NewzIntel.com

Category: Law Enforcement

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Sues Alabama for Violating Federal Law’s Prohibition on Systematic Efforts to Remove Voters Within 90 Days of an Election

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the State of Alabama and the Alabama Secretary of State to challenge a systematic State program aimed at removing voters from its election rolls too close to the Nov. 5 general election, in violation of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA).

    “The right to vote is one of the most sacred rights in our democracy,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “As Election Day approaches, it is critical that Alabama redress voter confusion resulting from its list maintenance mailings sent in violation of federal law. Officials across the country should take heed of the National Voter Registration Act’s clear and unequivocal restrictions on systematic list maintenance efforts that fall within 90 days of an election. The Quiet Period Provision of federal law exists to prevent eligible voters from being removed from the rolls as a result of last-minute, error-prone efforts. The Justice Department will continue to use all the tools it has available to ensure that the voting rights of every eligible voter are protected.”

    Section 8(c)(2) of the NVRA, also known as the Quiet Period Provision, requires states to complete systematic programs aimed at removing the names of ineligible voters from voter registration lists by no later than 90 days before federal elections. The Quiet Period Provision applies to certain systematic programs carried out by states that are aimed at striking names from voter registration lists based on a perceived failure to meet initial eligibility requirements — including citizenship — at the time of registration. The Quiet Period is an important protection for voters, because systematic removal programs may be error-ridden, cause voter confusion and remove eligible voters days or weeks before Election Day who may be unable to correct the state’s errors in time to vote or may be dissuaded from voting at all. States may remove names from official lists of voters in various ways and for various reasons, but they may not carry-on this kind of systematic removal program so close to a federal election.

    On Aug. 13, the Secretary of State announced the launch of a “process to remove noncitizens registered to vote in Alabama.” This was 84 days before the Nov. 5 general election. The Justice Department’s review found that both native-born and naturalized U.S. citizens have received letters stating that their voter record has been made inactive and that they have been placed on a path for removal from Alabama’s statewide voter registration list. The letter directs recipients who are in fact U.S. citizens and eligible to vote to complete and submit an attached State of Alabama Voter Registration Form. In turn, that form instructs that people may not register to vote in the 14 days before an election. This systematic voter removal program, which the State is conducting within 90 days of the upcoming federal election, violates the Quiet Period Provision.

    The Justice Department seeks injunctive relief that would restore the ability of impacted eligible voters to vote unimpeded on Election Day and would prohibit future Quiet Period violations. The department also seeks remedial mailings to educate eligible voters concerning the restoration of their rights and adequate training of local officials and poll workers to address confusion and distrust among eligible voters accused of being noncitizens.

    More information about voting and elections is available at www.justice.gov/voting. More information about the NVRA and other federal voting laws is available at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section. The department recently announced a new guidance document addressing limits on when and how jurisdictions may remove voters from their voter lists. Complaints about discriminatory voting practices may be reported to the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section through the internet reporting portal at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department and EPA Announce Settlement to Reduce Benzene and Volatile Organic Compounds from Wastewater at Lima Refining Company’s Refinery in Ohio

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    The Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a settlement with the Lima Refining Company (LRC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canadian-based Cenovus Energy, to address violations of the Clean Air Act at its refinery in Lima, Ohio.

    Under the settlement, LRC must pay a civil penalty of $19 million and implement an estimated $150 million in capital investments, including control technology expected to reduce emissions of benzene by an estimated 4.34 tons per year, other hazardous air pollutants (HAP) by 16.26 tons per year, and other volatile organic compound emissions (VOC) by 219 tons per year. The Lima Refinery is surrounded by a community with environmental justice concerns.

    “This settlement is part of an ongoing initiative to curtail illegal benzene and VOC emissions at refineries that have failed to allocate the necessary personnel and capital investments to ensure compliance with rules they have long been subject to,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “Under the settlement, the refinery will implement controls that will greatly improve air quality and reduce health impacts on the overburdened community that surrounds the refinery.”

    “Lima Refinery unlawfully exposed the surrounding community to toxic benzene emissions and other hazardous pollutants,” said Assistant Administrator David Uhlmann of the EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s settlement demonstrates how monitoring can help protect overburdened communities from harmful emissions from the oil and gas sector, including refineries. Lima will pay a substantial penalty for its violations and install $150 million in emissions controls that will provide cleaner air and healthier water to a community that deserves nothing less.” *

    “Environmental justice is a core priority of our Office and of the Department. Through its illegal emissions of benzene, VOCs and other pollutants from its facility, the LRC impermissibly violated the Clean Air Act and jeopardized the health of Ohio’s residents,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca C. Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “We will continue to be vigilant and strictly enforce environmental laws and regulations to protect our district’s residents from toxic pollutants. Ohioans should not have to worry about living and working in an area where air pollution from local industry could make them sick.”

    As part of the settlement, LRC will install one or more flash columns to reduce benzene in wastewater streams leading to its wastewater treatment plant and will cease operating, replace or upgrade other units at the refinery. LRC will also install six air pollutant monitoring stations to monitor air quality outside of the refinery fence line and make the results publicly available.

    The United States’ complaint, filed simultaneously with the settlement, alleges that LRC violated federal regulations limiting benzene in refinery wastewater streams, and HAP and VOC emissions at its Lima Refinery, as well as the general requirement to use good air pollution control practices.

    Benzene is known to cause cancer in humans. Short-term inhalation exposure to benzene also may cause drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, as well as eye, skin and respiratory tract irritation, and, at high levels, unconsciousness. Long-term inhalation exposure can cause various disorders in the blood, including reduced numbers of red blood cells and anemia in occupational settings. Reproductive effects have been reported for women exposed by inhalation to high levels, and adverse effects on the developing fetus have been observed in animal tests.

    VOCs, along with nitrous oxide, play a major role in the atmospheric reactions that produce ozone, which is the primary constituent of smog. Ground-level ozone exposure is linked to a variety of short- and long-term health problems, including difficulty breathing, aggravated asthma, reduced lung capacity and increased susceptibility to respiratory illnesses like pneumonia and bronchitis.

    This settlement is part of EPA’s and the Justice Department’s ongoing focus to assist communities that have been historically marginalized and disproportionately exposed to pollution.

    For more information about the settlement, please visit www.epa.gov/enforcement/2024-lima-refining-clean-air-act-benzene-waste-neshap-and-volatile-organic-compounds.

    The proposed consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, is subject to a public comment period and final court approval. Information on submitting comment and access to the settlement agreement is available at: www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees.

    The EPA investigated the case.

    Attorneys with the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Enforcement Section are handling the case.

    *Editor’s note: this quote has been updated for accuracy to remove the words “fence line.”

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces Significant Milestone in Policing Reform Efforts for the City of New Orleans and New Orleans Police Department

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    The Justice Department announced today that it, together with the City of New Orleans (the City), has jointly moved for the City to enter into a two-year “sustainment period” according to the terms of a negotiated plan, bringing the consent decree concerning the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) closer to successful resolution.

    The joint motion and proposed plan, which must be approved by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, recognize the significant progress NOPD and the City have made that supports entry into the two-year sustainment period required by the consent decree. The two-year sustainment period is designed to ensure that reforms will continue even after the consent decree’s eventual termination. During this time, NOPD and the City have an opportunity to demonstrate that they have the systems in place to monitor their own compliance with the decree and take meaningful corrective actions when necessary. The agreement also requires the City and NOPD to complete important obligations under the consent decree to continue the reform process.

    “Today’s filing recognizes the significant progress the City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department have made to ensure constitutional and fair policing,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “We look forward to continuing to work with NOPD, the City and the Court Monitor to achieve full and enduring compliance with the consent decree, an outcome that helps strengthen public safety and enhance police-community relations.”

