Source: Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF)
Jerusalem, 6 February 2025 – Israeli forces and settlers have increased the use of extreme physical violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since the all-out war on Gaza began in October 2023, according to a new report by Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
In total, at least 870 Palestinians have been killed and over 7,100 injured between October 2023 and January 20251. According to the MSF report, “Inflicting harm and denying care”, the escalation of violence in the West Bank has severely hindered access to healthcare and is part of a pattern of systemic oppression by Israel which has been described by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as amounting to racial segregation and apartheid.
The report which covers a one-year period from October 2023 and 2024, provides in-depth interviews from 38 MSF patients and personnel, hospital staff paramedics and volunteers supported by MSF who report prolonged and violent Israeli military incursions and stricter movement restrictions, all of which have severely hindered access to essential services, particularly healthcare. The situation has further deteriorated since the ceasefire in Gaza and has exacerbated dire living conditions for many Palestinians who are paying an immense physical and psychological toll.
“Palestinian patients are dying because they simply cannot reach hospitals,” says Brice de le Vingne, MSF emergency coordinator. “We’re seeing ambulances blocked by Israeli forces at checkpoints while carrying critical patients, medical facilities surrounded and raided during active operations, and healthcare workers subjected to physical violence while trying to save lives.”
An increased number of attacks on medical personnel and facilities have been reported to MSF teams, including attacks on hospitals, destruction of makeshift medical sites in refugee camps, as well as the harassment, detention, injury, and killing of first responders and medical workers by Israeli forces. Between October 2023 and December 2024, WHO has recorded 694 attacks on healthcare in the West Bank, with hospitals and healthcare structures often besieged by military force. Healthcare workers express a feeling of insecurity as they are frequently harassed, detained, injured and even killed.
“Israeli forces surrounded the stabilisation point [in Tubas], closing both its entrances, even though it was very clear that this was a medical building. They ordered all the paramedics to exit the stabilisation point. There were around 22 of us paramedics there. Israeli soldiers shot inside and outside the building, damaging our supplies and the stabilisation point,” says a medic from the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, supported by MSF.
In case of medical emergency, restrictions of movement can have deadly consequences. Access to healthcare in this context has been severely impeded by the obstruction and targeting of ambulance movements and the escalation of violent military raids resulting in injuries, fatalities and the destruction of vital civilian infrastructure, including roads, healthcare, water pipelines and electrical systems, particularly in Tulkarem and Jenin refugee camps. In remote areas and outskirts of cities like Jenin or Nablus, the situation is especially dire, as patients with chronic conditions, such as
those who need regular dialysis treatment, are forced to stay home due to the untenable obstacles to reaching healthcare.
On top of the frequent Israeli military incursions, settler violence and the ever-increasing expansion of settlements has left many Palestinians vulnerable to violence and afraid to move across the West Bank. In total, 1,500 attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have been reported by OCHA between October 2023 and 2024.
As the occupying power, Israel has legal obligations under international law to ensure access to healthcare and protect medical personnel. The healthcare system in the West Bank is under immense strain and forced into a state of perpetual emergency.
MSF calls Israel to stop the violence against healthcare workers, patients and health facilities and to stop obstructing medical personnel from performing lifesaving duties.
Homemade firearms, gel blaster seized during Preston search
Friday, 7 February 2025 – 9:12 am.
Two homemade firearms and an imitation firearm were seized during a targeted search at an address in Preston in the state’s North- West. Members of Western Drugs and Firearms Unit as well as specialist police resources executed a search warrant at the address on Thursday 6 February, locating and seizing a modified .22 calibre rifle, a home-made 12-gauge slam gun and a gel blaster Glock. Police also located ammunition and drug paraphernalia. Investigations are ongoing and police are following a specific line of inquiry in relation to the seized weapons. Anyone with information about illegal firearms should contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au Under Tasmania’s permanent firearms amnesty, people can surrender illegal and unwanted firearms, firearm parts, ammunition, or gel blasters that have the appearance of a firearm, without being prosecuted for the possession.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Ms Collene Bremner has been announced as the Acting Commissioner of NT Fire and Emergency Services (NTFES), while current Commissioner Andrew Warton embarks on a sabbatical overseas.
Ms Bremner who has served as the Executive Director of Bushfires NT since 2016, brings over 20 years of experience in the Northern Territory Public Service. Her extensive background in emergency management has seen her lead the response to numerous significant events locally and interstate.
Throughout her career, Ms Bremner has held numerous senior roles, including as Chair of the Australian and New Zealand Emergency Management Recovery Sub-Committee, the NT representative on the Australian and New Zealand Emergency Management Committee, and as a board member of the National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC). She is also a member of NAFC’s Strategic Committee under the Australian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC).
Ms Bremner will bring a wealth of knowledge to the role and is committed to leading the service and protecting Territorians during times of crisis. Chief Minister and Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, Lia Finocchiaro directly appointed Ms Bremner to act in the role from 15 February 2025.
Mr Warton is taking leave to embark on a once in a lifetime experience as Station Leader at Australia’s Casey Research Station in Antarctica. There he will lead a team of expeditioners and support crucial scientific research through the Antarctic winter.
Casey Station is one of three Australian research stations in Antarctica and the selection process is long and comprehensive with roles like Station Leader highly sought after and very competitive. Due to the length of the selection process and how far in advance applications are taken, this sabbatical was a known factor when Mr Warton was appointed Commissioner NT Fire and Emergency Services in 2024.
During his sabbatical, Mr Warton will remain in contact with NTFES staff and volunteers and will provide regular updates to his team during his time away.
Acting arrangements will remain in place until Commissioner Warton’s return later in the year. His return will depend on the logistics of accessing Casey Research Station, which becomes generally inaccessible during the Antarctic winter.
The recent formation of the NT Fire and Emergency Services, which combines the NT Fire and Rescue Service, NT Emergency Service, and Bushfires NT into one agency, enhances our ability to respond to emergencies while prioritising community resilience. For more information on the service, visit Welcome | NT Police, Fire & Emergency Services
“Leading an emergency services organisation and an Antarctic station may seem worlds apart, but both rely on teamwork, resilience, recognition of community and a commitment to something bigger than ourselves. Whether facing emergencies or keeping a remote station running, success comes down to ordinary people doing extraordinary things. It is an honour to lead the Northern Territory Fire and Emergency Services and I’m grateful for the opportunity to undertake this short-term experience, and to bring new perspectives on leadership back to the Northern Territory.”
“I am pleased to announce Ms. Collene Bremner as Acting Commissioner of NTFES today. Collene’s leadership experience and involvement in both local and national emergency management efforts will ensure that the service continues to operate effectively. I am confident that NTFES staff and the community are in capable hands.
Quotes from Collene Bremner:
“I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead the NT Fire and Emergency Services. I have a long association with the operational arms of the Northern Territory Fire and Emergency Services and am excited to continue to lead the ongoing development of the new agency during Andrew’s time in Antarctica.”
Saskatchewan RCMP’s La Ronge Crime Reduction Team (CRT) seized one kilogram of cocaine during a traffic stop in Air Ronge, SK.
On February 2, 2025 at approximately 1 a.m., RCMP officers with the La Ronge CRT initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle at the intersection of Far Reserve Road and Mikisiw Drive.
During the traffic stop, officers determined the female driver’s license had been suspended and a male passenger had an active warrant for his arrest. As officers were arresting the wanted male, they located and seized a small amount of cocaine. Officers proceeded to arrest the driver of the vehicle and two remaining occupants – a male and a female.
While searching the vehicle, officers located and seized approximately one kilogram of cocaine, a handgun, ammunition, a baton, and additional drug trafficking paraphernalia.
