The President of the Human Rights Council, Ambassador Jürg Lauber (Switzerland), has announced the appointment of Mr. Max du Plessis of South Africa to serve as an independent member of the Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran. Mr. du Plessis replaces Ms. Shaheen Sardar Ali of Pakistan on the three-member investigative panel and joins Ms. Sara Hossain of Bangladesh and Ms. Viviana Krsticevic of Argentina. Ms. Hossain serves as chair of the Fact-Finding Mission.
The Human Rights Council established the Fact-Finding Mission with resolution S-35/1 of 24 November 2022, adopted at a special session, to “investigate alleged human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran related to the protests that began on 16 September 2022, especially with respect to women and children”. The three-person Mission was further requested to “establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged violations and collect, consolidate and analyse evidence of such violations and preserve evidence, including in view of cooperation in any legal proceedings”.
The mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission was subsequently extended for one year with resolution 55/19 of 4 April 2024 entitled “Situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
In April 2025, with its resolution 58/21, the Council extended the Fact-Finding Mission’s mandate for an additional year and expanded its scope to, among other things, thoroughly and independently monitor and investigate allegations of recent and ongoing serious human rights violations in Iran. This resolution requests the Fact-Finding Mission to present a report to the Human Rights Council at its 61st session in February/March 2026, and to present an oral update, to be followed by an interactive dialogue, to the United Nations General Assembly at its 80th session (2025-2026).
Mr. du Plessis is a South African barrister and academic whose career has been characterised by his involvement on justice and human rights issues. He has a Bachelor of Laws from the University of South Africa and the University of Natal (South Africa), completed his Master of Laws at the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) and completed his PhD studies at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa).
His legal career began in 2000 when he became an advocate at the High Court of South Africa. His expertise in international, administrative, and constitutional law lead to a role as a senior research fellow in the International Crime in Africa Programme at the Institute for Security Studies. Mr. du Plessis has practiced law in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and has been a visiting expert at the International Criminal Court.
Throughout his career Mr. du Plessis has been an adjunct professor at the University of Cape Town and Nelson Mandela University. He also served as a visiting professor at Law Futures Centre, Griffith University (Australia), Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford (United Kingdom), St. John’s College, University of Cambridge (United Kingdom), the London School of Economics (United Kingdom), Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University (United States), and others.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against Timothy J. Leiweke, the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Oak View Group (OVG), for orchestrating a conspiracy to rig the bidding process for an arena at a public university in Austin, Texas, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division announced today. OVG develops and provides a variety of services to live entertainment venues.
The indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, alleges that, from approximately February 2018 through at least June 2024, Leiweke conspired with the Chief Executive Officer of a competitor to rig the bidding for the development, management, and use of a multi-purpose arena that was to be located on the campus of a public university in Austin, Texas (the “Arena Project”).
“As outline in the indictment, the Defendant rigged a bidding process to benefit his own company and deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will continue to hold executives who cheat to avoid competition accountable.”
“Unfair business practices, like those employed here, make it very difficult for the American people to pursue prosperity like our founders intended,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “In the Western District of Texas, we’re proud to work with our colleagues in the Antitrust Division on these types of cases, and we will do all we can to ensure those who engage in the type of conduct described in this case are held to account.”
“Timothy Leiweke allegedly led a scheme designed to steer the contract for entertainment services at a public university’s arena to his company. Public contracts are subject to laws requiring an open and competitive bid process to ensure a level playing field,” said Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia of the FBI New York Field Office. “The FBI is determined to ensure that those who disregard fair competition principles do not benefit from a rigged bidding process targeting our communities and public institutions.”
“An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of corruption and illegal influence in the American workplace,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan R. Mellone of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast region. “We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate these types of allegations.”
According to the indictment, in September 2017, Leiweke informed colleagues that he had learned another venue-services company was “bidding against us” for the Arena Project and wanted to “find a way to get [the competitor] some of the business” and “get them to back down.” In November 2017, Leiweke informed others that he was “[m]ore than happy talking to [the competitor] about not bidding and [receiving certain subcontracts]” but had “no interest in working with them if they intend on putting in a bid.” In February of 2018, Leiweke ultimately reached an agreement with the competitor’s CEO, pursuant to which the competitor agreed that it would stand down and neither submit nor join an independent competing bid for the Arena Project. In exchange for the competitor’s agreement to stand down, Leiweke represented that the competitor would receive Arena Project’s subcontracts. Consistent with the bid-rigging agreement, the competitor did not submit a competing bid for the Arena Project. OVG ultimately submitted the sole qualified bid and won the Arena Project. The arena opened to the public in April 2022, and OVG continues to receive significant revenues from the project to date.
OVG and Legends Hospitality have agreed to pay $15 million and $1.5 million in penalties, respectively, in connection with the conduct alleged in the indictment against Leiweke.
Leiweke is charged with a violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. The maximum penalty for individuals is 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine. The fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Field Office are investigating the case.
The Antitrust Division’s New York Office is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against Timothy J. Leiweke, the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Oak View Group (OVG), for orchestrating a conspiracy to rig the bidding process for an arena at a public university in Austin, Texas, the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division announced today. OVG develops and provides a variety of services to live entertainment venues.
The indictment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, alleges that, from approximately February 2018 through at least June 2024, Leiweke conspired with the Chief Executive Officer of a competitor to rig the bidding for the development, management, and use of a multi-purpose arena that was to be located on the campus of a public university in Austin, Texas (the “Arena Project”).
“As outline in the indictment, the Defendant rigged a bidding process to benefit his own company and deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will continue to hold executives who cheat to avoid competition accountable.”
“Unfair business practices, like those employed here, make it very difficult for the American people to pursue prosperity like our founders intended,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “In the Western District of Texas, we’re proud to work with our colleagues in the Antitrust Division on these types of cases, and we will do all we can to ensure those who engage in the type of conduct described in this case are held to account.”
“Timothy Leiweke allegedly led a scheme designed to steer the contract for entertainment services at a public university’s arena to his company. Public contracts are subject to laws requiring an open and competitive bid process to ensure a level playing field,” said Assistant Director in Charge Christopher G. Raia of the FBI New York Field Office. “The FBI is determined to ensure that those who disregard fair competition principles do not benefit from a rigged bidding process targeting our communities and public institutions.”
“An important part of the mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of corruption and illegal influence in the American workplace,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan R. Mellone of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General, Northeast region. “We will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate these types of allegations.”
According to the indictment, in September 2017, Leiweke informed colleagues that he had learned another venue-services company was “bidding against us” for the Arena Project and wanted to “find a way to get [the competitor] some of the business” and “get them to back down.” In November 2017, Leiweke informed others that he was “[m]ore than happy talking to [the competitor] about not bidding and [receiving certain subcontracts]” but had “no interest in working with them if they intend on putting in a bid.” In February of 2018, Leiweke ultimately reached an agreement with the competitor’s CEO, pursuant to which the competitor agreed that it would stand down and neither submit nor join an independent competing bid for the Arena Project. In exchange for the competitor’s agreement to stand down, Leiweke represented that the competitor would receive Arena Project’s subcontracts. Consistent with the bid-rigging agreement, the competitor did not submit a competing bid for the Arena Project. OVG ultimately submitted the sole qualified bid and won the Arena Project. The arena opened to the public in April 2022, and OVG continues to receive significant revenues from the project to date.
OVG and Legends Hospitality have agreed to pay $15 million and $1.5 million in penalties, respectively, in connection with the conduct alleged in the indictment against Leiweke.
Leiweke is charged with a violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act. The maximum penalty for individuals is 10 years in prison and a $1 million criminal fine. The fine may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims of the crime if either amount is greater than the statutory maximum fine. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Field Office are investigating the case.
The Antitrust Division’s New York Office is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced Kimberly Guilfoyle, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to Greece, at a nomination hearing.
*Click the photo above or here to watch*
Remarks as prepared for delivery:
It is my honor to introduce my good friend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is President Trump’s nominee to be the U.S. Ambassador to Greece.
Kimberly is a deeply experienced attorney, a nationally-respected commentator on politics and public policy, and strategist.
Throughout her career, she has excelled in both the private sector and in public service roles.
