PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of North Versailles, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced in federal court to 121 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on his conviction of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.
United States District Judge Christy Criswell Wiegand imposed the sentence on Keion Washington, 25.
According to information presented to the Court, on February 7, 2024, Washington was driving a vehicle associated with an incident that occurred a few days prior. When law enforcement officers tried to stop the car, Washington initially drove off, then exited the vehicle and fled on foot. Law enforcement officers found a stolen rifle in the car, loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition.
Prior to imposing sentence, Judge Wiegand stated that the sentence took into account the nature of the offense and Washington’s criminal history, including the fact that Washington had been convicted of two prior controlled substances felony offenses.
Assistant United States Attorneys DeMarr W. Moulton and Jacqueline C. Brown prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pittsburgh Bureau of Police for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Washington.
HOUSTON – A total of 95 cases have been filed from June 27-July 2 on immigration matters and related efforts to secure the southern border in support of Operation Take Back America, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
A total of 62 people are charged with illegally entering the country, while another 26 face charges of felony reentry after prior removal. Most of those individuals have prior felonies such as narcotics, violent crime, immigration crimes and more. Other relevant cases charged this week relate to human smuggling and other immigration crimes, drug trafficking and firearms.
Among the notable cases are charges against 16 foreign nationals illegally residing in Houston for drug trafficking and weapons allegations following an operation targeting Venezuelan nationals linked to the Anti-Tren criminal organization. Similar to the criminal activities members of Tren de Aragua have committed, Anti-Tren affiliates allegedly engaged in attempted murder, other acts of violence and threats of such. Some members have been charged with conspiring to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine and various weapons crimes, with one allegedly being an alien in possession of ammunition.
“The Southern District’s twin priorities are securing our border and the eradication of violent crime. This case implicates both,” said Ganjei. “Operation Take Back America means going on the offensive against transnational criminal organizations to ensure that they cannot take root in our community and endanger public safety. SDTX is going to be unapologetic in carrying out that mission.”
New criminal complaints filed this week include the illegal reentry of several Mexican nationals after recent removals, including Cesar Alejandro Tovar-Guillen, a convicted felon for cocaine distribution. He had just been removed in March, but authorities discovered him unlawfully in the United States near Alton, according to the allegations. Charges allege Osvaldo Aguilar-Aguilar and Jose Alejandro Dominguez-Guzman had last been removed in October and November 2024, respectively. They both have previous convictions of illegal reentry and had served time in federal prison, according to their criminal complaints. While Juan Esquivel-Garcia allegedly has a previous conviction for trafficking methamphetamine and was previously sentenced to 75 months before his removal. They all face up to 20 years in federal prison, upon conviction.
In McAllen, Margarito Llanes was sentenced to 52 months in federal prison for alien smuggling. He led law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit ending when Llanes crashed into a tree seriously injuring all eight passengers. The pursuit lasted 1.5 miles with speeds reaching up to 70 mph. At the hearing, the court heard about his violent criminal conduct, which includes indecency with a child, robbery and alien smuggling.
Two Mexican nationals received multi-year sentences for illegally reentering the United States. Luis Ernesto Hernandez-Doria was ordered to serve 51 months, while Jose Angel Lopez-Herrera received a 46-month-term of imprisonment. At the Lopez-Herrera hearing, the court heard additional evidence regarding his criminal history, which included not only having reentered the country in 2022 but a human smuggling case in which one had drowned. In handing down Hernandez-Doria’s sentence, the court noted he needed a substantial sentence to deter him from illegally reentering again. He had three prior felony convictions for illegal reentry as well as a felony conviction for taking a weapon from an officer. His most recent removal was in July 2024.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) – Homeland Security Investigations, ICE – Enforcement and Removal Operations, Border Patrol, Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The cases are part of Operation Take Back America, 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 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood.
Under current leadership, public safety and a secure border are the top priorities for this district. Enhanced enforcement both at the border and in the interior of the district have yielded aliens engaged in unlawful activity or with serious criminal history, including human trafficking, sexual assault and violence against children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas remains one of the busiest in the nation. It represents 43 counties and more than nine million people covering 44,000 square miles. Assistant U.S. Attorneys from all seven divisions including Houston, Galveston, Victoria, Corpus Christi, Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo work directly with our law enforcement partners on the federal, state and local levels to prosecute the suspected offenders of these and other federal crimes.
An indictment or criminal complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.
SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 208 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from June 27 through July 2.
Among the new cases, Mexican national Erik Garcia-Rodriguez aka Eduardo Soto-Garcia aka Gerardo Reyes, was encountered by Texas Department of Public Safety in San Antonio on June 26. According to a criminal complaint, TX DPS requested immigration determination assistance from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Enforcement Removal Operations (ERO) officer, who determined Garcia-Rodriguez to be an alien illegally present within the United States who had previously been removed from the United States, and who was residing at an address in San Antonio. On May 26, 2011, Garcia-Rodriguez was convicted for trafficking cocaine and heroin in Dallas County. He was removed from the U.S. on Dec. 7, 2011.
Mexican national Ismael Nieto Balverde was charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin in Austin. A criminal complaint affidavit alleges that a Drug Enforcement Administration investigation led to two controlled purchases of heroin from Balverde, totaling approximately 2,034 grams of the narcotic.
In Ector County, Roberto Adan Gandara-Ramirez, a Mexican national, was arrested on a warrant for alleged sexual assault of a child, according to a criminal complaint, and was released to ICE/ERO custody by Ector County Sherriff’s Department deputies. Gandara-Ramirez was previously removed from the U.S. through Del Rio in 2015.
Daniel Hernandez, of Asherton, was arrested near Carrizo Springs on June 29 for conspiring to transport an illegal alien further into the United States. Hernandez was stopped by the Dimmit County Sheriff’s Office, who requested U.S. Border Patrol assistance. USBP agents conducted an immigration inspection and allegedly discovered that the vehicle contained two U.S. citizens and one Mexican national without proper documentation to enter or remain in the U.S. Hernandez allegedly stated that he was in contact with a facilitator who had instructed him to pick up the illegal alien and take the alien to Asherton. In 2014, Hernandez was convicted for bringing in and harboring aliens in Del Rio, for which he was sentenced to 27 months confinement.
A convicted felon on U.S. probation was arrested and charged with illegal re-entry after he was found approximately a mile east of the Fort Hancock Port of Entry. Mexican national Eduardo Lopez-Castillo has been removed from the U.S. to Mexico three times, the last one being May 28, 2024. In April 2024, he was convicted of illegal re-entry and in 2021, Lopez-Castillo was convicted of assault causing bodily injury to a family member.
Alfonso Lopez-Castro, a Mexican national, attempted to gain entry into the U.S. at the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry by presenting a New Mexico driver’s license that allegedly contained the name, date of birth, and photograph of another individual. Lopez-Castro allegedly told the Customs and Border Protection officer that he was a U.S. citizen and that he was going home to New Mexico. He allegedly admitted later that the driver’s license was not his and was given to him by a coworker. Lopez-Castro has been previously removed from the U.S. six times, five of which were between August and November 2014. He is charged with one count of knowingly personating another and attempting to evade immigration laws by appearing under an assumed or fictitious name when applying for admission to the United States.
An alleged foot guide was arrested in El Paso and charged with bringing illegal aliens into the United States. Mexican national Isaac Nolasco-Ramirez allegedly crossed into the U.S. and attempted to conceal himself with three other illegal aliens inside a canal and under some brush approximately six miles east of the Tornillo Port of Entry. A criminal complaint alleges that Nolasco-Ramirez stated his friend used a rope ladder to get the group over the fence and that he was told to take the aliens to be picked up along the railroad tracks.
