Category: Law Enforcement

MIL-OSI USA: Luján: Trump’s AG Pick Will Undermine Justice Department’s Independence

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)

Luján Voted Against Trump’s Personal Lawyer Who Attempted to Overturn 2020 Election

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M) issued the following statement after the Senate voted to confirm Pam Bondi to serve as Attorney General of the United States:

“The role of the Attorney General is to oversee the Justice Department, uphold the rule of law, and maintain its independence from political influence. Given Ms. Bondi’s history of spreading false claims, leading President Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, excusing the actions of criminals who attacked law enforcement on January 6, and advocating for the prosecution of political opponents, I do not believe she will put her oath to the Constitution ahead of her loyalty to President Trump.

“The American people deserve an Attorney General who will defend the Constitution and serve the American people. Instead, Ms. Bondi, along with a number of President Trump’s nominees, will carry out President Trump’s agenda of revenge and retribution. President Trump is already seeking to rid the Justice Department of career officials who simply did their jobs.

“Ms. Bondi will weaponize the Justice Department, subvert the rule of law, and make our communities less safe. I voted against her nomination, and I will hold her accountable for her actions as Attorney General.”

MIL-OSI New Zealand: Police operation in Waterview

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

A Police operation is underway in an area of Waterview this afternoon.

Police have cordoned off an area around Tutuki Street.

There is an increased Police presence in the area to ensure the safety of the public.

Police staff are armed as a precaution.

Great North Road is still open, but we are advising the public to stay clear of cordons at this early stage.

Further updates will be provided as the situation develops.

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

MIL-OSI USA: Graham Statement on Bondi Confirmation

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for South Carolina Lindsey Graham

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement after voting to confirm Pam Bondi as the next Attorney General of the United States. Bondi was confirmed by a vote of 54-46.

“I applaud President Trump for choosing Pam Bondi to be our next Attorney General. As I said when she was first nominated, Pam is an outstanding choice.

“With her confirmation today, Pam is ready to hit the ground running. She will put an end to the weaponization of law that has been a trademark of the Justice Department for the last four years. Pam will also make sure that our laws are fairly enforced, and for terrorists and criminals, Pam will be their worst nightmare.

“I look forward to working with her as she transforms the Department of Justice and marches America toward a new era of prosperity and safety.”

MIL-OSI New Zealand: Serious crash: The Strand, Parnell

Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

A section of The Strand in Parnell is being closed following a serious crash.

The crash involves a truck and pedestrian and was reported just after 2pm.

The pedestrian is currently in a critical condition, and will be transported to hospital.

Emergency services are at the scene and a section of The Strand is being closed between the intersections with St Georges Bay Road and Tamaki Drive.

We anticipate this will cause disruption in this busy transport corridor this afternoon.

The Serious Crash Unit has been advised and will attend the scene.

ENDS.

Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

MIL-OSI Australia: Arrests – Theft – Alice Springs

Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

The Northern Territory Police Force has arrested two males aged 40 and 41 in relation to copper wire theft in Alice Springs yesterday.

Police have been investigating reports of copper wire being stolen from telecommunication pits located between the Gap and Alice Springs Airport since April 2024.

Around 3.45pm yesterday, police received a report from Bushfires NT that two males were sighted burning copper cable casing in bushland near Norris Bell Avenue.

General duties members attended and witnessed the pair burning the insulation to allegedly gain access to a large amount of copper cable.

Both were arrested without incident and have been charged in relation to the theft and lighting a fire on a total fire ban day. They were remanded in custody to appear in court today.

Investigations are ongoing and anyone with information is urged to contact police on 131 444 and quote reference P25034899. You can also report anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or through https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.

MIL OSI News –

MIL-OSI China: Sweden’s worst mass shooting in history kills 10 at school

Source: China State Council Information Office

This is a screenshot captured from the video of the Swedish government’s press conference held on the evening of Feb. 4, 2025. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is speaking to the press. [Photo/Xinhua]

The school shooting in central Sweden’s Orebro is the worst mass shooting in the country’s history, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said at a press conference late Tuesday.

Swedish police confirmed on Tuesday evening that around ten people were killed in the shooting, which took place at noon at Risbergska Skolan, an education center, in Orebro. The shooter suspect is among the deceased, according to the police.

While investigation and further search are ongoing, authorities said the exact number of the victims remained unclear. However, initial findings indicate that the suspect acted alone, and police have ruled out terrorism as a motive.

Kristersson urged the public to refrain from speculation, emphasizing that authorities must be given space to conduct their investigation.

“The Swedish public wants to know the reasons, but will have to wait for the answers,” said Swedish Minister of Justice Gunnar Strommer at the press conference. “With time, the picture will clear up.”

King Carl XVI Gustaf expressed his condolences in a statement, describing the day as a “black day” for Sweden. He extended his sympathies to the families and friends of the victims and the injured, and expressed appreciation for the efforts of police, rescue and healthcare workers.

Risbergska Skolan mainly serves adults over the age of 20, while also offering primary and secondary school courses and Swedish language classes for immigrants. The city of Orebro is located about 200 km west of Stockholm.

Speaking to Swedish Radio (SR), local school security specialist Lena Ljungdahl said that while armed violence in schools has been extremely rare in Sweden, violence has escalated outside the educational institutions, including multiple shootings near schools in recent years.

“I have expected this. Schools are not an isolated place. What happens outside will sooner or later happen inside schools,” Ljungdahl said.

Mats Knutson, a political analyst of SR, highlighted that the shooting occurred amid years of escalating armed violence in Sweden, with the past few months witnessing an unprecedented number of explosions.

Sweden is now in a crisis situation, and it is the government’s responsibility to unify the nation, Knutson said.

MIL OSI China News –

MIL-OSI Security: Chilean National Charged With Conspiracy And Possessing Property Stolen From Burglary Of Jewelry Store

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

NEWARK, N.J. – A Chilean man, believed to be part of a South American theft group, is charged for his involvement in a conspiracy to break into a jewelry store in New Jersey and possess the stolen property in other states, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.

Gustavo Ignacio Salas Ortega, 33, of Chile, is charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to receive stolen property that had crossed state lines and one count of receiving stolen property that had crossed state lines. ICE ERO Newark arrested Salas Ortega on October 14, 2024, in Rochelle Park, New Jersey.

Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna stated, “Sophisticated and highly organized burglars that allegedly target businesses do great damage and put the public at risk. The defendant is charged with conspiring to break into a jewelry store in New Jersey to steal expensive wristwatches and jewelry and then taking the valuables to other states. This office is committed to finding the perpetrators of these crimes and preventing them from continuing to harm our businesses.”

“The Joint Organized Crime Task Force has been working tirelessly to apprehend these alleged criminals, following a labyrinth of conspirators that span multiple states.” FBI-Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly said. “These alleged criminals are part of South American theft groups who have been targeting stores throughout the United States for months. These alleged thieves have worked equally hard to evade law enforcement as they have to infiltrate the very businesses they have ripped off. This charge marks a positive step forward towards dismantling this group.”

“As alleged, the illegal alien offender threatened the public safety of our community by participating in an organized theft group,” said ICE ERO Newark Field Office Director John Tsoukaris. “These charges against Salas Ortega demonstrate ICE ERO Newark’s commitment to uphold the integrity of our immigration system while promoting the security of New Jersey’s residents.”

“We are incredibly proud of the tireless efforts of our detectives and the collaborative work with federal agencies that led to the identification of these suspects. This case underscores the importance of community and inter-agency cooperation in solving complex crimes,” said Millburn Police Chief Gilfedder. “Our department remains committed to bringing those responsible to justice and ensuring the safety of our residents and businesses.”

Salas Ortega appeared on February 4, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Newark federal court and was detained.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

The defendant was part of a group that scouted a jewelry store in a New Jersey mall before committing the burglary. The defendant and his co-conspirators then entered the jewelry store through the ceiling and a hole they cut through an adjacent wall. Law enforcement later found the defendant wearing an expensive wristwatch that had been in the jewelry store at the time of the burglary. Further investigation showed that the defendant had possessed the stolen wristwatch in New York on multiple days after the burglary.

The charge of conspiracy to sell or receive stolen property carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; and the charge of receipt of stolen property carries a maximum potential penalty of ten years in prison. Both charges also carry a maximum potential penalty of up to a $250,000 fine, or twice the amount of money involved in the offense, whichever is greater.

Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited the FBI Newark’s Joint Organized Crime Task Force (JOCTF), under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark; Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations, under the direction of Field Office Director John Tsoukaris; the Millburn Police Department under the direction of Chief Brian Gilfedder; and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department, under the direction of Superintendent of Police Edward T. Cetnar, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the Denver Police Department, Paramus Police Department, Fair Lawn Police Department, Edison Police Department, Northbrook (IL) Police Department, Vacaville (CA) Police Department, Nassau County (NY) Police Department, Woodbury (NY) Town Police Department, Town of Greenburgh (NY) Police Department, New York Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, FBI Denver, FBI New York, and the FBI Legal Attaché Santiago, Chile.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trevor A. Chenoweth of the Narcotics/OCDETF Unit in Newark.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

###

Defense counsel:

Mary Toscano, Esq., Roseland, New Jersey

MIL-OSI Security: Illegal alien gets life sentence for ongoing sexual abuse of minor child

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

McALLEN, Texas – A 35-year-old Mexican citizen who illegally resided in Palmview has been sentenced for producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of a family member and coercing the production of CSAM using various chat platforms, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

Jesus Adrian Barraza-Vega pleaded guilty Oct. 9, 2024.

U.S. District Judge Drew Tipton has now sentenced Barraza-Vega to serve the rest of his life in prison. The court further ordered him to pay $3,0o0 in restitution to a known victim and a total of $60,000 in fines.