Indeed, her distinguished background and long-standing commitment to public engagement make her an excellent candidate to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Greece.
Ms. Guilfoyle worked as a broadcaster at Fox News where she co-hosted The Five and Outnumbered and previously appeared as a legal analyst on CNN, ABC News, and Court TV.
Earlier in her career, Kimberly served as a prosecutor in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and as Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles, where she garnered national recognition for her legal acumen.
Her academic and civic credentials further support her nomination—having graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Davis, and earned a J.D. from the University Of San Francisco School Of Law.
She is also the recipient of multiple awards recognizing her legal work, public service, and advocacy—including the Heritage of Hope Award from the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Special Civil Rights Award from the City of New York.
Most recently, in January she was awarded what’s known as an Emblematic Icon by the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church of America commemorating the spiritual and cultural bonds between Greece and the United States.
Ms. Guilfoyle’s strong expertise and experience—as well as her deep ties to the Greek-American community—make her extremely well-qualified to represent the United States in Greece.
On a very personal note, as I moved from my prior post as U.S. Ambassador to Japan and into the U.S. Senate, Kimberly was there for me.
She joined me for the kick off of my senate campaign in my small hometown in Tennessee, so I feel like she has been with me since the very beginning of this current chapter in my life.
I am honored to support her as she opens the next chapter in hers!
I urge my colleagues on this Committee to support her nomination as well.
Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced Kimberly Guilfoyle, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to Greece, at a nomination hearing.
*Click the photo above or here to watch*
Remarks as prepared for delivery:
It is my honor to introduce my good friend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is President Trump’s nominee to be the U.S. Ambassador to Greece.
Kimberly is a deeply experienced attorney, a nationally-respected commentator on politics and public policy, and strategist.
Throughout her career, she has excelled in both the private sector and in public service roles.
Indeed, her distinguished background and long-standing commitment to public engagement make her an excellent candidate to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Greece.
Ms. Guilfoyle worked as a broadcaster at Fox News where she co-hosted The Five and Outnumbered and previously appeared as a legal analyst on CNN, ABC News, and Court TV.
Earlier in her career, Kimberly served as a prosecutor in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and as Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles, where she garnered national recognition for her legal acumen.
Her academic and civic credentials further support her nomination—having graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Davis, and earned a J.D. from the University Of San Francisco School Of Law.
She is also the recipient of multiple awards recognizing her legal work, public service, and advocacy—including the Heritage of Hope Award from the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Special Civil Rights Award from the City of New York.
Most recently, in January she was awarded what’s known as an Emblematic Icon by the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church of America commemorating the spiritual and cultural bonds between Greece and the United States.
Ms. Guilfoyle’s strong expertise and experience—as well as her deep ties to the Greek-American community—make her extremely well-qualified to represent the United States in Greece.
On a very personal note, as I moved from my prior post as U.S. Ambassador to Japan and into the U.S. Senate, Kimberly was there for me.
She joined me for the kick off of my senate campaign in my small hometown in Tennessee, so I feel like she has been with me since the very beginning of this current chapter in my life.
I am honored to support her as she opens the next chapter in hers!
I urge my colleagues on this Committee to support her nomination as well.
Source: United States Senator for Tennessee Bill Hagerty
WASHINGTON—Today, United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced Kimberly Guilfoyle, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to Greece, at a nomination hearing.
*Click the photo above or here to watch*
Remarks as prepared for delivery:
It is my honor to introduce my good friend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, who is President Trump’s nominee to be the U.S. Ambassador to Greece.
Kimberly is a deeply experienced attorney, a nationally-respected commentator on politics and public policy, and strategist.
Throughout her career, she has excelled in both the private sector and in public service roles.
Indeed, her distinguished background and long-standing commitment to public engagement make her an excellent candidate to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Greece.
Ms. Guilfoyle worked as a broadcaster at Fox News where she co-hosted The Five and Outnumbered and previously appeared as a legal analyst on CNN, ABC News, and Court TV.
Earlier in her career, Kimberly served as a prosecutor in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and as Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles, where she garnered national recognition for her legal acumen.
Her academic and civic credentials further support her nomination—having graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Davis, and earned a J.D. from the University Of San Francisco School Of Law.
She is also the recipient of multiple awards recognizing her legal work, public service, and advocacy—including the Heritage of Hope Award from the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Special Civil Rights Award from the City of New York.
Most recently, in January she was awarded what’s known as an Emblematic Icon by the Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church of America commemorating the spiritual and cultural bonds between Greece and the United States.
Ms. Guilfoyle’s strong expertise and experience—as well as her deep ties to the Greek-American community—make her extremely well-qualified to represent the United States in Greece.
On a very personal note, as I moved from my prior post as U.S. Ambassador to Japan and into the U.S. Senate, Kimberly was there for me.
She joined me for the kick off of my senate campaign in my small hometown in Tennessee, so I feel like she has been with me since the very beginning of this current chapter in my life.
I am honored to support her as she opens the next chapter in hers!
I urge my colleagues on this Committee to support her nomination as well.
Today, Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced that the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division today filed suit to enforce Title IX and protect California female student athletes from unfair competition and reckless endangerment by male participation on female high-school sports teams.
Source: United States Department of Justice (video statements)
Today, Attorney General Pamela Bondi and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced that the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division today filed suit to enforce Title IX and protect California female student athletes from unfair competition and reckless endangerment by male participation on female high-school sports teams.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The Department of Justice is pleased to announce the opening of the application period for federally recognized Tribes and intertribal consortia to participate in the Tribal Access Program (TAP) for National Crime Information. TAP improves public safety by providing federally recognized Tribes the ability to access and exchange data with national crime information databases for authorized criminal justice and non-criminal justice purposes, including the FBI’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC).
The program provides software, hardware, and training, as well as a web-based application and biometric/biographic kiosk workstations to process fingerprints, take mugshots, and submit information to FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) systems. The Department will accept TAP applications from July 9 to August 29. Tribes selected to participate will be notified in September. There are currently 149 federally recognized Tribes participating in TAP.
Using TAP, Tribes have shared information about missing persons; entered domestic violence orders of protection for nationwide enforcement; registered convicted sex offenders; run criminal histories; located fugitives; entered bookings and convictions; and completed fingerprint-based record checks for non-criminal justice purposes such as screening employees or volunteers who work with children.
“As a TAP Pilot Tribe, the Cherokee Nation has been participating in TAP for many years,” said Suzanne Drywater, Senior Director of Justice Services for the Cherokee Nation. “From sex offender registrations, law enforcement, foster home certification, human resources, and child support, our tribe has been able to exercise our sovereignty, and TAP has proven to be an invaluable resource that we use daily in a multitude of ways.”
For Tribes that are considering applying, TAP staff will be conducting informational webinars describing the program and its capabilities. Webinars will be offered throughout July and August. For more information about TAP, including webinar dates, times and access information, visit www.justice.gov/tribal/tribal-access-program-tap.
To qualify for funding, federally recognized Tribes must have – and agree to use TAP for – at least one of the following:
A Tribal sex offender registry authorized by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act,
A Tribal law enforcement agency that has arrest powers,
A Tribal court that issues orders of protection, or
A Tribal government agency that screens individuals for foster care placement or that investigates allegations of child abuse/neglect.
TAP is funded by the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking; the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office on Violence Against Women. TAP is co-managed by the department’s Office of the Chief Information Officer and Office of Tribal Justice.
Last week, a ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho cleared the way for the Forest Service’s Buckskin Saddle Project on the Panhandle National Forest to proceed. The forest is in northwest Idaho’s panhandle region, and the project area includes approximately 13,000 acres of timber harvest and approximately 6,500 acres of noncommercial fuel reduction treatment.
The district court rejected a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) challenge to the project, which is designed to reduce fire hazards and improve forest landscape resilience. Specifically, the court found that the Forest Service complied with NEPA in all respects, including its summary of how the proposed treatments would meet the tree-size and composition goals set by the forest plan for the project area and its assessment of the effects of the project on wildlife species that rely on large tree habitat. The decision is subject to appeal in the Ninth Circuit.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) made the announcement.
