe from harm. This officer’s crimes were an egregious breach of that trust and an appalling abuse of power, as he repeatedly preyed on the women in his community and violated their civil rights,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith for the Eastern District of California. “We stand ready to investigate and prosecute such crimes with all the tools we have available.”

    “The FBI Sacramento Field Office is grateful to the brave victims who came forward and trusted us to investigate the allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of a police officer,” said Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “The FBI is deeply committed to working with our partners to thoroughly investigate such cases to protect the American people and preserve public trust in law enforcement.”

    The evidence at trial proved that Torrence sexually assaulted four women. He kidnapped a 21-year-old woman who was walking to a store to buy groceries for her young children, drove her outside of town in his police car, and sexually assaulted her at an isolated dead end. Torrence forcibly raped a second victim, a 67-year-old woman, after following her into her home during a DUI investigation. With a third victim, Torrence showed up at her door in his police uniform after midnight, entered her apartment, pinned her against the kitchen counter, and sexually assaulted her. Torrence showed up multiple times at the home of a fourth victim, a domestic violence victim, supposedly to investigate a prior domestic violence incident. During those follow up visits, Torrence forced the victim to expose sensitive parts of her body for no legitimate reason, and he sexually assaulted her. The jury also heard testimony that Torrence sexually assaulted a fifth woman while acting in his capacity as a police officer.

    Five of the counts each carry a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The three remaining counts each carry a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. Torrence is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7.

    Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kathleen Wolfe of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division made the announcement.

    The FBI Sacramento Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

    Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar for the Eastern District of California are prosecuting the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cracked and Nulled Marketplaces Disrupted in International Cyber Operation

    Source: United States Attorneys General 2

    At Least 17M U.S. Victims Affected

    The Justice Department today announced its participation in a multinational operation involving actions in the United States, Romania, Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Greece to disrupt and take down the infrastructure of the online cybercrime marketplaces known as Cracked and Nulled. The operation was announced in conjunction with Operation Talent, a multinational law enforcement operation supported by Europol to investigate Cracked and Nulled.

    Operation Talent Seizure Banner

    Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross for the Western District of New York, U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza for the Western District of Texas, Assistant Director Brian A. Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division, Special Agent in Charge Matthew Miraglia of the FBI Buffalo Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for the FBI San Antonio Field Office made the announcement.

    Cracked

    According to seizure warrants unsealed today, the Cracked marketplace has been selling stolen login credentials, hacking tools, and servers for hosting malware and stolen data — as well as other tools for carrying out cybercrime and fraud — since March 2018. Cracked had over four million users, listed over 28 million posts advertising cybercrime tools and stolen information, generated approximately $4 million in revenue, and impacted at least 17 million victims from the United States. One product advertised on Cracked offered access to “billions of leaked websites” allowing users to search for stolen login credentials. This product was recently allegedly used to sextort and harass a woman in the Western District of New York. Specifically, a cybercriminal entered the victim’s username into the tool and obtained the victim’s credentials for an online account. Using the victim’s credentials, the subject then cyberstalked the victim and sent sexually demeaning and threatening messages to the victim. The seizure of these marketplaces is intended to disrupt this type of cybercrime and the proliferation of these tools in the cybercrime community.

    The FBI, working in coordination with foreign law enforcement partners, identified a series of servers that hosted the Cracked marketplace infrastructure and eight domain names used to operate Cracked. They also identified servers and domain names for Cracked’s payment processor, Sellix, and the server and domain name for a related bulletproof hosting service. All of these servers and domain names have been seized pursuant to domestic and international legal process. Anyone visiting any of these seized domains will now see a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain has been seized by law enforcement authorities.

    The FBI Buffalo Field Office is investigating the case.

    Senior Counsel Thomas Dougherty of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Kruly for the Western District of New York are prosecuting the case.

    Nulled

    The Justice Department announced the seizure of the Nulled website domain and unsealed charges against one of Nulled’s administrators, Lucas Sohn, 29, an Argentinian national residing in Spain. According to the unsealed complaint affidavit, the Nulled marketplace has been selling stolen login credentials, stolen identification documents, hacking tools, as well as other tools for carrying out cybercrime and fraud, since 2016. Nulled had over five million users, listed over 43 million posts advertising cybercrime tools and stolen information, and generated approximately $1 million in yearly revenue. One product advertised on Nulled purported to contain the names and social security numbers of 500,000 American citizens.

    The FBI, working in coordination with foreign law enforcement partners, identified the servers that hosted the Nulled marketplace infrastructure, and the domain used to operate Nulled. The servers and domain have been seized pursuant to domestic and international legal process. Anyone visiting the Nulled domain will now see a seizure banner that notifies them that the domain has been seized by law enforcement authorities.

    According to the complaint, Sohn was an active administrator of Nulled and performed escrow functions on the website. Nulled’s customers would use Sohn’s services to complete transactions involving stolen credentials and other information. For his actions, Sohn has been charged with conspiracy to traffic in passwords and similar information through which computers may be accessed without authorization; conspiracy to solicit another person for the purpose of offering an access device or selling information regarding an access device; and conspiracy to possess, transfer, or use a means of identification of another person with the intent to commit or to aid and abet or in connection with any unlawful activity that is a violation of federal law.

    If convicted, Sohn faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to traffic in passwords, 10 years in prison for access device fraud, and 15 years in prison for identity fraud.

    The FBI Austin Cyber Task Force is investigating the case. The Task Force participants include the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, IRS Criminal Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division, among other agencies.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys G. Karthik Srinivasan and Christopher Mangels for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Tindall for the Western District of Texas handling the forfeiture component.