At the hearing, the minor victim was present with family and provided a victim letter addressed to Barraza-Vega describing the harm he had caused her. In addition, the court heard that Barraza-Vega’s ongoing abuse of a minor family member continued until just days before his encounter with law enforcement.

“Our sincere hope is that the children who Barraza-Vega victimized can now have some measure of peace,” said Ganjei. “Crimes against children committed in the Southern District of Texas will be prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. The life sentence handed down today against Mr. Barraza-Vega should be a warning to other would-be abusers.”

“Children deserve to be safe. Whether online or in their own homes, we all have a duty to protect those most vulnerable to exploitation,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for the FBI’s San Antonio Field Office. “The FBI works day and night to ensure predators like this are brought to justice. We hope this sentence might bring some sense of closure and healing for the victims and their families.”

On July 3, 2023, New York authorities discovered inappropriate images were being sent to an eight-year-old minor. A review of the conversation revealed the minor victim had sent sexually explicit videos of herself to an unknown individual using TextNow and WhatsApp. During the course of the conversation, the individual pretended to be a 13-year-old male. He sent images depicting a male’s genitalia and messages that were sexually explicit in nature, including requests for the minor victim to engage in sexual acts.

Law enforcement conducted a search and determined the subscriber information for the IP address information returned to addresses where Barraza-Vega had previously resided including his current location in Palmview.

During an interview with Barraza-Vega, he confirmed his prior residences, email addresses and phone number, and that he used TextNow and WhatsApp. All matched the information linked to the accounts used to coerce and entice the production of CSAM from the minor victim in New York.

In February 2024, law enforcement executed a federal search warrant for a cellphone identified as belonging to Barraza-Vega. The forensic extraction revealed CSAM including videos and images of a minor relative. The material included images and videos of Barraza-Vega engaging in various sexual acts with this victim. The videos and images dated from on or about Nov. 11, 2020, to on or about Jan. 18, 2024.

FBI conducted the investigation with the assistance of Border Patrol and police departments in Mission and Palmview.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexa D. Parcell is prosecuting the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section leads PSC, which marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and identifies and rescues victims. For more information about PSC, please visit DOJ’s PSC page. For more information about internet safety education, please visit the resources tab on that page.

MIL-OSI Security: Former Employee Charged With Defrauding Mt. Diablo Unified School District In Fake Invoices Scheme

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

OAKLAND – A federal grand jury has charged Eric Rego with three counts of mail fraud in connection with a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud his former employer, the Mt. Diablo Unified School District (MDUSD), through fake invoices for electronic devices that Rego kept and resold.

According to an indictment unsealed today, Rego, 39, a resident of El Dorado Hills, Calif., committed fraud by using MDUSD funds earmarked for an after-school program to purchase tablet computers and other electronic devices that he then sold for his own profit. Rego was an employee of MDUSD, a public school district in Contra Costa County. The school district had an after-school program that offered to students in transitional kindergarten through twelfth grade academic, recreational, and environmental programming. The after-school program was free to students and funded primarily through state grants designed to benefit high-need population areas. Rego was MDUSD’s after-school program coordinator.

The school district had a contract with a nonprofit (referred to as Nonprofit 1) to run its after-school program. As the program coordinator, Rego worked closely with Nonprofit 1. Beginning around July 2020 and continuing through around May 2024, Rego purchased or caused to be purchased iPads, MacBooks, GoPro cameras, and other electronic devices through Nonprofit 1. Rego allegedly falsely claimed to a Nonprofit 1 employee that the iPads and other devices were needed for students in the after-school program, but instead kept the devices and resold them at a fraction of their cost.

To carry out his scheme, Rego directed a Nonprofit 1 employee to submit monthly invoices containing a line-item expense for subcontracts and supplies and to include the cost of the iPads and other devices in this line-item. Rego reviewed and approved these monthly invoices and caused their submission to MDUSD for processing and payment. In so doing, Rego falsely represented to MDUSD that the invoices were for Nonprofit 1’s expenses incurred from operating the after-school program. In all, the indictment alleges that Rego fraudulently obtained iPads, MacBooks, GoPro cameras, and other devices at a cost of not less than approximately $3.3 million.

The defendant was arrested today and will appear in federal district court in Sacramento on Feb. 5, 2025.

An indictment merely alleges that crimes have been committed and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count of mail fraud. Any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Dan Costin made the announcement.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Rezaei is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Linda Love. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI and the Concord Police Department. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI thank the Mt. Diablo Unified School District and Superintendent Adam Clark, Ed.D. for their cooperation with the investigation.

Rego Indictment

MIL-OSI New Zealand: Woman found injured in Christchurch park

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

Attributable to Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Simmons:

Christchurch Police investigating a serious assault in the city are seeking help from the public.

The female victim was found seriously injured at the Richmond Village Green on Stanmore Road about 9:20am today.

She remains in a critical condition in hospital.

A scene examination of the area is underway.

As part of our inquiries, Police would like to speak to anyone who may have information that would help us determine what happened.

Information can be passed to Police via our 105 phone service, or by going online to https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105 and using ‘Update Report’, referencing file number 250205/8067.

ENDS

Issued by the Police Media Centre

MIL-OSI USA: Booker Statement on Vote Against Pam Bondi as Attorney General

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for New Jersey Cory Booker

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement:

“I’ve known Pam Bondi for years and have had the opportunity to work with Ms. Bondi on various issues in the past, including advancing the First Step Act and police accountability and reform efforts during the first Trump administration. My experiences with her have been very positive and constructive. She became someone I could trust and rely upon. I was grateful to work with her in efforts to reform our broken criminal justice system and improve public safety.

“Should Pam Bondi be confirmed, I am committed to working with her on issues where we can find common ground and that advance the ideals of justice and create safer and stronger communities in New Jersey and our country.

“Unfortunately, President Trump’s unacceptable, unprecedented, and dangerous attacks on the independence of the Department of Justice since taking office are antithetical to democratic values and cause grave concern for anyone who believes in a justice system free from politics. By purging prosecutors who worked on Jan. 6 cases, firing top level FBI officials, and demanding a list of thousands of agents who investigated him, Donald Trump is attempting to dismantle entire systems of accountability and oversight, and extract payback against those who he feels have wronged him.

“Given Trump’s actions and the clear attacks on the independence, transparency, and accountability of the Justice Department, I cannot support his nominees for key leadership positions at the Justice Department. I will vote against Ms. Bondi for attorney general as an express condemnation of Trump’s larger actions against the important norms and traditions of the Justice Department.”

MIL-OSI Security: One Sentenced, Two Admit to Roles in Ohio Valley Drug Trafficking Organization

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

WHEELING, WEST VIRGINIA – Three men appeared in federal court this week for their involvement with a drug trafficking operation in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia.

James Kidder, also known as “Jamey,” 47, of Martins Ferry, Ohio, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine. He has a criminal history that includes domestic violence, assault, theft, drug trafficking, and burglary.

James Galloway, 28, of Bellaire, Ohio, pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl, cocaine, and cocaine base. Matthew Clemont, 32, of Wheeling, West Virginia, pled guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

According to court documents, the three men were distributors in a larger drug trafficking operation that spanned from Las Vegas, Nevada, to the Ohio Valley.

Kidder will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Galloway and Clemont each face up to 20 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Nogay is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

The Ohio Valley Drug Task Force, Marshall County Drug Task Force, and the Hancock-Brooke-Weirton Drug Task Force, all HIDTA-funded initiatives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; West Virginia State Police; Wheeling Police Department; Ohio County Sheriff’s Office; and the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office investigated.

U.S. Magistrate Judge James P. Mazzone presided.

Press release on the associated case: www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-twenty-six-drug-trafficking

MIL-Evening Report: Watching the doom loop: Sydney Festival artists witness climate change, and imagine our post-apocalyptic future

Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Blake Lawrence, PhD Candidate (Design) and Performance Artist, University of Technology Sydney

Re-Stor(y)ing Oceania. Giacomo Cosua/Sydney Festival

The first weeks of 2025 have seen catastrophic wildfires locally and internationally, record global ocean temperatures, and unprecedented coral bleaching events.

Trump has signed executive orders to exit from the Paris Agreement, and locally, the Coalition continues its decades-long campaign of climate denial

Species fall swiftly and silently to extinction. The language of bird-song collapses. For many peoples, and for many species, apocalypse is past tense.

For climate risk researchers Laurie Laybourn and James Dyke, politics illustrates a doom loop, a political diving-towards apocalypse.

Artists in this year’s Sydney Festival imagine exit strategies from this doom loop – and dream of taking root in its post-apocalyptic rubble.

Anito

Phasmahammer is the alter-ego and ongoing creative project of artist Justin Talplacido Shoulder. Anito is the latest in a series of their theatre-scale works that blend live performance with mythology, story-telling, costume and ceremony.

We begin in the cavernous Carriageworks foyer with a living miniature fig tree.

Damun (as it is known in the Gadigal language), Ficus rubingosa (Latin), the Port Jackson fig, is known for establishing itself insurgently in the pavements and gutters of the city’s colonial (apocalyptic) architecture.

Here, the bonsai sits like a welcome party, stifled and vibrant in its little pot.

In an introductory speech, Shoulder’s collaborator Matthew Stegh acknowledges the city of Sydney as “a theatre and a prison” – tripling in reference to both the experience of producing theatre for institutions, and the stunted experience of our little fig.

Anito blends live performance with mythology, story-telling, costume and ceremony.
Sarah Walker/Sydney Festival

He pays homage to the ecological and cosmological traditions of Gadigal Country, and to the ancestral Philippines of Shoulder. In the next breath Stegh shifts his homage to Sydney’s histories of queer and counter-cultural performance, to sex workers, strippers, clowns, club kids and drag queens.

He offers reflections on apocalypse and ruin, referring to the “cultish suicide pact” of white supremacy, capitalism, imperialism and colonialism – to doom loops.