As a result of investigation, the following individuals are facing multiple firearms and drug charges:
Keannu Starnyski, a 19-year-old male from Sucker River, SK
Katelynn Charles, a 27-year-old female from Stanley Mission, SK
Freda Charles, a 24-year old female from La Ronge, SK
Gary Roberts, a 32-year-old male from Sucker River, SK
Keannu Starnyski, Katelynn Charles, Freda Charles and Gary Roberts are each charged with:
one count, possession for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine, Section 5(2), Controlled Drugs and Substances Act;
one count, unsafe storage of firearms, Section 86(2), Criminal Code;
one count, possession of a firearm when knowing possession unauthorized, Section 92(1), Criminal Code;
one count, possession of a firearm in motor vehicle, Section 94(1), Criminal Code;
one count, possession of a restricted firearm/prohibited weapon with ammunition without license/registration, Section 95(2), Criminal Code; and
one count, possession of a firearm with serial number removed, Section 108(1)(b), Criminal Code.
Additionally, Keannu Starnyski is facing one count, possession of a firearm contrary to order, Section 117.01(1), Criminal Code; and one count, fail to comply with probation orders, Section 733.1(1), Criminal Code.
Gary Roberts is also facing one count, possession of a firearm contrary to order, Section 117.01(1), Criminal Code.
Keannu Starnyski, Katelynn Charles, Freda Charles, and Gary Roberts made their first appearance in provincial court from La Ronge on February 3, 2025.
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Andre Miller Jr., 24, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge William M. Conley to 3 years in federal prison for possessing a machinegun. Miller pleaded guilty to this charge on November 8, 2024. The prison term will be followed by 3 years of supervised release.
On October 27, 2021, Town of Madison Police Department officers responded to a reported stolen vehicle parked in Madison. Miller was identified as the driver of the stolen vehicle. When an officer attempted to make contact with Miller, he fled. When officers caught up with Miller, they saw a gun magazine in the backpack he had been carrying. Officers then searched Miller’s backpack and recovered a loaded Glock 26 9mm handgun with a machinegun conversion device. A machinegun conversion device is an illegal, after-market device that converts a semi-automatic handgun into a fully functioning machinegun. In the backpack, officers also located 48 grams of cocaine and 10 grams of heroin.
“Machinegun conversion devices are extraordinarily dangerous,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea. “These devices are often used in weapons that are not designed to function as machine guns, thus making the weapons incredibly difficult to aim. Discharging a weapon equipped with such a device in a public area endangers every child and adult within range. Keeping these illegal devices off the streets in Wisconsin and keeping our citizens free of fear from these weapons is one of my highest priorities,” said O’Shea.
At sentencing, Judge Conley said that he found it very troubling that Miller was going around with a machinegun that was connected to drug trafficking.
The charge against Miller was the result of an investigation conducted by the Town of Madison Police Department and the ATF Madison Crime Gun Task Force consisting of federal agents from ATF and Task Force Officers (TFOs) from local agencies including the Dane County and Clark County Sheriff’s Offices and the Fitchburg, Madison, Sun Prairie, and La Crosse Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven P. Anderson and William M. Levins prosecuted this case.
This case has been brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the U.S. Justice Department’s program to reduce violent crime. The PSN approach emphasizes coordination between state and federal prosecutors and all levels of law enforcement to address gun crime, especially felons illegally possessing firearms and ammunition and violent and drug crimes that involve the use of firearms.
BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced today in federal court for conspiring to traffic dozens of illegal firearms from South Carolina to Boston.
Aizavier Roache, 31, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to five years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In October 2024, Roache pleaded guilty to one count of firearms trafficking and conspiracy.
The investigation arose after a firearm recovered from a shooting in Boston was identified as having been purchased in South Carolina 15 days prior. Over a three-year period, Roache and his co-conspirator Trevon Brunson, conspired to traffic dozens of illegal firearms from South Carolina to Massachusetts. Specifically, Roache would text Brunson photos of the firearms he wanted. After purchasing the firearms in South Carolina, Brunson would meet Roache at different locations in Columbia, S.C. to transfer the firearms.
Numerous text messages as well as bank, travel and firearm records detailed the conspiracy. Intercepted communications uncovered an instance were Brunson used Roache’s credit card to complete a multi-gun purchase because he didn’t have enough cash on hand, during which Roache texted Brunson the pin number for the card. Additionally, a video recovered from Roache’s phone showed him on a bus showing off a carry-on bag that contained four firearms. The date of the video corresponded with Roache’s trip back to Massachusetts after a multi-gun purchase in April of 2023.
In total, the defendants trafficked more than 24 illegal firearms into Massachusetts from South Carolina. Eleven of the trafficked firearms were recovered in Massachusetts after being used in a crime.
Brunson pleaded guilty in October 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced on March 21, 2025.
United States Attorney Leah Foley; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Today, Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced the sentencing of a Montgomery, Alabama man following federal drug and gun convictions. On February 5, 2025, a federal judge sentenced 37-year-old Richard Eugene Moore, Jr., to 180 months in prison. In addition, the judge ordered that Moore serve three years of supervised release following his prison term. Federal inmates are not eligible for parole.
According to the plea agreement and other court records, on September 20, 2023, an Alabama state trooper attempted to stop a vehicle in the city of Montgomery after observing a traffic violation. Inside the vehicle was a male driver, two female passengers, and a toddler. The driver, later identified as Moore, refused to stop. A pursuit ensued and the trooper observed Moore throwing objects out of the driver-side window. Moore continued to flee through a residential area, often driving at a high rate of speed. The pursuit ended when Moore ran a stop sign and struck an unmarked police car. Moore then attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended just a few feet from the vehicle. All four occupants of the vehicle, including the toddler, sustained minor injuries. The police officer in the unmarked vehicle sustained more serious injuries and was hospitalized for several days.
Investigators recovered the items discarded by Moore during the pursuit. The items included a Glock handgun and a backpack. Moore has prior felony convictions and is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Inside the backpack, investigators found several bags of suspected marijuana and a digital scale. Laboratory analysis confirmed the substance in the bags to be marijuana.
On September 16, 2024, Moore pleaded guilty to possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute the illegal drug and to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Moore also enter a plea of guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
“On a weekday afternoon, Moore led law enforcement on a high-speed chase through the streets of Montgomery when school traffic was at its peak,” said Acting United States Attorney Davidson. “This type of reckless behavior cannot be tolerated. The 15-year sentence ordered by the judge was completely justified due to Moore’s total disregard for the safety of everyone on the road that day, including law enforcement and his passengers.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and Montgomery Police Department investigated this case, which Assistant United States Attorney Brandon W. Bates prosecuted.
Tampa, FL – U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday has sentenced Carlos Solorio (25, Dade City) to nine years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. Solorio pled guilty on November 7, 2024.
According to court documents, on May 31, 2023, Solorio sold 3 kilograms of methamphetamine to another person at a grocery store parking lot in Dade City, Florida. This narcotics transaction was arranged by brokers in Mexico and Atlanta, Georgia.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David J. Pardo.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Montgomery, Ala. – On February 5, 2025, 24-year-old Domonique McKee, from Montgomery, Alabama, received a sentence of 60 months in prison for possession of a machinegun, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. Following his prison sentence, McKee will serve three years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to his plea agreement and other court records, on December 2, 2023, a Montgomery police officer stopped a vehicle suspected of containing illegal narcotics. The officer identified McKee as the driver and conducted a search of the vehicle. In addition to finding a substance suspected of being methamphetamine, law enforcement found three handguns, numerous rounds of ammunition, and multiple magazines, including extended capacity magazines. One of the handguns seized was equipped with a machinegun conversion device. On September 25, 2024, McKee pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing a machinegun.