Trial Attorney Hayley Carpenter of ENRD’s Natural Resources Section handled the case.
Last week, a ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho cleared the way for the Forest Service’s Buckskin Saddle Project on the Panhandle National Forest to proceed. The forest is in northwest Idaho’s panhandle region, and the project area includes approximately 13,000 acres of timber harvest and approximately 6,500 acres of noncommercial fuel reduction treatment.
The district court rejected a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) challenge to the project, which is designed to reduce fire hazards and improve forest landscape resilience. Specifically, the court found that the Forest Service complied with NEPA in all respects, including its summary of how the proposed treatments would meet the tree-size and composition goals set by the forest plan for the project area and its assessment of the effects of the project on wildlife species that rely on large tree habitat. The decision is subject to appeal in the Ninth Circuit.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD) made the announcement.
Trial Attorney Hayley Carpenter of ENRD’s Natural Resources Section handled the case.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on CNN’s The Situation Room where he emphasized that House Democrats will continue pushing back against the extremism that has been unleashed on the American people by the Trump administration and Rubber Stamp Republicans in Congress.
WOLF BLITZER: Leader Jeffries, thanks so much for joining us. What do you think? What does this say about the relationship between President Trump and the Defense Secretary?
LEADER JEFFRIES:Pete Hegseth is the most unqualified Defense Secretary in American history, undermines the ability of the Department of Defense to keep the American people safe and Donald Trump should fire him, or Pete Hegseth should tender his resignation. That’s been clear and apparent for months. And it’s shocking to me that this charade continues to go on. Ukraine is an ally. Russia is a sworn enemy of the United States of America. And when you limit Ukraine’s ability to be successful in the war of aggression that Russia has launched against a sovereign country, you undermine America’s national security interests. And that’s highly problematic.
WOLF BLITZER: Very strong words. Very strong words, I should just say. Trump says he’s now considering supporting a bill in the Senate that would impose punishing sanctions on Russia. Leader Jeffries, what do you make of the President’s change in tone against Russia and Vladimir Putin for that matter? And do you expect that these sanctions, this sanctions bill will ultimately come up for a vote?
LEADER JEFFRIES: There’s strong and bipartisan support for sanctions against Vladimir Putin and Russia, and it’s unfortunate that the Trump administration has spent months playing footsie with Vladimir Putin and some would suggest bending the knee to an enemy of this country. This war of aggression that Russia has launched against Ukraine is clear. It’s not just about territorial integrity. It’s a battle between democracy and autocracy, between freedom and tyranny, between truth and propaganda. And the United States of America should always stand on the side of democracy and freedom and truth. That means standing on the side of Ukraine until victory is won.
WOLF BLITZER: So you would support these sanctions if, in fact, they’re passed?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Certainly need to take a look at the specifics of the sanctions, but I am a strong supporter of continuing to escalate and intensify the sanctions that have been previously put into place relative to Russia until they back down and, you know, withdraw from Ukraine and create a situation where Ukraine’s sovereignty can be restored and the killing of innocent civilians stops, including the killing of Ukrainian children that have been targeted by Russia and Vladimir Putin.
WOLF BLITZER: And the Russians are now launching a record number of drones and other missiles against various civilian targets in Ukraine as we speak right now. I want to turn while I have you, Leader Jeffries, to the President’s major policy bill that he signed into law on July 4. All Congressional Democrats, of course, voted against it. What’s your biggest concern right now about the impact this legislation, which is now the law—he signed it into law—will have?
LEADER JEFFRIES:Donald Trump’s One Big Ugly Law hurts everyday Americans all across the country and rewards billionaires. It’s an unprecedented assault on the healthcare of the American people. Hospitals will close, including in rural America. Nursing homes will shut down. Community-based health clinics will no longer be able to operate. And as a result of so many people losing coverage in different ways, people are going to die all across this country. This bill also rips food away from the mouths of children. And all of this is being done to reward their billionaire donors. And by the way, it’s also going to set us on a course toward possibly bankrupting the nation by adding trillions of dollars to America’s debt, which is already far too high. We’re going to tattoo this law on the foreheads of every single House Republican who voted against the best interests of the people that they represent in doing the bidding of supporting this bill and continuing to rubber stamp Donald Trump’s extreme agenda.
WOLF BLITZER: Your fellow Democrats have signaled they intend to make the Medicaid cuts—and there are enormous Medicaid cuts in this new law—a key issue in next year’s midterm elections. But the bill was designed so that those cuts won’t actually happen until after the midterm elections. Given that, Leader Jeffries, will this bill really have as big of an impact on the midterms as some Democrats are saying?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, this is not about politics. It’s about policy. And Republicans have supported a policy which involves the largest cut to Medicaid in American history. And by setting this massive cut into motion, it lays the conditions for the collapse of the Medicaid system in many ways. So this is a big challenge. And also, Wolf, it’s important to recognize that this bill also will rip coverage away from millions of Americans because of changes that were made to the Affordable Care Act. It also goes after Medicare, possibly a cut that could be set into motion by more than $500 billion and it also represents an attack on the Children’s Health Insurance Program and on Planned Parenthood. So it’s an all-out assault on healthcare and it is going to have real consequences for the American people, and that will be felt, in many ways, immediately.
WOLF BLITZER: Many of your Democratic colleagues are facing angry voters back in their districts. According to Axios, some are even being told they need to be more willing to go out there and get shot when fighting—that was a direct quote, get shot—when fighting back against some of Trump’s policies. One House Democrat saying, quote, and I’ll read it to you, ‘Our own base is telling us that what we’re doing is not good enough. There needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public.’ How do you respond to that, Leader Jeffries? Are Democrats not meeting the moment, not doing enough to fight these developments?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, we are in a more is more environment in terms of the unprecedented assault on the American way of life and our country that has been launched by Donald Trump and compliant House Republicans—more speeches, more rallies, more protests, more sit-ins, more press conferences, more town hall meetings in Democratic districts and Republican districts. We’re in a more is more environment and we’ll continue to lean in aggressively. At the same period of time, we also are going to span out across the country and talk to the American people about our affirmative vision of making their life better. Imagine a country where everyone can afford to live the good life—a good-paying job, good healthcare, good housing, good education for your children and a good retirement. That’s what Democrats are working hard to bring about. When you work hard in America and when you play by the rules, you should be able to afford to live the good life. And far too many people are struggling to live paycheck to paycheck. That’s unacceptable in the wealthiest country in the history of the world.
WOLF BLITZER: Leader Jeffries, I also want to talk to you about Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for Mayor in New York City. CNN has new reporting that some progressives who empowered Mamdani to victory now want to primary you and other Democrats in New York City. The co-chair of New York City’s Democratic Socialists of America says he thinks you’re picking fights, quote, ‘with the left,’ instead of focusing ‘on fighting the right.’ His words. Asked whether Mamdani thinks those incumbent challenges should happen, his Press Secretary told CNN he was declining to comment, at least for now. How do you respond?
LEADER JEFFRIES: I have no idea what these people are talking about. We are going to continue to focus our efforts, as we did on the House Floor, in connection with Donald Trump’s One Big Ugly Bill, on pushing back against the extremism that has been unleashed on the American people. It’s clear to us, as House Democrats, it’s clear to us as Members of the New York City delegation, that the problem is Donald Trump and House Republicans who have launched this unprecedented assault on the American way of life, an assault on healthcare. They’re ripping food out of the mouths of children, veterans and seniors. They’re exploding the national debt. They’re unleashing masked agents on law-abiding immigrant communities. It shouldn’t be too difficult for some people to figure out who the problem is in the United States of America.
WOLF BLITZER: The Democratic Leader, the Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries. Thanks, as usual, for joining us.
The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police, Mr Ian Cameron, has received the directive from the Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Thoko Didiza, mandating three committees to consider, on an urgent basis, in terms of their respective mandates, the wide-ranging allegations regarding security matters that have implications for the country’s national security made by the KZN Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, and then report to the National Assembly.
”The mandate is clear and the committee will endeavour to urgently conclude the necessary processes to determine the parameters, format and structure of the envisaged process,” Mr Cameron emphasised.