We are led into the auditorium, where Shoulder and fellow performer Eugene Choi animate a series of hallucinatory images.

Using their bodies, costume pieces, puppetry and inflatable set design, they work with immaculate sound (Corin Ileto) and lighting (Fausto Brusamolino).

A ghostly hologram of the buttress of a great tree fills the stage. Metallic roots writhe at its foundation. Shoulder and Choi emerge, and from there, eruptions: the first man and woman, a pair of thunder-lizards, bickering, a quadruped. A scale-bending colonial ghost smothered in lace searches tragically for something among planetary ruins. A stony reef of polyps and anemones blooms and dances. A single clap by three pairs of hands. The Big Bang.

It is often hard to discern exactly how the images are performed. They are both magic and bewildering.
Liz Ham/Sydney Festival

By design, it is often hard to discern exactly how these images are performed. They are both magic and bewildering.

For philosopher Ben Ware, thinking about the horizon of the extinction of all biological life on Earth poses a paradoxical opportunity. The only thing that can thwart the end of this world – “a world of converging and multiplying catastrophes” – is the recognition that the politics of this time have one outcome: “the slow unravelling of intimately entangled forms of life”.

The fantasy theatre of Anito makes those intimate entanglements visual. We must begin from understanding that the way the world is organised produces its own end.

Like Shoulder, artist communities of the Pacific know this intimately.

Re-Stor(y)ing Oceania

Re-Stor(y)ing Oceania is an exhibition led by artists of the South Pacific Ocean.

Originally conceived for the Venice Biennale, and curated by Taloi Havini, the exhibition comprises two commissions by Elisapeta Hinemoa Heta and Latai Taumoepeau.

This is a space for conversation, performance, song and activism.
Giacomo Cosua/Sydney Festival

The rooms of a freshly-renovated Artspace in Woolloomooloo are transformed by Heta’s architectural interventions. In one, a mass of bricks creates an altar-like structure, on which bowls of coconut milk sit in concentric circles. In another, pavers form a platform for a circle of seats. They function as stages or gathering places for conversation, performance, song and activism.

Within these happenings, Havini and her artists speak to the narrative and politics that have produced and compounded catastrophe in the South Pacific.

Taumoepeau’s interactive installation Deep Communion sung in minor (ArchipelaGO, THIS IS NOT A DRILL) requires visitors to row on standing-paddle-board-like treadmills, which activate immersive songs sung by Taumoepeau and her collaborators.

The physical exacerbation and the ecological trauma on the screens coalesce in our bodies.
Giacomo Cosua/Sydney Festival

In conversation with Heta’s installation, these songs rise and fall, the edges of the artworks and activations become blurry. Visitors paddle towards projections visualising the rubble of marine-ecological wastelands produced by regional deep-sea extraction.

The physical exacerbation and the ecological trauma on the screens coalesce in our bodies. To drop the oar enacts the fading of the song from the speakers. We are left with reflections of the connections between bodies and calamity, and the labour of working towards futures beyond ruin.

Plant a Promise

Henrietta Baird’s Plant a Promise, like Anito and Re-Stor(y)ing Oceania, is a performance with blurry edges. Its roots spread out of Bangarra’s Studio Theatre to incorporate installation, in-situ yarns (storytelling and conversation) and tree-planting projects across the city.

Inside the theatre, three contemporary dancers animate recorded stories of Indigenous experiences of bushfires beside frustrations with the surrounding political footballing. The sentiment is clear: less talk, more action.

Plant a Promise beckons audiences into attentiveness to the lives of trees, fire and people.
Stephen Wilson Barker/Sydney Festival

At its finale, audience members are invited to the stage to collaborate in the transformation of the set. We are led to take handfuls of verdant eucalyptus and acacia leaves and implant them into large woven columns that have functioned theatrically as abstracted tree-forms. The stage is transformed into a forest of our making together.

Through its many stories, Plant a Promise beckons audiences into attentiveness to the lives of trees, fire and people.

In the shadows of catastrophe, the roots of Indigenous knowledge systems and environmental science cross-pollinate to share and enact care for Country.

The stage is transformed into a forest of our making together.
Stephen Wilson Barker/Sydney Festival

Generously, we receive a gift as we exit the theatre. The exchange of a native sapling invites us into casual conversation – into reflections on Country, and how we might, all of us, commit to it.

Again, we begin, from the recognition of an end. More rubble. More roots.

Putricia

At the time of writing, Sydneysiders are enamoured with the life of another plant, gathered around livestreams and making excited trips to the city’s Botanic Gardens.

Putricia, the resident titan arum, or corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanium), has thrown her immense flower spike into the air. She has commenced her slow strip-tease after a week of tantalising her admirers.

In a few weeks we have become attentive to her story of life and renewal. She will likely have bloomed, wilted and returned to the soil before this text goes live.

Performances like Putricia’s blooming, Anito, Re-Stor(y)ing Oceania and Plant a Promise offer new vantage points from which to understand ourselves in relation to the natural world, and to glimpse myriad alternatives to what feels like a diving towards our own demise.

Performances of aliveness beside and within the ecologies we inhabit move us beyond what Ben Ware sees as a naïve sense of “hope”. Instead, these stories make material, make cultural, make real, the impossible task of imagining what comes next.

Amid the smell of rotting corpses, the pillowy puppetry of a theatrical coral spawning event, the planting of a forest or the singing of invocations for the protection of the planet’s oceans, we might yet find ourselves. This is not a drill.

Blake Lawrence 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.

– ref. Watching the doom loop: Sydney Festival artists witness climate change, and imagine our post-apocalyptic future – https://theconversation.com/watching-the-doom-loop-sydney-festival-artists-witness-climate-change-and-imagine-our-post-apocalyptic-future-249017

MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

MIL-OSI: Landmark Bancorp, Inc. Announces 6.3% Increase in Net Earnings for the Year Ended December 31, 2024, and Fourth Quarter Earnings Per Share of $0.57. Declares Cash Dividend of $0.21 per Share

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Manhattan, KS, Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Landmark Bancorp, Inc. (“Landmark”; Nasdaq: LARK) reported diluted earnings per share of $0.57 for the three months ended December 31, 2024, compared to $0.68 per share in the third quarter of 2024 and $0.46 per share in the same quarter last year. Net income for the fourth quarter totaled $3.3 million, compared to $2.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2023 and $3.9 million in the prior quarter. For the three months ended December 31, 2024, the return on average assets was 0.83%, the return on average equity was 9.54% and the efficiency ratio was 70.0%.

For the year ended December 31, 2024, diluted earnings per share totaled $2.26 compared to $2.13 during 2023. Net earnings for 2024 totaled $13.0 million, compared to $12.2 million in 2023, or an increase of 6.3%. For the year ended December 31, 2024, the return on average assets was 0.83%, the return on average equity was 10.01% and the efficiency ratio was 69.1%.

2024 Performance Highlights

	●	Fourth quarter loan growth totaled $50.5 million or an annualized increase of 20.1% over the prior quarter.
	●	For the year, gross loans grew $103.7 million or 10.9%.
	●	Net interest margin improved 21 basis points to 3.51% compared to 3.30% in prior quarter.
	●	Deposits increased $53.3 million, or 16.6% annualized, from the prior quarter.
	●	Total borrowings decreased $34.7 million in the fourth quarter.
	●	A pre-tax loss of $1.0 million was realized in the fourth quarter to reposition a portion of the investment portfolio.
	●	Credit quality remained good with net charge-offs totaling $219,000 in the fourth quarter.

In making this announcement, Abby Wendel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Landmark, commented, “During 2024, we experienced strong loan demand, especially for residential mortgages and commercial real estate loans. In the fourth quarter 2024, we saw strong growth in virtually all loan categories, with total gross loans increasing by $51 million or 20% (annualized). Total deposits also increased in the fourth quarter by more than $53 million, mostly due to seasonal growth in money market and interest checking accounts. The increase in deposits coupled with investment securities sales and maturities this quarter helped fund loan growth and reduce expensive short-term borrowings. For the year, net interest income grew 5.6% over the previous year while in the fourth quarter 2024 our net interest margin improved to 3.51%. Strategic investments in our people and product offerings resulted in higher non-interest expenses, particularly in the fourth quarter. Credit quality remained solid overall.”

Landmark’s Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.21 per share, to be paid March 5, 2025, to common stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 19, 2025. On December 16, 2024, the Company issued a 5% stock dividend to common stockholders, representing the 24^th consecutive year that a stock dividend has been paid.

Management will host a conference call to discuss the Company’s financial results at 10:00 a.m. (Central time) on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. Investors may participate via telephone by dialing (833) 470-1428 and using access code 296482. A replay of the call will be available through February 12, 2025, by dialing (866) 813-9403 and using access code 817329.

Net Interest Income

Net interest income in the fourth quarter of 2024 amounted to $12.4 million representing an increase of $795,000, or 6.9%, compared to the previous quarter. The increase in net interest income was due mainly to lower interest expense on deposits and other borrowed funds. The net interest margin increased to 3.51% during the fourth quarter from 3.30% during the prior quarter. Compared to the previous quarter, interest income on loans increased $22,000 to $16.0 million due to higher average balances but partially offset by lower yields on loans. Average loan balances increased $24.5 million while the average tax-equivalent yield on the loan portfolio decreased 15 basis points to 6.28%. Interest on investment securities declined slightly due to lower balances while partially offset by higher earning rates. Compared to the third quarter 2024, interest on deposits decreased $480,000, or 8.2% mainly due to lower rates, while interest on other borrowed funds declined by $363,000, due to lower rates and balances. The average rate on interest-bearing deposits decreased 23 basis points to 2.25% while the average rate on other borrowed funds decreased 51 basis points to 5.10% in the fourth quarter.