Two U.S. citizens were also arrested for bringing in illegal aliens after two aliens were observed scaling over the International Border Fence. The aliens were apprehended north of the Rio Grande River and consented that U.S. Border Patrol agents could view and search the contents of their phone. An agent, posing as one of the aliens, allegedly replied to a WhatsApp message with his location and was advised that two Jeeps would soon arrive to pick him up. When the Jeeps arrived, one driver, identified as Diego Mota, was arrested. The other vehicle departed at a high rate of speed before the driver stopped and led an Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo Tribal Police Officer on a foot chase. That driver, Isaac Steven Hernandez, was soon apprehended and allegedly admitted that he had been involved in alien smuggling schemes approximately eight times.
A Salvadoran national, Hector Antonio Ostorga Hernandez, was arrested in Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Ostorga Hernandez has been previously deported twice, the last time being to El Salvador on Dec. 20, 2024, through Alexandria, Louisiana. That removal occurred two months after he was convicted in Houston for assault causing bodily harm injuring a family member and was sentenced to 179 days confinement.
Jose Ignacio Lopez-Ortiz, a Mexican national, was also arrested in Eagle Pass and charged with illegal re-entry. Lopez-Ortiz was last removed to Mexico in January 2013 through Laredo and has since been twice-convicted for driving while intoxicated in April 2023 and April 2025.
Mexican national Juan Enrique Landeros-Gonzalez was arrested in Del Rio on June 30 for being illegally present in the U.S. after being removed for the sixth time on June 13. Landeros-Gonzalez is a felon with multiple convictions including criminal mischief and probation revocation, illegal re-entry, and unauthorized use of a vehicle.
U.S. Border Patrol in Eagle Pass also arrested Mexican national Joel Escobar-Chavez, who has six prior removals, the last being on March 7, and Donaldo Robles-Zarate, who also has been removed six times, the last one being July 12, 2019. Guatemalan national Byron Antonio Almazan has been removed from the U.S. five times, the last being on Jan. 27 through Alexandria, Louisiana. He was convicted for an illegal re-entry felony in December 2024 and sentenced to 189 days confinement.
These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, 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).
Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – Twenty-six years after Nancy Mestre Vargas never returned home from a New Year’s Eve outing in Barranquilla, Colombia, her killer was captured in the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte, where he had been living under a false identity.
Jaime Saade Cormane had been on the run ever since he raped and murdered Ms Mestre Vargas in 1994. He was one of several wanted persons targeted by INTERPOL’s Fugitive Investigative Support (FIS) unit as part of Project El PAcCTO (Europe-Latin America Assistance Programme against Transnational Organized Crime).
21 fugitives arrested
The latest El PAcCTO operation saw police representatives from eight countries set up camp in INTERPOL’s Regional Bureau in Buenos Aires from 21 to 25 October 2019 and focus on some of their most notorious fugitives.
In total, 21 people subject to Red Notices were arrested in the El PAcCTO operation, including individuals wanted for crimes against children, drug trafficking, homicide and sexual offences. A further nine fugitives wanted for serious crimes were successfully located by the El PAcCTO police network.
“Whenever police arrest a fugitive, a powerful message is delivered that no one is beyond the reach of law enforcement, no matter how far away or for how long they flee,” said INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock. “Operations like El PAcCTO demonstrate what can be achieved when investigators pool their knowledge and resources.”
“Whenever police arrest a fugitive, a powerful message is delivered”Jürgen Stock, INTERPOL Secretary General
A command centre for tracking fugitives
Jaime Saade Cormane was one of more than 100 fugitive profiles initially submitted to INTERPOL by national police organizations to be targeted in the El PAcCTO operation. Following an analysis, a final list of targets was set and provided to the El PacCTO permanent fugitive network composed of investigators from each participating country.
The team set up a command centre in INTERPOL’s Buenos Aires Regional Bureau to track the fugitives during four days of intense collaboration. For the next three months, police leveraged this work, exchanging more than 500 messages of intelligence regarding the targeted fugitives. This cooperation enabled police to locate the now 57-year-old Saade Cormane and he was apprehended by the Brazilian Federal Police on 29 January.
Police exchanged more than 500 messages of intelligence regarding the targeted fugitives
All of the fugitives were arrested or located thanks to the El PAcCTO operation in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Spain, Switzerland and the United States.
El PAcCTO is a European Union-funded cooperation programme that seeks to strengthen capacities and facilitate international cooperation. Its partnership with INTERPOL aims to create and develop a permanent mechanism for fugitive investigations across Latin America, involving Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama and Peru.
Félicien Kabuga, an alleged leading figure in the 1994 genocide, was arrested in Paris
LYON, France – A man wanted in connection with the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and subject of an INTERPOL Red Notice, has been arrested by French police.
Félicien Kabuga, indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on seven counts including genocide, conspiracy to commit genocide, persecution and extermination, was taken into custody in a village near Paris where he had been living under a false identity.
A Red Notice for the now 84-year-old was issued by INTERPOL in 2001 at the request of the ICTR. Kabuga was also one of the men targeted by INTERPOL’s Rwandan Genocide Fugitives Project, run by its Fugitive Investigative Support unit
Created in 2007 to support the search of fugitives wanted by the ICTR and Rwandan Authorities, to date the project has assisted in the arrest of 12 fugitives.
The two men wanted by the UN International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals who are still at large, Protais Mpiranya and Augustin Bizimana both remain subjects of INTERPOL Red Notices, in addition to other individuals still wanted by Rwandan authorities.
INTERPOL Secretary General Jürgen Stock praised the arrest as an important step in bringing justice for the victims and survivors of the Rwandan genocide.
“Kabuga’s arrest demonstrates the power and effectiveness of international cooperation between police worldwide in identifying, locating and apprehending fugitives around the world.
“In 2014, on the 20th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, the theme of the International Expert Meeting on Genocide organized in Kigali by our fugitives unit was ‘closing the impunity gap’. Today is an important step in achieving this,” said the INTERPOL Chief.
The 2014 meeting saw the launch of a joint campaign to locate those responsible for the tragedy involving the UN Mechanism for International Tribunals (MICT) fugitive tracking team, Rwanda National Public Prosecution Authority, INTERPOL and the War Crimes Rewards Program of the US Department of State Office of Global Criminal Justice, with the support of the Rwanda National Police and the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Kigali.
Under this framework, several operational meetings have been organized by INTERPOL’s Fugitives Unit bringing together investigators from different countries in order to share information and investigative leads on individuals wanted in connection with Rwandan genocide, including Kabuga.
In January 2020, Brazilian Federal Police officers arrived at the home of Gonzalo Sanchez in the coastal municipality of Angra dos Reis to find the former Argentine Navy officer had once again disappeared.
Under house arrest after he was first tracked down and arrested in 2013, Sanchez, aged 69, was wanted by his home country for crimes against humanity and the Brazilian Supreme Court had recently authorized his extradition.
Death flights
As part of the notorious Task Group 3.3 charged with combating ‘subversives’, Sanchez allegedly participated in dozens of ‘forced disappearances’ during Argentina’s 1976-1983 military regime, including the killing of journalist and writer Rodolfo Walsh.
Victims were routinely kidnapped and brought to the Escuela Superior de Mecánica de la Armada – a Navy school which doubled as a secret detention centre – where they were interrogated, tortured and, ultimately, murdered. Many were drugged and thrown from planes into the Atlantic Ocean in so-called ‘death flights’.