But of outmost importance is the need for urgency in finalising modalities to set the process in motion. To this end, a legal opinion, which has already been requested, is necessary to ascertain the best possible approach.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
What does it mean to save a life – and what does it cost? In The Story of a Heart, Rachel Clarke answers this not with slogans or sentiment, but with quiet, searing honesty. This book, which won this year’s Women’s prize for non-fiction, is about organ donation, yes, but it’s also about family, grief, love, courage, and the astonishing edges of human experience.
At its centre are two children: Max Johnson, a healthy, active nine-year-old whose heart suddenly begins to fail, and Keira Ball, another nine-year-old – vibrant, horse-loving, full of life who tragically dies in a car accident. In a moment of unimaginable grief, Keira’s parents donate her organs. Her heart goes to Max.
A child dies. A child lives.
That is the simple, brutal, beautiful truth this book never looks away from. But Clarke does more than tell the story of heart. She immerses us in it – every breath, every monitor beep, every unbearable choice.
I read this as a health services researcher who has spent years working in the emotionally complex, ethically charged, and often hidden world of organ donation. My work explores how families navigate these unimaginable scenarios, particularly in the context of recent legislative change. Clarke’s account captures, with rare precision and compassion, the silences, the emotional labour of clinicians, and the profound weight of choice that families like Keira’s carry.
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As both a doctor and a mother, Clarke brings sensitivity to every page. We feel Max’s steady decline: the exhaustion, the fear, the silence that descends as even the doctors grow unsure. We witness Keira’s final hours, the heroic efforts to save her, and the moments where unbearable grief oscillates between hope and despair, eventually giving way to a different kind of gift.
There are no easy heroes in this story, only ordinary people facing the unthinkable with extraordinary grace. Clarke brings them to life with aching clarity: the cardiologist who, in the dim light of a hospital room, sketches Max’s failing heart on a napkin so his mother can understand what words can’t explain; the ICU nurse who stays long after her shift ends, gently brushing the hair of a child who will never wake up; the donation nurse who enters a family’s darkest hour not with answers, but with quiet presence and unwavering care; the surgeon who steadies his hands – and his heart – when every second matters.
And in the chaos of resuscitation, amid alarms and broken bodies, a teddy bear is tucked beneath Keira’s arm: “Someone in the crash team has seen Keira not simply as a body, inert and unresponsive, but as a vulnerable child in need of compassion.”
The Story of a Heart is also a book about history. It’s not just about one child’s transplant, but about medicine, surgery, and the heart itself. Clarke weaves in the stories of early transplant pioneers, accidental discoveries, and the scientific stumbles and breakthroughs that built modern practice. She brings it all to life with a storyteller’s flair, making science feel intimate, alive, and deeply human.
What the heart means
What sets the heart apart, Clarke reminds us, is not just its function, but its symbolism. No other organ holds such emotional weight. “Hearts sing, soar, race, burn, break, bleed, swell, hammer and melt,” she writes. They are not just organs, they are vessels for our hopes, fears and deepest longings.
Clarke shows how, across history, the heart was seen as the source of emotion, morality – even the soul – and how that deep humanism still pulses through our language and culture today. We have our hearts broken, wear our hearts on our sleeves, and as Clarke puts it: “When trying to express our truest and most sincere selves, we do so by saying we speak from the heart, or about all that our heart desires.”
But what makes The Story of a Heart so exceptional is its emotional truth. Clarke never shies away from the pain. Max’s parents watch their son fade, terrified to even touch him. Keira’s father buys her a pink princess dress for her funeral. Max, wired to machines, records a goodbye message; we learn later he even tried to take his own life. And yet, there is light.
Keira’s sisters climb into bed with her, painting her nails and sliding Haribo sweet rings onto her fingers. Then comes a moment so clear, so quietly astonishing, it takes everyone’s breath away. Katelyn, Keira’s older sister, turns to the doctor and asks, with calm, steady eyes: “Can we donate her organs?”
This isn’t a clinical decision or a well-rehearsed conversation. It is an unprompted act of extraordinary love. These moments – fragile, generous, profoundly human – are the true beating heart of Clarke’s book.
From there, we are guided into a world so few know and even fewer ever witness: the quiet choreography that carries a gift of life from one person to another. What Katelyn sets in motion with just five words unfolds with such precision, that reading it feels like witnessing a kind of living magic.
The aftermath is just as moving. Max recovers quickly, walks again, laughs again. The two families meet. There are no big speeches, just quiet awe. And beyond that: a law is passed. Max and Keira’s Law brings in an opt-out system of donation in England. Two children. One legacy. A country changed.
And still, Clarke doesn’t let us forget the hard truths. Not every child survives. Not every family gets a miracle. Transplants are fragile. But in that fragility, she shows us, is the real miracle. Max goes fishing with his dad, the sky glows orange – Keira’s favourite colour. That is enough.
At the moment organ donation consent rates for children are declining in the UK, and there are more children on the transplant wait list than ever before. The Story of a Heart asks us to see the children, the families, and the quiet acts of love behind every donation. It’s a powerful reminder that the greatest gifts are often given in the darkest hours.
This book will break your heart – and fill it up again. It’s not just essential reading for anyone interested in organ donation and transplant. It’s essential reading for anyone who has ever loved.
This article features references to books that have been included for editorial reasons, and may contain links to bookshop.org. If you click on one of the links and go on to buy something from bookshop.org The Conversation UK may earn a commission.
Leah McLaughlin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $21,254,275 in federal funding to support infrastructure improvements at ten airports across Virginia. This funding comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration Airport Infrastructure Grant program, made possible by the bipartisan infrastructure law.
“We are thrilled to announce this funding for Virginia’s airports,” the senators said. “This investment is a major win for Virginia’s travelers and communities and will help to ensure our airports are safer, more efficient, and ready to meet growing demand in the years to come.”
The funding is broken down as follows:
$6,000,000 to the Peninsula Airport Commission to reconstruct 6,500 feet of existing paved taxiways atNewport News-Williamsburg Airport;
$5,927,653 to the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission through grants to rehabilitate existing runway and taxiway at Roanoke-Blacksburg Airport;
$4,000,000 to the Capital Region Airport Commission for the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) station at Richmond International Airport;
$1,699,218 to the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport Authority to upgrade and replace existing security equipment at Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport;
$1,229,342 to the City of Lynchburg to rehabilitate runway at Lynchburg Regional Airport;
$750,000 to the Orange County Board of Supervisors to construct a new hangar for aircraft storage at Orange County Airport;
$600,000 to the County of Halifax to reconstruct runway lighting at William M. Tuck Airport;
$164,000 to the Dinwiddie County Airport and Industrial Authority to expand the terminal apron to allow for a wider variety of aircrafts at Dinwiddie County Airport;
$107,112 to the County of New Kent to remove trees obstructing operations at New Kent County Airport;
$76,950 to the Tazewell County Airport Authority to remove trees obstructing operations at Tazewell County Airport; and
$700,000 to the Commonwealth of Virginia to update Virginia’s existing airport system plan.
Sens. Warner and Kaine have long supported efforts to improve Virginia’s airports. Sens. Warner and Kaine have secured millions in federal funding for airports across Virginia through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Last month, the senators announced over $5 million in federal funding, building on more than $12 million for improvements to Virginia’s airports announced in January of this year. In October 2024, they announced nearly $57 million in federal funding for revitalizations efforts, and in September 2024, they announced more than $46 million in federal funding for improvements to Virginia airports through the Airport Improvement Program. The senators have previously announced $104.6 million in combined federal funding for the new terminal building at Dulles.
Source: United States Senator for Virginia Tim Kaine
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) announced $21,254,275 in federal funding to support infrastructure improvements at ten airports across Virginia. This funding comes through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration Airport Infrastructure Grant program, made possible by the bipartisan infrastructure law.
“We are thrilled to announce this funding for Virginia’s airports,” the senators said. “This investment is a major win for Virginia’s travelers and communities and will help to ensure our airports are safer, more efficient, and ready to meet growing demand in the years to come.”