    The Justice Department worked in close cooperation with investigators and prosecutors from several jurisdictions on the takedown of both the Cracked and Nulled marketplaces, including the Australian Federal Police, Europol, France’s Anti-Cybercrime Office (Office Anti-cybercriminalité) and Cyber Division of the Paris Prosecution Office, Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt) and Prosecutor General’s Office Frankfurt am Main – Cyber Crime Center (Generalstaatsanwaltschaft Frankfurt am Main – ZIT), the Spanish National Police (Policía Nacional) and Guardia Civil, the Hellenic Police (Ελληνική Αστυνομία), Italy’s Polizia di Stato and the General Inspectorate of Romanian Police (Inspectoratul General al Poliției Romane). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Courts Authorize IRS “John Doe” Summonses to Trident Trust Entities

    Source: United States Attorneys General 2

    Summonses Are for Records Relating to U.S. Taxpayers Who May Have Used Network of Offshore Service Providers to Hide Assets and Evade Taxes

    The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia entered an order earlier this week authorizing the IRS to serve John Doe summonses on TT (USA) Holdings Inc.; Trident Corporate Services Inc. and Trident Fund Services Inc., entities that are members of a multinational group of affiliated companies generally operating under the trade name “Trident Trust” and collectively referred to as the “Trident Trust Group.”

    Separately, on Dec. 18, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota entered an order, unsealed on Jan. 21, authorizing service of a similar John Doe summons on Trident Trust Company (South Dakota) Inc. The United States also previously obtained approval in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for the IRS to serve John Doe summonses on a different affiliate entity of the Trident Trust Group, as well as to third party financial service companies, banks and courier services that may have information about Trident Trust Group’s U.S. taxpayer clients.

    The United States is not alleging that any of the entities engaged in wrongdoing. Rather, the IRS uses John Doe summonses to obtain information about possible violations of internal revenue laws by individuals whose identities are unknown. These summonses seek information about U.S. individuals who may have used the Trident Trust Group’s services to underreport their worldwide income and conceal their ownership of certain foreign assets that U.S. individuals are required to report to the U.S. government.

    “The Justice Department and the IRS are dedicated to unearthing tax evasion that uses foreign bank accounts and offshore shell corporations,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. “We will use the many tools available to us, including John Doe summonses like the ones authorized by the courts here, to ensure that taxpayers are fully meeting their responsibilities.”

    Federal law requires certain individual taxpayers, including all U.S. citizens and residents with gross annual income above the reporting threshold, to pay taxes on all income earned worldwide. They must also disclose certain foreign financial accounts, assets and controlled foreign corporations. Failure to report these offshore arrangements can result in serious civil and criminal consequences.

    The government’s petitions allege that Trident Trust Group is an offshore service provider operating in nearly 30 countries worldwide, and it has provided corporate, trust and fund administration services for over 40 years. The petitions further allege that Trident Trust Group offers services that enable offshore account and entity concealment, like mail forwarding and retention, and ready-to-use “shelf” companies. For example, the petitions allege that Trident Trust Group personnel have listed themselves as the founders, directors and officers of thousands of Panamanian companies to help their U.S. clients potentially conceal their interests in and income from those foreign entities.

    A declaration from an IRS revenue agent that accompanied the petitions alleges that at least nine U.S. taxpayers used Trident Trust Group’s services to avoid compliance with U.S. tax laws. The declaration further alleges that the IRS learned of this noncompliance through the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, a program that allowed U.S. taxpayers to voluntarily disclose foreign accounts or entities used to evade tax in exchange for settling their civil liabilities on fixed terms.

    These orders authorize the IRS to issue summonses to TT (USA) Holdings Inc.; Trident Corporate Services Inc.; Trident Fund Services Inc. and Trident Trust Company (South Dakota) Inc seeking information about U.S. taxpayer clients who may have used the services of the entities and the broader Trident Trust Group to establish, maintain, operate or control any foreign financial account or other foreign asset; any foreign corporation, company, trust, foundation or other legal entity or any foreign or domestic financial account or other asset in the name of such foreign entity from 2014 through 2023. By obtaining these records, the IRS expects to be able to identify clients of the Trident Trust Group to investigate whether they potentially used the group’s services to avoid or evade federal taxes.

    Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.

    Tax Division Attorneys Christina T. Lanier and Brij B. Patnaik are handling the case in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota; and they, along with Elisabeth K. Kryska of the Tax Division, are handling the case in the Northern District of Georgia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony J. Sun for the Southern District of New York is handling the case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Twillingate and Marystown — Uninsured drivers ticketed in Virgin Arm and Marystown by RCMP NL

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Two uninsured drivers were stopped and ticketed by RCMP NL on January 29, 2025, in the communities of Virgin Arm and Marystown.

    Shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Twillingate RCMP stopped a vehicle on Main Street in Virgin Arm. The driver, a 26-year-old man who held a novice driver’s licence, was operating a vehicle without insurance.

    Shortly before 3:30 p.m., on Columbia Drive in Marystown, Burin Peninsula RCMP conducted a traffic stop and found that the driver, a 44-year-old man, was operating without insurance.

    Both drivers were ticketed and the vehicles were seized and impounded.

    RCMP NL has the ability to confirm a vehicle’s current registration and insurance status by checking a vehicle’s licence plate. The information is electronically readily available. Although a driver is required to provide proof of insurance, police do not rely solely upon the information contained within the “pink slip” as proof of insurance.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Sentencing in Shiprock Fatal Stabbing

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison today for the fatal stabbing of John Doe at a gas station in Shiprock, New Mexico in 2021.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court documents, on October 24, 2021, following a night of drinking and socializing with friends, Marc Gene Clark, 47, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, confronted John Doe in the parking lot of a gas station. During the confrontation and without provocation, Clark stabbed Doe with a knife, resulting in significant blood loss and ultimately leading to Doe’s death later that day.

    Surveillance video footage captured the stabbing. Clark was subsequently arrested at a nearby laundromat by officers from the Navajo Nation Police Department, and the knife used in the stabbing was found in his possession.

    Upon his release from prison, Clark will be subject to five years of supervised release.

    U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement today.