In 2009, an INTERPOL Red Notice was issued at Argentina’s request against Sanchez, who had by that point been on the run for several years. On his arrest in 2013, he was found living under a false name and providing nautical engineering services in Agra dos Reis – a reminder of his Navy past.
INTERPOL’s Fugitive Investigative Support unit had been following the case closely since 2016 as part of Project BASIC – a coordinated effort to crack down on outstanding war criminals.
Ideal place for a fugitive
As soon as Brazilian Federal police discovered Sanchez was once again a fugitive, it was clear that finding him would take considerable time and effort.
“At this moment, we realized that it would be a difficult and possibly time-consuming job, since the region of Angra dos Reis, in Rio de Janeiro state, is full of islands, hills, communities and farms. It’s an ideal place for a fugitive from justice,” said a representative from Brazil’s INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Brasilia.
“We realized it would be a difficult and time-consuming job. […] It’s an ideal place for a fugitive from justice.”
A specialized team of Brazilian Federal Police officers from the INTERPOL satellite office in Rio de Janeiro was assigned exclusively to the case and sent to Angra dos Reis. A task force was established with local Federal Police officers and a 24/7 investigation began.
The task force started with what they knew about the fugitive: he had fathered a Brazilian child and belonged to a local religious community. Being on the run and out of work also likely meant that the same family and friends who facilitated Sanchez’s escape were continuing to support him financially. Officers began a three-month surveillance and monitoring mission of Sanchez’s inner circle in of Paraty – a historic colonial municipality on the Southern border of Rio de Janeiro state.
Family reunion
Complicating the surveillance effort, however, was the arrival of the global COVID-19 pandemic to Brazil’s shores. The pandemic meant street circulation was down, making the presence of police harder to disguise, and restrictions on public gatherings meant that Sanchez would not be attending religious gatherings any time soon.
On the day after Mother’s day in Brazil (10 May), the police task force received intelligence indicating that a core group of people close to Sanchez, including his seven-year-old son, were travelling up the coast to the “Taquari hinterland”. Bordering a vast mountainous nature reserve, the area was exposed with few houses, meaning a discreet police approach would be practically impossible. When the team arrived as close as they could without raising suspicion, they conferred with locals who indicated that Sanchez was hiding in a house on the outskirts of the village, closest to the nature reserve.
Police entered the house to find Gonzalo Sanchez with his family and close friends, confirming the thesis of a family reunion. None of those present offered any resistance and Sanchez was taken into custody.
Homecoming
As soon as Sanchez was captured, the police reports were forwarded to NCB Brasilia, which coordinated his extradition. The INTERPOL NCBs in Brasilia and Buenos Aires had worked together closely beforehand to ensure that nothing would impede the process, including the pandemic. Due to the lack of commercial flights between the two countries in the context of COVID-19, a Brazilian Federal Police aircraft transported Sanchez to the border in Foz do Iguaçu, where he was handed over to Argentine authorities.
“In our view, the most important part of this case was the good coordination between Brazil and Argentina that allowed the fugitive to be arrested in Rio de Janeiro on 11 May and surrendered to Argentina at the border of Foz do Iguaçu-Puerto Iguazu on 14 May – a distance of almost 1500 kilometers,” said Commissioner Bruno Samezima, Head of NCB Brasilia. “COVID-19 did not prevent police from effectively carrying out their duties.”
“The most important part of this case was the coordination between Brazil and Argentina […]. COVID-19 did not prevent police from carrying out their duties.”
“In the face of such a serious pandemic situation, the arrest of Sanchez truly represents the professionalism and service of law enforcement officers,” said Commissioner Edgardo Martin Moses, Head of NCB Buenos Aires. “His extradition involved a great effort and coordination between both countries to ensure he could be successfully brought before justice, while ensuring the safety and health of Argentine and Brazilian officials.”
For Stephen Kavanagh, INTERPOL’s Executive Director of Police Services, the case is a prime example of how COVID-19 has both changed and reaffirmed the vital role of police work in a challenging context.
“The horrific crimes which Gonzalo Sanchez is accused of occurred more than 40 years ago. And yet, when the Brazilian police received the go-ahead to locate and extradite him – in the middle of a global pandemic – they wasted no time and succeeded in a matter of months,” the INTERPOL official said.
“It may not be ‘business as usual’ but the dedication of law enforcement to bring fugitives to justice remains the same.”
EW YORK – New York Attorney General Letitia James co-led a coalition of 19 other attorneys general in filing an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for unlawfully terminating the Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program. The grant program, created and funded by Congress through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, is designed to provide critical support to communities disproportionately impacted by pollution and climate change. Attorney General James and the coalition argue EPA’s abrupt and unlawful termination of the program and cancellation of grants has already caused widespread harm across their states, particularly in low-income communities and communities of color, and are urging the court to block the program termination while the lawsuit continues.
“These climate and environmental justice grants are a lifeline for communities that have been historically left behind,” said Attorney General James. “From Buffalo to Far Rockaway, New Yorkers were counting on these funds to access clean energy, clean up air pollution, and prepare for climate disasters. When the federal government breaks its promises to our most vulnerable communities, the consequences can be devastating, even deadly. My office is fighting to ensure this grant program is restored so that New Yorkers are protected as we combat the climate crisis.”
In the brief filed today in Appalachian Voices v. EPA, Attorney General James and the coalition emphasize that by terminating this grant program, the federal government is inflicting serious, lasting harm on vulnerable communities already grappling with disproportionate pollution burdens and the escalating effects of climate change. These communities, which are often low-income, communities of color, indigenous, or in rural areas, face overlapping environmental and public health crises. The attorneys general explain that these challenges have only been made worse by historical discriminatory policies, including racial segregation, redlining, and a systemic lack of investment in disadvantaged neighborhoods. These communities are under-resourced, have less access to infrastructure like clean drinking water and sanitation, and end up bearing the brunt of the burden from extreme weather disasters, since they are less equipped to recover from devastating events or easily adapt to a changing climate.
In 2022, Congress created the grant program under the Inflation Reduction Act, mandating that EPA distribute $3 billion in funding specifically to help address these disparities. In New York alone, 22 grantees were awarded more than $70 million in funding to carry out projects to protect vulnerable residents from extreme heat, flooding, air pollution, and other environmental hazards. Another grantee, Fordham University in the Bronx, was awarded $50 million to provide as grants to community-based organizations in New York, as well as New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and eight Indigenous Nations, for environmental justice projects.Grantees, often in partnership with non-profit organizations, academic institutions, and city agencies, would use the funds to protect residents from extreme weather events in Albany, Rochester, and Buffalo; combat flooding and excess heat in the Bronx and Yonkers; protect the Rockaways from storm surges; and more.
Now, the sudden termination of these grants has forced grantees to lay off staff, halt programming, and freeze hiring. Attorney General James and the coalition argue that EPA’s mass cancellation of the environmental and climate justice grant program violates clear congressional mandates and fundamental constitutional principles. Congress directed the EPA to distribute these funds using mandatory language in the Inflation Reduction Act, leaving the agency no discretion to unilaterally withdraw support. The attorneys general emphasize that the executive branch cannot override Congress’s appropriations decisions based on its own policy preferences, and that in doing so, the administration violated the U.S. Constitution.
Attorney General James and the coalition are urging the court to grant the plaintiffs’ motion for a preliminary injunction and ensure that the environmental justice grants will remain available for the communities that so desperately need them.
Joining Attorney General James in filing this brief, which was co-led with Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawai’i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
At least eight people were killed and over two dozen were missing after the Bhote Koshi River flooded, washing away the “Friendship Bridge” that links China and Nepal, officials said on Tuesday.