The funding is broken down as follows:
$6,000,000 to the Peninsula Airport Commission to reconstruct 6,500 feet of existing paved taxiways atNewport News-Williamsburg Airport;
$5,927,653 to the Roanoke Regional Airport Commission through grants to rehabilitate existing runway and taxiway at Roanoke-Blacksburg Airport;
$4,000,000 to the Capital Region Airport Commission for the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF) station at Richmond International Airport;
$1,699,218 to the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport Authority to upgrade and replace existing security equipment at Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport;
$1,229,342 to the City of Lynchburg to rehabilitate runway at Lynchburg Regional Airport;
$750,000 to the Orange County Board of Supervisors to construct a new hangar for aircraft storage at Orange County Airport;
$600,000 to the County of Halifax to reconstruct runway lighting at William M. Tuck Airport;
$164,000 to the Dinwiddie County Airport and Industrial Authority to expand the terminal apron to allow for a wider variety of aircrafts at Dinwiddie County Airport;
$107,112 to the County of New Kent to remove trees obstructing operations at New Kent County Airport;
$76,950 to the Tazewell County Airport Authority to remove trees obstructing operations at Tazewell County Airport; and
$700,000 to the Commonwealth of Virginia to update Virginia’s existing airport system plan.
Warner and Kaine have long supported efforts to improve Virginia’s airports. Warner and Kaine have secured millions in federal funding for airports across Virginia through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Last month, the senators announced over $5 million in federal funding, building on more than $12 million for improvements to Virginia’s airports announced in January of this year. In October 2024, they announced nearly $57 million in federal funding for revitalizations efforts, and in September 2024, they announced more than $46 million in federal funding for improvements to Virginia airports through the Airport Improvement Program. The senators have previously announced $104.6 million in combined federal funding for the new terminal building at Dulles.
Source: United States Senator Peter Welch (D-Vermont)
Welch also joined letter to DHS requesting information about ICE’s use of unidentified plainclothes agents
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) joined U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) in cosponsoring new legislation to require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible identification during public-facing enforcement actions. The Visible Identification Standards for Immigration-Based Law Enforcement (VISIBLE) Act of 2025 would strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability of the Trump Administration’s indiscriminate and alarming immigration enforcement tactics that have terrorized communities across the nation.
Under the Trump Administration’s mass deportation agenda, civil immigration enforcement operations have increasingly involved Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers engaging with the public while wearing unmarked tactical gear, concealing clothing, and face coverings that obscure both agency affiliation and personal identity. Without visible badges, names, or insignia, members of the public often have no way to confirm whether they are interacting with legitimate government officials.
This lack of transparency endangers public safety by causing widespread confusion and fear, especially in communities already subject to heightened immigration scrutiny. It also increases operational and safety risks for law enforcement personnel by creating an opportunity for immigration enforcement impersonators and compounding uncertainty in high-stress situations. Clear, consistent, visible identification helps reduce miscommunication during enforcement encounters, strengthens officer credibility, and improves public cooperation, all of which are vital to mission success.
“Public safety requires trust. When federal immigration agents are in plainclothes and unidentifiable, it threatens that public safety, undermines trust in government, and can even lead to escalating violence,” said Senator Welch. “This is about accountability and transparency.”
The VISIBLE Act would place a critical check on the government’s power, ensuring basic transparency safeguards that protect public trust and legitimacy in immigration enforcement operations. Specifically, the VISIBLE Act:
Requires immigration enforcement officers — including DHS personnel such as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), federal agents detailed to immigration operations, and deputized state or local officers — to display clearly legible identification, including their agency name or initials and either their name or badge number, in a manner that remains visible and unobscured by tactical gear or clothing;
Prohibits non-medical face coverings (such as masks or balaclavas) that obscure identity or facial visibility, with exceptions for environmental hazards or covert operations; and
Requires DHS to establish disciplinary procedures for violations, report annually to Congress on compliance, and investigate complaints through its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
The bill does not apply to covert or non-public facing operations, nor does it prohibit face coverings when necessary for officer safety. It also does not apply to enforcement actions conducted solely under criminal authority.
The VISIBLE Act is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). The bill is endorsed by the ACLU and Public Counsel.
Learn more about the VISIBLE Act.
Read and download the full text of the bill.
Earlier this week, Senator Welch joined Senator Padilla and 12 of their colleagues in criticizing ICE for engaging in counterproductive, theatrical enforcement activities — including raids on courthouses and restaurants — and requesting information from the agency on its mask and uniform policies. The Senators argued that these tactics are designed to sow fear and chaos and that allowing masked, plainclothes officers to engage in public raids creates situations where bad actors can commit crimes while claiming to be ICE agents.
In addition to Sens. Welch and Padilla, the letter was signed by Senators Blumenthal, Booker, Hirono, Schiff, Smith, Van Hollen, Wyden, Murray, Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.). Read the full text of the letter here.
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division today filed suit to enforce Title IX and protect California female student athletes from unfair competition and reckless endangerment by male participation on female high-school sports teams.
According to the complaint, the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) have engaged in illegal sex discrimination against female student athletes by allowing males to compete against them, depriving these girls of the equal education and athletic opportunities afforded to them by federal civil rights law. Thus, the suit seeks declaratory, injunctive, and damages relief for violations of Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity that receives federal funding.
As alleged in the complaint, the U.S. Department of Education’s “current allocation of funds to CDE for fiscal year 2025 totals approximately $44.3 billion, of which approximately $3.8 billion remains available for drawdown by CDE, including both discretionary grants and formula grants.”
“The Governor of California has previously admitted that it is ‘deeply unfair’ to force women and girls to compete with men and boys in competitive sports,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “But not only is it ‘deeply unfair,’ it is also illegal under federal law. This Department of Justice will continue its fight to protect equal opportunities for women and girls in sports.”
“Title IX was enacted over half a century ago to protect women and girls from discrimination. The Justice Department will not stand for policies that deprive girls of their hard-earned athletic trophies and ignore their safety on the field and in private spaces,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon. “Young women should not have to sacrifice their rights to compete for scholarships, opportunities, and awards on the altar of woke gender ideology.”
“California is on the wrong side of the law and the wrong side of history,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli of the Central District of California. “Women deserve dignity, respect, and an equal opportunity to compete on their own sports teams. The time for talk is over. California must comply with Title IX and end its civil rights violations against women. No person, no state, is above the law.”
CDE has authority over CIF and local school districts’ interscholastic athletic policies, and CIF oversees 1.8 million students and over 750,000 student-athletes in grades 9 through 12. The complaint is available here.
Spokane, Washington – On July 7, 2025, Richard R. Barker stepped down as the Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. Barker will be returning to private practice in Spokane after a distinguished career in public service.
Acting United States Attorney Barker has over a decade of experience as a career prosecutor, serving as an Assistant United States Attorney since 2014. During his career, Barker has held the positions of First Assistant United States Attorney, Tribal Liaison, Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Coordinator, Digital Asset Coordinator, and Public Affairs Officer. From 2014 – 2019, Barker served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the nation’s capital, where he served as a dedicated homicide prosecutor. In early 2019, Barker joined the Eastern District of Washington, serving as an Assistant United States Attorney (“AUSA”) in the Spokane office.
Acting United States Attorney Barker has dedicated his career to serving victims of violent crime, while handling numerous homicide and violent crime cases. Late last year, Barker was lead counsel with AUSA Michael J. Ellis in the trial of Zachery Holt and Dezmonique Tenzsley for the double murder of two Tribal members and the attempted murder of a federal officer on the Colville Indian Reservation. In 2023, Barker successfully prosecuted Ronald Craig Ilg, who attempted to hire hitmen on the dark web to harm his wife and a former work colleague. Earlier this year, Barker was lead counsel with AUSA Nowles Heinrich and Echo Fatsis in the successful trial of Luis Esquival Balonos, who was convicted on multiple drug trafficking charges stemming from more than one hundred pounds of illegal drugs being distributed on and around the Colville Indian Reservation and into Montana. Barker, who carried an active caseload while leading the office, was the first Eastern Washington U.S. Attorney in nearly two decades to try a case to a verdict while serving in the U.S. Attorney role.