“When installed on a firearm, a machinegun conversion device, or ‘switch,’ allows a gun to function as a fully automatic weapon capable of firing a continuous spray of bullets with a single pull of the trigger,” said Acting United States Attorney Davidson. “The mere possession of a machinegun conversion device, regardless of whether it is installed on a firearm, is a federal crime. My office will continue to prioritize the prosecution of those carrying these dangerous devices and to work with our law enforcement partners to remove them from our communities.”
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and Montgomery Police Department investigated this case, with assistance from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Assistant United States Attorney Justin L. Jones prosecuted the case.
TOPEKA, KAN. – A federal grand jury in Topeka returned an indictment charging a Kansas man with having child sexual abuse materials.
According to court documents, Joseph Donald Dube, 38, of Topeka was indicted on one count of possessing of child sexual abuse materials.
Dube is accused of knowingly accessing and possessing materials depicting minors under 12 years of age engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
The defendant made his initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.
The U.S. Secret Service and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Hunting is prosecuting the case.
Project Safe Childhood This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 visithttps://www.justice.gov/psc.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ###
BOSTON – A South Deerfield resident has been arrested and charged for allegedly assaulting a federal agent executing a search warrant in connection with a U.S. Capitol Police investigation. The defendant allegedly spit in the face and eye of an agent during a residential search.
James Gerard Pepe III, a/k/a “Judith Pepe,” 25, is charged with one count of assaulting a federal officer. Pepe was arrested on Jan. 4, 2025 and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Springfield, Mass., was released on conditions.
According to the charging document, on Feb. 4, 2025, federal law enforcement agents executed a search warrant of a bedroom inside a South Deerfield apartment believed to be used by the subject of a U.S. Capitol Police investigation. Pepe allegedly resided in the same apartment where the target bedroom was located.
During the search, Pepe was directed to sit in a kitchen chair, unhandcuffed. Shortly thereafter, it is alleged that Pepe became visibly agitated. Specifically, Pepe allegedly yelled and directed profanity, insults, taunts and threats at agents, as well as threatened to spit in an agent’s face. Agents warned Pepe to remain calm and allow agents to complete the search or be placed in handcuffs. According to the charging document, Pepe continued to behave in an agitated and aggressive manner after the warning. Pepe was subsequently placed in handcuffs and, while being escorted out of the apartment, allegedly spit in the face and eye of the escorting agent.
The charge of assaulting a federal officer provides for a sentence of up to eight years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas A. Barnico, Jr. of the Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Yelitzia Ortiz Chaparro, 29, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 3 years in federal prison for distributing methamphetamine. Her husband, Emanuel Gonzalez, 25, Madison, Wisconsin, was sentenced on February 4, 2025, by Judge Peterson to 8 years in federal prison for possessing 500 grams of more of cocaine intended for distribution. Gonzalez pleaded guilty to this charge on November 4, 2024. Ortiz Chaparro pleaded guilty to the methamphetamine charge on November 6, 2024.
Between November of 2022 and February of 2023, Ortiz Chaparro sold cocaine to a confidential source working with the Drug Enforcement Administration on three occasions for a total of 362 grams. On March 17, 2023, Gonzalez and Ortiz Chaparro worked together to deliver one pound of methamphetamine to the confidential source in Madison.
On May 9, 2024, and again on May 15, 2024, Gonzalez sold cocaine to a second confidential source for a total of 198 grams. On June 13, 2024, the second confidential source contacted Gonzalez in order to purchase one pound of methamphetamine. During a telephone call with Gonzalez and Ortiz Chaparro to set up the deal, Ortiz Chaparro told the second confidential source that the price for the methamphetamine was $2,100. Later that day, Gonzalez delivered one pound of methamphetamine to the second confidential source in Madison.
On July 15, 2024, the second confidential source contacted Gonzalez and negotiated the purchase of two ounces of cocaine. Later that day, Gonzalez delivered 56 grams of cocaine to the second confidential source in Madison.
On July 18, 2024, agents executed a federal search warrant at Gonzalez and Ortiz Chaparro’s residence in Madison. Prior to the search, agents arrested Gonzalez and found $9,660 on his person. During the search of the master bedroom of the residence, agents found nearly a kilogram of cocaine in a closet and a loaded 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun in a dresser drawer. Agents also found $8,600 inside of a safe in a second bedroom. Agents performed a firearms trace on the recovered 9mm Smith & Wesson handgun and discovered that Gonzalez had purchased it in 2020.
At the sentencing hearing for Ortiz Chaparro, Judge Peterson stated that the large amounts of drugs she distributed for a significant period of time made it a very serious crime. Judge Peterson noted that the while the evidence showed that Gonzalez initially got Ortiz Chaparro involved in drug trafficking, she quickly “leaned into” selling significant quantities of drugs on her own.
At the sentencing hearing for Gonzalez, Judge Peterson stated that the evidence showed that Gonzalez had been responsible for distributing large amounts of illegal drugs prior to selling drugs to the confidential sources during the investigation. Judge Peterson also stated that Gonzalez made the situation worse by keeping a loaded firearm in an unlocked dresser drawer that was accessible to his young child and in close proximity to a large amount of cocaine.
The charges against Gonzalez and Ortiz Chaparro were the result of an investigation led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation, Wisconsin State Patrol, and the Madison Police Department. The investigation was conducted and funded by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a multi-agency task force that coordinates long-term narcotics trafficking investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner handled the prosecution.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Commodity Futures Trading Commission today announced that David Gillers will step down as Chief of Staff to Commissioner Behnam on February 7. From 2021 until January 20, 2025, Mr. Gillers served as Chief of Staff and Chief Operating Officer of the agency, in which capacity he was the lead advisor to then-Chairman Rostin Behnam on legal, policy and administrative matters, and was responsible for the commission’s daily operations and its 1,000 personnel. Mr. Gillers joined the agency in July 2019 as Commissioner Behnam’s Chief of Staff, and has not announced plans. “David has been my trusted Chief of Staff for over five and half years, and a key part of everything I have done at the Agency. He has led efforts to engage, negotiate and coordinate with members of Congress, fellow regulators, the White House and industry on all matters of the agency’s pressing needs and ably oversaw all agency operations,” said Commissioner Behnam. “He’s directed the most sensitive policy and legal conversations, while still delivering on our priorities. I wish him well as he turns to new opportunities in his career.” “It has been an absolute pleasure to work with such a talented team at the CFTC,” said Mr. Gillers. “Our division directors and staff, Chairman’s Office staff, and the other Commissioners and their staff have been second to none, and have made my time at the agency memorable. I am deeply grateful to former Chairman Behnam for making this job so rewarding, and I wish Acting Chairman Pham all the best in her new role.” During Mr. Gillers’ tenure, he oversaw a host of novel derivatives markets policy engagements regarding digital assets, artificial intelligence, event contracts, market structure, cybersecurity and environmental derivatives products, as well as the end of the COVID era work posture and return to office. He led the agency’s review of voluntary carbon credit derivatives and directed the development and finalizing of guidance on voluntary carbon credit derivative contracts. Mr. Gillers was instrumental in expanding the agency’s engagement in the digital asset regulatory evolution, working with policy and enforcement divisions at the agency, other regulators and departments in the federal government, as well as helping Congressional committees to develop a legislative framework. Prior to joining the CFTC in 2019, Mr. Gillers spent a decade on Capitol Hill focused on financial services, energy, and energy markets matters on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. He worked for Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington, and Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. He worked extensively on the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010, and the energy provisions of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act of 2015. While in Congress, he oversaw programs at the Department of the Treasury, Department of Energy, and the Small Business Administration. Mr. Gillers was a corporate attorney prior to his time in Congress. He holds a BA from Columbia College and a JD from Boston College Law School, where he was a Weinstein Scholar.