There had been no heavy rainfall in the immediate area of the river in the preceding 24 hours, but weather forecasting experts said the flood might have been the result of an overflowing glacial lake in Tibet, where torrential rain had fallen.
Police had recovered eight bodies, none of whom had been identified so far, Nepal Police spokesperson Binod Ghimire told Reuters.
He said 57 people were rescued. Search and rescue operations were continuing, Nepali Army spokesperson Raja Ram Basnet said.
At least 20 people were missing in Nepal, while China’s official Xinhua news agency said 11 people were unaccounted for on the Chinese side of the mountainous border region.
Trade between Nepal and China was disrupted because of the bridge’s destruction, officials said.
In Nepal, the missing included six Chinese workers and three police personnel, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said on X.
The missing Chinese nationals were working at the Inland Container Depot being constructed with Chinese assistance about 80 km (50 miles) north of capital Kathmandu, said Arjun Paudel, a senior administrative official of Rasuwa district.
“The river also swept away some containers with goods imported from China… There is a big loss (of property) and we are collecting details,” he told Reuters.
China has been increasing its investment in Nepal in recent years in domains including roads, power plants, and hospitals.
The Asian giant has been battered by heavy rain and flash floods over the last few days that have left a trail of destruction, and is bracing for a tropical storm this week.
Nepal’s weather forecasting department said it was working with Sentinel Asia – an international initiative that uses space-based technology to support disaster management in the Asia-Pacific region – to determine the cause of the flooding.
In Pakistan, at least 79 people, including 38 children, have died in floods and rain-related incidents, including landslides and house collapses, since June 26, its National Disaster Management Authority said on Tuesday.
The authority issued fresh alerts for flash flooding and glacial lake outbursts in the northern and northwestern provinces of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing “a significant rise in temperatures and… an upcoming weather system.”
The world comes together in solidarity and reflection on this 30th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica – the worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.
In July 1995, more than 8,000 Bosnian men and boys were systematically separated from their families, executed, and buried in mass graves.
Thousands of women, children and older persons were forcibly displaced.
An entire generation was lost.
The intention was the elimination of Bosnian Muslims in Srebrenica.
Today, we remember and honour the victims.
We pay tribute to the strength, dignity and courage of the survivors and families.
And we acknowledge hard truths.
Thirty years ago, the United Nations and the world failed the people of Srebrenica.
This collective failure was not an accident of history.
It was the result of policies, propaganda, and international indifference.
Since then, the survivors, the families of victims, in particular the “Mothers of Srebrenica”, have shown extraordinary courage in their pursuit of truth and justice.
They are helping to raise new generations with love, not hate.
Their unwavering resolve and bravery – facing the perpetrators again and again – have been vital to the determination made by the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, and the International Court of Justice:
The determination that the acts committed at Srebrenica in 1995 constituted genocide.
The Tribunal made clear that criminal responsibility for the crime of genocide under international law is individualized.
It cannot be attributed to any ethnic, religious or other group or community as a whole.
And the International Court of Justice made clear that States have a clear obligation to prevent genocide.
We must uphold and preserve these judicially established findings;
And we must ensure the voices of Srebrenica survivors continue to be heard – countering denial, distortion and revisionism.
Only by recognizing the suffering of all victims can we build mutual understanding, trust, and lasting peace.
Every person in Bosnia and Herzegovina deserves a future free from the shadows of conflict and division.
Today, as we remember, we must also confront reality.
After Srebrenica, once again, the world said “Never Again”.
Yet, hate speech is on the rise again – fueling discrimination, extremism, and violence.
We see the glorification of war criminals again.
We see the same dangerous currents that once led to atrocity crimes again.
Dear friends, we cannot ignore these warning signs.
I call on every Member State to fulfil their shared responsibility:
To uphold the lessons of Srebrenica, to preserve historical truth, and to protect human dignity.
Let us confront denial with truth – and impunity with justice;
And let us honour our obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as well as the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
In memory of the victims;
In solidarity with the survivors and their loved ones;
Schaefer Systems International Ltd. (SSI) has agreed to pay $876,000 to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations relating to the payment of a prohibited finder’s fee in connection with the award of an Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) contract to supply a pallet racking system for a warehouse at a U.S. military base in South Korea. SSI markets and sells warehouse logistics systems and provides related services throughout Asia. SSI disclosed the prohibited payment to the government following an internal compliance review and internal investigation.
The settlement resolves allegations that prior to the award of the AAFES contract in 2018, SSI falsely certified its compliance with a procurement integrity provision limiting the payment of commissions to certain bona fide employees and agencies. Unbeknownst to AAFES, SSI intended to pay a finder’s fee to a South Korean national who had informed SSI of the potential contracting opportunity and helped secure the contract.
“Those who do business with the government must do so fairly and honestly,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will hold accountable contractors that fail to follow procurement rules, but we will also give credit to those who disclose their wrongdoing, take appropriate remedial actions, and meaningfully cooperate with the government’s investigation.”
“Department of Defense contractors have a duty to uphold their contractual obligations and deliver honest value to the American taxpayer,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Stanley A. Newell of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Transnational Operations Field Office.“This civil settlement demonstrates that illicit payment schemes and kickbacks will not be tolerated. The dedicated professionals of DCIS will work tirelessly to hold those who violate the public trust accountable.”
In connection with the settlement, the United States acknowledged that SSI took a number of significant steps entitling them to credit for cooperating with the government. Following an internal compliance review and independent investigation, SSI promptly disclosed to the government the prohibited payment. SSI also provided the government with a detailed and thorough written disclosure and cooperated with the government throughout its investigation.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and DCIS.
Fraud Section Senior Trial Counsel Andrew A. Steinberg handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the United States in the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
HONOLULU – Acting United States Attorney Ken Sorenson announced that Mikael Salvador Rivera, 48, of Kapolei, Hawaii, was sentenced today in federal court by Senior U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright to 96 months’ imprisonment followed by 3 years of supervised release for sexual abuse of wards.
Rivera was a correctional officer at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu from approximately 2014 to 2018. As part of his prior guilty plea in March 2025, Rivera admitted that while on duty as a correctional officer, he ordered an inmate to participate in multiple sexual acts to which she did not consent and engaged in sexually abusive conduct with two additional inmates under his supervision. According to information provided to the Court, Rivera would leave cell doors unlocked so that he could enter or escort his victims out undetected. Rivera’s guilty plea came after he initially fled on the eve of trial, leading law enforcement on a days-long manhunt across Oahu.
At sentencing, Judge Seabright imposed an upward variance from the advisory Sentencing Guidelines range, stating that with respect to the offense conduct, “there is nothing in mitigation, nothing I see but a gross abuse of Mr. Rivera’s position of authority within FDC, and a gross abuse of that power in sexually abusing these three inmates over one calendar year.” Judge Seabright went on to state, “His conduct was the exact opposite of what was intended. You were supposed to help, to rehabilitate those in your care. Instead, you preyed on them. You became a predator to them.”
“Correctional officers serve an invaluable role in our justice system, working in dangerous environments where they are entrusted to ensure order in our detention facilities and the safety of our inmates. While nearly all federal correctional officers are hardworking, ethical, and honest, there are those very few who abuse their power over inmates. Their conduct erodes public faith in our institutions and justice system, and we must accordingly seek to investigate, prosecute, and punish those who abuse vulnerable inmates in federal custody. Those who violate the public trust will experience the full force of law and justice in the District of Hawaii,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson. “Today’s lengthy sentence serves as a warning that sexual misconduct by federal correctional officers will be investigated, prosecuted, and severely punished.”