Throughout his career, Acting United States Attorney Barker also handled several significant drug trafficking prosecutions. In 2023, Barker, with co-counsel AUSA Stephanie Van Marter, prosecuted the “Fetty Bros” Drug Trafficking Organization, which was distributing hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills and other drugs into Eastern Washington and using extreme violence to insulate their organization. In his efforts to further address the fentanyl crisis, Barker worked with now former U.S. Attorney Waldref and the City of Spokane to create a Special U.S. Assistant Attorney position focused on prosecuting those responsible for illegal narcotics impacting the Spokane area.
As First Assistant United States Attorney, Barker supervised the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s litigating units, which include the Criminal, Civil, and Appellate Divisions. As the Chief Deputy to the U.S. Attorney, Barker helped establish the District’s dedicated Appellate Division and worked closely with the Office’s administrative team to obtain additional DOJ resources for increasing public safety throughout Eastern Washington.
Throughout his service, Former Acting U.S. Attorney Barker built strong relationships with Washington’s Native American communities and worked tirelessly to honor federal treaty rights with Tribal Nations in Eastern Washington and address the crisis of missing or murdered indigenous people. In early 2024, Barker played a key role in hiring the district’s first MMIP AUSA, who is fully dedicated to prosecuting cases of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People. For Barker’s dedication to working with Native American communities and improving public safety, he received a Department of Justice Director’s Award in 2024.
“Serving as a federal prosecutor has been the highlight of my career,” said Barker. “It has been an honor to represent the United States and seek justice for victims and their families. Spokane has truly become home for me and my family, and I look forward to remaining active in the legal community as I return to private practice right here in Eastern Washington.”
Former U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref stated, “Acting U.S. Attorney Barker is an exceptional leader, a talented trial attorney, and a fearless advocate for justice. His service to the Department of Justice and dedication to protecting the communities of Eastern Washington is second to none. He led the District with distinction, focusing every day on doing the right thing for victims and the community and maintaining an unwavering commitment to upholding the rule of law.”
Outside the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Barker will continue to serve as an adjunct professor at Gonzaga University School of Law, where he has taught courses in Trial Advocacy and Conflicts of Law. Barker also serves as a Lawyer Representative to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Stephanie Van Marter will be assuming the role of Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington. “I’m honored to pass the torch to Acting U.S. Attorney Van Marter,” said Barker. “Steph has dedicated her career to the Department of Justice, and she will lead this office with the same honor, integrity, and commitment to justice as those who have served before her.” A formal announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding Ms. Van Marter’s new role will be issued in the coming days.
The defendant is one of over 60 charged in large-scale drug trafficking ring targeting Alaska.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Fairbanks man was sentenced today to 22 years in prison and, upon release, will serve five years on supervised release for distributing fentanyl that resulted in the overdose death of a local man in 2022.
According to court documents, beginning in May 2022 and continuing to July 2022, Edward Ginnis, 39, agreed with co-conspirators to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances in the Fairbanks area. Specifically, Ginnis distributed controlled substances to a co-conspirator, who then sold the substances to others. Ginnis’ actions were a small part of a larger drug trafficking enterprise allegedly being directed by an inmate in a California prison.
On June 7, 2022, Ginnis sent an overnight package containing money to a co-conspirator in California, paying in advance for a shipment of drugs intended for a co-conspirator in Fairbanks. On June 11, a package arrived for the co-conspirator in Fairbanks. Ginnis and the alleged leader of the enterprise had orchestrated this shipment. Drug ledgers found in the alleged leader’s prison cell indicate that the shipment contained “chocolate,” which was a term that members of the enterprise used for heroin. The alleged leader also arranged to have additional packages containing heroin sent to Alaska, and Ginnis received more packages on June 16 and 21, 2022.
Later in the day on June 11, 2022, Ginnis sent text messages to several distributors asking if they had potential purchasers. One of the distributors, the co-defendant in this case, allegedly offered to help sell drugs. On June 25, Adam Sakkinen, 32, an individual who struggled with heroin usage, messaged the co-defendant asking to purchase drugs. Around noon, the co-defendant allegedly agreed to sell drugs to Sakkinen and he sent the co-defendant $50.00 before messaging that he was on his way.
Later, at 12:58 p.m. that same day, local fire and emergency medical services responded to a single car accident on the side of a road in Badger. First responders found Sakkinen unconscious behind the wheel of a car with drug paraphernalia in his hands and near him. Law enforcement officials tested the paraphernalia, and it tested positive for fentanyl.
First responders administered six doses of Narcan to Sakkinen and he regained a pulse. Sakkinen was transported to two hospitals and was put on life support at a hospital in Anchorage. Sakkinen spent 11 days in the intensive care unit before he passed away. A sample of Sakkinen’s blood was sent for testing and lab results found that he had 20 nanograms per milliliter of fentanyl in his bloodstream at the time of his death. Reports show that the average lethal level of fentanyl in the bloodstream is eight nanograms per milliliter.
On July 14, 2022, Ginnis was arrested in Fairbanks based on a violation of his state probation. He was in possession of fentanyl that he intended to distribute to others in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy. He also possessed over $13,000 in cash.
On Jan. 18, 2025, Ginnis and a co-defendant were indicted on federal drug trafficking charges. On April 3, 2025, Ginnis pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substance resulting in death. His co-defendant is awaiting trial.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks the law enforcement agencies that came together to investigate this crime and help bring justice to the family of the victim,” said Acting U.S. Attorney William Narus for the District of Oregon.
“Fentanyl traffickers choose profit over people when they sell drugs that lead to addiction and death,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “This sentence holds Mr. Ginnis accountable for this choice and sends a clear message that the DEA and our partners will bring to justice those who seek to poison and destroy our communities.”
“The Alaska State Troopers are committed to working with our federal and local partners to bring dangerous drug traffickers to justice,” said Colonel Maurice Hughes, Director of the Alaska State Troopers. “Drug dealers have no place in our great state. This sentencing sends a clear message: if you traffic dangerous drugs in Alaska, law enforcement will find you, and you will face serious consequences for your actions.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska has been recused from this case with the exception of certain personnel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. Clymer from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York has been appointed as Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General to assist with this and other recused cases. He reports to and acts under the direction of the Deputy Attorney General, or his delegee, or Acting U.S. Attorney Narus in these cases. Special Attorney Clymer supervises personnel from the District of Alaska who have been exempted from the recusal.
The Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division and Anchorage District Office, Alaska State Troopers, North Slope Borough Police Department, North Pole Police Department and Fairbanks Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephan Collins, Chris Schroeder and Alana Weber are prosecuting the case.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
The defendant is one of over 60 charged in large-scale drug trafficking ring targeting Alaska.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Fairbanks man was sentenced today to 22 years in prison and, upon release, will serve five years on supervised release for distributing fentanyl that resulted in the overdose death of a local man in 2022.
According to court documents, beginning in May 2022 and continuing to July 2022, Edward Ginnis, 39, agreed with co-conspirators to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances in the Fairbanks area. Specifically, Ginnis distributed controlled substances to a co-conspirator, who then sold the substances to others. Ginnis’ actions were a small part of a larger drug trafficking enterprise allegedly being directed by an inmate in a California prison.
On June 7, 2022, Ginnis sent an overnight package containing money to a co-conspirator in California, paying in advance for a shipment of drugs intended for a co-conspirator in Fairbanks. On June 11, a package arrived for the co-conspirator in Fairbanks. Ginnis and the alleged leader of the enterprise had orchestrated this shipment. Drug ledgers found in the alleged leader’s prison cell indicate that the shipment contained “chocolate,” which was a term that members of the enterprise used for heroin. The alleged leader also arranged to have additional packages containing heroin sent to Alaska, and Ginnis received more packages on June 16 and 21, 2022.
Later in the day on June 11, 2022, Ginnis sent text messages to several distributors asking if they had potential purchasers. One of the distributors, the co-defendant in this case, allegedly offered to help sell drugs. On June 25, Adam Sakkinen, 32, an individual who struggled with heroin usage, messaged the co-defendant asking to purchase drugs. Around noon, the co-defendant allegedly agreed to sell drugs to Sakkinen and he sent the co-defendant $50.00 before messaging that he was on his way.
Later, at 12:58 p.m. that same day, local fire and emergency medical services responded to a single car accident on the side of a road in Badger. First responders found Sakkinen unconscious behind the wheel of a car with drug paraphernalia in his hands and near him. Law enforcement officials tested the paraphernalia, and it tested positive for fentanyl.