    “After years of hard work and intense collaboration, the City of New Orleans and the New Orleans Police Department are well on the path to demonstrate compliance and sustainability of policing reforms required by the consent decree,” said U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana. “Constitutional policing standards are essential to preserving community trust and confidence in law enforcement. Our office, along with the Justice Department, will continue to work with the NOPD, the City of New Orleans and the Court Monitor to a positive resolution.”

    NOPD has made notable progress in achieving compliance with the consent decree, including reforms that go beyond the requirements of the decree. For example:

    • Reduced Use of Force: Since entry of the consent decree, NOPD’s total use of force has declined, and its serious use of force has declined by 47% from 2015 to 2023.
    • Improved Stop, Search and Arrest Practices: NOPD’s 2023 Stop, Search and Arrest audit — which used a comprehensive protocol approved by an independent monitor and the Justice Department — found an overall 95.4% rate of compliance with the Stop, Search and Arrest requirements of the decree.
    • Improved Response Times: NOPD responded quicker to calls for service after NOPD piloted a program this year which added a new platoon to one of its busiest districts during peak service times. NOPD has committed to evaluating whether it can add a new platoon to other districts.
    • Improved Language Access: NOPD has translated key policies and forms into Spanish and Vietnamese (two of New Orleans’ commonly spoken languages besides English), increased the number of their certified Spanish and Vietnamese interpreters, rolled out a smart phone application to enable telephonic translation in the field and committed to periodically assessing the translation services needed throughout the city.
    • Policing Free of Gender Bias: NOPD added 11 new investigators to help reduce individual caseloads in cases involving sexual violence. NOPD has also implemented a call‑back process for callers who were gone on arrival when NOPD responded on scene.
    • Crisis Intervention Team: The City developed a Mobile Crisis Intervention Unit to help respond to incidents involving people in crisis. The Mobile Crisis Intervention Unit handles calls in place of NOPD or as a co-responder with NOPD. The City’s dispatch system has diverted 3,360 calls for service to this unit from June 1, 2023 to July 17, 2024.

    The Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana handled the matter.

    The Civil Rights Division continues to prioritize constitutional policing and currently has pending investigations into police departments across the country, including in Memphis, Tennessee; New York City; and Rankin County, Mississippi. The consent decree, as well as additional information about the Civil Rights Division, are available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section.    

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  • MIL-OSI Security: California Man Charged in Complaint Alleging He Injured Five People in Bomb Attack in Lobby of County Courthouse

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    A California man was charged today in a federal criminal complaint alleging he committed a bomb attack at a courthouse in Santa Maria, California, on Wednesday, in which at least five people were injured.

    Nathaniel James McGuire, 20, of Santa Maria, is charged with maliciously damaging a building by means of explosive.

    McGuire, who was arrested Wednesday shortly after the attack, is expected to make his initial appearance today in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

    “This defendant will now face justice in federal court for his alleged attack that injured at least five people and struck fear across a county courthouse and an entire community,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Attacks on our public institutions and on public servants threaten the safety of our communities and the rule of law itself. Such attacks will not be tolerated by the Justice Department.”

    According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, on Sept. 25, McGuire entered a courthouse of Santa Barbara County Superior Court and threw a bag into the lobby. The bag exploded and McGuire left the courthouse on foot. The explosion injured at least five people who were present at the courthouse at that time.

    Shortly thereafter, McGuire was apprehended and detained by law enforcement officials as he was trying to access a red Ford Mustang car parked outside the building. McGuire allegedly yelled that the government had taken his guns and that everyone needed to fight, rise up, and rebel.

    Inside the car, a deputy saw ammunition, a flare gun, and a box of fireworks. A search of the car revealed a shotgun, a rifle, more ammunition, a suspected bomb, and 10 Molotov cocktails. Law enforcement later rendered the bomb safe.

    A search of McGuire’s residence revealed an empty can with nails glued to the outside, a duffel bag containing matches, black powder, used and unused fireworks, and papers that appeared to be recipes for explosive material.

    “This defendant’s alleged misconduct was chilling,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for Central District of California. “Not only did he injure five people and traumatize many more, but he possessed a cache of weapons that would have allowed him to wreak even greater destruction had he not been stopped. Attacks on our courts, law enforcement officers, and other public servants are unacceptable, and it is critical that those who carry out such assaults be prosecuted to the fullest extent.”

    “The idea of intentionally setting off an explosive device to do harm and avoid justice in the process shocks the conscience,” said Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “Make no mistake, we are committed to holding McGuire accountable for this blatant act of violence. As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety.”

    “This was a shocking and unprecedented crime in our county, but, in spite of its audacity, the security of the Santa Maria courthouse was maintained,” said Sheriff Bill Brown of Santa Barbara County. “The suspect was swiftly apprehended by a court security officer, a sheriff’s deputy, two California Highway Patrol officers, and a district attorney’s investigator; we are proud of their resolute actions that almost certainly prevented further violence. We are also grateful for the substantial investigative assistance that has been provided by our colleagues with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and from U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada and his office.”

    If convicted, McGuire faces a mandatory minimum penalty of seven years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The FBI and Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office are investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Takla and Kathrynne N. Seiden for the Central District of California are prosecuting this case with substantial assistance from Trial Attorney Patrick Cashman of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Tax Return Preparer Agrees to Shut Down Tax Prep Business and to Pay $134,400

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida issued a permanent injunction today against Fort Lauderdale, Florida, tax return preparer Dexter Bataille, individually and doing business as Capital Financial Group Holdings LLC. The court ordered the closure of Bataille’s business, Capital Financial Holdings LLC, and barred him from preparing or assisting in preparing federal income tax returns or transferring his customer lists. The court also ordered Bataille to pay $134,400 in ill-gotten gains he received from his return preparation business. Bataille agreed to both the injunction and the order to pay $134,400.

    The complaint alleged that Bataille prepared customers’ returns that fraudulently claimed various false or inflated deductions and credits, including fabricated, false and exaggerated profits and expenses to generate inflated business losses; misreported filing statuses and dependent claims; and false reports of household help income.

    Deputy Assistant Attorney General David A. Hubbert of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

    Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS warns taxpayers to avoid “ghost preparers” and lists other improper acts that tax preparers engage in to take advantage of their unsuspecting customers.

    In the past decade, the Justice Department’s Tax Division has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. If you believe that one of the enjoined persons or businesses may be violating an injunction, please contact the Tax Division with details.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Three IRGC Cyber Actors Indicted for ‘Hack-and-Leak’ Operation Designed to Influence the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    Note: View the indictment here and the FBI Wanted Poster here.

    The Justice Department today announced the unsealing of an indictment charging Iranian nationals, and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) employees, Masoud Jalili, 36,  also known as, مسعود جلیلی, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri, 34, also known as, سید علی آقامیری, and Yaser Balaghi, 37, also known as, یاسر بلاغی (the Conspirators), with a conspiracy with others known and unknown to hack into accounts of current and former U.S. officials, members of the media, nongovernmental organizations, and individuals associated with U.S. political campaigns. The activity was part of Iran’s continuing efforts to stoke discord, erode confidence in the U.S. electoral process, and unlawfully acquire information relating to current and former U.S. officials that could be used to advance the malign activities of the IRGC, including ongoing efforts to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC – Qods Force (IRGC-QF).

    As alleged, in or around May, after several years of focusing on compromising the accounts of former U.S. government officials, the conspirators used some of the same hacking infrastructure from earlier in the conspiracy to begin targeting and successfully gaining unauthorized access to personal accounts belonging to persons associated with an identified U.S. Presidential campaign (U.S. Presidential Campaign 1), including campaign officials. The conspirators used their access to those accounts to steal, among other information, non-public campaign documents and emails (campaign material). The activity broadened in late June, when the conspirators engaged in a “hack-and-leak” operation, in which they sought to weaponize campaign material stolen from U.S. Presidential Campaign 1 by leaking such materials to members of the media and individuals associated with what was then another identified U.S. Presidential campaign (U.S. Presidential Campaign 2), in a deliberate effort to, as reflected in the conspirators’ own words and actions, undermine U.S. Presidential Campaign 1 in advance of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

    “The Justice Department is working relentlessly to uncover and counter Iran’s cyberattacks aimed at stoking discord, undermining confidence in our democratic institutions, and influencing our elections,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The American people – not Iran, or any other foreign power – will decide the outcome of our country’s elections.”