“Sexual abuse of individuals in custody by federal correctional officers is a profound breach of public trust. The Office of the Inspector General is committed to ensuring that those who violate that trust are held accountable for abusing their authority,” said Anne Walsh, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ OIG) Western Region.
“Not only did Mikael Rivera abuse the power of his position to commit horrific acts of sexual violence and silence his victims, but his actions undermined the efforts of all correctional officers,” said FBI Honolulu Special Agent in Charge David Porter. “Today’s sentence sends the clear message that the FBI will investigate and hold accountable anyone who violates federal law, regardless of their position.”
The investigation was conducted by the United States Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG), with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Ayabe for the District of Hawaii and Trial Attorney Nicole Lockhart of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section (PIN) prosecuted the case, with substantial assistance from former PIN Deputy Chiefs Jennifer Clarke and Marco Palmieri.
ASHLAND, Ky. – A Flatwoods, Ky., man, Geoffrey Potts, 25, was sentenced on Monday by Chief U.S. District Judge David Bunning to 114 months in prison, for receiving child pornography.
According to his plea agreement, in March 2024, law enforcement received information that a user was downloading child pornography, and linked the user’s IP address with Potts’ residence. Law enforcement searched Potts’ cellphone and found numerous images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct that had been downloaded via the internet. In total, over 219 images and 45 videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct were located on Potts’ cellphone.
Under federal law, Potts must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 15 years.
Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Division; Col. Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and W. Todd Kelley, Chief of the Ashland Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, KSP, and Ashland Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Sarah. E. Pitlyk on Thursday sentenced a man who committed five armed robberies in Missouri and Illinois in 2023 to 34 years in prison.
Ronald O. Perkins, 30, of Black Jack, Missouri, was armed with a handgun, fired multiple shots during one of the robberies and often banged the gun on the counter while demanding money or pointed it at employees, according to evidence and testimony at Perkins’ trial in April.
Perkins first robbed a gas station and convenience store on Riverview Drive in St. Louis on Sept. 8, 2023. He demanded money and then grabbed cash out of the register. He fired several shots when an employee tried to intervene.
On Nov. 8, 2023, Perkins robbed a gas station on Clayton Road in Richmond Heights, stealing cash and a pack of cigarettes.
Less than two hours later, he robbed a 7-Eleven on Hoffmeister Avenue in St. Louis County, stealing cash.
Four days later, he robbed a gas station on Fee Fee Road in St. Louis County.
Five days after that, on Nov. 17, 2023, he robbed a liquor store on St. Louis Road in Collinsville, Illinois, again stealing money from the register.
At trial, jurors saw physical and electronic evidence and surveillance video that showed Perkins was responsible for all five robberies. Officers also recovered the gun that was a ballistic match to the firearm used in the first robbery from Perkins’ pants.
In court Thursday, Judge Pitlyk called the evidence “overwhelming.”
“Use of a firearm during a crime of violence can subject you to a sentence of seven years in prison consecutive to any other charge. In Ronald Perkins’ case, that meant he faced at least 31 years in prison,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Drake. “It’s a very old cliché, but violent crime really does not pay. Perkins fired multiple shots during one of the robberies and held employees at gunpoint. He netted a total of $1,650 from five robberies that left nine innocent employees and two customers terrified and mentally scarred. All of that for what works out to be just pennies for each day that he will spend in prison.”
Jurors in U.S. District Court in St. Louis found Perkins guilty of four counts of robbery, one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, three counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and one count of transporting a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony.
The St. Louis County Police Department, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, the Collinsville Police Department, the Richmond Heights Police Department, the Columbia (Illinois) Police Department and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zachary Bluestone and Tiffany Becker prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A Waterloo man who was responsible for distributing over thirteen pounds of ice methamphetamine was sentenced on July 2, 2025, to more than nineteen years in federal prison.
Matthew James Wessels, age 44, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 23, 2024, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance after a prior conviction for a serious drug felony.
In a plea agreement, Wessels admitted that during the summer of 2024, after being released from federal prison for a previous controlled substance conviction, he conspired with several others to import ice methamphetamine and then distribute the methamphetamine in Waterloo and the surrounding area. On three separate occasions, Wessels distributed ice methamphetamine to an undercover police officer. On another occasion, officers found him in possession of over three pounds of ice methamphetamine. In total, Wessels was personally responsible for distributing over thirteen pounds of ice methamphetamine.
Wessels was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Wessels was sentenced to 234 months’ imprisonment. He must also serve a ten-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Jared Manternach and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Tri-County Drug Enforcement Task Force consisting of the Waterloo Police Department, Cedar Falls Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Department, Evansdale Police Department, Waverly Police Department, Hudson Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, and the Bremer County Sheriff’s Department; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Jones County Sheriff’s Department; and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
ALEXANDRIA, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Jon Scot Taylor, 69, of Portland, Oregon, has been sentenced for distribution of child pornography. Taylor was sentenced by United States District Judge Dee D. Drell to 180 months (15 years) in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release following his release from prison.
In August of 2023, agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) began communicating in an undercover capacity in an online chat forum with a user who was later determined to be Taylor. The agent was posing as a 13-year-old girl. Their conversations moved from the chat forum to text messaging. Throughout their conversations which continued through February 2024, Taylor asked the individual, who he believed was a 13-year-old girl, to send him sexually explicit images of herself. In the course of their communication, Taylor also sent the person he believed was a 13-year-old girl some child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that depicted other 12 or 13-year-old children.
At the guilty plea hearing, Taylor admitted to knowingly distributing visual depictions of sexually explicit conduct of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, and that these visual depictions were sent from him in the State of Oregon to the Western District of Louisiana using interstate or foreign commerce by means of the computer. Taylor pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution of child pornography.
The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney LaDonte A. Murphy.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as “child pornography” – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678.
WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Marvin Isaac Dagoc, age 27, of Lakeside, California, was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.
According to Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus, the indictment alleges that from January to March 2025, Dagoc enticed a minor to engage in illicit sexual conduct, traveled to Lycoming County to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor in March of 2025, and produced child pornography on March 17, 2025.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alisan V. Martin is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.
The maximum penalty under federal law for the offense is up to life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.
Film festivals are unique cultural institutions, spaces to see diverse films by local and global filmmakers and an important market for distributors. These films are often difficult to see, or even know about, outside of festival circuits.
Festivals are also answerable to funders and to different stakeholders’ interests. Cancellations of planned films raise questions about festivals’ roles and accountability to community groups who find certain films objectionable, the wider public, politicians, festival sponsors, audiences, filmmakers and the films themselves.
In September 2024, The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) faced a backlash from pro-Ukrainian groups — and former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, who is of Ukrainian descent — when the documentary Russians at War was included in the program.
RIDM acknowledged Elon’s “personal commitment to criticizing and questioning the state of Israel” through her story about the stone that, by Israeli law, has to be used on the exterior of every new building in Jerusalem.
While the reasons for the cancellations are different, in both cases the festivals responded to pressures from community groups, placing the public right to a robust debate at the festival and beyond as secondary.
‘Russians at War’
Director Anastasia Trifamova embedded herself in a Russian supply unit, and later a medical team, eventually making her way to the front lines in occupied Ukraine.
Trifamova comes across as a naive filmmaker, using an observational, non-judgmental form of filmmaking common in 21st-century war documentaries, as seen in films like Armadillo and Restrepo (respectively following Danish and U.S. troops in Afghanistan).
The film documents the machination of war, where soldiers are both perpetrators of violence and its victims. It humanizes the soldiers, which understandably can be upsetting to Ukrainian and pro-Ukrainian publics. But should emotions of one group, outraged and incensed as they may be, prevent the public from having the difficult conversations promoted by the film?