The Dassault Falcon 2000EX Aircraft Was Used by Venezuela’s State-Owned Oil and Natural Gas Company and Illegally Maintained and Serviced Using Parts from the United States
The Justice Department announced today that Dominican Republic authorities seized a Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft used by Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), the sanctioned Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural-gas company, at the request of the U.S. government based on violations of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.
“The use of American-made parts to service and maintain aircraft operated by sanctioned entities like PdVSA is intolerable,” said Devin DeBacker, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department, along with its federal law enforcement partners, will continue to safeguard our national security by identifying, disrupting, and dismantling schemes aimed at procuring American goods in violation of our sanctions and export control laws.”
“Today’s announcement — the seizure of a sanctioned aircraft used by the Maduro regime — clearly shows that sanctions and export control laws have teeth,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Kevin J. Kurland of the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). “BIS will continue to aggressively investigate and hold accountable those who violate our regulations.”
“The seizure of the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft provides yet another example of this office’s commitment to enforcing America’s export control laws against Venezuelan-owned PdVSA and other sanctioned entities,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “Asset forfeiture is a powerful law enforcement tool, which we will continue to use aggressively to deter, disrupt, and otherwise combat criminal activity.”
“This seizure demonstrates HSI’s unwavering commitment to enforcing U.S. export control and sanctions laws around the globe,” said Edwin F. Lopez, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Santo Domingo Country Attaché. “By working closely with our partners in the Dominican Republic and across the U.S. government, we successfully prevented the violation of U.S. laws designed to protect national security and foreign policy interests. HSI will continue to use its global reach and investigative expertise to target those who seek to evade justice and undermine the rule of law.”
In August 2019, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 13884, which, among other things, prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with persons who have acted or purported to act directly or indirectly for or on behalf of PdVSA. Pursuant to the EO, on Jan. 21, 2020, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified 15 aircraft as blocked property of U.S. law that generally prohibit transactions by U.S. persons within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in blocked property.
According to the U.S. investigation, in July 2017, PdVSA purchased the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft from the United States and exported it to Venezuela where it was registered under tail number YV-3360. Following the imposition of sanctions on PdVSA and identification of the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft as blocked property of PdVSA, the aircraft was serviced and maintained on multiple occasions using parts from the United States. The servicing included a brake assembly, electronic flight displays, and flight management computers: all in violation of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.
According to a public statement issued by OFAC, since at least January 2019, the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft has transported Venezuelan Oil Minister Manuel Salvador Quevedo Fernandez, who is also sanctioned by the U.S. government, to an Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting in the United Arab Emirates and has been used to transport senior members of the Maduro regime in a continuation of the regime’s misappropriation of PdVSA assets.
The Justice Department previously announced in September 2024 the seizure of a Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft in the Dominican Republic that was owned and operated for the benefit of Nicolás Maduro Moros and persons affiliated with him in Venezuela.
The BIS Miami Field Office is investigating the case with assistance from HSI Santo Domingo.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jorge Delgado and Joshua Paster for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are handling the matter. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan D. Stratton and Ajay J. Alexander for the Southern District of Florida also provided assistance.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and HSI El Dorado Task Force Miami provided significant assistance. The United States thanks the Dominican Republic for its assistance in this matter.
The burden to prove forfeitability in a forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.
Between 12:00 p.m. on February 5 and 12:00 p.m. on February 6, Saskatchewan RCMP received reports of 28 motor vehicle collisions. During that timeframe, they also received 14 calls in relation to other road-related incidents, including vehicles stuck on roadways or in the ditch.
Some areas in central and southern Saskatchewan are still experiencing poor road conditions.
Saskatchewan RCMP continue to encourage travellers to check road conditions in their area before travelling. If travel is necessary, take things slow on snowy and icy roads.
Saskatchewan RCMP also remind the public to avoid calling 911 or local RCMP detachments for updates on road conditions. Calling 911 must be reserved for emergencies and crimes in progress, and using it in non-emergent situations could prevent someone with a life-threatening emergency from getting help. For the most up to date information on road conditions, including what roads have been plowed, salted, and/or sanded within the last two hours, visit hotline.gov.sk.ca/map (English only).
Saskatchewan RCMP’s Prince Albert Crime Reduction Team (CRT) and La Loche Detachment seized more than 30 grams of crack cocaine and charged one person following a drug trafficking investigation in La Loche, SK.
On January 29, 2025, RCMP officers from the Prince Albert CRT and La Loche Detachment executed a search warrant at a residence on George Crescent in La Loche in relation to an ongoing drug trafficking investigation.
During the search warrant and subsequent arrests, officers located and seized approximately 32 grams of crack cocaine, $1,500 in cash, and other evidence of drug trafficking.
Officers arrested five individuals. As a result of investigation, Iris Herman, a 46-year-old female from La Loche, is charged with:
one count, possession for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine, Section 5(2), Controlled Drugs and Substances Act; and
one count, possession of property obtained by crime under $5,000, Section 354 (1), Criminal Code.
Four individuals were released without charges.
Iris Herman will make her first appearance in provincial court in La Loche on March 10, 2025.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)
Danielle R. Sassoon, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that CATHERINE SEEMER, a nurse practitioner who stole the identities of 12 medical doctors and orchestrated an $11.2 million disability loan fraud scheme, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Cathy Seibel to five years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sassoon said: “Today, Catherine Seemer has been held accountable for defrauding a federal loan forgiveness program created to help ease the financial burden of those who suffer from permanent physical or mental disabilities, including military veterans who endure service-related disabilities. Seemer used the stolen identities of a dozen medical doctors to falsify disabilities and cause more than $11.2 million in loans to be fraudulently discharged. This Office remains dedicated to rooting out fraud and abuse of taxpayer-funded government programs.”
According to the allegations contained in the Complaint, Information, and statements made in court:
From June 2017 through March 2022, SEEMER orchestrated a scheme to cause the fraudulent discharge of millions of dollars’ worth of student loans for borrowers who did not qualify for relief under the federal Total and Permanent Disability Discharge Program and its private analogue. As part of the scheme, SEEMER deceived over 125 borrowers into believing they qualified for various forms of student loan relief and charged them fees to facilitate their loan discharge process. She then used the personal identifying information of the unsuspecting borrowers to submit fraudulent applications for student loan discharge on the basis of non-existent permanent physical and mental disabilities. In support of these applications, SEEMER used the stolen identities, medical license numbers, and forged signatures of over a dozen medical doctors to falsify medical diagnoses and disability certifications. The scheme resulted in the wrongful discharge of over approximately $11.2 million in loans under the disability-based relief programs.
* * *
In addition to the prison term, SEEMER, 44, of Elmsford, New York, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $635,352.
Ms. Sassoon praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Inspector General.
The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Qais Ghafary is in charge of the prosecution.
Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 3
Burlington, Vermont – The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont announced that on February 3, 2025, Nitin Mishra, 33, of Jaipur, India, was sentenced for conspiring to distribute controlled substances and distributing controlled substances, including the opioids Tapentadol and Tramadol, in connection with his involvement in an international drug trafficking operation. Mishra had been extradited from Albania to the United States to face these charges. United States District Judge William K. Sessions III sentenced Mishra, who had already spent approximately 28 months in custody, to time served and ordered the defendant to pay $7,300 in forfeiture.