First responders administered six doses of Narcan to Sakkinen and he regained a pulse. Sakkinen was transported to two hospitals and was put on life support at a hospital in Anchorage. Sakkinen spent 11 days in the intensive care unit before he passed away. A sample of Sakkinen’s blood was sent for testing and lab results found that he had 20 nanograms per milliliter of fentanyl in his bloodstream at the time of his death. Reports show that the average lethal level of fentanyl in the bloodstream is eight nanograms per milliliter.
On July 14, 2022, Ginnis was arrested in Fairbanks based on a violation of his state probation. He was in possession of fentanyl that he intended to distribute to others in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy. He also possessed over $13,000 in cash.
On Jan. 18, 2025, Ginnis and a co-defendant were indicted on federal drug trafficking charges. On April 3, 2025, Ginnis pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substance resulting in death. His co-defendant is awaiting trial.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks the law enforcement agencies that came together to investigate this crime and help bring justice to the family of the victim,” said Acting U.S. Attorney William Narus for the District of Oregon.
“Fentanyl traffickers choose profit over people when they sell drugs that lead to addiction and death,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division. “This sentence holds Mr. Ginnis accountable for this choice and sends a clear message that the DEA and our partners will bring to justice those who seek to poison and destroy our communities.”
“The Alaska State Troopers are committed to working with our federal and local partners to bring dangerous drug traffickers to justice,” said Colonel Maurice Hughes, Director of the Alaska State Troopers. “Drug dealers have no place in our great state. This sentencing sends a clear message: if you traffic dangerous drugs in Alaska, law enforcement will find you, and you will face serious consequences for your actions.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska has been recused from this case with the exception of certain personnel. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. Clymer from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York has been appointed as Special Attorney to the United States Attorney General to assist with this and other recused cases. He reports to and acts under the direction of the Deputy Attorney General, or his delegee, or Acting U.S. Attorney Narus in these cases. Special Attorney Clymer supervises personnel from the District of Alaska who have been exempted from the recusal.
The Drug Enforcement Administration Seattle Field Division and Anchorage District Office, Alaska State Troopers, North Slope Borough Police Department, North Pole Police Department and Fairbanks Police Department investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephan Collins, Chris Schroeder and Alana Weber are prosecuting the case.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Two members of a Sacramento-based drug trafficking organization were sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd for fentanyl trafficking and related crimes, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
Jose Guadalupe Lopez-Zamora, 30, of Sacramento, was sentenced to 27 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, three counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and one count of conspiracy to launder money.
Joaquin Alberto Sotelo Valdez, 28, of Sacramento, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents, Lopez-Zamora was the leader of the organization that was responsible for importing tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone “M-30” pills from Mexico and distributing them in northern California and elsewhere between May 2019 and January 2021. The group also distributed cocaine and methamphetamine.
Fourteen other co-defendants have pleaded guilty, and eight have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 19 months to over 10 years. Rosario Zamora Rojo and Jose Aguilar Saucedo are scheduled to be sentenced in July 2025. Luis Lopez Zamora, Leonardo Flores Beltran, Erika Gabriela Zamora Rojo, and Sandro Escobedo are scheduled to be sentenced in August 2025.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Yuba-Sutter Narcotic and Gang Enforcement Task Force (NET 5), the California Highway Patrol, the Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force (BINTF), the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT), the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, the Sacramento Police Department, the Roseville Police Department, the Manteca Police Department, the Yuba City Police Department, and the West Sacramento Police Department. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Mexican authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Luis Lopez Zamora to the United States from Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer is prosecuting the case.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about OCDETF, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
Two members of a Sacramento-based drug trafficking organization were sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd for fentanyl trafficking and related crimes, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.
Jose Guadalupe Lopez-Zamora, 30, of Sacramento, was sentenced to 27 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine, three counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, two counts of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and one count of conspiracy to launder money.
Joaquin Alberto Sotelo Valdez, 28, of Sacramento, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
According to court documents, Lopez-Zamora was the leader of the organization that was responsible for importing tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone “M-30” pills from Mexico and distributing them in northern California and elsewhere between May 2019 and January 2021. The group also distributed cocaine and methamphetamine.
Fourteen other co-defendants have pleaded guilty, and eight have been sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 19 months to over 10 years. Rosario Zamora Rojo and Jose Aguilar Saucedo are scheduled to be sentenced in July 2025. Luis Lopez Zamora, Leonardo Flores Beltran, Erika Gabriela Zamora Rojo, and Sandro Escobedo are scheduled to be sentenced in August 2025.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshals Service, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Yuba-Sutter Narcotic and Gang Enforcement Task Force (NET 5), the California Highway Patrol, the Butte Interagency Narcotics Task Force (BINTF), the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Team (TRIDENT), the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department, the Sacramento Police Department, the Roseville Police Department, the Manteca Police Department, the Yuba City Police Department, and the West Sacramento Police Department. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with Mexican authorities to secure the arrest and extradition of Luis Lopez Zamora to the United States from Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorney David W. Spencer is prosecuting the case.
The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about OCDETF, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Solamon Flores-Garcia, 43, of Mexico, was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for carjacking and possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Chief Rhett Bolen of the Monroe Police Department, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents and court proceedings, on October 24, 2023, Flores-Garcia, a previously deported alien that was residing illegally in Monroe, N.C., went to a neighbor’s home. When the neighbor answered the door, Flores-Garcia pointed a red handgun at the neighbor and demanded her wallet and car keys. Flores-Garcia then drove the victim’s car to La Chiquita Mexican store, where he robbed that establishment. During the robbery, Flores-Garcia pointed a red firearm at the head of the clerk before taking money from the store and fleeing the scene in the stolen vehicle. Flores-Garcia was arrested shortly thereafter.
Flores-Garcia remains in custody pending transfer to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The FBI and CMPD investigated the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Solamon Flores-Garcia, 43, of Mexico, was sentenced to 10 years in prison today for carjacking and possession and brandishing of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Chief Rhett Bolen of the Monroe Police Department, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
According to court documents and court proceedings, on October 24, 2023, Flores-Garcia, a previously deported alien that was residing illegally in Monroe, N.C., went to a neighbor’s home. When the neighbor answered the door, Flores-Garcia pointed a red handgun at the neighbor and demanded her wallet and car keys. Flores-Garcia then drove the victim’s car to La Chiquita Mexican store, where he robbed that establishment. During the robbery, Flores-Garcia pointed a red firearm at the head of the clerk before taking money from the store and fleeing the scene in the stolen vehicle. Flores-Garcia was arrested shortly thereafter.
Flores-Garcia remains in custody pending transfer to the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
The FBI and CMPD investigated the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – An illegal alien from El Salvador pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to illegally reentering the United States after being convicted of a felony.
Adiel Hernandez-Orellana, 39, was previously convicted in Arkansas of sexual assault.
In 2003, Hernandez-Orellana was arrested for unlawfully entering the United States. In 2004, he was ordered removed from the United States after failing to appear for an immigration court hearing. In 2010, he was convicted of sexual assault in Sebastian County, Arkansas, and sentenced to seven years in prison. Following his prison sentence, he was removed from the United States.
In March 2025, the defendant was detained at the Delaware County jail in Ohio for outstanding traffic warrants. He was then processed for the instant immigration offense of illegally reentering the United States after being convicted of a felony.
Illegally reentering the United States is a federal crime punishable by up to two years in prison. If the offender has a prior felony conviction (or multiple prior misdemeanor convictions of certain types), the penalty is increased to up to 10 years in prison, and if the offender has been previously convicted of an aggravated felony, the defendant faces up to 20 years in prison. Transporting illegal aliens is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Possessing a firearm as an illegal alien is a federal crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Jared Murphey, acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Detroit; and Kevin Raycraft, Acting Field Office Director, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Detroit Field Office; announced the guilty plea entered today before Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton is representing the United States in this case.