Non-Interest Income

Non-interest income totaled $3.4 million for the fourth quarter of 2024, a decrease of $882,000 from the previous quarter. The decrease in non-interest income during the fourth quarter of 2024 was primarily due to a $1.0 million loss on the sales of lower yielding investment securities mentioned above, while the third quarter of 2024 did not include any sales of investment securities. Additionally, lower sales of residential mortgages this quarter resulted in a decline of $182,000 in gains on sales of these mortgages. The decline in other non-interest income of $221,000 this quarter compared to the prior quarter resulted from sales of premises, equipment and foreclosed assets that did not re-occur in the current quarter. Partially offsetting those declines was an increase of $722,000 in bank owned life insurance income.

Non-Interest Expense

During the fourth quarter of 2024, non-interest expense totaled $11.9 million, an increase of $1.3 million compared to the prior quarter. The increase in non-interest expense was primarily due to increases of $470,000 in professional fees and $461,000 in compensation and benefits. The increase in professional fees this quarter was primarily due to higher consulting costs on several initiatives. The increase in compensation and benefits was attributable to an increase in employees and higher incentive compensation costs.

Income Tax Expense (Benefit)

Landmark recorded an income tax benefit of $886,000 in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to income tax expense of $867,000 in the prior quarter. The effective tax rate was (37.0%) in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to 18.1% in the third quarter of 2024. The fourth quarter of 2024 included the recognition of $1.0 million of previously unrecognized tax benefits, which reduced the effective tax rate.

Balance Sheet Highlights

As of December 31, 2024, gross loans totaled $1.1 billion, an increase of $50.5 million, or 20.1% annualized since September 30, 2024. During the quarter, loan growth was primarily comprised of commercial real estate (growth of $21.1 million), commercial (growth of $10.7 million), agriculture (growth of $8.6 million) and one-to-four family residential real estate (growth of $7.8 million) loans. Investment securities decreased $38.5 million during the fourth quarter of 2024 and included sales of $36.0 million in low-rate U.S. treasury securities offset by purchases of $18.0 million in market rate U.S. treasury securities. Pre-tax unrealized net losses on the investment securities portfolio increased from $13.3 million at September 30, 2024 to $20.9 million at December 31, 2024 mainly due to higher market rates for these securities at year end.

Period end deposit balances increased $53.3 million to $1.3 billion at December 31, 2024. The increase in deposits was mainly driven by an increase in money market and checking (increase of $71.3 million) but partially offset by declines in certificates of deposit (decrease of $9.2 million) and non-interest-bearing demand deposits (decrease of $8.6 million). The increase in money market and checking accounts was mainly driven by seasonal growth in public fund deposit account balances. Total borrowings decreased $34.7 million during the fourth quarter 2024. At December 31, 2024, the loan to deposits ratio was 78.2% compared to 77.6% in the prior quarter.

Stockholders’ equity decreased to $136.2 million (book value of $23.59 per share) as of December 31, 2024, from $139.7 million (book value of $24.18 per share) as of September 30, 2024. The decrease in stockholders’ equity was due to an increase in accumulated other comprehensive losses as the unrealized net losses on investments securities increased during the fourth quarter. The ratio of equity to total assets decreased to 8.65% on December 31, 2024, from 8.93% on September 30, 2024.

The allowance for credit losses totaled $12.8 million, or 1.22% of total gross loans on December 31, 2024, compared to $11.5 million, or 1.15% of total gross loans on September 30, 2024. Net loan charge-offs totaled $219,000 in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to $9,000 during the third quarter of 2024. A provision for credit losses for loans of $1.5 million was recorded in the fourth quarter of 2024 compared to $650,000 in the third quarter of 2024.

Non-performing loans totaled $13.1 million, or 1.25% of gross loans at December 31, 2024 compared to $13.4 million, or 1.34% of gross loans at September 30, 2024. Loans 30-89 days delinquent declined to $6.2 million, or 0.59% of gross loans, as of December 31, 2024, compared to $7.3 million, or 0.73% of gross loans, as of September 30, 2024.

About Landmark

Landmark Bancorp, Inc., the holding company for Landmark National Bank, is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “LARK.” Headquartered in Manhattan, Kansas, Landmark National Bank is a community banking organization dedicated to providing quality financial and banking services. Landmark National Bank has 29 locations in 23 communities across Kansas: Manhattan (2), Auburn, Dodge City (2), Fort Scott (2), Garden City, Great Bend (2), Hoisington, Iola, Junction City, La Crosse, Lawrence (2), Lenexa, Louisburg, Mound City, Osage City, Osawatomie, Overland Park, Paola, Pittsburg, Prairie Village, Topeka (2), Wamego and Wellsville, Kansas. Visit www.banklandmark.com for more information.

Contact:
Mark A. Herpich
Chief Financial Officer
(785) 565-2000

Special Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business of Landmark. Forward-looking statements, which may be based upon beliefs, expectations and assumptions of our management and on information currently available to management, are generally identifiable by the use of words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should” or other similar expressions. Additionally, all statements in this press release, including forward-looking statements, speak only as of the date they are made, and Landmark undertakes no obligation to update any statement in light of new information or future events. A number of factors, many of which are beyond our ability to control or predict, could cause actual results to differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements. These factors include, among others, the following: (i) the strength of the local, national and international economies, including the effects of changing inflationary pressures and supply chain constraints on such economies; (ii) changes in state and federal laws, regulations and governmental policies concerning banking, securities, consumer protection, insurance, monetary, trade and tax matters, including changes in interpretation or prioritization; (iii) changes in interest rates and prepayment rates of our assets; (iv) increased competition in the financial services sector and the inability to attract new customers, including from non-bank competitors such as credit unions and “fintech” companies; (v) timely development and acceptance of new products and services; (vi) changes in technology and the ability to develop and maintain secure and reliable electronic systems; (vii) our risk management framework; (viii) interruptions in information technology and telecommunications systems and third-party services; (ix) changes and uncertainty in benchmark interest rates, including the timing of additional rate changes, if any, by the Federal Reserve; (x) the economic effects of severe weather, natural disasters, widespread disease or pandemics, or other external events; (xi) the loss of key executives or employees; (xii) changes in consumer spending; (xiii) integration of acquired businesses; (xiv) unexpected outcomes of existing or new litigation; (xv) changes in accounting policies and practices, such as the implementation of the current expected credit losses accounting standard; (xvi) the economic impact of past and any future terrorist attacks, acts of war, including the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the conflict in Ukraine, or threats thereof, and the response of the United States to any such threats and attacks; (xvii) the ability to manage credit risk, forecast loan losses and maintain an adequate allowance for loan losses; (xviii) fluctuations in the value of securities held in our securities portfolio; (xix) concentrations within our loan portfolio, large loans to certain borrowers, and large deposits from certain clients; (xx) the concentration of large deposits from certain clients who have balances above current FDIC insurance limits and may withdraw deposits to diversify their exposure; (xxi) the level of non-performing assets on our balance sheets; (xxii) the ability to raise additional capital; (xxiii) cyber-attacks; (xxiv) declines in real estate values; (xxv) the effects of fraud on the part of our employees, customers, vendors or counterparties; and (xxvi) any other risks described in the “Risk Factors” sections of reports filed by Landmark with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Additional information concerning Landmark and its business, including additional risk factors that could materially affect Landmark’s financial results, is included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

LANDMARK BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited)

	December 31,			September 30,			June 30,			March 31,			December 31,
(Dollars in thousands)	2024			2024			2024			2024			2023
Assets
Cash and cash equivalents	$	20,275		$	21,211		$	23,889		$	16,468		$	27,101
Interest-bearing deposits at other banks		4,110			4,363			4,881			4,920			4,918
Investment securities available-for-sale, at fair value:
U.S. treasury securities		64,458			83,753			89,325			93,683			95,667
Municipal obligations, tax exempt		107,128			112,126			114,047			118,445			120,623
Municipal obligations, taxable		71,715			75,129			74,588			75,371			79,083
Agency mortgage-backed securities		129,211			140,004			142,499			149,777			157,396
Total investment securities available-for-sale		372,512			411,012			420,459			437,276			452,769
Investment securities held-to-maturity		3,672			3,643			3,613			3,584			3,555
Bank stocks, at cost		6,618			7,894			9,647			7,850			8,123
Loans:
One-to-four family residential real estate		352,209			344,380			332,090			312,833			302,544
Construction and land		25,328			23,454			30,480			24,823			21,090
Commercial real estate		345,159			324,016			318,850			323,397			320,962
Commercial		192,325			181,652			178,876			181,945			180,942
Agriculture		100,562			91,986			84,523			86,808			89,680
Municipal		7,091			7,098			6,556			5,690			4,507
Consumer		29,679			29,263			29,200			28,544			28,931
Total gross loans		1,052,353			1,001,849			980,575			964,040			948,656
Net deferred loan (fees) costs and loans in process		(307	)		(63	)		(583	)		(578	)		(429	)
Allowance for credit losses		(12,825	)		(11,544	)		(10,903	)		(10,851	)		(10,608	)
Loans, net		1,039,221			990,242			969,089			952,611			937,619
Loans held for sale, at fair value		3,420			3,250			2,513			2,697			853
Bank owned life insurance		39,056			39,176			38,826			38,578			38,333
Premises and equipment, net		20,220			20,976			20,986			20,696			19,709
Goodwill		32,377			32,377			32,377			32,377			32,377
Other intangible assets, net		2,578			2,729			2,900			3,071			3,241
Mortgage servicing rights		3,061			3,041			2,997			2,977			3,158
Real estate owned, net		167			428			428			428			928
Other assets		26,855			23,309			28,149			29,684			28,988
Total assets	$	1,574,142		$	1,563,651		$	1,560,754		$	1,553,217		$	1,561,672