According to court records, from around the beginning of 2019 through about June 2021, Mishra, who was based in India, conspired with two Vermont residents, among other individuals, to send multiple shipments of controlled substances, including opioids and misbranded drugs, into the United States. Mishra then worked with his co-conspirators to reship and distribute these drugs to individuals located throughout the United States. The investigation revealed that the conspiracy involved tens of thousands of pills, and included the Schedule II controlled substance Tapentadol, as well as the Schedule IV controlled substances, Tramadol, Carisoprodol, and Zolpidem.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Rutland City Police Department.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Mishra is represented by Robert L. Sussman, Esq.
Four pharmacy owners have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.
Pharmacist Raef Hamaed, of Maricopa County, Arizona, was sentenced on Jan. 8 to 10 years in prison; pharmacist Tarek Fakhuri, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, was sentenced on Jan. 13 to seven years in prison; pharmacist Ali Abdelrazzaq, of Macomb County, Michigan, was sentenced on Jan. 15 to two years in prison; and pharmacist Kindy Ghussin, of Greene County, Ohio, was sentenced today to five years and five months in prison.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Hamaed, Fakhuri, Ghussin, and Abdelrazzaq billed Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for prescription medications that they did not dispense at five pharmacies they owned and operated: Eastside Pharmacy, Harper Drugs, and Wayne Campus Pharmacy in Michigan, and Heartland Pharmacy and Heartland Pharmacy 2 in Ohio. The defendants collectively caused over $13 million of loss to Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
On Sept. 5, 2024, a federal jury convicted Hamaed, Fakhuri, Ghussin, and Abdelrazzaq of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. The jury also convicted Fakhuri of one count of health care fraud. Hamaed was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at all five pharmacies; Fakhuri was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at Harper Drugs, Wayne Campus Pharmacy, and Heartland Pharmacy; Ghussin was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at Wayne Campus Pharmacy and both Heartland pharmacies; and Abdelrazzaq was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at Wayne Campus Pharmacy.
Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI Detroit Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
The FBI Detroit Field Office and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Claire Sobczak Pacelli, Kelly M. Warner, and S. Babu Kaza of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Louisville, KY – A local man was sentenced this week to 8 years and 1 month for conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, Special Agent in Charge R. Shawn Morrow of the ATF Louisville Field Division, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.
According to court documents, Roger Bailey, 42, was sentenced to 8 years and 1 month in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute, possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Between April 9, 2024, and May 29, 2024, Bailey conspired with other persons to possess with intent to distribute cocaine by selling cocaine on four occasions. On May 29, 2024, a residential search warrant was executed on Bailey’s residence located at 441 South 29th Street, Louisville, Kentucky. During the search, cocaine, a Mossberg, Model MMR, 5.56 caliber rifle, a Glock, Model 19, 9-millimeter pistol, an American Tactical Imports, Model Omni Hybrid, multi-caliber pistol, and ammunition were found and seized.
There is no parole in the federal system.
This case was investigated by the ATF with assistance from the Louisville Metro Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erwin Roberts 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.
CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Anthony Allen, age 38, of Rosenberg, Texas, was sentenced today to 188 months in federal prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Allen was the leader of a drug trafficking conspiracy, selling methamphetamine, cocaine base, cocaine hydrochloride, fentanyl, and heroin in Monongalia County. Allen was operating the organization from a townhouse in Morgantown and a storage unit in Star City. Allen’s drug supply came from California and was shipped via FedEx and USPS. The shipments totaled nearly 66 pounds of methamphetamine. Investigators also seized packages sent from California to Houston containing cocaine and fentanyl.
Allen will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Zelda Wesley prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.
The FBI’s Northern West Virginia Drug Task Force in partnership with the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative, investigated. The Task Forces have members from the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; West Virginia State Police; Monongalia County Sheriff’s Office; and the Morgantown, WVU, Granville, and Star City Police Departments. The investigation was also assisted by the following law enforcement partners: the Monongalia County Prosecutor’s Office, the FBI in Houston, Texas; the Houston Police Department’s Multi-Agency Gang Initiative; the United States Postal Inspection Service in Houston; and the FBI and DEA in Los Angeles, California.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.
Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas S. Kleeh presided.
BOSTON – An Indian national living in Chelsea, Mass. was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for making false statements in an application for a U.S. passport and making false statements to federal agents.
Sharn Parzival, 25, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns to time served (approximately five months) and one year of supervised release. Parzival is subject to deportation. In December 2024, Parzival pleaded guilty to an Information.
On Jan. 31, 2023, Parzival submitted an application for a U.S. passport at a post office in Somerville, Mass. In the application he claimed to have been born in Maryland and declared under penalty of perjury that he was a citizen or national of the United States. As proof of identity and citizenship, Parzival submitted copies of a Massachusetts driver’s license and a purported Maryland birth certificate. The investigation revealed, however, that Parzival had entered the country in 2021 from India on a non-immigrant student Visa but had thereafter been expelled by the school he was attending. Further investigation revealed that the birth certificate was fraudulent and that Maryland had never issued a birth certificate in Parzival’s name.
On April 26, 2023, Parzival went to the office of the U.S. Department of State (DOS) in Boston to inquire about the status of his passport application. He agreed to be interviewed by DOS agents and made a number of false statements, including that he had been born in Maryland, that he had no affiliation with India and that he had never applied for a Visa. A fingerprint analyst subsequently compared Parzival’s fingerprints to fingerprints that he provided when he applied for the Visa in India and concluded that they matched.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert E. Richardson of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.
Four pharmacy owners have been sentenced for their roles in a conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.
Pharmacist Raef Hamaed, of Maricopa County, Arizona, was sentenced on Jan. 8 to 10 years in prison; pharmacist Tarek Fakhuri, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, was sentenced on Jan. 13 to seven years in prison; pharmacist Ali Abdelrazzaq, of Macomb County, Michigan, was sentenced on Jan. 15 to two years in prison; and pharmacist Kindy Ghussin, of Greene County, Ohio, was sentenced today to five years and five months in prison.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Hamaed, Fakhuri, Ghussin, and Abdelrazzaq billed Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan for prescription medications that they did not dispense at five pharmacies they owned and operated: Eastside Pharmacy, Harper Drugs, and Wayne Campus Pharmacy in Michigan, and Heartland Pharmacy and Heartland Pharmacy 2 in Ohio. The defendants collectively caused over $13 million of loss to Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
On Sept. 5, 2024, a federal jury convicted Hamaed, Fakhuri, Ghussin, and Abdelrazzaq of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. The jury also convicted Fakhuri of one count of health care fraud. Hamaed was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at all five pharmacies; Fakhuri was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at Harper Drugs, Wayne Campus Pharmacy, and Heartland Pharmacy; Ghussin was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at Wayne Campus Pharmacy and both Heartland pharmacies; and Abdelrazzaq was sentenced for his role in the conspiracy at Wayne Campus Pharmacy.
Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI Detroit Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.
The FBI Detroit Field Office and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Claire Sobczak Pacelli, Kelly M. Warner, and S. Babu Kaza of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
The Dassault Falcon 2000EX Aircraft Was Used by Venezuela’s State-Owned Oil and Natural Gas Company and Illegally Maintained and Serviced Using Parts from the United States
The Justice Department announced today that Dominican Republic authorities seized a Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft used by Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA), the sanctioned Venezuelan state-owned oil and natural-gas company, at the request of the U.S. government based on violations of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.
“The use of American-made parts to service and maintain aircraft operated by sanctioned entities like PdVSA is intolerable,” said Devin DeBacker, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department, along with its federal law enforcement partners, will continue to safeguard our national security by identifying, disrupting, and dismantling schemes aimed at procuring American goods in violation of our sanctions and export control laws.”