    “Today’s charges represent the culmination of a thorough and long-running FBI investigation that has resulted in the indictment of three Iranian nationals for their roles in a wide-ranging hacking campaign sponsored by the Government of Iran,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The conduct laid out in the indictment is just the latest example of Iran’s brazen behavior. So today the FBI would like to send a message to the Government of Iran – you and your hackers can’t hide behind your keyboards.”

    “These hack-and-leak efforts by Iran are a direct assault on the integrity of our democratic processes,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Iranian government actors have long sought to use cyber-enabled means to harm U.S. interests. This case demonstrates our commitment to expose attempts by the Iranian regime or any other foreign actor to interfere with our free and open society.”

    “This indictment alleges a serious and sustained effort by a state-sponsored terrorist organization to gather intelligence through hacking personal accounts so they can use the hacked materials to harm Americans and corruptly influence our election,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves for the District of Columbia. “The detailed allegations in the indictment should make clear to anyone who might attempt to do the same that the Justice Department has the ability to gather evidence of such crimes from around the globe, will charge those who commit such crimes, and will do whatever we can to bring those charged to justice.”

    As alleged in the indictment, beginning in or around January 2020, Jalili, Aghamiri, and Balaghi, working on behalf of the IRGC, commenced a wide-ranging hacking campaign that used spearphishing and social engineering techniques to target and compromise victims computers and accounts. Among the conspirators’ techniques were: using virtual private networks and virtual private servers to obscure their true location; creating fraudulent email accounts in the names of prominent U.S. persons and international institutions; creating spoofed login pages to harvest account credentials; sending spearphishing emails using compromised victim accounts; and using social engineering to obtain victims’ login information and multi-factor recovery/authentication codes. Some of the conspirators’ efforts were successful, while others were not.

    In April 2019, the Department of State designated the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization. Among the purposes of the conspiracy were for the conspirators to: (i) steal victims’ data, such as information related to U.S. government and foreign policy information concerning the Middle East; (ii) steal information relating to current and former U.S. officials that could be used to advance the IRGC’s malign activities; (iii) disrupt U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East; (iv) stoke discord and erode confidence in the U.S. electoral process; (v) steal personal and private information from persons who had access to information relating to U.S. Presidential Campaign 1, including non-public campaign material and information; and (vi) undermine U.S. Presidential Campaign 1 in advance of the 2024 U.S. presidential election by leaking stolen campaign material and information.

    As reflected in the Sept. 18 joint statement released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, FBI, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency: “Iranian malicious cyber actors in late June and early July sent unsolicited emails to individuals then associated with President Biden’s campaign that contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public material from former Trump’s campaign as text in the emails. There is currently no information indicating those recipients replied. Furthermore, Iranian malicious cyber actors have continued their efforts since June to send stolen, non-public material associated with former President Trump’s campaign to U.S. media organizations.”

    As alleged in further detail in the indictment, the conspirators’ hack-and-leak efforts involved the conspirators emailing stolen campaign material to individuals that the conspirators believed were associated with what was then U.S. Presidential Campaign 2 and members of the media.

    First, between on or about June 27 and July 3, the conspirators sent or forwarded an unsolicited email message to personal accounts of three persons that the conspirators believed were associated with U.S. Presidential Campaign 2. The June 27 email was sent to two recipients, and then forwarded the same day to another account for one of those recipients (due to the earlier email being sent to an invalid account for that recipient). This email chain contained campaign material stolen from an official for U.S. Presidential Campaign 1 (U.S. Victim 11). Neither of the recipients replied to the conspirators’ email. In addition, the conspirators sent a follow up email on July 3rd to a third recipient’s account, and the recipient similarly did not reply to the Conspirators.

    Second, between on or about July 22 and on or about Aug. 31, the conspirators distributed other campaign material stolen from U.S. Victim 11 regarding U.S. Presidential Campaign 1’s potential vice-presidential candidates to multiple members of the news media, in an attempt to induce the news media to publish the material. In one instance, for example, the conspirators’ message stated “I think this information is worth a good [U.S. news publication] piece with your narration. Let me know your thoughts.”

    As alleged, these defendants also sought to promote the IRGC’s goals and mission by compromising and maintaining unauthorized access to the email accounts of a number of former government officials, including U.S. Victim 1, who had served in a position with responsibility over U.S. Middle East policy at the time of Qasam Soleimani’s death. Using this access, the defendants obtained information to assist the IRGC’s efforts to target U.S. Victim 1 and others, including their means of identification, correspondence, travel information, lodging information and other information regarding their whereabouts and policy positions.   

    Jalili, Aghamiri, and Balaghi are charged with: conspiracy to commit identity theft, aggravated identity theft, access device fraud, unauthorized access to computers to obtain information from a protected computer, unauthorized access to computers to defraud and obtain a thing of value, and wire fraud, all while knowingly falsely registering domain names, which carries a maximum penalty of 12 years in prison; conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; eight counts of wire fraud while falsely registering domain names, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 27 years in prison; and eight counts of aggravated identity theft, each of which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Concurrent with today’s announcement, the Department of State, through the Rewards for Justice Program, issued a reward of up to $10 million for information on Jalili, Aghamiri, and Balaghi, the IRGC’s interference in U.S. elections, or associated individuals and entities. Also, concurrent with today’s announcement, the Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13694, as amended, and E.O. 13848 designated Jalili for being responsible for or complicit in, or having engaged in, directly or indirectly, a cyber-enabled activity originating from, or directed by persons located, in whole or in substantial part, outside the United States that is reasonably likely to result in, or has materially contributed to, a significant threat to the national security, foreign policy, or economic health or financial stability of the United States and that has the purpose or effect of causing a significant misappropriation of funds or economic resources, trade secrets, personal identifiers, or financial information for commercial or competitive advantage or private financial gain.

    The FBI Washington Field Office is investigating this case. The FBI Cyber Division and Springfield and Minneapolis Field Offices provided substantial assistance in this matter. For more information on threat activity as well as mitigation guidance, the FBI has released a Joint Cyber Security Advisory titled “Iranian Cyber Actors Targeting Personal Accounts to Support Operations.”

    The Justice Department would like to thank the following private sector partners for their assistance with this case: Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and Meta.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tejpal Chawla and Christopher Tortorice for the District of Columbia and Trial Attorney Greg Nicosia of the National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section are prosecuting the case, with significant assistance from Paralegal Specialists Mariela Andrade and Kate Abrey. Joshua Champagne of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section also provided valuable assistance.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Readout of Departments of Justice and Interior Roundtable on Media Coverage of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Peoples and Human Trafficking

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    Senior officials from the Justice Department and Department of the Interior yesterday convened a roundtable discussion with Tribal leaders, advocates, members of the media, and federal officials to discuss how media coverage can be channeled to help address the crisis of missing or murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) and human trafficking (HT).

    The virtual roundtable was organized as part of the federal  response to the recommendations of the Not Invisible Act Commission (NIAC) — a federal advisory committee established in November 2023 under the Not Invisible Act of 2019 to recommend strategies for combating violent crime on Indian lands and against American Indian and Alaska Native people. During seven field hearings across the country as well as a virtual national hearing that informed the Commission’s recommendations, people affected by the crisis of MMIP and HT shared their concerns about lack of media coverage and whether that may contribute to cases being ignored or going unsolved. The Commission in turn recommended the Justice Department and Department of the Interior hold a roundtable discussion as a step toward developing a set of best practices.

    Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland and delivered video remarks.

    “Public communication, news stories, and social media can be crucial in finding and investigating cases of missing or murdered Indigenous persons,” said Attorney General Garland. “That is why, on the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendation, we convened this roundtable to develop best practices and guidelines to aid law enforcement, families, advocates, and journalists when a member of a Native community is reported missing. It is our hope that this convening will strengthen those partnerships, which are essential to advancing our shared goal of ending this crisis.”

    “Since day one, the Biden-Harris administration has been committed to fulfilling our promises to Indian Country,” said Secretary Haaland, who authored the Not Invisible Act while in Congress. “This roundtable is part of that promise as we act on one of the Not Invisible Act Commission’s recommendations because a crisis that exists in silence will never be solved. Today is one step of many to ensure our missing relatives’ stories are told.”

    Attorney General Garland also announced that this month, the Justice Department will award more than $210 million to American Indian and Alaska Native communities through three separate programs to support a wide range of public safety challenges. These funds will go directly to efforts to support Tribal safety. They include programs dedicated to reducing domestic violence and sexual violence, supporting victims of crime, and providing resources to law enforcement, Tribal youth programs, and treatment programs.

    Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer delivered opening remarks at the roundtable, saying “it is critical now, more than ever,” to work together to draw attention to the MMIP and HT crises. “The potential for immediate, real-time alerts makes media, particularly social media, a powerful tool to get the word out fast when emergencies happen. And the widespread use of media facilitates information sharing and collaboration that can help resolve missing persons cases.”

    Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland opened the roundtable and said, “The overarching principle that guides our work is to make life better for people in Tribal communities and making sure that Indian people have the opportunity to live safe, healthy, and fulfilling lives in their tribal communities. Public safety is a big part of this, and addressing the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples crisis and human trafficking are at the forefront of our public safety work.”

    In August, Attorney General Garland and Secretary Haaland visited New Mexico to discuss efforts to confront the MMIP crisis and human trafficking with federal and Tribal leaders. Under Attorney General Garland and Secretary Haaland’s leadership, the Biden-Harris Administration has worked to address the high rates of violent crime in Indian Country.  Read more about these efforts.

    The Departments plan to publish best practices stemming from this discussion by the end of the year. To submit recommendations, email newsmedia@bia.gov no later than Friday, Oct. 4.

    Additional Background on the Departments of Justice and Interior’s commitment to addressing MMIP and HT

    Law Enforcement Collaboration: At the 2022 White House Tribal Nations Summit, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and FBI announced an agreement to provide for the effective and efficient administration of criminal investigations in Indian Country. The agreement specified that BIA’s Office of Justice Services (BIA-OJS) and the FBI would cooperate on investigations and share information and investigative reports as well as establish written guidelines outlining jurisdiction and investigative roles and responsibilities. The agreement also requires that all BIA, FBI and Tribal law enforcement officers receive training regarding trauma-informed, culturally responsive investigative approaches.

    Missing and Murdered Unit (MMU): As one of her first acts as Secretary, Secretary Haaland created a new MMU within BIA-OJS to pursue justice for missing or murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. The MMU, headquartered in Albuquerque, provides leadership and direction for cross-Departmental and interagency work involving missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. The MMU has enabled the Interior Department to expand its collaborative efforts with other agencies, such as working to enhance the Justice Department’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) and working through strategic partnerships with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Units (BAUs), the FBI Forensic Laboratory, the USMS’ Missing Child Unit (MCU) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

    MMIP Regional Outreach Program: Since the start of this Administration, the Justice Department has made strides in implementing systems aimed at preventing new instances of MMIP, locating individuals who are reported missing, and, where a crime has occurred, investigating and prosecuting those responsible. In Summer 2023, the Department launched an MMIP Regional Outreach Program. This program places attorneys and coordinators at U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered Indigenous people.

    Not Invisible Act Commission: The Departments worked collaboratively to stand up the Not Invisible Act Commission, which was created by legislation the Secretary led in Congress, to develop recommendations on how the federal government can combat crimes against American Indian and Alaska Native people. The Commission included federal, state, and Tribal law enforcement, Tribal leaders, federal partners, service providers, family members of missing and murdered individuals, and survivors. In 2023, the Commission held seven field hearings across the country as well as a virtual national hearing to hear directly from individuals affected by the MMIP crisis. In March, the Departments released their response to the Commission’s recommendations, which they are in the process of implementing in collaboration with Congress.

    Operation Not Forgotten: The FBI established this operation to focus resources on seeking justice for Tribal community members who have been victims of unresolved crimes. Operation Not Forgotten first surged resources to Tribal communities in 2023 with the mission of examining cases that have gone unresolved. The goal was to move those cases closer to resolution, provide services for victims, and to bring offenders to justice, who had so far escaped it. Due to the success of the 2023 operation, the FBI is currently partnering with the BIA-MMU to surge resources in 2024. BIA-MMU is providing significant intelligence and investigative support for the duration of the operation. Over 45 special agents and five intelligence personnel have deployed in support of the 2024 operation.

    White House Council on Native American Affairs: At the 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit, President Biden signed Executive Order 14053 on Improving Public Safety and Criminal Justice for Native Americans and Addressing the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous People directing the Departments of Justice, the Interior, and Health and Human Services to work with Tribal Nations and partners to build safe and healthy Tribal communities and to support comprehensive law enforcement, prevention, intervention and support services. President Biden signed the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 into law, which built on advancements from previous reauthorizations and included new provisions to address the crisis of MMIP across the country and re-enforced Tribal sovereignty by providing means for Tribes to address the epidemic of violence within their lands and communities. The White House Council on Native American Affairs is continuing to implement this work through its Public Safety and Justice committee, which is co-chaired by the Departments of Justice and the Interior, as part of an all of government approach to address public safety and the MMIP crisis.

    International Collaboration: The United States is also working with its international counterparts from Canada and Mexico to address public safety issues on a larger scale. In September 2023, Canada chaired the Fifth Convening of the Trilateral Working Group on Violence against Indigenous Women and Girls in collaboration with Indigenous leaders and government officials from Canada, the United States and Mexico and global subject-matter experts. Discussions at this year’s convening focused on human trafficking and access to justice. Officials from the three countries agreed to continue to protect and uphold the rights of Indigenous women, learn from and implement Indigenous-led approaches, provide accessible and culturally safe services, and support the preservation of Indigenous cultures and languages. A sixth gathering is expected later this year.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces an Organizational Assessment of the Hackensack, New Jersey, Police Department under the COPS Office’s Collaborative Reform Initiative

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    The Justice Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) today announced that it will provide an Organizational Assessment of the Hackensack, New Jersey, Police Department through its Collaborative Reform Initiative. This is a voluntary program that is offered at the request of law enforcement agencies that are seeking to ensure fair, impartial, and effective policing for the communities they serve. Over the next year, the Hackensack Police Department will work in partnership with the COPS Office Collaborative Reform Initiative team to focus on:

    • Data-Driven Policing;
    • Employee Wellness, Training, and Professional Development;
    • Community Engagement and Problem-Solving Strategies;
    • Internal and External Communications;
    • Leadership and Organizational Structure; and
    • Accountability and Oversight Systems.

    “The in-depth assessments undertaken as part of the Collaborative Reform Initiative benefit both the Hackensack Police Department and the community,” said Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer. “By taking an honest look at what might need to be strengthened or reformed, agencies can continue to improve public safety and trust.”

    “By examining an agency’s historical practices, their current practices, and their goals for the future, a solid plan for moving forward can be put in place,” said Director Hugh T. Clements Jr. of the COPS Office. “It is this kind of strategic thinking and planning that is critical in helping agencies meet the standards that the community has set for them.”