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity
Liabilities:
Deposits:
Non-interest-bearing demand		351,595			360,188			360,631			364,386			367,103
Money market and checking		636,963			565,629			546,385			583,315			613,613
Savings		145,514			145,825			150,996			154,000			152,381
Certificates of deposit		194,694			203,860			192,470			191,823			183,154
Total deposits		1,328,766			1,275,502			1,250,482			1,293,524			1,316,251
FHLB and other borrowings		53,046			92,050			131,330			74,716			64,662
Subordinated debentures		21,651			21,651			21,651			21,651			21,651
Repurchase agreements		13,808			9,528			8,745			15,895			12,714
Accrued interest and other liabilities		20,656			25,229			20,292			20,760			19,480
Total liabilities		1,437,927			1,423,960			1,432,500			1,426,546			1,434,758
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock		58			55			55			55			55
Additional paid-in capital		95,051			89,532			89,469			89,364			89,208
Retained earnings		56,934			60,549			57,774			55,912			54,282
Treasury stock, at cost		–			(396	)		(330	)		(249	)		(75	)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(15,828	)		(10,049	)		(18,714	)		(18,411	)		(16,556	)
Total stockholders’ equity		136,215			139,691			128,254			126,671			126,914
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$	1,574,142		$	1,563,651		$	1,560,754		$	1,553,217		$	1,561,672

LANDMARK BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Earnings (unaudited)

	Three months ended,								Year ended,
	December 31,			September 30,		December 31,			December 31,			December 31,
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)	2024			2024		2023			2024			2023
Interest income:
Loans	$	15,955		$	15,933	$	14,223		$	61,400		$	51,753
Investment securities:
Taxable		2,210			2,301		2,453			9,298			9,594
Tax-exempt		738			747		761			3,008			3,094
Interest-bearing deposits at banks		49			41		49			193			242
Total interest income		18,952			19,022		17,486			73,899			64,683
Interest expense:
Deposits		5,350			5,830		4,879			22,310			15,254
FHLB and other borrowings		737			1,100		1,203			3,886			4,048
Subordinated debentures		389			416		422			1,635			1,590
Repurchase agreements		77			72		96			344			499
Total interest expense		6,553			7,418		6,600			28,175			21,391
Net interest income		12,399			11,604		10,886			45,724			43,292
Provision for credit losses		1,500			500		50			2,300			349
Net interest income after provision for credit losses		10,899			11,104		10,836			43,424			42,943
Non-interest income:
Fees and service charges		2,710			2,880		2,763			10,742			10,220
Gains on sales of loans, net		522			704		255			2,386			2,269
Bank owned life insurance		976			254		242			1,723			913
Losses on sales of investment securities, net		(1,031	)		–		(1,246	)		(1,031	)		(1,246	)
Other		194			415		240			924			1,074
Total non-interest income		3,371			4,253		2,254			14,744			13,230
Non-interest expense:
Compensation and benefits		6,264			5,803		5,756			23,103			22,681
Occupancy and equipment		1,550			1,429		1,429			5,663			5,565
Data processing		452			464		462			1,889			1,940
Amortization of mortgage servicing rights and other intangibles		240			256		437			1,164			1,844
Professional fees		1,043			573		730			2,912			2,452
Valuation allowance on real estate held for sale		–			–		–			1,108			–
Other		2,325			2,034		1,748			8,240			7,501
Total non-interest expense		11,874			10,559		10,562			44,079			41,983
Earnings before income taxes		2,396			4,798		2,528			14,089			14,190
Income tax expense (benefit)		(886	)		867		(111	)		1,086			1,954
Net earnings	$	3,282		$	3,931	$	2,639		$	13,003		$	12,236

Net earnings per share (1)
Basic	$	0.57		$	0.68	$	0.46		$	2.26		$	2.13
Diluted		0.57			0.68		0.46			2.26			2.13
Dividends per share (1)		0.20			0.20		0.19			0.80			0.76
Shares outstanding at end of period (1)		5,775,198			5,776,282		5,751,475			5,775,198			5,751,475
Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic (1)		5,775,227			5,765,348		5,755,175			5,758,056			5,751,585
Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted (1)		5,789,764			5,770,514		5,755,175			5,764,282			5,754,840

Tax equivalent net interest income	$	12,574		$	11,777	$	11,017		$	46,428		$	44,040

(1	)	Share and per share values at or for the periods ended September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2024 have been adjusted to give effect to the 5% stock dividend paid during December 2024.

LANDMARK BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Select Ratios and Other Data (unaudited)

	As of or for the three months ended,									As of or for the year ended,
	December 31,			September 30,			December 31,			December 31,			December 31,
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)	2024			2024			2023			2024			2023
Performance ratios:
Return on average assets (1)		0.83	%		1.01	%		0.67	%		0.83	%		0.80	%
Return on average equity (1)		9.54	%		11.95	%		9.39	%		10.01	%		10.70	%
Net interest margin (1)(2)		3.51	%		3.30	%		3.11	%		3.28	%		3.17	%
Effective tax rate		-37.0	%		18.1	%		-4.4	%		7.7	%		13.8	%
Efficiency ratio (3)		70.0	%		66.5	%		71.9	%		69.1	%		71.2	%
Non-interest income to total income (3)		25.9	%		25.5	%		24.3	%		25.3	%		25.1	%

Average balances:
Investment securities	$	409,648		$	428,301		$	463,763		$	432,928		$	486,268
Loans		1,010,153			985,659			934,333			974,293			891,487
Assets		1,568,821			1,562,482			1,555,742			1,558,236			1,535,694
Interest-bearing deposits		944,969			936,218			910,610			938,223			892,373
FHLB and other borrowings		57,507			77,958			84,408			70,226			74,210
Subordinated debentures		21,651			21,651			21,651			21,651			21,651
Repurchase agreements		12,212			10,774			13,785			12,216			18,361
Stockholders’ equity	$	136,933		$	132,271		$	111,560		$	129,944		$	114,339

Average tax equivalent yield/cost (1):
Investment securities		3.03	%		2.99	%		2.86	%		3.00	%		2.76	%
Loans		6.28	%		6.43	%		6.04	%		6.30	%		5.81	%
Total interest-bearing assets		5.34	%		5.38	%		4.97	%		5.28	%		4.71	%
Interest-bearing deposits		2.25	%		2.48	%		2.13	%		2.38	%		1.71	%
FHLB and other borrowings		5.10	%		5.61	%		5.65	%		5.53	%		5.45	%
Subordinated debentures		7.15	%		7.64	%		7.73	%		7.55	%		7.34	%
Repurchase agreements		2.51	%		2.66	%		2.79	%		2.82	%		2.72	%
Total interest-bearing liabilities		2.52	%		2.82	%		2.54	%		2.70	%		2.13	%

Capital ratios:
Equity to total assets		8.65	%		8.93	%		8.13	%
Tangible equity to tangible assets (3)		6.58	%		6.84	%		5.98	%
Book value per share	$	23.59		$	24.18		$	22.07
Tangible book value per share (3)	$	17.53		$	18.11		$	15.87

Rollforward of allowance for credit losses (loans):
Beginning balance	$	11,544		$	10,903		$	10,970		$	10,608		$	8,791
Adoption of CECL		–			–			–			–			1,523
Charge-offs		(246	)		(153	)		(442	)		(659	)		(850	)
Recoveries		27			144			80			476			894
Provision for credit losses for loans		1,500			650			–			2,400			250
Ending balance	$	12,825		$	11,544		$	10,608		$	12,825		$	10,608

Allowance for unfunded loan commitments	$	150		$	300		$	200

Non-performing assets:
Non-accrual loans	$	13,115		$	13,415		$	2,391
Accruing loans over 90 days past due		–			–			–
Real estate owned		167			428			928
Total non-performing assets	$	13,282		$	13,843		$	3,319

Loans 30-89 days delinquent	$	6,201		$	7,301		$	1,582

Other ratios:
Loans to deposits		78.21	%		77.64	%		71.23	%
Loans 30-89 days delinquent and still accruing to gross loans outstanding		0.59	%		0.73	%		0.17	%
Total non-performing loans to gross loans outstanding		1.25	%		1.34	%		0.25	%
Total non-performing assets to total assets		0.84	%		0.89	%		0.21	%
Allowance for credit losses to gross loans outstanding		1.22	%		1.15	%		1.12	%
Allowance for credit losses to total non-performing loans		97.79	%		86.05	%		443.66	%
Net loan charge-offs to average loans (1)		0.09	%		0.00	%		0.15	%		0.03	%		-0.01	%

(1	)	Information is annualized.
(2	)	Net interest margin is presented on a fully tax equivalent basis, using a 21% federal tax rate.
(3	)	Non-GAAP financial measures. See the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section of this press release for a reconciliation to the most comparable GAAP equivalent.