    The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. McGinley and Paul J. Mysliwiec prosecuted the case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Final Sentencings in Major Albuquerque Drug Trafficking Case

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – The final of four defendants has been sentenced for his role in a drug trafficking organization that operated out of various Motel 6 locations in Albuquerque. The sentences mark the conclusion of a multi-agency investigation that began in August 2020 as part of Operation Legend.

    According to court documents, the investigation revealed that the organization engaged in the distribution of methamphetamine. Members routinely carried firearms during drug transactions and were involved in other criminal activities, including selling firearms and a kidnapping incident.

    The Motel 6 on Carlisle and I-40 served as a hub for the group’s operations. Between January and June 2020, this location generated 233 calls for police service, including reports of firearms activity, armed robberies, and other serious crimes.

    Four defendants have been sentenced for their roles in a violent drug trafficking organization:

    • Jack Trujillo, 48, the ringleader, was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for multiple counts of methamphetamine distribution, firearms offenses, and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Upon his release from prison, Trujillo will be subject to five years of supervised release.
    • Alberto Gomez, 40, received a 11.5-year sentence for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, aiding and abetting the possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Upon his release from prison, Gomez will be subject to five years of supervised release.
    • Cedric Kulka, 26, was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Upon his release from prison, Kulka will be subject to three years of supervised release.
    • Christopher Hulsey, 29, received a 15-year sentence for multiple counts of methamphetamine distribution, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Upon his release from prison, Hulsey will be subject to five years of supervised release.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Brendan Iber, Special Agent in Charge of the Phoenix Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, made the announcement today.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Jaymie L. Roybal is prosecuting the case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Joint Statement by humanitarian, development and human rights organisations in Lebanon: We need a Permanent Ceasefire and a Just Recovery

    Source: Oxfam –

    We, the undersigned organisations operating in Lebanon, urgently call on parties to abide by their commitments towards a permanent ceasefire in Lebanon and appeal to the international community to ensure the respect and full implementation of the temporary ceasefire agreement, now being extended until February 18th 2025.

    While the temporary ceasefire remains in effect and has been extended, we express deep concern about the numerous reported violations that continue to weaken the agreement.. Over 800 violations by Israeli forces[1] and at least one violation by Hezbollah[2] have been reported. As of January 23, 2025 violations by Israeli forces have included indiscriminate ground and air attacks, killing at least 30 people, since November 27, 2024, bringing the total number of people killed by Israeli forces since October 8, 2023 to 4,285, including 241 health care workers, and 17,200 wounded[3]. On Sunday January 26, 2025, alone, Israeli military forces killed 24 individuals, including six women and a Lebanese soldier, and injured 134 including 12 children in the South of Lebanon[4]. Thousands of people, including women and children, older people and people with disabilities have been uprooted from their homes, cut off from food, healthcare and education and exposed to hugely traumatic events – with, so far, no accountability for the destruction or indiscriminate killing.

    This agreement represents a step towards implementing UN Security Resolution 1701 and included a “phased withdrawal of the Israeli Defense Forces south of the Blue Line and the parallel deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) south of the Litani river” that “should not exceed 60 days”.[5] There is still an opportunity to transform temporary undertakings into longer term commitments.

    While many are attempting to return to their homes, hundreds of thousands of people still face the grim reality of either not being able to return because of ongoing Israeli forces’ ground occupation or because of the scale of destruction. Israeli forces have razed entire villages and destroyed agricultural lands and vital infrastructure, including hospitals and schools. Lands are contaminated by unexploded ordnance posing threats to life and risks for the reconstruction efforts.

    As human rights and humanitarian organisations, we will continue supporting all affected people with emergency assistance, recovery and reconstruction[6], but the humanitarian crisis remains severe. Plans for recovery and reconstruction have begun amidst a lingering socio-economic crisis and skyrocketing poverty rates, with nearly one Third of children in Lebanon facing crisis levels of hunger[7]. The economic losses due to the conflict are estimated at 8.5 billion USD[8], and Lebanon desperately needs support for its recovery. The consequences of this destruction will be felt in Lebanon for years to come, and yet again, with no accountability.

    As humanitarian and human rights organisations involved in the immediate relief, early recovery and reconstruction efforts in Lebanon, we urgently call for:

    1. Immediate, Unconditional and Definitive Ceasefire in Lebanon and the Region:
    • The international community to take every step possible, including through diplomatic and political leverage, to ensure an immediate and definitive ceasefire in Lebanon. The temporary and conditional agreement must allow for a transition to a permanent ceasefire.

    • The international community must also ensure the respect and implementation  of the pause in hostilities in Gaza and an end to excessive use of force in the West Bank, acknowledging that this is essential to protect civilians and prevent further escalation and regional spillover.

    1. Unconditional Humanitarian Access and Scaling Up Assistance:
    • Ensure rapid, unhindered access to conflict-affected areas and safeguard humanitarian facilities and personnel across the country.
    • Fully fund the humanitarian flash appeal to address the acute needs across Lebanon to enable the provision of immediate, flexible funding for gender, age and disability responsive humanitarian responses, including cash assistance, safe shelter, and healthcare.

    • Support reconstruction efforts through grants, not loans, and fund early warning and early action and anticipatory action to mitigate further shocks.

    1. Inclusive Recovery Focusing on Social Cohesion:
    1. Supporting Local and National NGOs in Response Planning and Implementation:

    • Increase financial and logistical support to local and national NGOs[9], including women’s rights and women-led organizations, and ensure these are at the forefront of responding to the crisis and receive direct, timely and flexible funding to meet growing needs.

    1. Halt the Transfer of Arms to Conflict Parties:

    • Suspend immediately the transfer of all weapons, parts, munitions, and ammunition to parties to the armed conflict when there is a risk they might be used to commit or facilitate violations of IHL and IHRL and other further grave violations in Lebanon and the region.