    Regular updates on the Collaborative Reform Initiative team’s work with the Hackensack Police Department will be provided at www.cops.usdoj.gov/active-oa-site-hackensack-nj-police-department as part of the transparency and public accountability of this new Organizational Assessment effort.

    The Collaborative Reform Initiative encompasses three programs offering expert services to state, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies: the Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center, Critical Response, and Organizational Assessment programs (complete details of these programs can be found at www.cops.usdoj.gov/collaborativereform). Managed out of the COPS Office, this continuum of services is designed to build trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve; improve operational efficiencies and effectiveness; enhance officer safety and wellness; build agencies’ capacity for organizational learning and self-improvement; and promote community policing practices nationwide.

    The Organizational Assessment program provides the most intensive form of technical assistance on the continuum, involving in-depth assessments and long-term assistance to improve the fairness, effectiveness, and efficacy of agency operations that build trust with communities. A continual assessment and implementation process ensures that time and resources are used to focus on identifying areas for improvement, reinforcing agency strengths, and assisting with the implementation of improvements expeditiously. At the same time, the process provides transparency and accountability with routine public reporting and community input. Each engagement will be supported by a multidisciplinary assessment team composed of subject matter experts with diverse experience and perspectives, including in law enforcement, community engagement, research and evaluation, program management, and organizational reform.

    The COPS Office is the federal component of the Justice Department responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Justice Department agency with policing in its name, the COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. The COPS Office has been appropriated more than $20 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 138,000 officers.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Shipping Companies Sentenced to $2M Criminal Penalty for Concealing Oil Discharge

    Source: US State of California

    Two corporations that operated the motor tanker P/S Dream — Prive Overseas Marine LLC and Prive Shipping Denizcilik Ticaret — were sentenced yesterday in federal court in New Orleans to pay a $2 million criminal penalty and complete four years of probation. The companies pleaded guilty in May to charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS). The court sentenced the P/S Dream’s Captain, Abdurrahman Korkmaz, on Sept. 10 to eight months in prison for an APPS offense and obstructing the U.S. Coast Guard’s investigation.

    The charges pertain to the investigation of the P/S Dream vessel when it was heading to New Orleans in January 2023. Senior corporate managers were aware that Korkmaz had arranged to discharge oil-contaminated waste from a residual tank on deck into the ocean. The captain ordered the crew to pump the waste overboard and clean the tank with soap. The seamen rigged a portable pump to empty the contents overboard over three days. The defendants falsified the vessel’s oil record book by omitting the discharge.

    One of the crew members alerted the Coast Guard and shared videos of the discharge and resulting oil sheen. When the ship arrived in Louisiana, another crew member came forward and gave the Coast Guard a recording of an officer discussing the discharge.

    The falsified logs, presented to the Coast Guard during its inspection, were intended to conceal the fact that the crew had dumped oil-contaminated waste overboard in violation of MARPOL Annex I, an international treaty regulating oil pollution from ships. Corporate representatives at Prive Shipping were aware that the oil-contaminated waste remained in the tank and were informed by the ship’s master that it had been dumped overboard.

    The $2 million criminal penalty includes $500,000 in organizational community service payments that will fund various maritime environmental projects in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Those projects will be managed by the congressionally established National Fish & Wildlife Foundation.

    Captain Korkmaz is a Turkish national. Prive Overseas Marine is based in Dubai and Prive Shipping is headquartered in Turkey. As a condition of probation, the corporations must also adhere to an environmental compliance plan mandating audit, safety and inspection requirements over the next four years.

    Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana made the announcement.

    The Coast Guard Investigative Service and EPA Criminal Investigations Division investigated the case with assistance from Coast Guard Sector New Orleans.

    Senior Litigation Counsel Richard A. Udell and Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys G. Dall Kammer and Christine M. Calogero for the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Financial Advisor Charged with Promoting Illegal Tax Shelter, Stealing Clients’ Funds and Money Laundering

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    A federal grand jury in Gulfport, Mississippi, returned an indictment, unsealed yesterday, charging a Florida financial advisor with a years-long scheme to promote and operate an illegal tax shelter, stealing some of his clients’ funds and money laundering.

    According to the indictment, Stephen T. Mellinger III, of Florida, was a securities broker, financial advisor and insurance salesman. Beginning in late 2013, Mellinger allegedly conspired with several others to defraud the IRS by promoting an illegal tax shelter.

    Mellinger allegedly instructed clients participating in the shelter, including clients in Mississippi, to transfer money to a company controlled by Mellinger or his co-conspirators in the amount they wished to claim as a deduction on their tax returns. The conspirators then allegedly returned the money to a bank account that clients controlled less a percentage fee that they charged for their services. Even though tax shelter clients received their money back, Mellinger allegedly directed them to claim the transfer to the company as a deduction on their tax returns, and to label the deduction as a “royalty” payment. Mellinger allegedly earned more than $3 million in fees from the shelter.

    Also, in January 2016, the federal government allegedly seized funds from some of Mellinger’s clients, who were engaged in a scheme to defraud health care benefit programs, including TRICARE, the U.S. Department of Defense’s health care benefit program. Mellinger conspired with a close relative to take advantage of the seizure to steal some of the money that those clients had transferred through the tax shelter. Mellinger then allegedly laundered the stolen funds, which he knew were proceeds of healthcare fraud. Ultimately, he allegedly used some of the funds he stole from his clients to buy a home in Delray Beach, Florida.

    Mellinger was charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States, aiding in the preparation of false tax returns, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering. If convicted, Mellinger faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiring to defraud the IRS, a maximum penalty of three years in prison for each substantive count of aiding in the preparation of false tax returns, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud, a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiring to commit money laundering and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each substantive count of money laundering. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation and Defense Criminal Investigative Service are investigating the case.

    Trial Attorneys William Montague, Richard J. Hagerman and Matthew Hicks of the Tax Division, Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Kirkham for the Southern District of Mississippi and Trial Attorneys Emily Cohen and Jasmin Salehi Fashami of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section (MLARS) are prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Shipping Companies Sentenced to $2M Criminal Penalty for Concealing Oil Discharge

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    Two corporations that operated the motor tanker P/S Dream — Prive Overseas Marine LLC and Prive Shipping Denizcilik Ticaret — were sentenced yesterday in federal court in New Orleans to pay a $2 million criminal penalty and complete four years of probation. The companies pleaded guilty in May to charges of conspiracy, obstruction of justice and violating the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS). The court sentenced the P/S Dream’s Captain, Abdurrahman Korkmaz, on Sept. 10 to eight months in prison for an APPS offense and obstructing the U.S. Coast Guard’s investigation.

    The charges pertain to the investigation of the P/S Dream vessel when it was heading to New Orleans in January 2023. Senior corporate managers were aware that Korkmaz had arranged to discharge oil-contaminated waste from a residual tank on deck into the ocean. The captain ordered the crew to pump the waste overboard and clean the tank with soap. The seamen rigged a portable pump to empty the contents overboard over three days. The defendants falsified the vessel’s oil record book by omitting the discharge.

    One of the crew members alerted the Coast Guard and shared videos of the discharge and resulting oil sheen. When the ship arrived in Louisiana, another crew member came forward and gave the Coast Guard a recording of an officer discussing the discharge.

    The falsified logs, presented to the Coast Guard during its inspection, were intended to conceal the fact that the crew had dumped oil-contaminated waste overboard in violation of MARPOL Annex I, an international treaty regulating oil pollution from ships. Corporate representatives at Prive Shipping were aware that the oil-contaminated waste remained in the tank and were informed by the ship’s master that it had been dumped overboard.

    The $2 million criminal penalty includes $500,000 in organizational community service payments that will fund various maritime environmental projects in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Those projects will be managed by the congressionally established National Fish & Wildlife Foundation.