Early in the film, Trifamova confronts the soldiers about why they are fighting and they respond with Russian propaganda (fighting Nazism, defending the borders).
Later, soldiers approach Trifamova — on camera — to express doubts about the justification of the war and their presence in Ukraine. The film provides an unflattering view of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, emphasizing the futility of the war and the incredible toll on soldiers and civilians (including some Ukrainian civilians). Russian troops appear untrained and poorly equipped to fight in chaotically managed battles.
Like Armadillo and Restrepo, Russians at War represents the soldiers without judgment and contributes to necessary conversations about war. In my analysis, while Trifamova refrains — in her sporadic voice-over — from condemning the war outright, it is difficult to read the film as Russian propaganda.
The film, which examines architecture’s role in creating modern Jerusalem, is led by Elon’s voice-over. It mixes her memories of growing up in 1970s Jerusalem and her reckoning with the “frenzy of building,” which included projects by architect Moshe Safdie, a citizen of Israel, Canada and the United States. Elon recounts that her father, journalist and author Amos Elon, was a close friend of Safdie, as well as legendary Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kolek.
Safdie is among the Israeli architects, architectural historians and planners who Elon interviews. The expansion of Jewish neighbourhoods is contrasted with the restrictions on and disposession of Palestinians in Jerusalem. Multiple scenes show the demolition of Palestinian homes or the aftermath. In intervwoven segments, Izzat Ziadah, a Palestinian stonemason who lives in a stone quarry, gives a tour of what is left of his destroyed home.
Viewers hear how the planning, expansion and building of Jewish neighbourhoods, post-1967, were designed to evoke biblical times. As architectural historian Zvi Efrat notes, the new neighbourhoods look like, or attempt to look like, they were there forever.
‘Rule of Stone’ trailer.
As reported by La Presse, the RIDM cancellation came after the festival received information about the documentary’s partial Israeli financing, something that “embarrassed” them with some of the festival’s partners. Funding for the development of the film came from the Makor Foundation for Israeli Films, which receives support from Israel’s Ministry of Culture and Sport.
In my view, this position differs from the PACBI guidelines, which state:
“As a general overriding rule, Israeli cultural institutions, unless proven otherwise, are complicit in maintaining the Israeli occupation and denial of basic Palestinian rights, whether through their silence or actual involvement in justifying, whitewashing or otherwise deliberately diverting attention from Israel’s violations of international law and human rights.”
Makor should be exempted since it regularly funds films that draw attention to Israel’s violations of Palestinian human rights. In 2024 alone, the list includes The Governor, The Village League and Death in Um al hiran.
RIDM’s website does not disclose support for a boycott. In the end, RIDM announced that Elon withdrew her film. She stated: “Screening my film at RIDM does not serve the long-term purpose of the festival, nor is it possible now to address the nuances in our common fight for justice for Palestine. I am deeply saddened and distressed by [what] has brought it to this point.”
To date, the film has not found a cinema in Montréal willing to screen it.
Provoking important conversations
The two festivals’ mission statements promise high-quality films that transformor renew audiences’ relationships to the world.
It is clear why programmers chose both films, since they’re cinematically innovative and provoke important conversations.
However, both festivals silenced these films and signalled to other filmmakers that these festivals are not brave spaces to have difficult and necessary conversations.
Dorit Naaman 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: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense
BEIJING, July 8 (Xinhua) — A Chinese defense spokesperson on Tuesday announced that the Sharp Blade-2025 International Sniper Competition will be held in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in mid-July.
The competition will be hosted by China’s People’s Armed Police Force, featuring events like precision sniping, typical scenario sniping, comprehensive combat sniping and extreme scenario sniping, said Jiang Bin, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense.
Nearly 50 sniper teams from more than 20 countries will participate in the events, according to the spokesperson.
The competition will help improve the practical training of the People’s Armed Police Force, and strengthen its cooperation and exchange with foreign police and gendarmerie forces, Jiang said.
Source: People’s Republic of China – Ministry of National Defense
By JIANG CHENGLONG
More than 9,200 military personnel and 14,000 militia members have been mobilized to help with flood rescue in Rongjiang county, Southwest China’s Guizhou province, a defense spokesman said on Tuesday.
Senior Colonel Jiang Bin, a spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, announced the mobilization in an online news briefing to address the response to the major floods, which struck Rongjiang in late last month.
“A natural disaster is an order for action, and the disaster-hit area is the battlefield for the troops,” Jiang said, noting that the forces of the People’s Liberation Army and People’s Armed Police rushed to the affected region to fight the floods and mitigate the losses.
In addition to the personnel deployment, a total of 90 sets of large engineering equipment have been mobilized to participate in tasks including search and rescue, relocation of residents, road clearance, removal of mud and disinfection, he said.
“People’s safety is the top priority,” said Jiang. “The people’s military will faithfully live up to its fundamental purpose of serving the people wholeheartedly, earnestly safeguard the lives and property of the people, and resolutely fulfill all tasks entrusted by the Party and the people.”
Schaefer Systems International Ltd. (SSI) has agreed to pay $876,000 to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations relating to the payment of a prohibited finder’s fee in connection with the award of an Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) contract to supply a pallet racking system for a warehouse at a U.S. military base in South Korea. SSI markets and sells warehouse logistics systems and provides related services throughout Asia. SSI disclosed the prohibited payment to the government following an internal compliance review and internal investigation.
The settlement resolves allegations that prior to the award of the AAFES contract in 2018, SSI falsely certified its compliance with a procurement integrity provision limiting the payment of commissions to certain bona fide employees and agencies. Unbeknownst to AAFES, SSI intended to pay a finder’s fee to a South Korean national who had informed SSI of the potential contracting opportunity and helped secure the contract.
“Those who do business with the government must do so fairly and honestly,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will hold accountable contractors that fail to follow procurement rules, but we will also give credit to those who disclose their wrongdoing, take appropriate remedial actions, and meaningfully cooperate with the government’s investigation.”
“Department of Defense contractors have a duty to uphold their contractual obligations and deliver honest value to the American taxpayer,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Stanley A. Newell of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Transnational Operations Field Office.“This civil settlement demonstrates that illicit payment schemes and kickbacks will not be tolerated. The dedicated professionals of DCIS will work tirelessly to hold those who violate the public trust accountable.”
In connection with the settlement, the United States acknowledged that SSI took a number of significant steps entitling them to credit for cooperating with the government. Following an internal compliance review and independent investigation, SSI promptly disclosed to the government the prohibited payment. SSI also provided the government with a detailed and thorough written disclosure and cooperated with the government throughout its investigation.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and DCIS.
Fraud Section Senior Trial Counsel Andrew A. Steinberg handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the United States in the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
Schaefer Systems International Ltd. (SSI) has agreed to pay $876,000 to resolve alleged False Claims Act violations relating to the payment of a prohibited finder’s fee in connection with the award of an Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) contract to supply a pallet racking system for a warehouse at a U.S. military base in South Korea. SSI markets and sells warehouse logistics systems and provides related services throughout Asia. SSI disclosed the prohibited payment to the government following an internal compliance review and internal investigation.
The settlement resolves allegations that prior to the award of the AAFES contract in 2018, SSI falsely certified its compliance with a procurement integrity provision limiting the payment of commissions to certain bona fide employees and agencies. Unbeknownst to AAFES, SSI intended to pay a finder’s fee to a South Korean national who had informed SSI of the potential contracting opportunity and helped secure the contract.
“Those who do business with the government must do so fairly and honestly,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will hold accountable contractors that fail to follow procurement rules, but we will also give credit to those who disclose their wrongdoing, take appropriate remedial actions, and meaningfully cooperate with the government’s investigation.”