    1. Accountability and Respect for International Law:

    There is cautious optimism following recent political developments, including the appointments of both President and Prime Minister. However, meaningful international support is critical to fulfill the aspirations of the people in Lebanon for sustainable peace and justice. It is the persistent failure to seek accountability for violations that has fuelled cycles of violence now affecting the entire region. The time for action is now to ensure a just recovery and lasting peace in Lebanon and the region.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General James Secures More than $1 Million from Netspend for Charging Illegal Fees and Misleading New Yorkers

    Source: US State of New York

    NEW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James today secured over $1 million and significant reforms from Ouro Global, Inc. (Ouro) which owns Netspend Corporation (Netspend), a provider of reloadable debit cards and payroll cards. An Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation found that Netspend violated numerous consumer protection laws and harmed tens of thousands of predominately low-income New Yorkers. For years, the company illegally froze its customers’ accounts and turned over their funds, which should have been protected, to debt collectors instead. Netspend also charged illegal fees on its debit and payroll cards that cost customers hundreds of thousands of dollars, and operated a paycheck advance program that charged customers illegally high interest rates. As part of the settlement, Netspend will pay more than $735,000 to tens of thousands of New Yorkers who were affected and change its policies to comply with New York’s consumer protection laws. Netspend will also pay over $350,000 in penalties to the state.

    “Netspend took advantage of tens of thousands of consumers and even deprived vulnerable New Yorkers of their hard-earned benefits like Social Security,” said Attorney General James. “This settlement will return hundreds of thousands of dollars to New Yorkers and ensure that Netspend ends its illegal practices. I will not tolerate any company that tries to profit by defrauding New Yorkers, and we will continue to go after anyone who breaks our consumer protection laws.”

    The OAG investigation found that Netspend violated state consumer protection laws, particularly those meant to protect low-income New Yorkers and those who receive benefits like Social Security and veterans benefits. Netspend operated a paycheck advance program, where workers could receive payments that supposedly represented advances on future wages. However, the fees Netspend charged consumers in this program amounted to interest rates with substantial annualized costs. While New York law limits annual interest rates to 16 percent for unlicensed lenders such as Netspend and 25 percent for licensed lenders, the OAG investigation uncovered more than 4,000 cases in which consumers were charged an effective annual interest rate of over 300 percent. The investigation also revealed that most of these enormous costs fell on New Yorkers who relied on repeated use of the paycheck advance program.

    The OAG investigation also found that Netspend facilitated violations of New York’s Exempt Income Protection Act. Under this law, state or federal benefits such as Social Security benefits, veterans benefits, disability insurance, and unemployment insurance are protected from debt collectors up to a certain amount: $3,840 for New York City, Long Island, and Westchester County residents, and $3,600 for all other New York residents. Netspend failed to follow this law, freezing customers’ accounts and allowing debt collectors to seize its customers’ funds, even when they fell below the legal limit.

    For example, in January 2019, Netspend froze a New York consumer’s bank account containing $1,008.52 – a balance substantially below the legal threshold. When the consumer contacted Netspend and informed them that the account restraint was illegal under New York law, Netspend incorrectly responded that the account had to remain blocked for a year “per the court order.” The customer had to pay over $600 from the account to the debt collector to free up the remaining funds from the illegal freeze.

    Netspend also misled its customers and charged a wide range of illegal fees. Netspend’s marketing materials misled consumers about ATM fees that would be charged when using a Netspend card, leading its customers to believe they would be able to avoid all fees by using in-network ATMs. In reality, customers were charged fees on all ATM transactions, earning Netspend millions of dollars. Netspend also charged its payroll card customers a wide range of illegal fees after those fees were banned in New York, including fees for inquiring about an account balance at ATMs, fees for attempting transactions at ATMs that were declined, foreign exchange fees, and more.

    As a result of the settlement, Netspend will pay back more than $735,000 to tens of thousands of New Yorkers who were charged illegal fees, had funds illegally turned over to debt collectors, or who paid fees for paycheck advance payments in violation of New York laws. Consumers who have active debit or payroll accounts with Netspend will have their accounts credited with restitution amounts, while those without active accounts will receive checks in the mail directly from the company. Today’s settlement also requires Netspend to pay a penalty of more than $350,000 to the state and change its policies to fully comply with New York laws.

    Attorney General James encourages all consumers who have had their bank accounts illegally frozen or had funds illegally turned over to creditors to report their experiences to OAG.

    This matter is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Chris Filburn with the Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau. The Consumer Frauds and Protection Bureau is led by Bureau Chief Jane M. Azia and Deputy Bureau Chief Laura J. Levine, and is part of the Division of Economic Justice, which is overseen by Chief Deputy Attorney General Chris D’Angelo and First Deputy Attorney General Jennifer Levy.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former California Police Officer Convicted on Eight Counts of Sexually Assaulting Women While on Duty

    Source: United States Attorneys General 11

    A federal jury in Fresno, California, convicted yesterday former Sanger, California, Police Department officer J. DeShawn Torrence, 42, of eight counts of deprivation of constitutional rights under color of law for sexually assaulting four women whom he encountered during the course of his official duties. The jury found that the offenses included kidnapping, aggravated sexual abuse, and attempted aggravated sexual abuse, and caused bodily injury.

    “Law enforcement officers are entrusted with great power to protect the public and keep them safe from harm. This officer’s crimes were an egregious breach of that trust and an appalling abuse of power, as he repeatedly preyed on the women in his community and violated their civil rights,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith for the Eastern District of California. “We stand ready to investigate and prosecute such crimes with all the tools we have available.”

    “The FBI Sacramento Field Office is grateful to the brave victims who came forward and trusted us to investigate the allegations of sexual abuse at the hands of a police officer,” said Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “The FBI is deeply committed to working with our partners to thoroughly investigate such cases to protect the American people and preserve public trust in law enforcement.”