    Captain Korkmaz is a Turkish national. Prive Overseas Marine is based in Dubai and Prive Shipping is headquartered in Turkey. As a condition of probation, the corporations must also adhere to an environmental compliance plan mandating audit, safety and inspection requirements over the next four years.

    Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division and U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana made the announcement.

    The Coast Guard Investigative Service and EPA Criminal Investigations Division investigated the case with assistance from Coast Guard Sector New Orleans.

    Senior Litigation Counsel Richard A. Udell and Senior Trial Attorney Ryan Connors of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys G. Dall Kammer and Christine M. Calogero for the Eastern District of Louisiana prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Leader of 2021 Tennessee Clinic Blockade Sentenced for Federal Conspiracy Against Rights and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act Convictions

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    Chester Gallagher, the leader of a March 5, 2021, blockade of a Mount Juliet, Tennessee, reproductive health clinic was sentenced yesterday to 16 months in prison and three years of supervised release following his convictions for federal conspiracy against rights and Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act offenses.

    “This defendant, like everyone else, has a right to his personal views regarding reproductive healthcare, and the right to speak, write and demonstrate about those views,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “But he does not have the right to impose his views on others by using intimidation and physical obstruction to prevent access to reproductive health care. This defendant is being held accountable for leading both a conspiracy to blockade a reproductive health clinic and the actual blockade, which physically obstructed patient access. The Justice Department will continue to protect patients seeking reproductive health services and the providers delivering those services.”

    “The defendant and his co-conspirators knowingly chose to violate a law that was enacted to protect health care providers and patients in an effort to impose their views about reproductive healthcare on others” said U.S. Attorney Henry Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. “While we are all entitled to our personal views, yesterday’s sentence is a reminder that we cannot pick and choose which laws we follow and that those who violate the law will be held accountable.”

    “This sentencing should send a clear message that the FBI will always work to bring to justice those who violate the civil rights of others,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Memphis Field Office. “The FBI will continue to investigate FACE Act violations to protect the rights of those who receive or provide lawful reproductive health care without the threat of violence or intimidation.”

    Gallagher and five co-defendants were previously convicted at trial of all charges. A sixth co-defendant previously pleaded guilty. Evidence presented at trial proved that Gallagher and his co-defendants engaged in a conspiracy to prevent employees at the Mount Juliet reproductive health clinic from providing, and patients from receiving, reproductive health services, a civil right secured by the FACE Act. As part of the conspiracy, Gallagher and others traveled to Tennessee from other states to participate in the clinic blockade, and Gallagher and another co-defendant stalled the Mount Juliet Police Department through phony negotiations. Evidence at trial further proved that the defendant violated the FACE Act by using physical obstruction to interfere with the clinic’s employees and a patient, because the clinic provided, and the patient sought, reproductive health services.

    Gallagher was also convicted of conspiracy against rights and FACE Act offenses in the Eastern District of Michigan on Aug. 20.

    The FBI Memphis Field Office, Nashville Resident Agency, investigated the case. 

    The U.S Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee and Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces Results of Operation North Star FY 2024

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    Today, the Justice Department announced that the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) arrested 3,421 violent fugitives, including 216 for homicide, 803 for assault, and 482 for weapons offenses, during the latest phase of its high-impact fugitive apprehension initiative called Operation North Star FY 2024 (ONS FY24).

    Related: U.S. Marshals Arrest Over 3,400 fugitives in Operation North Star

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks Announcing the Results of Operation North Star

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    Remarks as Delivered

    Good afternoon.

    We are here today to announce the results of the fourth phase of Operation North Star, a five-month initiative undertaken by the U.S. Marshals Service and law enforcement partners to target the most dangerous fugitives and violent offenders in 10 metropolitan areas across the country.

    Before we do, however, there are two matters I want to address:

    The first is a major law enforcement action the Justice Department has taken to counter some of the many threats Iran poses to our country.

    And the second is that we will soon mark one year since Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.

    First, with regard to Iran. There are few actors in this world that pose as grave a threat to the national security of the United States as does Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism.

    Iran’s malign activities are wide-ranging.

    The U.S. government is intensely tracking Iran’s lethal plotting against current and former U.S. government officials, including former President Trump.

    We are working to investigate and disrupt Iran’s funding and support of Hamas, Hizballah, and other terrorist groups.

    And we are working relentlessly to uncover and counter Iran’s efforts to stoke discord, to undermine confidence in our democratic institutions, and to influence our elections.

    As the intelligence community has reported, we are seeing increasingly aggressive Iranian cyber activity during this election cycle.

    In August, the Intelligence Community reported an ongoing effort by Iran to compromise former President Trump’s campaign and to influence the U.S. election process.

    Last week, the Intelligence Community reported that in late June and early July, Iranian malicious cyber actors sent unsolicited emails to individuals, who were then associated with President Biden’s campaign. The emails contained an excerpt taken from stolen, non-public information from former President Trump’s campaign as text in the emails. The Intelligence Community reported that there is currently no information indicating the recipients of the emails replied.

    The Intelligence Community further reported that Iranian malicious cyber actors have continued their efforts since June to send stolen, non-public material associated with former President Trump’s campaign to U.S. media organizations.

    Moments ago, the Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging three hackers working for the Iranian government with material support for terrorism, computer fraud, wire fraud, and identity theft for their roles in these cyberattacks. The three hackers are Iranian nationals residing in Iran.

    As outlined in our indictment, the defendants, Masoud Jalili, Seyyed Ali Aghamiri, and Yaser Balaghi, conspired with others to deploy a years-long, wide-ranging hacking operation on behalf of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. The operation targeted the email accounts of current and former American public officials, journalists, and most recently, individuals associated with U.S. political campaigns.

    The defendants’ own words make clear that they were attempting to undermine former President Trump’s campaign in advance of the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

    We know that Iran is continuing its brazen efforts to stoke discord, erode confidence in the U.S. electoral process, and advance its malign activities through the IRGC, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

    The Justice Department is committed to countering the threat that Iran poses to our democracy, to our national security, and to our allies in the international community.

    As we approach the upcoming election, I want to reiterate that the Justice Department will not tolerate attempts by Iran — or by any foreign power — to interfere in our elections and undermine our democracy.

    Together with our partners across the federal government, we will use every tool we have to counter and disrupt the efforts of Iran, as well as Russia and China, to exploit our democratic system of government.

    The message of the U.S. government is clear:

    The American people — not a foreign power — decide the outcome of our country’s elections.

    Not Iran and its malicious cyber activities, as laid bare in today’s indictment.

    Not Russia, and its efforts to spread disinformation and propaganda to secure its preferred outcome in the U.S. presidential election, as laid bare in the indictment and seizures announced earlier this month.

    And not China, which continues in its efforts to exert targeted influence at the federal, state, and local levels in furtherance of the PRC’s agenda, as described in multiple previous indictments and the Intelligence Community’s recent Election Security Updates.

    These authoritarian regimes, which violate the human rights of their own citizens, do not get a say in our country’s democratic process.

    The American people — and the American people alone — will decide the outcome of our country’s elections.

    Now to the second matter.

    In just over a week, we will mark one year since Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.

    On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists murdered nearly 1,200 people, including more than 40 Americans, and kidnapped hundreds of civilians.

    And they perpetrated the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.

    We are committed to pursuing the terrorists responsible for murdering Americans — and those who illegally provide them with material support — for the rest of their lives.

    Earlier this month, the Justice Department unsealed charges against Yahya Sinwar and other senior leaders of Hamas for the October 7 attacks and for financing and directing a decades-long campaign to murder American citizens and endanger the security of the United States.

    Those charges are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’ operations. There will be more to come.

    In the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attacks, we also saw a disturbing increase in the volume and frequency of threats here at home against Jewish, Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian communities.

    That is why, last October, I directed all of our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and all of our FBI Field Offices to meet with local law enforcement and community leaders to strengthen our response to threats of hate-fueled violence. And that is what we have continued to do in the year since.