“Department of Defense contractors have a duty to uphold their contractual obligations and deliver honest value to the American taxpayer,” said Special Agent-in-Charge Stanley A. Newell of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Transnational Operations Field Office.“This civil settlement demonstrates that illicit payment schemes and kickbacks will not be tolerated. The dedicated professionals of DCIS will work tirelessly to hold those who violate the public trust accountable.”
In connection with the settlement, the United States acknowledged that SSI took a number of significant steps entitling them to credit for cooperating with the government. Following an internal compliance review and independent investigation, SSI promptly disclosed to the government the prohibited payment. SSI also provided the government with a detailed and thorough written disclosure and cooperated with the government throughout its investigation.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and DCIS.
Fraud Section Senior Trial Counsel Andrew A. Steinberg handled the matter.
The claims resolved by the United States in the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.
Pearl River, N.Y. – 6/28/25… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler issued a statement regarding key Senate provisions of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, confirming that the House-negotiated $40,000 cap on State and Local Tax (SALT) deductions will remain in the final bill text. The House passed H.R. 1 on May 22.
On this latest update, Congressman Lawler said:
“After months of working closely with my SALT Caucus colleagues, we’ve secured an agreement to raise the SALT cap to $40,000 for five years with a $500,000 income cap and 1% growth, maintaining the House-passed language. This is meaningful relief for middle-class families in the Hudson Valley who have been hit hard by the current $10,000 cap.
In addition to securing SALT relief, we were able to ensure pass-through entities are able to deduct their state and local taxes as well, a big win for small businesses across the country.
I want to thank President Trump, Speaker Johnson, and Treasury Secretary Bessent for working with us to make SALT relief a priority. As I have been from the moment I entered Congress, I’m committed to fighting to ensure we deliver real tax relief to the hardworking families of New York.”
Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs.
Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law visited two Bordeaux wineries in France today, exploring potential synergies to incorporate Bordeaux wines into Hong Kong’s wine tourism initiatives.
She toured Château L’if and Château Le Pin to deepen her understanding of Bordeaux’s winemaking traditions of the country.
A day prior to the winery tour, she met President of the Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB) Allan Sichel. The CIVB is responsible for promoting Bordeaux wines globally.
Miss Law highlighted the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s efforts to host signature mega events, including the annual Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, which provides unique experiences for visitors.
Miss Law also met Mayor of Bordeaux Pierre Hurmic, Deputy Mayor of Bordeaux Céline Papin, and President of the Bordeaux Tourism & Conventions Office Brigitte Bloch, indicating to them the wishes of Hong Kong to build on the unique brand of the Wine & Dine Festival to foster cultural exchanges and strengthen bilateral ties.
The meeting was followed by discussions with representatives of Great Wine Capitals Global Network, Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce & Industries etc. and another meeting with France’s Minister for Tourism Nathalie Delattre.
The itinerary yesterday also covered a guided tour of La Cité du Vin, Bordeaux’s iconic cultural centre and wine museum dedicated to promoting the universal culture of wine.
The culture chief will conclude the visit to France and depart for Hong Kong on July 9.
The IAM proudly honors IAM Local 830 member Theresa Martinez as she approaches an extraordinary milestone – 30 years of union membership on Sept. 1. Martinez’s dedication to the labor movement is matched only by her commitment to community service and social justice.
Theresa’s union career is a reflection of integrity, leadership, and tireless service. A proud union member in a Right-to-Work state, she has always paid her dues, not out of obligation, but out of principle and solidarity. Her actions speak volumes: in 2024, she served as Chief Strike Captain during a critical labor strike, stepping up to lead without hesitation, even though her own working days would conclude before the contract’s expiration. She ensured every shift was covered, kept detailed records, and became a key force in the successful coordination of strike logistics.
She also served on the IAM Local 830 Election Committee, helping to protect the integrity of the IAM’s democratic processes. Her steady hand and strong moral compass have made her a trusted leader within the IAM family.
“Martinez represents the very best of the IAM. Her courage, compassion, and commitment to her union siblings on the shop floor – and to her neighbors and her community – are extraordinary,” said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Craig Martin. “She not only honors our values, she lives them. We are incredibly proud to call her one of our own.”
But Theresa’s story doesn’t end on the union floor. It is deeply marked by personal resilience and transformed into a light of hope for others. In 2012, her 23-year-old daughter, Ashley Martinez, was killed by a drunk and drugged driver. From the depths of loss, Theresa emerged with purpose. For more than a decade, she has served as a fierce advocate for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), dedicating her time to education, prevention, and healing.
She regularly speaks to high school students and serves on Victim Impact Panels across Kentucky, sharing Ashley’s story to deter impaired driving. She’s worked closely with the Louisville Metro Police Department and the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety on public outreach campaigns. She’s also a weekly volunteer with the MADD Helpline and an active participant in the annual Walk Like MADD event.
In 2019, her advocacy helped achieve a major legislative victory with the unanimous passage of Kentucky’s Ignition Interlock Bill. That success, and the lives it will protect, stand as a testament to the power of persistence and love in action.
“Theresa reminds us what it means to fight not only for a better contract but for a better world,” said IAM Local 830 Secretary-Treasurer Joshua Fouts. “Her leadership on the picket line was inspiring, but what’s even more powerful is her daily work as a community advocate, a listener, and a builder of hope. Her daughter Ashley would be incredibly proud.”
Martinez also serves as President of the Compassionate Friends Chapter in Louisville, Ky., offering peer support to parents who have lost children. For her work, she has been recognized with the Bell Award, one of Louisville’s highest honors for volunteerism, and was named a Tom Drexler Hometown Hero at a University of Louisville football game.
As the IAM reflects on Theresa’s 30 years of union membership, we honor not only her service to the labor movement but also her humanity. In her, we see the strength of our union siblings – resilient, committed, and driven by love and justice.
Her story reminds us that being part of a union means standing for something bigger than ourselves. Theresa Martinez stands for all of us.
The post Kentucky IAM Leader Celebrates 30 Years of Membership by Giving Back to Her Union and Her Community appeared first on IAM Union.
The IAM proudly honors IAM Local 830 member Theresa Martinez as she approaches an extraordinary milestone – 30 years of union membership on Sept. 1. Martinez’s dedication to the labor movement is matched only by her commitment to community service and social justice.
Theresa’s union career is a reflection of integrity, leadership, and tireless service. A proud union member in a Right-to-Work state, she has always paid her dues, not out of obligation, but out of principle and solidarity. Her actions speak volumes: in 2024, she served as Chief Strike Captain during a critical labor strike, stepping up to lead without hesitation, even though her own working days would conclude before the contract’s expiration. She ensured every shift was covered, kept detailed records, and became a key force in the successful coordination of strike logistics.
She also served on the IAM Local 830 Election Committee, helping to protect the integrity of the IAM’s democratic processes. Her steady hand and strong moral compass have made her a trusted leader within the IAM family.
“Martinez represents the very best of the IAM. Her courage, compassion, and commitment to her union siblings on the shop floor – and to her neighbors and her community – are extraordinary,” said IAM Southern Territory General Vice President Craig Martin. “She not only honors our values, she lives them. We are incredibly proud to call her one of our own.”
But Theresa’s story doesn’t end on the union floor. It is deeply marked by personal resilience and transformed into a light of hope for others. In 2012, her 23-year-old daughter, Ashley Martinez, was killed by a drunk and drugged driver. From the depths of loss, Theresa emerged with purpose. For more than a decade, she has served as a fierce advocate for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), dedicating her time to education, prevention, and healing.