    The evidence at trial proved that Torrence sexually assaulted four women. He kidnapped a 21-year-old woman who was walking to a store to buy groceries for her young children, drove her outside of town in his police car, and sexually assaulted her at an isolated dead end. Torrence forcibly raped a second victim, a 67-year-old woman, after following her into her home during a DUI investigation. With a third victim, Torrence showed up at her door in his police uniform after midnight, entered her apartment, pinned her against the kitchen counter, and sexually assaulted her. Torrence showed up multiple times at the home of a fourth victim, a domestic violence victim, supposedly to investigate a prior domestic violence incident. During those follow up visits, Torrence forced the victim to expose sensitive parts of her body for no legitimate reason, and he sexually assaulted her. The jury also heard testimony that Torrence sexually assaulted a fifth woman while acting in his capacity as a police officer.

    Five of the counts each carry a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine. The three remaining counts each carry a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. Torrence is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7.

    Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kathleen Wolfe of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division made the announcement.

    The FBI Sacramento Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.

    Special Litigation Counsel Michael J. Songer of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Escobar for the Eastern District of California are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Burlington Man Sentenced to 30 Months in Federal Prison for Possessing Firearms as a Drug User

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Burlington man was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison for possessing five firearms as a drug user.

    According to public court documents, Isaac Davon Carter, 31, purchased four firearms on August 5, 2020, from four different guns stores in Burlington, Clive, and Des Moines. Five days later, the United States Postal Inspection Service intercepted a package shipped from Cedar Rapids to California and located ten firearms inside, including all four firearms Carter purchased. In September 2020, law enforcement executed search warrant at Carter’s Burlington residence and located a loaded Glock pistol. Carter admitted he was an unlawful drug user, lied on the ATF form to obtain the four firearms he purchased, and had procured the firearms for another person, who was with him when he purchased them.

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

    United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and Des Moines County Sheriff’s Office.

    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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Davenport Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DAVENPORT, Iowa – A Davenport man was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

    According to public court documents and evidence presented at a four-day trial and sentencing, Paul Antonio Deon Parrow, 41, also known as “Tone,” distributed methamphetamine and fentanyl over nearly a year period in the Quad Cities. Parrow recruited others to assist him in distributing drugs and stored and sold drugs at multiple residences within the Quad Cities. In total, Parrow was responsible for more than 26 pounds of methamphetamine and 145 grams of fentanyl.

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

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

    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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hoeven, Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Protect AM Radio in New Vehicles

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for North Dakota John Hoeven
    01.30.25
    WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven joined Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) in reintroducing the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act that would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their new vehicles at no additional charge.
    “AM radio is essential for North Dakotans, especially during weather-related disruptions in power. It provides dependable emergency updates, helping to keep Americans safe,” said Senator Hoeven. “Additionally, AM radio delivers entertainment from music and sports to current events. This legislation guarantees that this critical service remains in vehicles, ensuring individuals can access important information, entertainment and emergency broadcasts when needed most.”
    Joining Hoeven, Cruz and Markey in reintroducing this legislation are Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jim Justice (R-W.V.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), and Jim Banks (R-Ind.)

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Justice Department Sues to Block Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Proposed $14 Billion Acquisition of Rival Wireless Networking Technology Provider Juniper Networks

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Acquisition Would Eliminate Competition Between Two of the Three Top Wireless Networking Firms, Raise Prices, and Diminish Innovation for American Businesses

    Note: View the complaint here.

    The Justice Department today sued to block Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.’s (HPE) proposed $14 billion acquisition of rival wireless local area network (WLAN) technology provider Juniper Networks Inc. (Juniper). HPE and Juniper are the second- and third- largest providers, respectively, of enterprise-grade WLAN solutions in the United States. The complaint, filed in the Northern District of California, alleges that the proposed transaction would eliminate fierce head-to-head competition between the companies, raise prices, reduce innovation, and diminish choice for scores of American businesses and institutions, in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act.  

    “HPE and Juniper are successful companies. But rather than continue to compete as rivals in the WLAN marketplace, they seek to consolidate — increasing concentration in an already concentrated market,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The threat this merger poses is not theoretical. Vital industries in our country — including American hospitals and small businesses — rely on wireless networks to complete their missions. This proposed merger would significantly reduce competition and weaken innovation, resulting in large segments of the American economy paying more for less from wireless technology providers.”

    WLAN technology — which includes hardware, software, and advanced artificial intelligence — is critical for the modern workplace. Millions of Americans today create and share company resources and access the internet from wireless-enabled devices. Retail employees wirelessly process payments and log inventory. Doctors access medical records on phones and tablets and track life-saving patient care on the go. University students take notes on their laptops and access course materials from their dorm rooms. Wireless networking is the primary means by which many employees connect to their employer’s computer network and the internet.

    As alleged in the complaint, Juniper has been a disruptive force that has grown rapidly from a minor player to among the three largest enterprise-grade WLAN suppliers in the U.S. Juniper has also introduced innovative tools that have materially decreased the cost of operating a wireless network for many customers. This competitive pressure has forced HPE to discount its offerings and invest in its own innovation. HPE recognized and tracked Juniper’s growing significance and engaged in a campaign, including mandatory training for its engineers and salespeople, to “beat” Juniper when competing for contracts. Indeed, just a month before the proposed acquisition was announced, front-line HPE salespeople were concerned that “[t]he Juniper threat [was] dire” because in dozens of opportunities Juniper was “trying to unseat” HPE. Senior HPE executives shared this view; one former HPE executive reminded his team that “there are no rules in a street fight” with Juniper and encouraged them to “kill” Juniper when going head-to-head for sales opportunities.

    Now, HPE seeks to acquire its smaller, innovative rival. The proposed transaction between HPE and Juniper, if allowed to proceed, would further consolidate an already highly concentrated market — and leave U. S. enterprises facing two companies commanding over 70% of the market: the post-merger HPE and market leader Cisco Systems Inc. This substantial lessening competition in a critically important technology market poses the precise threat that the Clayton Act was enacted to prevent.

    Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company is headquartered in Spring, Texas. Its WLAN-focused business unit is located in Santa Clara, California.