“Today’s announcement — the seizure of a sanctioned aircraft used by the Maduro regime — clearly shows that sanctions and export control laws have teeth,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement Kevin J. Kurland of the Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). “BIS will continue to aggressively investigate and hold accountable those who violate our regulations.”
“The seizure of the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft provides yet another example of this office’s commitment to enforcing America’s export control laws against Venezuelan-owned PdVSA and other sanctioned entities,” said U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida. “Asset forfeiture is a powerful law enforcement tool, which we will continue to use aggressively to deter, disrupt, and otherwise combat criminal activity.”
“This seizure demonstrates HSI’s unwavering commitment to enforcing U.S. export control and sanctions laws around the globe,” said Edwin F. Lopez, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Santo Domingo Country Attaché. “By working closely with our partners in the Dominican Republic and across the U.S. government, we successfully prevented the violation of U.S. laws designed to protect national security and foreign policy interests. HSI will continue to use its global reach and investigative expertise to target those who seek to evade justice and undermine the rule of law.”
In August 2019, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 13884, which, among other things, prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with persons who have acted or purported to act directly or indirectly for or on behalf of PdVSA. Pursuant to the EO, on Jan. 21, 2020, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified 15 aircraft as blocked property of U.S. law that generally prohibit transactions by U.S. persons within (or transiting) the United States that involve any property or interests in blocked property.
According to the U.S. investigation, in July 2017, PdVSA purchased the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft from the United States and exported it to Venezuela where it was registered under tail number YV-3360. Following the imposition of sanctions on PdVSA and identification of the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft as blocked property of PdVSA, the aircraft was serviced and maintained on multiple occasions using parts from the United States. The servicing included a brake assembly, electronic flight displays, and flight management computers: all in violation of U.S. export control and sanctions laws.
According to a public statement issued by OFAC, since at least January 2019, the Dassault Falcon 2000EX aircraft has transported Venezuelan Oil Minister Manuel Salvador Quevedo Fernandez, who is also sanctioned by the U.S. government, to an Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) meeting in the United Arab Emirates and has been used to transport senior members of the Maduro regime in a continuation of the regime’s misappropriation of PdVSA assets.
The Justice Department previously announced in September 2024 the seizure of a Dassault Falcon 900EX aircraft in the Dominican Republic that was owned and operated for the benefit of Nicolás Maduro Moros and persons affiliated with him in Venezuela.
The BIS Miami Field Office is investigating the case with assistance from HSI Santo Domingo.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jorge Delgado and Joshua Paster for the Southern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are handling the matter. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan D. Stratton and Ajay J. Alexander for the Southern District of Florida also provided assistance.
The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and HSI El Dorado Task Force Miami provided significant assistance. The United States thanks the Dominican Republic for its assistance in this matter.
The burden to prove forfeitability in a forfeiture proceeding is upon the government.
Source: United States Senator John Hickenlooper – Colorado
Hickenlooper: “It’s time to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt what Mr. Vought and his Project [2025] are trying to do.”
Senate Democrats held the Senate floor overnight to oppose Vought’s nomination
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper spoke on the Senate floor against the nomination of Russell Vought, President Trump’s pick to lead the Office of Budget and Management (OMB). Hickenlooper’s remarks come ahead of the final confirmation vote, where he will vote “No” on Vought.
“If confirmed, Mr. Vought and Project 2025 could have devastating consequences for Colorado,” Hickenlooper said on the Senate floor.
“…At a time when grocery prices are rising on everything from eggs to meat, Project 2025 is going to make life harder for Colorado farmers and ranchers – and more risky,” he continued. “Project 2025 would cut safety nets for our Ag producers when they have a bad season…Hanging small farmers out to dry does nothing to lower grocery prices for [Americans].”
“…I will oppose every nominee that poses a genuine threat to Coloradans. That’s why I’m here on the floor and will vote “No” on Mr. Vought today.”
“…It’s time to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt what Mr. Vought and his Project [2025] are trying to do.”
The OMB oversees the performance of federal agencies and administers the federal budget. Vought previously served as acting OMB director during President Donald Trump’s first term and was a primary architect of Project 2025, which details MAGA Republicans’ far-right agenda to dismantle the federal government under a Trump administration.
Last week, in response to an executive order from President Trump, the OMB ordered a freeze on all federal grants and loans. The pause threatened hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding, which would have impacted thousands of organizations in Colorado and hurt millions of Americans.
On Monday, a federal court issued a restraining order against the Trump administration, extending a temporary pause on the President’s plan.
More information about how a freeze would impact Coloradans is available HERE.
Yesterday, Hickenlooper posted a video to social media where he commits to use every tool at his disposal, including opposing any nominees who will harm Colorado, to disrupt the administration’s illegal actions. This morning, Hickenlooper joined Democrats in holding the Senate floor overnight to oppose Trump’s nominee.
To download a full video of Hickenlooper’s remarks, click HERE. A full transcript of his remarks is available below:
“Mr. President,
“I take to the floor today to urge my colleagues to vote “No” on President Trump’s nominee to the Office of Budget and Management, Russell Vought.
“Some remember Mr. Vought from when he served as the head of the same agency during President Trump’s first term. He is one of the very few “repeat” appointments – clearly a reflection of his loyalty.
“You may also know him for his leadership – his authoring – of Project 2025, that far-right agenda that the President – during the campaign – swore up and down he had no idea about.
“And I believe that, although I think he understood many discussions, perhaps outlined the framework.
“Project 2025 would gut our longstanding and globally admired framework of checks and balances. It would gut them. It would ensure civil servants would be hired and fired on the basis of political loyalty – something that this country has struggled for many decades to get rid of.
“It would truly weaponize our system of justice. Again something that almost everyone works towards keeping nonpartisan.
“It lays out in detail a plan to dramatically change our American system of government – perhaps for a very long time.
“It’s really not a question of “if” anymore. The plan and the people putting it in place are disregarding laws and norms dating back to the Constitution. They are throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.
“This means firing or pushing out vast swaths of the federal workforce of civil servants. These are career civil servants, many of whom have devoted their lives to keeping our government running – from processing social security checks, and keeping our weather systems afloat, or helping to stop waste, fraud and abuse.
“Some would say our federal workers don’t do anything. But they are honest, hard-working Americans.
“Project 2025 is just getting started. If confirmed, Mr.Vought and Project 2025 could have devastating consequences for Colorado.
“Deep in Project 2025 are plans to heavily restrict access to contraceptives and abortion medication, denying women and families the freedom to make their own reproductive decisions.
“Plans to make health care more expensive by repealing policies that empower Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices and drive down the cost of health care for seniors.
“Plans to make Colorado less resilient to these increasingly frequent disasters caused by extreme weather.
“And they’re already reinstating cruel immigration policies, and threatening to come after the LGBTQ+ community.
“At a time when grocery prices are rising on everything from eggs to meat, Project 2025 is going to make life harder for Colorado farmers and ranchers – and more risky.
“Project 2025 would cut safety nets for our Ag producers when they have a bad season. It includes plans to gut essential crop insurance. Project 2025 even wants government to get involved in the specific techniques our ranchers use to farm.
“Now, our Colorado farmers know their land better than anyone else. Hanging small farmers out to dry does nothing to lower grocery prices for America.
“We’ve been hearing in our offices from producers across the state who are very concerned about what this Project 2025 means to them. We have over 38,000 farm operations in Colorado. Some harvest wheat, some raise meat or poultry, some specialize in dairy. All of them help support our rural communities and play an essential role in feeding families really all across the country.