She regularly speaks to high school students and serves on Victim Impact Panels across Kentucky, sharing Ashley’s story to deter impaired driving. She’s worked closely with the Louisville Metro Police Department and the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety on public outreach campaigns. She’s also a weekly volunteer with the MADD Helpline and an active participant in the annual Walk Like MADD event.
In 2019, her advocacy helped achieve a major legislative victory with the unanimous passage of Kentucky’s Ignition Interlock Bill. That success, and the lives it will protect, stand as a testament to the power of persistence and love in action.
“Theresa reminds us what it means to fight not only for a better contract but for a better world,” said IAM Local 830 Secretary-Treasurer Joshua Fouts. “Her leadership on the picket line was inspiring, but what’s even more powerful is her daily work as a community advocate, a listener, and a builder of hope. Her daughter Ashley would be incredibly proud.”
Martinez also serves as President of the Compassionate Friends Chapter in Louisville, Ky., offering peer support to parents who have lost children. For her work, she has been recognized with the Bell Award, one of Louisville’s highest honors for volunteerism, and was named a Tom Drexler Hometown Hero at a University of Louisville football game.
As the IAM reflects on Theresa’s 30 years of union membership, we honor not only her service to the labor movement but also her humanity. In her, we see the strength of our union siblings – resilient, committed, and driven by love and justice.
Her story reminds us that being part of a union means standing for something bigger than ourselves. Theresa Martinez stands for all of us.
The post Kentucky IAM Leader Celebrates 30 Years of Membership by Giving Back to Her Union and Her Community appeared first on IAM Union.
DENVER – An indictment was unsealed on Wednesday in Denver charging Steve Randall Howe with twenty counts of bank fraud and seven counts of money laundering in connection with a scheme to defraud the United States Small Business Administration (SBA).
According to the indictment, between April 2020 and January 2022, Howe obtained more than $1.2 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans on behalf of six businesses he owned. To obtain the loans, Howe submitted false information and fabricated documents to lenders to make it appear that those companies were eligible for PPP loans when they were not. Howe then used the loan money for ineligible expenses, like purchases of residential properties, retail purchases, travel expenses, and transfers of money to China. The indictment alleges that Howe then applied for, and received, forgiveness on each loan, never making a single payment on them.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted in March 2020 and was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans dealing with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act created the PPP, a program administered by the SBA that provided loans to small businesses to retain workers, maintain payroll, and pay for certain other expenses consistent with PPP rules. Small businesses could subsequently request forgiveness of the loan after certifying the loan was used to pay for eligible costs.
The defendant made his initial appearance on July 2, 2025, in Denver in front of United States Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Taylor Glogiewicz and Craig Fansler.
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.
DENVER – An indictment was unsealed on Wednesday in Denver charging Steve Randall Howe with twenty counts of bank fraud and seven counts of money laundering in connection with a scheme to defraud the United States Small Business Administration (SBA).
According to the indictment, between April 2020 and January 2022, Howe obtained more than $1.2 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans on behalf of six businesses he owned. To obtain the loans, Howe submitted false information and fabricated documents to lenders to make it appear that those companies were eligible for PPP loans when they were not. Howe then used the loan money for ineligible expenses, like purchases of residential properties, retail purchases, travel expenses, and transfers of money to China. The indictment alleges that Howe then applied for, and received, forgiveness on each loan, never making a single payment on them.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted in March 2020 and was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans dealing with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act created the PPP, a program administered by the SBA that provided loans to small businesses to retain workers, maintain payroll, and pay for certain other expenses consistent with PPP rules. Small businesses could subsequently request forgiveness of the loan after certifying the loan was used to pay for eligible costs.
The defendant made his initial appearance on July 2, 2025, in Denver in front of United States Magistrate Judge N. Reid Neureiter.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Taylor Glogiewicz and Craig Fansler.
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.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Douglas Lee Brown, also known as “Wiggles,” 56, of Columbus, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 18, 2024, law enforcement officers arrested Brown on domestic battery and wanton endangerment warrants in Huntington and found he possessed a loaded Taurus model G2C 9mm pistol in his waistband. Officers determined the firearm was reported stolen.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Brown knew he was prohibited from possessing a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for burglary in Franklin County, Ohio, Common Pleas Court on November 15, 2012.
Brown has a long criminal history and was on a term of supervision as a result of the burglary conviction at the time of the current offense.
Brown is scheduled to be sentenced on October 20, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Courtney L. Finney is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-168.
Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)
RALEIGH, N.C. – Diamonique Shawn Newton, age 33, was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Newton pled guilty to the charge on March 24, 2025.
According to court records and evidence presented at sentencing, in February 2024, officers with the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) investigated Newton after they saw he had posted pictures of himself on his Facebook page possessing a firearm. RPD was aware of Newton’s felon status and inability to possess a firearm. The investigation culminated on February 26, 2024, when Newton streamed a live Facebook video of himself pointing a gun at the camera multiple times. Based on the investigation, on February 29, RPD obtained and executed a search warrant for Newton’s Raleigh home. During the search, RPD found two firearms, one of which was stolen, over 180 grams of marijuana, and drug paraphernalia. Newton admitted that the stolen firearm was his and that he had bought it off the street.
Newton has a criminal history that spans almost two decades and includes two felony convictions for possession with intent to sell or deliver marijuana from 2011 and 2018. Newton was also previously convicted of attempted possession of a firearm by a felon in 2013.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. Agencies involved in the investigation include the Raleigh Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jaren Kelly and Kimberly Dixon prosecuted the case.
Today, the Honourable David McGuinty, Minister of National Defence, released the fifth biannual status report of the External Monitor, Madame Jocelyne Therrien.
The report provides an external, independent assessment of the progress made by the Department of Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in implementing the recommendations made by former Supreme Court Justice Louise Arbour in the Independent External Comprehensive Review (IECR), released in May 2022. Madame Therrien’s observations are based on her direct discussions with Defence Team officials and review of relevant documents, policies and processes.
In this report, Madame Therrien notes that “the CAF is on track to meeting the intent of all IECR recommendations by the end of this year.” She provides a status assessment for each outstanding or recently addressed recommendation, including successes, challenges and next steps to be taken, and cites examples of progress:
IECR recommendations related to terminology and definitions, specifically the abolishment of the definition of “sexual misconduct” from policies and the inclusion of “sexual assault” as a standalone definition have been addressed;
The CAF adopted the Canada Labour Code definition of harassment and violence, aligning its harassment program with the public service employee Workplace Harassment and Violence Prevention (WHVP) program. This resulted in one unified approach for dealing with harassment and violence in the workplace;
Expansion of Sexual Misconduct Support and Resource Centre (SMSRC) services to include a full-time legal resource dedicated to dispensing information and assistance to individuals who have experienced sexual misconduct within a DND/CAF context;
A probational period leading to more efficient onboarding of new recruits and easier removal of new members who fall short of the ethical standards of the CAF: and
A more systematic approach to promotions including a new selection process based on past conduct and character traits, and once promoted, strong supports for leaders including modernized, culture-related training materials, coaching sessions and leadership advice.
Of the 48 IERC recommendations, 36 have now been deemed addressed by the Defence Team. While the External Monitor notes that some changes may take years to fully implement, she acknowledges the sincere willingness to make things better on the part of those involved in implementing culture change.
In a statement, Minister McGuinty welcomed this report and thanked the External Monitor for her independent and external perspective. Minister McGuinty also outlined the progress made to date and measures the Government is taking to implement the remainder of Madame Arbour’s recommendations and reaffirmed the commitment to introducing legislation that would amend the National Defence Act to further modernize the military justice system.