    But we recognize that the ramifications of October 7 are still being felt in communities across the country.

    For the Jewish community, this has been a time of a renewed, deeply familiar sense of isolation and fear.

    And as we approach one year since the October 7 attacks, we do so at a time when Jews across the country will soon be observing the High Holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

    For Jews, this is a period of solemn reflection and prayer.

    It is a time to gather together to worship and to be in community with each other.

    It should not be a time of fear.

    The Justice Department has and will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute acts and threats of violence fueled by antisemitism and by hatred of any kind.

    In recent months, the Department has brought charges, obtained plea agreements, and obtained sentences for more than 35 defendants for criminal acts motivated by antisemitic hate. This is in addition to the many charges brought by our state and local partners. That work will continue.

    No person and no community in this country should have to live in fear of hate-fueled violence. 

    No faith community should have to fear that they will be attacked in their place of worship.

    The Justice Department has no higher priority than protecting the safety and civil rights of everyone in our country.

    Working to uphold that promise is our sacred responsibility.

    It is one we will never abandon.

    Protecting the safety of our people also includes combating violent crime, which is the topic of today’s third announcement to which I will now turn.

    From May to September of this year, the U.S. Marshals Service worked with state and local law enforcement partners in 10 metropolitan areas to arrest more than 3,400 fugitives and violent offenders — including more than 200 wanted for homicide. They also seized more than 500 firearms, more than $500,000 in U.S. currency, and over 450 kilograms of illegal narcotics including more than 550,000 pills of deadly fentanyl.

    The U.S. Marshals and their partners conducted this operation in Dallas-Fort Worth, Charleston, Baton Rouge, Little Rock, Phoenix, St. Louis, Birmingham, Winston-Salem, Dayton, and San Antonio.

    The arrests included a Louisiana man, wanted for domestic abuse, child endangerment, and home invasion.

    It included four people in Texas, wanted for a drive-by shooting that injured multiple children.

    It included a gang member in Texas wanted for homicide.

    It included a Virginia man wanted for sexually assaulting a child.

    It included a Missouri man wanted for opening fire at a car meet-up, shooting seven people, and killing a 14-year-old.

    These cases represent only a small fraction of the extraordinary efforts that the U.S. Marshals Service and its partners undertook during this operation.

    I am deeply grateful to every Deputy U.S. Marshal, task force officer, investigator, and police officer who carried out these arrests. They did so at great risk to themselves.

    And I am grateful to U.S. Marshals Service Director Ron Davis, for his leadership of the more than 5,500 public servants who have dedicated their careers to protecting their communities.

    This is now the fourth iteration of Operation North Star, which we first launched in 2022 to zero in on and apprehend the most dangerous fugitives and violent offenders.

    But this is the first iteration of Operation North Star since the devastating attack that took place during a U.S. Marshals task force operation in North Carolina earlier this spring.

    On that day, we lost Deputy U.S. Marshal Tommy Weeks, task force officers Alden Elliot and Samuel Poloche, and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer Joshua Eyer.

    As we remember them, we are reminded of the enormous risks that Deputy U.S. Marshals and their partners encounter every day.

    We are also reminded of the extraordinary courage of the people who do this work, and of their loved ones.

    We could not be more grateful for their sacrifices.

    Three-and-a-half years ago, the Justice Department launched an ambitious strategy to combat the sharp spike in violent crime that had occurred during the pandemic.

    We focused our efforts on enhancing the most powerful tool we have: our partnerships with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, and with the communities we all serve.

    And then we fortified those partnerships with substantial funding from our grant-making components and by bringing to bear new technological tools that allowed us to identify and focus on those actors most responsible for committing violent crimes and take them off of our streets.

    Today, we know that work is paying off.

    Statistics released by the FBI earlier this week show an historic drop in homicides nationwide, and one of the lowest levels of violent crime in 50 years.

    And recently released data from the Justice Department’s Violent Crime Steering Committee indicates that this trend is continuing. A study of 88 cities shows that violent crime has continued to decline considerably in the first half of 2024 compared to the same time last year — including a further 16.9% decline in murder.

    Here in Washington, D.C., where we surged resources to target the individuals and organizations driving violent crime, we have seen a more than 30% decline in homicides so far this year compared to the same time last year.

    But we know that progress in many communities is still uneven. And there is no acceptable level of violent crime.

    That is why the U.S. Marshals Service launched, and continues to relaunch, Operation North Star.

    And that is why the Justice Department will continue to use every resource we have in the fight against violent crime.

    Our commitment to combating violent crime is not about statistics — it is about saving lives.

    It is about community members and law enforcement officers, who are still here to see their children grow up and to work toward fulfilling their dreams.

    The Justice Department will continue to work tirelessly to deploy our anti-violent crime strategy across our law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices, and grantmaking components.

    We will work in close partnership with police and sheriff’s departments and communities across the country to go after the recidivists and gangs that are responsible for the greatest violence.

    We will continue to deploy our technological and prosecutorial resources to identify and prosecute the principal drivers of gun violence.

    And we will continue to invest in the essential programs that allow law enforcement agencies to hire more officers; to build the public trust essential for public safety; and to support the evidence-based community violence intervention initiatives that save lives.

    We will not rest until all Americans feel safe in their communities.

    And now I would now like to ask Marshals Service Director Davis to say a few words.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Hospital Authority responds to media enquiries on arrest of Yan Chai Hospital staff by Police

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Hospital Authority responds to media enquiries on arrest of Yan Chai Hospital staff by Police
    Hospital Authority responds to media enquiries on arrest of Yan Chai Hospital staff by Police
    ******************************************************************************************

    The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:     In response to media enquiries on the arrest of Yan Chai Hospital staff by the Police, a spokesman for the Hospital Authority (HA) gave the following response:     Regarding the patient case on May 25, 2024, involving a four-year-old girl who developed cardiac arrest following a suturing procedure in the Accident and Emergency Department of Yan Chai Hospital (YCH), two staff members involved in the suturing procedure were arrested by the Police this morning. The staff concerned will be suspended from their duties. YCH will adhere to its prevailing human resources policies in handling the case. The HA will all along fully co-operate with the Police investigation.     The patient has been receiving treatment in the Peadiatric Intensive Care Unit at Princess Margaret Hospital since May 25, 2024. She remains in critical condition and dependent on nasogastric tube feeding and ventilatory support. The HA expresses deep concern for the patient and her family and will continue to provide appropriate treatment and support.     As legal proceeding are ongoing, it is inappropriate for the HA to make further comments on the case.

     
    Ends/Saturday, September 28, 2024Issued at HKT 16:27

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Health Bureau responds to media enquiries on Police action

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Health Bureau responds to media enquiries on Police action
    Health Bureau responds to media enquiries on Police action
    **********************************************************

         In response to media enquiries on the arrest of two staff of Yan Chai Hospital by the Police, a spokesman for the Health Bureau (HHB) gave the following response today (September 28):     The spokesman said, “As the case is under legal proceedings, it is inappropriate for us to comment. We are deeply saddened by the circumstances of the girl in this case. The clinical team of the Hospital Authority (HA) will continue to provide optimal treatment to the girl and maintain close liaison with her family to provide timely support.      “The HHB has been highly concerned about the incident. Patient safety is the prime concern of hospital operations. We understand that the HA will fully assist in the Police’s investigation.”

     
    Ends/Saturday, September 28, 2024Issued at HKT 16:20

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: PC dismissed following misconduct hearing after assaulting child

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A police officer has been dismissed after a misconduct panel found he assaulted a child by spanking her bare bottom on numerous occasions.

    A misconduct hearing, which concluded on Friday, 27 September, found that PC Ross Benson, attached to the North West Basic Command Unit, breached the standard of professional behaviour relating to discreditable conduct at the level of gross misconduct.