“We don’t have to speculate about what Mr.Vought would do to the Office of Management and Budget – he’s really laid it all out in Project 2025. He wrote Project 2025 to a large extent himself.
“One of his finest contributions: a section championing the Executive Branch’s ability to overreach and “impound funds.”
“Let’s not mince words: This is, by all historic measures, blatantly unconstitutional.
“Congress alone has the authority to decide how the government spends its money.
“This isn’t an opinion. It says explicitly in Article I, Section 9, Clause 7: “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.”
“Made by law, designated by Congress.
“And again in Article I, Section 8, Clause 1: “Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States.”
“We got a taste of how Mr. Vought would attempt to execute something like this last week.
“In a truly chaotic late-night, two-page memo, the Trump administration halted all federal grants and loans. We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars in federal spending for a staggering number of programs. Programs that provide Americans health care, food, nutrition, housing, child care, so much else.
“The memo stemmed from an executive order calling on federal agencies to review and eliminate spending on “woke” ideologies or “The [Green New] Deal” – both things that aren’t clearly defined and don’t in any specific way exist.
“In this rush to create chaos and jumbled policy, the implementors didn’t bother to specify which programs would continue and which programs would end.
“Our office and staff were immediately flooded with calls. Hundreds and then thousands of calls. We heard from folks in every corner of Colorado – big cities, small towns – asking ‘what does this mean’ for them and their families. There was real fear, real worry, and for good reason.
“The Trump administration tried to walk back the original memo to clarify that the freeze wouldn’t affect individual payments, like Social Security or food stamp benefits.
“But that didn’t clear up too much. And it certainly didn’t help that the White House Press Secretary couldn’t answer specific questions like pertaining to specific government programs like Medicaid, whether they were going to be affected. Frustrating as it is – and I get how frustrating it is – there are reasons why government moves slowly.
“All of this, if implemented as requested, would’ve had a devastating impact on Colorado. A devastating impact.
“Federal programs and funds make up roughly 25 percent of our state’s effort to build transportation and infrastructure, provide needed services for the most needy in our state.
“Head Start, a truly vital service for over 9,000 low-income kids in Colorado, would be forced to shutter its operations that provide for these low-income kids of all communities with the early childhood education, health, and nutrition that they need. Even as we speak, there are reports that Head Start providers around the nation are not able to access funds.
“If implemented it would cut off 83,000+ low-income Colorado families from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps heat their homes in the cold winter. These are folks that in many cases are unable to pay their heating bills or wouldn’t be able to heat their homes without this assistance.
“Our public safety and law enforcement would be weakened. The pause would strip funding that helps our local agencies prevent terrorism, helps them crack down on drug trafficking, and prevent crimes and provide services for those who have been victimized by crime.
“Colorado has one of the largest veteran populations in the country, something we’re very proud of. But this funding [pause] would cut resources for those vets. It would cut resources for community-based suicide prevention efforts, organizations that provide care for veterans experiencing homelessness, and services for veterans living with disabilities – many of them taken in the defense of our nation. Hard to be cruel to those who have given their country so much.
“Before entering public service, I was in the restaurant business. At our brewpub in downtown Denver, we’d cook, pack, and donate meals every year to Meals on Wheels to feed seniors throughout the Metro Denver area. I’ve seen firsthand the difference this makes, the relief it provides to seniors who need it. Many of them don’t leave the house, and are so grateful to have someone come and they can talk to as they get their meal.
“But the federal funding freeze left Meals on Wheels in Colorado, but all across the country, unsure of how and whether they’ll be able to continue serving meals. Over 25,000 Coloradan seniors everyday rely on Meals on Wheels to access food. Why would we leave our seniors hungry and unsure of where their next hot lunch is going to come?
“Our office also heard directly from a Colorado rural health organization about how this federal funding freeze would have life-or-death effects on Coloradans in 47 rural counties.
“When we’re in towns like Cortez or Hugo or Julesburg, we hear all the time about how our rural hospitals, clinics, and community health centers are already strained by workforce shortages, by rising costs.
“These medical providers are on the frontlines of dealing with our nation’s mental health and opioid crisis. And we’re cutting their ability to provide these services.
“These folks in rural Colorado, and in suburbs around every city in Colorado, are watching their friends, family, and neighbors struggle with mental health issues that rose up after the pandemic.
“This funding freeze wouldn’t just strip funding from these programs. It would force our critical rural hospitals to lay off staff or turn away patients at a time when they need it the most.
“We should be fighting to increase access to quality, affordable health care no matter where people live – not take it away.
“The federal funding freeze has already been blocked by the courts several times because it is blatantly illegal. It makes no sense.
“But make no mistake, Mr. Vought and the Trump administration will keep poking and prodding our courts and our Constitution until they get their way.
“All of these actions serve a sinister purpose: to completely transform our government into one that gives enormous, enormous tax cuts, largely directed at those who don’t need them – and in many cases in Colorado don’t want them – and puts working-class Americans out to pasture.
“The federal funding freeze is just one of many chaotic actions that Mr.Vought and the administration are pushing. We see Project 2025 come into clarity in this administration’s illegal attempts to dismantle agencies without congressional approval, or their attempts to access Americans’ sensitive data.
“Look, I’m all for cutting government waste. If you want to seriously look at how we spend money and where we can cut actual fraud, waste, and abuse – I’m game. A more efficient government will help us all, but that’s not what’s happening.
“I’ve worked as hard as I could to find ways to work across the aisle, and that’s not going to change. When I was Mayor of Denver, when I was Governor of Colorado, we balanced the budget every year and we worked hard to try and streamline government processes. Just like every mayor and every governor in this country.
“You can’t just shove working families under the bus or violate the law to do it.
“We’ll fight these attempts in the courts, on the floor of the Senate – like now – and everywhere else we can to defend Colorado and the Constitution.
“It’s time to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt what Mr. Vought and his Project [2025] are trying to do. We’ve supported these lawsuits, opposed executive actions, and voted against nominees.
“But if we need to hold the Senate floor like we’re doing now, vote all night, disrupt business as usual, we’ll do that too.
“I will oppose every nominee that poses a genuine threat to Coloradans. That’s why I’m here on the floor and will vote “No” on Mr. Vought today.
“Coloradans sent us to Washington to solve problems, not to create more. Project 2025, it’s a brutal plan to wreak havoc on our nation, and really change the way our government operates, the way our democracy functions.
“I hope people all over the state emulate that old movie “Network”, that they can shout out on every corner, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to stand for it!”
“Let’s hope they get so loud that they can’t be drowned out.
On February 1, 2025 at approximately 2:20 p.m., Yorkton RCMP received a report of a serious assault at a residence on Waterloo Road in Yorkton.
Officers and EMS responded. Investigation determined an adult male assaulted a child, who is under the age of 6, who was transported to hospital with serious injuries. We are unable to provide an update on the child’s condition, due to privacy considerations.
The adult male was arrested at the scene.
As a result of continued investigation, 41-year-old Frederick Stewart from Saltcoats, SK is charged with:
– one count of attempted murder, Section 239(b), Criminal Code;
– one count, aggravated assault, Section 268(2), Criminal Code;
– one count, assault by choking, Section 267(c), Criminal Code; and
– one count, fail to comply with probation order, Section 733.1(1).
He is scheduled to appear in Yorkton Provincial Court on February 7, 2025.
Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Tammy Baldwin
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) led thirteen of her colleagues in introducing the Carried Interest Fairness Act to eliminate a tax loophole that benefits wealthy money managers on Wall Street. The current carried interest loophole allows investment managers to often pay almost half the tax rate compared to most other Wisconsin workers.