This case was investigated and prosecuted by the Southern District of Ohio Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Malcolm Jamal Norvilus, 39, of Fort Walton Beach, Florida, was sentenced on July 1, 2025, to 120 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to Possession with Intent to Distribute 50 Grams or More of Methamphetamine. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
According to court records, on July 25, 2024, law enforcement officers in Okaloosa County, Florida were attempting to locate a vehicle that had been reported stolen. When they located the vehicle, the driver, Norvilus, fled from deputies at a high rate of speed and crashed into a pole. Norvilus was subsequently apprehended after attempting to flee on foot, and officers located more than 80 grams of methamphetamine concealed in Norvilus’ pant leg, as well as a bag of other narcotics.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “Thanks to the incredible efforts of our state and federal law enforcement partners, our communities will be safer and healthier with this individual locked up and no longer able to peddle poison on our streets. My office will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with these officers in the fight to Take Back America from drug traffickers and violent offenders who have victimized our communities for far too long.”
“Getting methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs off our streets is a top priority. These combined efforts by local and federal partners are tied to successful results like this one,” said Eric Aden, Okaloosa County Sheriff. “Protecting the public requires dealers be held accountable and we are proud to be a part of this case.”
“Methamphetamine poses a great risk to our communities,” said DEA Miami Field Division Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter. “DEA remains dedicated in its fight against this dangerous, illicit substance and working with our partners in law enforcement to rid our neighborhoods of these dealers.”
The case involved a joint investigation by the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica S. Etherton.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
NASHVILLE –McKenzie McClure a/k/a Kalvin McClure, 31, of Franklin, Tennessee, was sentenced yesterday to 30 months in federal prison for cyberstalking fourteen victims, announced Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
“Our office and our law enforcement partners will do whatever it takes to keep children safe from harm and hold those who would threaten our school communities accountable for their actions,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “This prosecution, culminating in yesterday’s sentence, should send a strong message that this type of conduct is intolerable in our community and will be pursued aggressively in order to keep our children protected.”
“McClure’s relentless cyberstalking disrupted many lives, incited fear, and posed significant risks to the Christ Presbyterian Academy and Christ Presbyterian Church community,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “As demonstrated in this case, those who target innocent lives and threaten violence will be held accountable for their actions. I hope the victims can find some closure to the nightmares they endured during McClure’s reign of harassment.”
“Making threats against a school is serious,” said Gregory Mays, Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security. “This case shows how law enforcement and school leaders work together to protect students. It also reflects our strong commitment to keeping Tennesseans safe.”
On March 24, 2024, the eve of the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at The Covenant School – the deadliest school shooting in Tennessee history – the defendant left a threatening voicemail on the main telephone line at Christ Presbyterian Academy (“CPA”). The defendant’s tone on the voicemail alternated between displaying an angry, menacing, and disturbed mindset, and a clear fixation on CPA and individuals affiliated with it. In the voicemail, the defendant referenced several acts of terror, as well as a fictional terror attack from the movie “Deadpool 2.” Immediately after mentioning the movie Deadpool 2, the defendant followed up with the phrase “killed by my hand type of stuff” and said the school would “know exactly what [the defendant was] talking about.
The defendant’s voicemail was consistent with social media activity on the defendant’s X (formerly Twitter) account which regularly referenced CPA, Christ Presbyterian Church (“CPC”), individuals associated with CPA and CPC, and were intertwined with other posts referencing school violence, gun violence, and other violent events. On February 25, 2024, the defendant posted a video that she filmed of herself walking the exterior of the CPA/CPC campus while talking about watching the school burn on 9/11 and alluded to the consequences of ignoring “credible terroristic threats” like “George W” did on 9/11. CPA’s surveillance cameras captured additional conduct by the defendant while on campus, including the defendant attempting to access locked buildings, photographing maps of the school grounds, walking the entirety of CPA’s campus for approximately one hour, and, in actions the victims later testified were concerning, she extended both middle fingers and spun around while standing on the CPA crest.
After listening to the voicemail, CPA officials discovered the defendant’s identity, reviewed her troubling social media and CPA’s surveillance video, and recognized the similarities between the defendant’s fixation on CPA and Hale’s fixation on Covenant. CPA officials notified law enforcement about the defendant’s conduct and closed the school on Monday, March 25, 2024.
Law enforcement officers responded to the threat to CPA and encountered the defendant on that Monday, which led to the defendant being hospitalized and receiving mental health treatment. As the defendant prepared to leave the hospital, agents cautioned her to discontinue posting about CPA and CPC on social media, explaining that her actions had frightened the CPA community. The defendant acknowledged that she understood the impact of her previous actions and agreed that she would not engage in such behavior upon being discharged from the hospital. However, following her release on April 3, 2024, the defendant immediately resumed posting messages on her X account that targeted CPA, CPC, and individuals associated with CPA and CPC, and continued to do so until her arrest at the end of April. Even though law enforcement officers repeatedly cautioned the defendant about her unrelenting social media campaign targeting CPA/CPC, she expressed no remorse for her criminal conduct.
As a result of the defendant’s conduct, CPA spent more than $140,000 on increased security measures to ensure the safety of its administration, faculty, staff, students, and families.
Following her term of imprisonment, the defendant will be on supervised release for 3 years. The Court also ordered that McClure have no communication with persons associated with CPA/CPC and their families without express prior approval by U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services, and that McClure is not to travel within 5 miles of the CPA/CPC campus or associated campuses.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nashville Field Office, and the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Katy Risinger and Joshua Kurtzman prosecuted the case.
LEXINGTON, Ky.— A Georgetown, Ky., man, Robert Conley, 71, has pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell to providing a criminally false claim in order to obtain COVID relief funds.
In 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, passed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, established many programs that were funded primarily by the federal government and administered by state workforce agencies. One of the programs provided support to farmers and ranchers through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). CFAP provided financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities with financial assistance for sales losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The USDA’s Farm Service Agency administered the program. CFAP applicants electronically certified that the information provided was accurate and were warned that any false statement or misrepresentation to the USDA or any misapplication of loan proceeds could result in sanctions, including criminal penalties.
Conley is a buyer and seller of cattle in Georgetown and is also part owner of Paris Stockyards in Paris, Ky. According to Conley’s plea agreement, on May 26, 2020 and on September 29, 2020, he filed two CFAP applications. In additional to the two legitimate applications, Conley directed and caused four individuals to unwittingly submit false CFAP applications claiming they owned 20% of Conley’s cattle. At Conley’s direction, the four individuals received a total of $1,206,539.80 in CFAP funds, which they remitted back to Conley.
Additionally, Conley caused the submission of three false applications under the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), claiming three of the individuals had payroll expenses associated with Conley’s cattle operation. As a result of those false PPP applications, another $72,660 was fraudulently obtained.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Janet M. Sorensen, Acting Special Agent in Charge, United States Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General; and Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigations, Cincinnati Field Division, jointly announced the guilty plea.
The investigation was conducted by the USDA-OIG and IRS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kate Smith is prosecuting the matter on behalf of the United States.
Conley is scheduled to appear for sentencing on October 9, 2025. He faces a maximum of 5 years in prison. However, the Court must consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the applicable federal sentencing statutes before imposing its sentence.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
MIAMI – On June 13, Jeremiah Wolliston, 23, and Keith Patrick, 38, of West Palm Beach, Florida, were sentenced to 168 months and 72 months in federal prison, respectively, after pleading guilty to their involvement in a scheme to buy stolen business checks from the mail and commit bank fraud.
According to court documents, between December 2022 and May 2024, Wolliston and Patrick were involved in a conspiracy with others to buy stolen business checks from the mail, which were then altered and deposited into fraudulently opened bank accounts. As part of the scheme, Wolliston and Patrick set up fictitious corporations in Florida and Georgia using the names of their corporate victims and opened fraudulent bank accounts. Wolliston and Patrick deposited the checks before making ATM and counter withdrawals, wire transfers, and drafting checks to transfer the money to other members of the conspiracy. Total losses related to the scheme exceeded $4.5 million.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and acting Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) made the announcement.
USPIS, Homeland Security Investigations, USPS Office of the Inspector General, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, West Palm Beach Police Department, and the Palm Beach Sherriff’s Office jointly investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosenfeld prosecuted the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitch Hyman is handling asset forfeiture.
You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov,under case number 24-CR-20440.