    Juniper Networks Inc. is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Federal Courts Authorize IRS “John Doe” Summonses to Trident Trust Entities

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    Summonses Are for Records Relating to U.S. Taxpayers Who May Have Used Network of Offshore Service Providers to Hide Assets and Evade Taxes

    The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia entered an order earlier this week authorizing the IRS to serve John Doe summonses on TT (USA) Holdings Inc.; Trident Corporate Services Inc. and Trident Fund Services Inc., entities that are members of a multinational group of affiliated companies generally operating under the trade name “Trident Trust” and collectively referred to as the “Trident Trust Group.”

    Separately, on Dec. 18, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota entered an order, unsealed on Jan. 21, authorizing service of a similar John Doe summons on Trident Trust Company (South Dakota) Inc. The United States also previously obtained approval in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for the IRS to serve John Doe summonses on a different affiliate entity of the Trident Trust Group, as well as to third party financial service companies, banks and courier services that may have information about Trident Trust Group’s U.S. taxpayer clients.

    The United States is not alleging that any of the entities engaged in wrongdoing. Rather, the IRS uses John Doe summonses to obtain information about possible violations of internal revenue laws by individuals whose identities are unknown. These summonses seek information about U.S. individuals who may have used the Trident Trust Group’s services to underreport their worldwide income and conceal their ownership of certain foreign assets that U.S. individuals are required to report to the U.S. government.

    “The Justice Department and the IRS are dedicated to unearthing tax evasion that uses foreign bank accounts and offshore shell corporations,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division. “We will use the many tools available to us, including John Doe summonses like the ones authorized by the courts here, to ensure that taxpayers are fully meeting their responsibilities.”

    Federal law requires certain individual taxpayers, including all U.S. citizens and residents with gross annual income above the reporting threshold, to pay taxes on all income earned worldwide. They must also disclose certain foreign financial accounts, assets and controlled foreign corporations. Failure to report these offshore arrangements can result in serious civil and criminal consequences.

    The government’s petitions allege that Trident Trust Group is an offshore service provider operating in nearly 30 countries worldwide, and it has provided corporate, trust and fund administration services for over 40 years. The petitions further allege that Trident Trust Group offers services that enable offshore account and entity concealment, like mail forwarding and retention, and ready-to-use “shelf” companies. For example, the petitions allege that Trident Trust Group personnel have listed themselves as the founders, directors and officers of thousands of Panamanian companies to help their U.S. clients potentially conceal their interests in and income from those foreign entities.

    A declaration from an IRS revenue agent that accompanied the petitions alleges that at least nine U.S. taxpayers used Trident Trust Group’s services to avoid compliance with U.S. tax laws. The declaration further alleges that the IRS learned of this noncompliance through the Offshore Voluntary Disclosure Program, a program that allowed U.S. taxpayers to voluntarily disclose foreign accounts or entities used to evade tax in exchange for settling their civil liabilities on fixed terms.

    These orders authorize the IRS to issue summonses to TT (USA) Holdings Inc.; Trident Corporate Services Inc.; Trident Fund Services Inc. and Trident Trust Company (South Dakota) Inc seeking information about U.S. taxpayer clients who may have used the services of the entities and the broader Trident Trust Group to establish, maintain, operate or control any foreign financial account or other foreign asset; any foreign corporation, company, trust, foundation or other legal entity or any foreign or domestic financial account or other asset in the name of such foreign entity from 2014 through 2023. By obtaining these records, the IRS expects to be able to identify clients of the Trident Trust Group to investigate whether they potentially used the group’s services to avoid or evade federal taxes.

    Additional information about the Tax Division and its enforcement efforts may be found on the division’s website.

    Tax Division Attorneys Christina T. Lanier and Brij B. Patnaik are handling the case in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota; and they, along with Elisabeth K. Kryska of the Tax Division, are handling the case in the Northern District of Georgia. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony J. Sun for the Southern District of New York is handling the case in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hartford Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal Gun Possession

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that OSIRIS MUHAMMAD, 24, of Hartford, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 46 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for illegally possessing a firearm.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, shortly after midnight on January 26, 2024, Muhammad fired several shots at an intended victim in the area of Belden Street and Albany Avenue in Hartford.  On January 28, 2024, Hartford Police spotted Muhammad at a liquor store on Albany Avenue.  After a brief pursuit, he was taken into custody.  Officers found him in possession of a Ruger P89 pistol.  Subsequent analysis by the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) connected the firearm to shell casings collected at the scene of the shooting the day before.

    In 2020, Muhammad was convicted in state court of robbery in the first degree.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

    Muhammad has been detained since his arrest.  On June 28, 2024, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon.

    This investigation was conducted by the Hartford Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Konstantin Lantsman and Daniel Gordon .

    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 gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.  In May 2021, the Justice 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.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Sues to Block Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Proposed $14 Billion Acquisition of Rival Wireless Networking Technology Provider Juniper Networks

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Acquisition Would Eliminate Competition Between Two of the Three Top Wireless Networking Firms, Raise Prices, and Diminish Innovation for American Businesses

    Note: View the complaint here.

    The Justice Department today sued to block Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co.’s (HPE) proposed $14 billion acquisition of rival wireless local area network (WLAN) technology provider Juniper Networks Inc. (Juniper). HPE and Juniper are the second- and third- largest providers, respectively, of enterprise-grade WLAN solutions in the United States. The complaint, filed in the Northern District of California, alleges that the proposed transaction would eliminate fierce head-to-head competition between the companies, raise prices, reduce innovation, and diminish choice for scores of American businesses and institutions, in violation of Section 7 of the Clayton Act.  

    “HPE and Juniper are successful companies. But rather than continue to compete as rivals in the WLAN marketplace, they seek to consolidate — increasing concentration in an already concentrated market,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The threat this merger poses is not theoretical. Vital industries in our country — including American hospitals and small businesses — rely on wireless networks to complete their missions. This proposed merger would significantly reduce competition and weaken innovation, resulting in large segments of the American economy paying more for less from wireless technology providers.”