LANDMARK BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Non-GAAP Finacials Measures (unaudited)

	As of or for the three months ended,									As of or for the year ended,
	December 31,			September 30,			December 31,			December 31,			December 31,
(Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)	2024			2024			2023			2024			2023

Non-GAAP financial ratio reconciliation:
Total non-interest expense	$	11,874		$	10,559		$	10,562		$	44,079		$	41,983
Less: foreclosure and real estate owned expense		(13	)		(23	)		(40	)		(47	)		(61	)
Less: amortization of other intangibles		(151	)		(171	)		(174	)		(663	)		(765	)
Less: valuation allowance on real estate held for sale		–			–			–			(1,108	)		–
Adjusted non-interest expense (A)		11,710			10,365			10,348			42,261			41,157

Net interest income (B)		12,399			11,604			10,886			45,724			43,292

Non-interest income		3,371			4,253			2,254			14,744			13,230
Less: losses on sales of investment securities, net		1,031			–			1,246			1,031			1,246
Less: gains on sales of premises and equipment and foreclosed assets		(62	)		(273	)		–			(326	)		(1	)
Adjusted non-interest income (C)	$	4,340		$	3,980		$	3,500		$	15,449		$	14,475

Efficiency ratio (A/(B+C))		70.0	%		66.5	%		71.9	%		69.1	%		71.2	%
Non-interest income to total income (C/(B+C))		25.9	%		25.5	%		24.3	%		25.3	%		25.1	%

Total stockholders’ equity	$	136,215		$	139,691		$	126,914
Less: goodwill and other intangible assets		(34,955	)		(35,106	)		(35,618	)
Tangible equity (D)	$	101,260		$	104,585		$	91,296

Total assets	$	1,574,142		$	1,563,651		$	1,561,672
Less: goodwill and other intangible assets		(34,955	)		(35,106	)		(35,618	)
Tangible assets (E)	$	1,539,187		$	1,528,545		$	1,526,054

Tangible equity to tangible assets (D/E)		6.58	%		6.84	%		5.98	%

Shares outstanding at end of period (F)		5,775,198			5,776,282			5,751,475

Tangible book value per share (D/F)	$	17.53		$	18.11		$	15.87

The MIL Network –

MIL-OSI New Zealand: Right place, right time for Waitangi rescue

Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

It was a case of right place, right time for the Police Maritime Unit after rescuing two teenagers struggling to keep afloat in the water off Waitangi Wharf.

At about 3.30pm on Tuesday, the Police Maritime Unit were returning to the wharf when they noticed two heads bobbing in the water.

Sergeant Jesse Jenden says the pair were with a group of others jumping into the water when they got out of their depth and found themselves struggling against the strong current.

“They were being swept out in the strong current and were near the 5-knot marker, about 300 metres from the wharf.

“They were with about 20 kids on the wharf but none of them had noticed they had been swept away.

“It was obvious they were struggling.”

Sergeant Jenden says when they pulled up alongside the two girls and offered help they quickly accepted and were helped onboard.

“Another few minutes and it could have been a different result.

“Both were fully clothed and wearing crocs, which would also have restricted their ability to swim.

“I guess it was a case of being in the right place at the right time, and I’m glad we were there to help.”

ENDS.

Holly McKay/NZ Police

MIL-OSI USA: White Supremacist Leader Found Guilty of Conspiring to Destroy Regional Power Grid

Source: US State of Vermont

After a six-day trial, a jury found Brandon Russell, 29, of Orlando, Florida, guilty of conspiracy to damage an energy facility.

According to evidence presented at trial, from at least November 2022 to Feb. 3, 2023, Russell conspired to carry out attacks against critical infrastructure, specifically transformers located within electrical substations, in furtherance of his racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist beliefs. Russell posted links to open-source maps of infrastructure, which included the locations of electrical substations, and he described how a small number of attacks on substations could cause a “cascading failure.” Russell also discussed maximizing the impact of the planned attack by hitting multiple substations at one time.

Russell recruited a Maryland-based woman, Sarah Beth Clendaniel, to carry out the attacks in Baltimore and elsewhere. They planned to damage energy facilities involved in the transmission and distribution of electricity and to cause a significant interruption and impairment of the Baltimore regional power grid. The intended monetary loss associated with the planned attacks would have exceeded $75 million. Clendaniel identified five substations to target, and Russell attempted to secure a weapon for Clendaniel. Clendaniel stated that if they hit a number of substations all in the same day, they “would completely destroy this whole city,” and that a “good four or five shots through the center of them . . . should make that happen.” She further added, “[i]t would probably permanently completely lay this city to waste if we could do that successfully.”

Russell faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to damage an energy facility and is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17.

On Sept. 25, 2024, Clendaniel was sentenced to 18 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for conspiring with Russell to damage or destroy an energy facility. Clendaniel was also sentenced to 15 years in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm and 3 years of supervised release.

The FBI investigated the case.

The Justice Department’s National Security Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New reforms to support victims of child sexual abuse

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Victims of child sexual abuse will be better supported with new reforms that prioritise their rights.

Three-year limit for compensation claims to be axed – enabling victims to come forward when ready
Burden of proof to shift from survivors to defendants – protecting victims from reliving trauma
Measures deliver recommendations of Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

The Government is delivering on recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) to make it easier for victims to gain an apology and to pursue claims in the civil court.

The three-year time limit for victims to bring personal injury claims will be removed. So will the burden of proof that currently rests on victims’ shoulders, who must prove it is possible to hold a fair trial for one to go ahead. Now, that burden is lifted off victims and placed on defendants, who must show a fair trial cannot proceed if they intend to block one. This will enable cases to be heard more easily, and protect victims from reliving their trauma.

The Law of the Apologies will also be amended to encourage employers to apologise to people wronged by their employees, where currently they fear doing so because of institutional liability, meaning that victims are likelier to receive apologies from schools, care facilities or hospitals for abuse carried out by an individual at these institutions.

The Government has listened to victims, survivors and experts through two consultations – and they have said they want action.

Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood said:

Child sexual abuse causes lifelong trauma and these important changes, recommended by Professor Jay, are long overdue.

These measures help survivors pursue their path to justice. They build on the Government’s mission of halving violence against women and girls and support our Plan for Change.

Currently civil child sexual abuse claims must be brought within three years of turning 18, unless the victim can prove a fair trial can proceed despite the time lapse. But as the IICSA heard, a “significant number” of claims are being rejected because it can take “decades for survivors to feel able to discuss their sexual abuse”.

As a direct result of today’s reforms, all cases brought will proceed unless the defendant proves that a fair hearing cannot take place, for example due to lack of evidence.

IICSA also heard that in many child sexual abuse cases, an apology by an institution was desired but never delivered, blocking victims’ path to closure.

Often organisations are reluctant to apologise because of concerns it may be interpreted by individuals such as insurers, as an admission of fault. The Government will clarify, as per the IICSA recommendation, that apologies could and should be offered by employers for the actions of current or former employees.

Justice Minister Sarah Sackman KC said:

The courts must work for the public they serve – and we recognise that victims and survivors need time to process their trauma.

By changing the law, it will now be possible for victims to come forward, and seek justice, when they feel ready to do so.

The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse heard the powerful testimonies of more than 7,000 victims and made 20 final recommendations.

The measures announced today build on action already taken across government to respond to horrific child sexual abuse crimes, including providing £10 million to drive change at a local level to protect children across the country from grooming gangs, and a suite of legislative measures to tackle online child sexual abuse, including two world leading measures on AI-generated child sexual abuse material. These measures form part of our commitment – underscored by our Plan for Change – to halve violence against women and girls this decade.

Legislation will also be brought forward to make grooming an aggravating factor in the sentencing of child sexual offences, and introduce a new Mandatory Reporting duty, in the Crime and Policing Bill to be put before Parliament this Spring. A new offence will also be created so anyone covering up child sexual abuse will face criminal sanctions.

Changes to the Law of Apologies and Limitation Law, follow two Government consultations in 2024.

Gabrielle Shaw, Chief Executive of the National Association for People Abused in Childhood (NAPAC), said:

This is a watershed moment for survivors of child sexual abuse. These reforms recognise the long-term impact of trauma and ensure survivors are not excluded from seeking redress simply because of the time taken to come forward.

NAPAC also welcomes greater clarity on apologies. A sincere apology, when freely given and supported by meaningful action, is invaluable – especially as part of wider efforts to ensure accountability and prevent future harm.

These important changes reflect the growing understanding of what survivors need to access justice and healing, and we welcome the government’s commitment to making them a reality.

Civil claims are made where someone feels that they have suffered a harm or a wrong which another person or organisation is accountable for. It is made by issuing a claim form at the relevant court (such as the County Court), and serving it on the defendant.

Further information:

The apologies legislation would not apply to all types of civil litigation or regulatory disputes, including public inquiries or defamation cases.
The apologies legislation will not be retrospective. The changes for both reforms require primary legislation and will be implemented in due course.
To read the full apologies consultation response visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reforming-the-law-of-apologies-in-civil-proceedings
As recommended by the IICSA, removal of the three-year limitation period will apply to all civil child sexual abuse claims brought by victims and survivors (though not to claims brought on behalf of victims and survivors` estates) except where claims have been dismissed by a court or settled by agreement.
To read the full limitation consultation response visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/limitation-law-in-child-sexual-abuse-cases

Published 5 February 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

MIL-OSI Security: Owner of District Real Estate Company Sentenced for Defrauding Paycheck Protection Program

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

WASHINGTON – Patrick Strauss, 54, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 48 months of probation – including six months of home confinement to be followed by a period of intermittent incarceration, that is, 26 weekends in jail – and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $304,900 and fined $8,784, all for participating in a conspiracy that fraudulently obtained more than $304,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans.

The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, D.C. Inspector General Daniel Lucas, and Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter of the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C., Field Office.

Strauss pleaded guilty on September 12, 2024, to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud. According to court documents, Strauss was owner of Powergrid Real Estate LLC. In 2020, he was approached by someone who asked him if he wanted to file an application for a PPP loan. Strauss was aware that Powergrid did not qualify for a PPP loan because it had no employees and no payroll.

A co-conspirator prepared the PPP loan application for Powergrid, that falsely claimed that the company had 16 employees and an average monthly payroll of $132,547.17. The co-conspirator also prepared phony federal tax forms and payroll records to support the fraudulent PPP loan applications.

In July 2020, Strauss submitted the PPP loan application to Capital Bank. On July 29, 2020, Capital Bank wired $304,900 into Powergrid’s bank account. In July 2021, a co-conspirator prepared false and fraudulent federal tax returns. Strauss submitted the faked papers to Capital Bank in support of loan forgiveness for Powergrid.

The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses, through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding.