“Wall Street investors should not be paying less in taxes than Wisconsin firefighters, teachers, and small business owners. But right now, the wealthiest Americans are gaming our tax system to get out of paying their fair share, passing their tax burden onto working Wisconsinites,” said Senator Baldwin. “Closing the carried interest loophole will ensure super-wealthy Americans do their part, reducing the deficit and increasing fairness in our tax code. As President Trump has previously said, this loophole is ‘unfair to American workers’ and I look forward to working with him to finally close it.”
The carried interest loophole allows investment managers to pay the lower 23.8 percent capital gains tax rate on income received as compensation, rather than the ordinary income tax rates of up to 40.8 percent that they would pay for the same amount of wage income. The Carried Interest Fairness Act requires carried interest income to be taxed at ordinary wage rates. According to the Treasury proposal, closing this loophole will raise $6.5 billion in revenue over 10 years.
Despite President Donald Trump previously saying, “…we will eliminate the carried interest deduction and other special interest loopholes…” during the 2016 election, his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act “failed to eliminate [the] key deduction used by wealthy investment firms that Trump had vowed to kill,” leading PolitiFact to rate this a “Promise Broken.” Senate Republicans rejected an amendment to the tax bill by Senator Baldwin to close the loophole, which all Senate Democrats supported in 2017.
The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Patty Murray (D-WA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ed Markey (D-MA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jack Reed (D-RI), Peter Welch (D-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI). Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-03) also introduced this bill today in the U.S. House of Representatives.
The legislation is endorsed by Communications Workers of America, Americans for Tax Fairness, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Public Citizen, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Alliance for Retired Americans, Americans for Financial Reform, Take on Wall Street, Patriotic Millionaires, 20/20 Vision, Main Street Alliance, American Federation of Government Employees, Small Business Minority, Economic Policy Institute, and the National Women’s Law Center.
“The carried interest loophole is an expensive subsidy of the billionaire executives who are raiding the public purse right now to pay for their next private island,” said Porter McConnell, Senior Director of Take on Wall Street at Americans for Financial Reform. “We commend Senator Baldwin for her leadership on closing this egregious loophole so that working families can stop subsidizing ultra wealthy hedge fund and private equity executives.”
“The carried interest loophole is an unfair Wall Street tax break that enriches billionaires who end up paying lower tax rates than teachers, nurses, and firefighters.” said Oscar Valdés Viera, research manager at Americans for Financial Reform. “We applaud Senator Baldwin for her unwavering leadership in introducing the Carried Interest Fairness Act and urge the Senate to swiftly move on this legislation.”
“The carried interest loophole gives a class of the wealthy elite – hedge fund managers and executives – an enormous and unfair advantage by allowing them to pay a significantly lower tax rate on their compensation than working- and middle-class Americans. Senator Baldwin’s Carried Interest Fairness Act would work to close this loophole, enhancing tax fairness, narrowing the growing wealth gap, and providing crucial revenue for investments in the American people,” said Casey Conroy, Senior Fiscal Policy Analyst at 20/20 Vision.
“Small business owners work hard every day to keep their doors open, staff on payroll and shelves stocked. Meanwhile, investment managers pay a lower tax rate than Main Street because of a ridiculous loophole. Main Street Alliance and our 30,000 members strongly support Senator Baldwin’s Carried Interest Fairness Act. Our tax code should focus on supporting the 20 million new small business owners who have started since 2020, not glitzy hedge funds,” said Richard Trent, Main Street Alliance Executive Director.
“There are a lot of economically and morally unjustifiable tax loopholes that disproportionately benefit wealthy people like me, but the carried interest loophole may just take the cake. Ultra-wealthy hedge fund managers should not receive a tax break on the income they earn managing other people’s money, as the last time I checked, nurses don’t get a tax break on the money they make ‘managing’ people’s lives with their blood, sweat, and tears. It’s time for lawmakers to pass the Carried Interest Fairness Act and close this egregious loophole once and for all,” said Morris Pearl, Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires and a former Managing Director at BlackRock.
“The carried interest tax loophole stands as one of the most glaring examples of how the ultra-wealthy exploit and rig our broken tax system to their advantage,” said David Kass, executive director of Americans for Tax Fairness. “It’s common sense—Wall Street hedge fund managers shouldn’t pay lower federal tax rates than nurses, teachers, and most working Americans. This change is long overdue and represents a critical step toward a fairer tax system that ensures these uber-wealthy individuals pay their fair share like everyone else.”
“There is no reason that private equity managers, some of the wealthiest people in the country, should get away with paying lower tax rates than average families, especially as the care crisis continues to strain family budgets. Closing the carried interest loophole is an important step towards making sure the wealthiest are paying their fair share and that our tax code works for all of us, not just those at the top,” said Melissa Boteach, Vice President for Income Security and Child Care/Early Learning at the National Women’s Law Center.
A one-pager on this legislation is available here. Bill text of this legislation is available here.
Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)
Padilla, Judiciary Democrats Condemn Trump’s Unfit Nominee for FBI Director Kash Patel
WATCH: Padilla urges Republicans to reject Patel based on alarming and radical record
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined his Democratic colleagues on the Committee in speaking out against Kash Patel’s dangerous nomination to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). During this morning’s Judiciary Committee business meeting, Padilla objected to Patel’s nomination and urged his Republican colleagues to do the same ahead of the Committee’s vote next week.
Padilla raised significant concerns regarding Patel’s lack of judgement, independence, and preparedness — flaws made clear both during his nomination hearing and throughout his career. He highlighted Patel’s troubling record, including his publication of a political enemies list, threats to prosecute journalists, and his stated plan to “shut down the FBI Hoover Building on Day 1 and reopen it the next day as a museum of the ‘deep state.’”
Padilla also denounced Patel’s reckless actions as Senior Director for Counterterrorism at the National Security Council, where he put the lives of U.S. military personnel at risk by providing false information during a high-stakes hostage rescue operation. He also slammed Patel’s opposition to background checks and his apparent support for civilian ownership of machine guns.
The Senators reiterated calls for an additional hearing to address Patel’s misleading testimony and his involvement in the removals and investigations of career FBI employees. During Patel’s nomination hearing last week, Senator Padilla raised serious concerns about his fitness to lead the FBI independently.
Key Excerpts:
In addition to a lot of the specific concerns about Kash Patel and how he would be as an FBI director, I feel compelled to remind us of the moment that we are in right now in the first few weeks of the second Trump administration — the chaos that has been created.
In times of chaos and crisis like this, the public deserves to see trusted leaders in the most important positions of our federal government, trusted leaders who will stand up and say “no” to a president trying to blow through the very guardrails put in place by the Constitution. So it’s in that context that makes the nomination and potential confirmation of Kash Patel even more alarming.
When I asked him about his thoughts on what should be commonsense gun safety policies and protocols, what his position was on things like universal background checks, he either failed to answer or chose not to answer. Poor judgment, clear lack of preparation for the position of FBI director that oversees our background check system for a reason.
Let alone his lack of ability or lack of willingness to serve independently. It’s not just the Department of Justice. It’s been the FBI specifically that has performed at its best when it serves the people, when it honors the Constitution, and respects the rule of law. Clearly, Kash Patel puts that secondary to his loyalty to Donald Trump.
It’s up to the Senate to either confirm this nominee or not. It’s clear where Senate Democrats stand. I think my biggest question is, where are Senate Republicans going to stand at this important moment in history? Will they choose the rule of law? Will they choose the Constitution? Will they choose to stay loyal to the very oath of office they’ve taken and their important advice and consent role? Or will they choose loyalty to a reckless president?