    WLAN technology — which includes hardware, software, and advanced artificial intelligence — is critical for the modern workplace. Millions of Americans today create and share company resources and access the internet from wireless-enabled devices. Retail employees wirelessly process payments and log inventory. Doctors access medical records on phones and tablets and track life-saving patient care on the go. University students take notes on their laptops and access course materials from their dorm rooms. Wireless networking is the primary means by which many employees connect to their employer’s computer network and the internet.

    As alleged in the complaint, Juniper has been a disruptive force that has grown rapidly from a minor player to among the three largest enterprise-grade WLAN suppliers in the U.S. Juniper has also introduced innovative tools that have materially decreased the cost of operating a wireless network for many customers. This competitive pressure has forced HPE to discount its offerings and invest in its own innovation. HPE recognized and tracked Juniper’s growing significance and engaged in a campaign, including mandatory training for its engineers and salespeople, to “beat” Juniper when competing for contracts. Indeed, just a month before the proposed acquisition was announced, front-line HPE salespeople were concerned that “[t]he Juniper threat [was] dire” because in dozens of opportunities Juniper was “trying to unseat” HPE. Senior HPE executives shared this view; one former HPE executive reminded his team that “there are no rules in a street fight” with Juniper and encouraged them to “kill” Juniper when going head-to-head for sales opportunities.

    Now, HPE seeks to acquire its smaller, innovative rival. The proposed transaction between HPE and Juniper, if allowed to proceed, would further consolidate an already highly concentrated market — and leave U. S. enterprises facing two companies commanding over 70% of the market: the post-merger HPE and market leader Cisco Systems Inc. This substantial lessening competition in a critically important technology market poses the precise threat that the Clayton Act was enacted to prevent.

    Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company is headquartered in Spring, Texas. Its WLAN-focused business unit is located in Santa Clara, California.

    Juniper Networks Inc. is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: St. John’s — RCMP NL warn residents of email scam

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    RCMP NL is warning the public of an email scam that is currently in circulation. The scammer is representing themselves as part of the RCMP, investigating online sexual related offences against youth.

    On Monday, January 27, 2025, Sheshatshiu RCMP received a report from an individual who had received such an email. The scammer stated that the individual was the subject of a police investigation for sexual offences committed against a youth and further stated that the individual was found guilty of these offences.

    The email address used to contact the individual in this particular incident was grc-rcmp-specialized@syberservices.com. This email address is not associated to the RCMP.

    RCMP NL warns that this is a scam. If you are the subject of a criminal investigation, police officers will contact you, most commonly in person. Contact could also take place over the phone or via email however, formal statements about an investigation will be taken in person. Findings of guilt are determined through a court process and not by the police.

    If you receive an email similar to this, please contact your local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre to make a report.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pasco Man Sentenced to Over 11 Years for Possessing and Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material

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

    Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge William Jung has sentenced Anthony Joseph Fresco (68, New Port Richey) to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The court also ordered Fresco to forfeit electronic devices used in the commission of the offense, pay $33,000 in restitution to the victims, and register as a sex offender. Fresco entered a guilty plea on October 18, 2024.

    According to court documents, in January 2023, Fresco communicated with an undercover FBI agent over the internet. During their conversation, Fresco discussed his sexual desire for minors and distributed two images and one video of CSAM to the undercover agent. After a search of Fresco’s electronic devices, law enforcement discovered that Fresco had distributed images and videos of CSAM in various online groups, as well as possessed hundreds of images and videos of CSAM, including images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers. 

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.

    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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Innovative new Police Hub brings officers closer to Woodford

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A landmark agreement between the Met and a local authority will help bring frontline officers back into communities.

    The opening of a police hub in Woodford provides Safer Neighbourhood officers with a dedicated base to enhance our response to issues such as anti-social behaviour, theft and vandalism.

    It was made possible after Redbridge Council agreed to provide the co-location space to the Met and pay for the fit out of the hub, which means that officers can be stationed within walking distance of their wards.

    Previously, following streamlining of the Met’s estate, officers policing that community were based around 20 minutes’ drive away.

    The partnership between the Met and Redbridge Council demonstrates how agencies can work together to improve community safety.

    It was formally opened by Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and council leader Kam Rai on Thursday, 30 January, and will house up to 20 officers covering six wards.

    It’s an important step towards the Met’s mission of delivering our strongest ever neighbourhood policing, which has already seen an additional 500 officers dedicated to working in communities across London ranging from Superintendents to PCSOs.

    Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: “We are totally committed to making neighbourhood policing stronger than ever before so we can focus on tackling the crimes that matter most to Londoners.

    “Having officers closer to the communities they serve is key to our success and the partnership with Redbridge Council ensures we can deliver this at a time when our budgets are being stretched.

    “We have put an additional 500 officers into neighbourhood policing and our targeted approach has achieved a significant crime reduction in some areas. We want to go further and are already talking to local authorities to find solutions and ensure we can continue to deliver a great police service for London.”

    The Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Kam Rai, said: “The new hub in Woodford is a prime example of how London boroughs can proactively play a vital role in bringing policing back into the communities they serve.

    “This first of its kind, the hub will prove pivotal in helping to prevent antisocial behaviour and improve police response times across the west of Redbridge. This strategic location will significantly reduce the current travel time from Ilford, giving officers more time for local patrols and tackling issues.

    “While we have a police station in Ilford and a base in Barkingside, the new hub means more officers will now be closer to the communities they look after.

    “It was a pleasure welcoming Sir Mark Rowley to Redbridge, and we look forward to our continued close partnership with the Met Police to make our borough a safer place for local people.”

    The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, said: “Keeping communities safe is our top priority and I welcome this new policing hub in Woodford which will help build closer relationships between officers and the communities they serve and boost the local response to issues such as anti-social behaviour, theft and vandalism.

    “The Mayor and I are determined to do everything we can to support the Commissioner to deliver a new Met for London where local neighbourhood policing is prioritised and communities are put first. We have backed this up with record funding from City Hall for the Met Police, as we work together to build a safer London for all.”