The PPP allowed qualifying small-businesses and other organizations to receive loans with a maturity of two years and an interest rate of 1 percent. PPP loan proceeds were required be used by businesses on payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. The PPP allowed the interest and principal on the PPP loan to be forgiven if the business spent the loan proceeds on these expense items within a designated time after receiving the proceeds and used at least a certain percentage of the PPP loan proceeds on payroll expenses.

The case was investigated jointly by U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the FBI’s Washington Field Office, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Washington, D.C., Field Office. In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Martin commended the work of those who investigated the case.

This matter was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Crabb, Jr.

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 Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

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MIL-OSI Security: Oglala Man Found Guilty in Federal Trial of Involuntary Manslaughter

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Clayton Fire Thunder, age 40, of Oglala, South Dakota, of Involuntary Manslaughter and two counts of False Statement following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on January 30, 2025.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of eight years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Fire Thunder was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2024.

The conviction relates to the following facts presented at trial. At approximately 4:00 A.M. on September 15, 2022, Fire Thunder caught a ride to a man’s residence just a few miles east of Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Fire Thunder was intoxicated. The individual Fire Thunder was seeking to contact was a methamphetamine dealer. Fire Thunder had acquired a firearm and intended to exchange the firearm with the methamphetamine dealer. As Fire Thunder approached the front door of the residence, he heard noises coming from inside the residence. At some point while on the exterior of the residence, Fire Thunder mishandled the firearm, causing a bullet to discharge into the house. Fire Thunder heard a female screaming, and he left the residence. A later investigation revealed that the bullet had traveled through the siding of the residence and into the adjacent bedroom where the methamphetamine dealer and a female were present. The female was struck by the bullet on her left side slightly below her arm. She later succumbed to her injuries. During two separate interviews with FBI agents in October 2023 and May 2024, Fire Thunder made false statements about the firearm and his involvement in the killing.

This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has been set for April 25, 2025. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

MIL-OSI Security: Mission Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Larceny

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Larceny. The sentencing took place on February 3, 2025.

Preston White Feather, age 28, was sentenced to one year in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. White Feather was further ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $1,888.56.

White Feather was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2024. He pleaded guilty on October 31, 2024.

The conviction stems from an incident that occurred in December 2023 within the boundaries of the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. On December 9, 2023, White Feather stole merchandise from a convenience store in Mission, South Dakota. He was identified on surveillance video and was subsequently apprehended by law enforcement.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Senior Litigation Counsel Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

White Feather was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

MIL-OSI Security: Norris Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Norris, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on February 4, 2025.

Harold White Hat, age 41, was sentenced to one year and one month in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

White Hat was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. He pleaded guilty on October 31, 2024.

White Hat was convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact in 2022. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender and to update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment. In July of 2024, White Hat relocated from his registered address in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but he did not thereafter update his sex offender registration. He was arrested in Todd County, South Dakota, on August 23, 2024.

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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Senior Litigation Counsel Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

White Hat was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

MIL-OSI Security: Sisseton Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Abuse

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Sisseton, South Dakota, man convicted of Child Abuse. The sentencing took place on January 27, 2025.

Nathaniel Yazzie, 24, was sentenced to one year and seven months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Yazzie was indicted for Child Abuse by a federal grand jury in September 2024. He pleaded guilty on October 31, 2024.

On July 29, 2024, Yazzie struck a three-year-old child multiple times in the face and head while the child was in his care. A concerned party heard the child being abused in Yazzie’s room and called law enforcement. Upon arrival at Yazzie’s residence, law enforcement found the child with a bloody lip and bruising on his face, including linear bruises consistent with being slapped. Yazzie was arrested on tribal charges, and the child was transported to the hospital for medical care.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.

Yazzie was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

MIL-OSI Security: Marty Man Convicted at a Federal Jury Trial of Kidnapping and Assault Charges

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

SIOUX FALLS – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Ellery Zephier, Sr., age 39, of Marty, South Dakota, of Kidnapping and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The jury acquitted Zephier on two counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. The verdict was returned on January 23, 2025.

The assault charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The kidnapping charge carries a maximum penalty of any term of years, up to life in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Zephier was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2024.

Between July 20-25, 2024, Zephier kidnapped and held a woman against her will in his home in Marty. During that same time frame, Zephier assaulted the woman resulting in her sustaining serious bodily injury.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Yankton Sioux Law Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paige Petersen and Ann M. Hoffman prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date was set for April 28, 2025. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

MIL-OSI USA: Superseding Indictment Charges Chinese National in Relation to Alleged Plan to Steal Proprietary AI Technology

Source: US State of California

Note: View the superseding indictment here.

A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment today charging Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, 38, with seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets in connection with an alleged plan to steal from Google LLC (Google) proprietary information related to AI technology.

Ding was initially indicted in March 2024 on four counts of theft of trade secrets. The superseding indictment returned today describes seven categories of trade secrets stolen by Ding and charges Ding with seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets.

According to the superseding indictment, Google hired Ding as a software engineer in 2019. Between approximately May 2022 and May 2023, Ding uploaded more than 1,000 unique files containing Google confidential information from Google’s network to his personal Google Cloud account, including the trade secrets alleged in the superseding indictment.

While Ding was employed by Google, he secretly affiliated himself with two People’s Republic of China (PRC)-based technology companies. Around June 2022, Ding was in discussions to be the Chief Technology Officer for an early-stage technology company based in the PRC. By May 2023, Ding had founded his own technology company focused on AI and machine learning in the PRC and was acting as the company’s CEO.

The superseding indictment alleges that Ding intended to benefit the PRC government by stealing trade secrets from Google. Ding allegedly stole technology relating to the hardware infrastructure and software platform that allows Google’s supercomputing data center to train and serve large AI models. The trade secrets contain detailed information about the architecture and functionality of Google’s Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chips and systems and Google’s Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) systems, the software that allows the chips to communicate and execute tasks, and the software that orchestrates thousands of chips into a supercomputer capable of training and executing cutting-edge AI workloads. The trade secrets also pertain to Google’s custom-designed SmartNIC, a type of network interface card used to enhance Google’s GPU, high performance, and cloud networking products.

As alleged, Ding circulated a PowerPoint presentation to employees of his technology company citing PRC national policies encouraging the development of the domestic AI industry. He also created a PowerPoint presentation containing an application to a PRC talent program based in Shanghai. The superseding indictment describes how PRC-sponsored talent programs incentivize individuals engaged in research and development outside the PRC to transmit that knowledge and research to the PRC in exchange for salaries, research funds, lab space, or other incentives. Ding’s application for the talent program stated that his company’s product “will help China to have computing power infrastructure capabilities that are on par with the international level.”

If convicted, Ding faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for each trade-secret count and 15 years in prison and $5,000,000 fine for each economic-espionage count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Boome and Molly K. Priedeman for the Northern District of California and Trial Attorneys Stephen Marzen and Yifei Zheng of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

Today’s action was coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states.

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

MIL-OSI USA: Barrasso: Pam Bondi Will Usher in a New Era of Safety, Sanity, and Justice

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Wyoming John Barrasso

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, spoke on the Senate Floor as the Senate prepares to vote on the confirmation of Pam Bondi, President Donald J. Trump’s nominee for Attorney General.

Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.

Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as prepared:

“The Justice Department needs a leader who has the qualifications, the experience, the determination, and the moral clarity to keep America safe.

“Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi is that leader. She has my vote and my vocal support.

“The Attorney General is America’s top prosecutor. The role should be filled by an experienced prosecutor.

“Attorney General Bondi has prosecution experience. A lot of it.

“She spent almost 30 years as a criminal prosecutor and then as a state attorney general. She has more trial experience than any modern U.S. Attorney General.

“Attorney General Bondi is the most experienced career criminal prosecutor ever to be America’s chief law enforcement officer. She is ready to lead on Day One.

“In Florida, Attorney General Bondi prosecuted a range of violent crimes. She locked up the worst of the worst. Her signature achievements were in fighting illegal drugs and human trafficking.

“When she became Florida Attorney General in 2011, the state was overrun with pill mills and opioid overdoses.

“Pam Bondi shut down the pill mills. She locked up the drug dealers. She pushed for stronger laws to stop the spread of synthetic opioids.

“Under her leadership, Florida led the fight against this deadly epidemic.

“Attorney General Bondi also protected victims of human trafficking in Florida. She pledged to make combatting human trafficking a top priority at the Department of Justice.

“Pam Bondi is a fierce advocate for safety. She is also a skilled leader.

“The Department of Justice is a huge agency. It controls 40 separate organizations. It employs more than 115,000 people. It oversees all 94 U.S. Attorneys across the country.

“Leading the DOJ is an enormous undertaking. Pam Bondi is up to the challenge.

“The Florida Attorney General’s office is one of the largest in the country.

“It handles a broad scope of civil and criminal investigations, just like the Department of Justice. She led that office effectively and efficiently.

“Attorney General Bondi has received overwhelming support from across the country.

“More than 100 former senior DOJ officials wrote a letter to the Judiciary Committee in support of Pam Bondi. Here is what they said about Bondi’s track record: It shows ‘the no-nonsense, law-and-order, pro-law enforcement approach she will bring to the Department of Justice.’

“The Fraternal Order of Police also urged the Senate to confirm Pam Bondi. This is an organization of more than 377,000 members of law enforcement.

“Attorney General Bondi has also earned the support of Second Amendment advocates.

“United States Attorney General Pam Bondi will stand in stark contrast to the prior administration’s Justice Department.

“The previous administration gave us two tiers of justice.

“It labeled parents as ‘domestic terrorists.’ It brought charges against pro-life protestors, then threw them in prison. It worked with left-wing judges and prosecutors to try to throw President Trump in jail.

“This doesn’t begin to get into the Russiagate Hoax or covering up for Hunter Biden. In both cases, you saw rogue federal agents try to subvert the democratic process.