    The opening comes after the Met was moved out of special measures because of the progress made in fixing the foundations of the organisation. Part of this progress is based on the work to deliver better neighbourhood policing across London.

    Our new neighbourhood policing model has been bolstered by an additional 500 staff ranging from superintendent to PCSOs, working closer than ever with communities to understand their concerns.

    Across Redbridge there has been an almost 13 per cent reduction in the number of offences in the previous 12 months, including fewer reports of violence, drug offences and violence against women and girls.

    Recent local operations have seen:

    • 65 bags of cannabis, six bags of cannabis resin and nine wraps of white powder, along with approximately £2,000, seized when a car was stopped in Goodmayes Lane.
    • A man, later found to be wanted for three other burglaries, pursued and arrested after officers noticed an alarm at a commercial premises near Ilford station.
    • Officers on routine patrols around Churchfields recover two machetes and a hunting knife from a building known to be used as a squat.
    • Four arrests as part of an operation focused on offenders targeting victims making ATM withdrawals in Ilford town centre.
    • Three machetes, a firearm, white powder and brown substance found in a property in Mayfield Ward as part of an intelligence-led operation. A man ran from the property, was located by a dog unit and arrested.
    • Three vulnerable women rescued from a brothel by neighbourhood officers in Ilford.
    • Two robbery suspects arrested by officers in the Orchard Estate after they stole a victim’s coat and recorded the attack on a phone.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Sen. Islam Parkes Elected Chair of Gwinnett County Delegation

    Source: US State of Georgia

    ATLANTA (January 30, 2025) — Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes (D–Duluth) was elected Chair of  Georgia Senate’s Gwinnett County Delegation this week. Senators representing Gwinnett County include: Sen. Tonya Anderson (D–Lithonia), Sen. Bill Cowsert (R–Athens), Sen. Clint Dixon (R–Gwinnett), Sen. Sally Harrell (D–Atlanta), Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes (D–Duluth), Sen. Nikki Merritt (D–Grayson), Sen. Sheikh Rahman (D–Lawrenceville) and Sen. Shawn Still (R–Norcross). 

    “Serving as chair of the Senate’s Gwinnett County delegation is a profound honor. Gwinnett County is the fifth most diverse county in the United States and one of the largest in Georgia—a distinction my fellow senators and I fully recognize. Regardless of party affiliation, every member of this delegation remains committed to working collaboratively to serve the entirety of Gwinnett County, not just our constituencies,” said Sen. Islam Parkes. “As a Senator, championing Gwinnett’s diversity and representing residents of all backgrounds has always been my top priority.”

    The Gwinnett County Senate Delegation is the second-largest bipartisan county delegation in the Senate. These delegates collaborate to develop and sponsor legislation that serves the best interests of Gwinnett County, the second-most populated county in Georgia.

    # # # #

    Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes represents the 7th Senate District including a portion of Gwinnett County. She may be reached at (404) 463-5263 or by email at nabilah.islam@senate.ga.gov.

    For all media inquiries, please reach out to SenatePressInquiries@senate.ga.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pennsylvania Resident Who Defrauded Allied World Insurance Company Sentenced to Prison

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

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that JAMES KEATING, 52, of Paoli, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden in New Haven to 20 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for defrauding his former employer of more than $1.4 million.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Keating was an Assistant Vice President and surety bond claims handler at Allied World Insurance Company (“Allied World”).  He later served in the same capacity at Crum and Forster subsidiary U.S. Fire Insurance Company, where he also handled claims on Allied World surety bonds.  All surety bond claims were handled through Allied World’s offices in Farmington, Connecticut.

    Between 2017 and 2021, Keating defrauded Allied World in two ways.  First, he used a shell company, American Construction & Industrial LLC, to bill Allied World for unnecessary claims work that was not performed and took the proceeds for himself.  Second, he solicited and received kickbacks from Allied World vendors through another Keating-owned company, Surety Risk Solutions (also known as “SRS” or “SR5”), without the knowledge of his employer.  Keating also caused these vendors to use another company in which he had an undisclosed ownership interest, Kodiak Asset Recovery, for asset searches at vastly inflated prices.  Keating profited nearly $1 million through American Construction & Industrial LLC, more than $350,000 in kickbacks through Surety Risk Solutions, and nearly $125,000 through Kodiak Asset Recovery.

    Judge Bolden ordered Keating to pay restitution of $1,226,603.97, which represents the loss to Allied World of $1,446,491.95, less $219,887.98 that he previously repaid as part of a civil judgment.

    On July 30, 2024, Keating pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

    This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David E. Novick.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Waterford Woman Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Stealing From Addiction and Mental Health Services Nonprofit

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

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that MICHELE DEVINE, 51, of Waterford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for embezzling from the Southeastern Regional Action Council on Substance Abuse, Inc. (“SERAC”), where she was employed as its executive director.  Judge Underhill also ordered Devine to pay a $2,000 fine and perform 300 hours of community service while on supervised release.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, SERAC, headquartered in Norwich, is a 501(c)(3) organization that serves 41 towns in southeastern and northeastern Connecticut with substance abuse, problem gambling, and mental health related services.  SERAC is primarily funded through hundreds of thousands of dollars in state and federal grants from the State of Connecticut’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

    Devine was the executive director of SERAC until July 2022.  Beginning in approximately 2008, Devine spent thousands of dollars on purchases that did not relate SERAC but instead were personal expenses for Devine and her family, including thousands of dollars spent on home appliances; travel; timeshare fees at a Connecticut resort; stays at the Canyon Ranch in the Berkshires, Massachusetts; and private school donations.

    Judge Underhill ordered Devine to pay $397,064.93 in restitution.

    Devine was arrested on August 3, 2023.  On October 21, 2024, she pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

    Devine, who is released on a $25,000 bond, is required to report to prison on March 12.

    This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, with the assistance of the New London State’s Attorney’s Office and the State of Connecticut Office of the Attorney General.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ray Miller.

    MIL Security OSI –