“At her hearing before the Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Bondi promised a different path.

“Instead of playing politics, Pam Bondi pledged to enforce the law fairly,
fully, and faithfully.

“As she said in her opening statement, she will return the DOJ to its ‘core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously enforcing the law.’

“Her commitment to the Constitution, public safety, and equal justice under the law is exactly what America needs.

“The partisan, politicized, and polarizing prosecutions are over. Pam Bondi will usher in a new era of safety, sanity, and justice. Pam Bondi has my vote to be United States Attorney General.

“The Senate should confirm her without delay.”

MIL-OSI Security: Zagime Anishinabek — UPDATE: Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes investigating suspicious deaths; increased police presence on Zagime Anishinabek

Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

On February 4, 2025 at approximately 11:15 a.m., File Hills First Nations Police Service received a report of sudden deaths at a residence on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation.

Officers immediately responded. They located four deceased persons in the residence.

This is an unfolding investigation and we are unable to provide further details about the deceased persons at this time. We’ll do so once we are able to, and we’ve confirmed that next of kin notifications are complete.

Initial investigation by File Hills First Nations Police Service determined their deaths are suspicious in nature. As such, Saskatchewan RCMP Major Crimes was engaged to continue the investigation.

There will be a continued increased police presence on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation.

On February 4, 2025 at approximately 3:15 p.m., Saskatchewan RCMP received multiple reports of an adult male pointing a gun at individuals on Zagime Anishinabek (formerly known as the Sakimay First Nation).

It is unknown if this incident is related to the sudden deaths on Carry the Kettle Nakoda Nation. We will provide an update on this investigation as soon as we are able.

Saskatchewan RCMP advise there is currently an increased police presence on Zagime Anishinabek in relation to this ongoing investigation. People are asked to avoid the areas where police officers are present and follow any police direction provided.

The public is asked to remain vigilant and exercise caution if in the Zagime Anishinabek area.

If an imminent risk to public safety is identified, we will notify the public. Further updates will be provided as we are able to.

MIL-OSI: Avoiding Burnout in Legal Practice: How Practice AI Lightens the Load for Attorneys

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Burnout has become a significant challenge in the legal industry, particularly for personal injury attorneys managing demanding caseloads. Practice AI is tackling this issue head-on with its cutting-edge solutions, AI Demands and AI Doc Reader, designed to streamline workflows, reduce repetitive tasks, and help attorneys focus on higher-value legal work.

The Growing Challenge of Burnout in Law

The legal profession is known for its high-stress levels, long hours, and intense pressure to deliver results. Attorneys often find themselves buried in paperwork, from drafting demand letters to reviewing complex legal and medical documents. This burden can lead to fatigue, decreased efficiency, and ultimately burnout.

“With the increasing complexity of legal work, it’s critical to equip attorneys with tools that reduce stress and improve efficiency,” said Hamid Kohan, CEO of Practice AI. “Our goal is to empower lawyers with AI-driven solutions that handle the heavy lifting, allowing them to focus on what they do best: Advocating for their clients.”

How Practice AI Reduces Workload and Enhances Productivity

Practice AI provides two essential tools that transform the way attorneys handle their most time-consuming tasks:

AI Demands : Automates the drafting of personal injury demand letters, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and customization in a fraction of the time.
AI Doc Reader : Extracts critical information from legal and medical records, summarizing key details for faster case analysis and decision-making.

The Impact of AI on Legal Workflows

Legal professionals can now generate demand letters in minutes instead of hours, significantly cutting down on administrative work and freeing up time for strategic case management. Document review, which traditionally consumes valuable hours, is streamlined through AI Doc Reader, allowing attorneys to access relevant information quickly and efficiently.

A Smarter Approach to Legal Work

Rather than replacing attorneys, Practice AI ensures that technology enhances their capabilities. “AI should be seen as an assistant, not a replacement,” Kohan emphasized. “By integrating AI, we’re reducing the mental load of repetitive tasks, enabling attorneys to maintain quality work while improving their overall well-being.”

Key Benefits for Attorneys

Time-Saving Automation: Attorneys can focus on case strategy and client relationships instead of routine paperwork.
Enhanced Accuracy and Compliance: AI ensures that legal and medical details are correctly incorporated into demand letters and case summaries.
Reduced Workload, Reduced Burnout: With less administrative burden, attorneys experience lower stress and improved work-life balance.

Experience Demands AI Today

Practice AI invites legal professionals to experience the efficiency and relief our AI solutions bring to daily practice.

How to Get Started

Visit the Platform: Head to mylawfirm.ai to sign up—NO CREDIT CARD REQUIRED.
Create Your Account: Create a user and your organization by following the steps.
Access the Trial: Enjoy the benefits of the trial mode by generating your first demand at no extra fees.
Subscribe: By adding your credit card, you can subscribe to Demands and generate your demand letters. We offer a transparent pricing structure.

This simple process ensures that attorneys can quickly integrate Demands into their practices.

About Law Practice AI

Practice AI leads the way in developing AI-powered solutions tailored for legal and medical professionals. With products like AI Demands and AI Doc Reader, the company focuses on streamlining workflows, enhancing accuracy, and delivering secure, compliant tools that improve outcomes for professionals and their clients.

For more information about Practice AI’s tools, visit Practice AI or contact us below.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Practice AI
Address: 21731 Ventura Blvd. #175, Woodland Hills, CA 91364
Phone: (424) 476-5858
Email: sales@mylawfirm.ai

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The MIL Network –

MIL-OSI Security: Superseding Indictment Charges Chinese National in Relation to Alleged Plan to Steal Proprietary AI Technology

Source: United States Attorneys General 12

Note: View the superseding indictment here.

A federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment today charging Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, 38, with seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets in connection with an alleged plan to steal from Google LLC (Google) proprietary information related to AI technology.

Ding was initially indicted in March 2024 on four counts of theft of trade secrets. The superseding indictment returned today describes seven categories of trade secrets stolen by Ding and charges Ding with seven counts of economic espionage and seven counts of theft of trade secrets.

According to the superseding indictment, Google hired Ding as a software engineer in 2019. Between approximately May 2022 and May 2023, Ding uploaded more than 1,000 unique files containing Google confidential information from Google’s network to his personal Google Cloud account, including the trade secrets alleged in the superseding indictment.

While Ding was employed by Google, he secretly affiliated himself with two People’s Republic of China (PRC)-based technology companies. Around June 2022, Ding was in discussions to be the Chief Technology Officer for an early-stage technology company based in the PRC. By May 2023, Ding had founded his own technology company focused on AI and machine learning in the PRC and was acting as the company’s CEO.

The superseding indictment alleges that Ding intended to benefit the PRC government by stealing trade secrets from Google. Ding allegedly stole technology relating to the hardware infrastructure and software platform that allows Google’s supercomputing data center to train and serve large AI models. The trade secrets contain detailed information about the architecture and functionality of Google’s Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) chips and systems and Google’s Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) systems, the software that allows the chips to communicate and execute tasks, and the software that orchestrates thousands of chips into a supercomputer capable of training and executing cutting-edge AI workloads. The trade secrets also pertain to Google’s custom-designed SmartNIC, a type of network interface card used to enhance Google’s GPU, high performance, and cloud networking products.

As alleged, Ding circulated a PowerPoint presentation to employees of his technology company citing PRC national policies encouraging the development of the domestic AI industry. He also created a PowerPoint presentation containing an application to a PRC talent program based in Shanghai. The superseding indictment describes how PRC-sponsored talent programs incentivize individuals engaged in research and development outside the PRC to transmit that knowledge and research to the PRC in exchange for salaries, research funds, lab space, or other incentives. Ding’s application for the talent program stated that his company’s product “will help China to have computing power infrastructure capabilities that are on par with the international level.”

If convicted, Ding faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for each trade-secret count and 15 years in prison and $5,000,000 fine for each economic-espionage count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Casey Boome and Molly K. Priedeman for the Northern District of California and Trial Attorneys Stephen Marzen and Yifei Zheng of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

Today’s action was coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states.

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

MIL-OSI USA: Grassley, Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Keep AM Radio in New Vehicles

US Senate News:

Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) to reintroduce the bipartisan AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act. The legislation would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to require automakers to maintain AM broadcast radio in their new vehicles at no additional charge.

“AM radio is the backbone of our emergency alert system, especially for tens of millions of Americans in rural areas. It’s been a part of our daily commutes and road trips for decades. Iowans rely on AM radio to catch up on local news, weather and commodity and livestock markets, as well as to hear competing viewpoints about the important issues of the day. The AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act will protect this critical resource, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation,” Grassley said.

“During weather disasters or power outages, AM radio is consistently the most reliable form of communication and is critical to keep millions of Texans safe. AM radio has long been a haven for people to express differing viewpoints, allowing free speech and our robust democratic process to flourish for decades. I am honored to once again partner with Sen. Markey on this bipartisan legislation on behalf of our constituents who depend on AM radio and public airwaves for access to news, music, talk, and emergency alerts,” Cruz said.

“As we witness more tragic climate change-induced disasters like the wildfires in Los Angeles, broadcast AM radio continues to be a critical tool for communication. AM radio is a lifeline for people across the country for news, sports, and especially emergency information,” Markey said. “Tens of millions of listeners across the country have made clear that they want AM radio to remain in their vehicles. Our AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act heeds their words and ensures that this essential tool doesn’t get lost on the dial.”

Additional cosponsors are Sens. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jim Justice (R-W.V.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Todd Young (R-Ind.), John Barrasso (R-Wy.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and John Hoeven (R-N.D.).

Read the bill text HERE.

Background:

Grassley and his colleagues previously introduced the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act during the 118^th Congress. The legislation passed the Senate Commerce Committee in July 2023 and the House Energy and Commerce Committee in September 2024.

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