    He was dismissed without notice.

    The misconduct hearing panel, led by an independent chair, examined allegations that between April 2018 and August 2018 PC Benson administered spankings to a girl, while she was aged between 12-13 years old, and there was a sexual element to them.

    The girl was known to him and the spankings happened when he was off-duty.

    On 6 November 2020, PC Benson was arrested by Bedfordshire Police on suspicion of sexual assault. In September 2021 he was informed no further action would be taken.

    Bedfordshire Police contacted the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards and a misconduct investigation was launched.

    Detective Superintendent Will Lexton-Jones, the acting the North West Basic Command Unit Commander, said: “My thoughts are first and foremost with the victim who displayed courage in reporting this. PC Benson’s abhorrent behaviour has led to his immediate dismissal, which is a decision I fully support.

    “I hope this outcome demonstrates how we are rooting out those who do not demonstrate the high standards we demand from our officers.”

    Following the hearing PC Benson will now be placed on the barred list held by the College of Policing. Those appearing on the list cannot be employed by police, local policing bodies (PCCs), the Independent Office for Police Conduct or His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Defending the right to abortion shouldn’t be a dangerous job

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Fernanda Doz Costa, Director of Gender, Racial Justice, Refugees and Migrants Rights Program at Amnesty International.

    Hate emails, stigmatization, death threats, stalking, burglaries, attacks, harassment at work and at home. Killings. This is what life is like for many who provide life-saving reproductive care, including abortions.

    Facilitating safe access to abortions has become an increasingly dangerous undertaking in most corners of the world, despite huge progress to expand access to healthcare.

    From the United States to Ethiopia, Colombia and Poland, those who defend the right to abortion, including health professionals such as midwives, nurses and doctors, have been facing a relentless backlash.

    In the USA, the National Abortion Federation recorded 11 murders, 26 attempted murders and 531 cases of assault, among many other types of attacks against people who facilitated abortions between 1977 and 2022. Since a devastating Supreme Court ruling two years ago greatly limited access to abortion services and created an environment of fear, there has been an increase in incidents like arsons, burglaries and death threats.

    From the United States to Ethiopia, Colombia and Poland, those who defend the right to abortion, including health professionals such as midwives, nurses and doctors, have been facing a relentless backlash.

    Fernanda Doz Costa, Director of Gender, Racial Justice, Refugees and Migrants Rights Program, Amnesty International

    In Sudan, abortion providers routinely face physical violence and public shaming.

    “A provider was shot by the spouse of a woman who sought an abortion,” one gynecologist recently told us. “There have been a few instances where service providers have been beaten by members of the public, even when just educating about contraception, or intervening in child marriage cases, especially in rural communities. So, providers are scared.”

    In other countries, such as Italy, anti-abortion activists organize online harassment campaigns against health professionals, which can have a deep impact offline. Attacks include barrages of insults, threats and trolling, and their profiles being reported to social media companies, in an attempt to get them banned from social media platforms.

    Another form of intimidation that is common across the world are aggressive anti-abortion protests and pickets outside health clinics, a strategy to terrorize both people seeking medical care, particularly those relying on public services, and the professionals trying to provide it.

    Not all is bad news. Over the last few decades, there has been a tremendous positive global trend towards advancing abortion rights around the world — in the past 30 years alone, more than 60 countries have liberalized their abortion laws. But, partly as a response to this, anti-rights initiatives continue to impede millions of people from accessing essential and vital health care. This happens even in countries where abortion services are legal on paper but challenging to access in practice.  

    Individuals and organizations advocating for limits to basic human rights have promoted an agenda that violently targets and stigmatizes anyone working to protect those in need of medical attention.

    As a gynecologist from Nigeria told us: “I face harassment and stigmatization for the work I do. The stigma is among fellow professional colleagues who make remarks that are demeaning to me. On the basis of religion, they preach to me about the sins committed for supporting abortion care, the killing of ‘the unborn children’ and the ‘hellfire that awaits all murderers.’”

    Similarly, Dr. Laura Gil, a doctor from Colombia, described the harassment and violence her and other colleagues who perform abortions face, even from colleagues: “They slashed one of my friend’s car tires. They glued shut a different colleague’s padlock so she couldn’t open her locker. When another friend who is a psychiatrist stood up for a patient who was asking to terminate her pregnancy because of a health risk, one of her colleagues hit her with a folder. All this mistreatment stems from the idea that people who do abortions are morally inferior.”

    Why does this matter? You may ask.

    When health professionals trying to care for their patients are prevented from doing their jobs, it is the most vulnerable who end up at high risk. It’s been long documented that limits to accessing abortion care particularly affect vulnerable populations who are unable to pay for the services in private – which is how many people access abortions in countries where the procedure is illegal.

    When health professionals trying to care for their patients are prevented from doing their jobs, it is the most vulnerable who end up at high risk.

    Fernanda Doz Costa, Director of Gender, Racial Justice, Refugees and Migrants Rights Program, Amnesty International

    These kinds of harassment campaign also have the pervasive effect of discouraging health professionals from pursuing certain specialities, which, in turn, greatly limits the availability of good quality accessible healthcare, as Dr. Gil told us.

    It’s a silent and dangerous rollback on human rights that is placing many lives at risk.

    Providing safe abortions should not be a risky job. In fact, in many countries it isn’t. There, doctors and nurses are able to care for their patients, provide information and advice about their options so they are able to make informed decisions about what is best for them and then access the services they need. Without harassment, hate campaigns and attacks, health professionals are able to do what they trained to do: save lives and support people to follow their lives plans as healthy and as free as possible.

    Over the many years we have been working, side by side millions of brave activists and organizations from across the world, to ensure abortion services are a reality for all, we asked many health professionals working in challenging environments why they do it, despite all the risks.

    Many told us of their unwavering commitment to dedicate their life to the service of humanity, to care for their patients, regardless of any considerations of creed, gender or any other factors.

    On international safe abortion day, let’s all do our part to celebrate and protect them.

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tigard Mother and Daughter Indicted for Holding Three Victims in Indentured Servitude in Adult Foster Care Home

    Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

    PORTLAND, Ore.—A mother and daughter from Tigard, Oregon were arraigned in federal court today after they were indicted for using force and threats to compel three victims, including a minor victim, to work for little or no pay in an adult foster care home.

    Marie Gertrude Jean Valmont, 66, and Yolandita Marie Andre, 30, have been charged in a seven-count indictment with conspiring with one another to commit forced labor, committing forced labor, and benefitting from forced labor.

    According to court documents, Valmont and Andre, the owners and operators of Velida’s Care Home in Tigard, began their trafficking scheme in 2023 when they convinced two adults and a child from Haiti to travel to the United States to work at Velida’s.

    In early September 2023, all three victims arrived in Portland and were immediately taken to Velida’s where they were forced to work long, difficult hours for little or no pay. Valmont and Andre are also alleged to have taken their victims’ immigration paperwork and forbade them from leaving Velida’s under any circumstances. Valmont is further alleged to have thrown items at the victims, threatened to send them back to Haiti and have them killed, and threatened to call the police and make false theft allegations against them.

    In the summer of 2023, authorities with the Oregon Department of Justice were alerted to the situation at Velida’s following the minor victim’s disclosure of her indentured servitude to a pediatrician. Shortly after, the minor victim was removed from Velida’s and placed in a foster home. On Thursday, the FBI arrested Valmont and Andre at Velida’s without incident.

    Both defendants made their first appearances in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. They were arraigned, pleaded not guilty, and released pending further court proceedings.

    Committing and benefitting from forced labor are both punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison per count of conviction.

    This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Tigard Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Eliza Carmen-Rodriguez, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    An indictment is only an accusation of a crime, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    If you or someone you know are victims of human trafficking or have information about a potential human trafficking situation, please call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733. NHTRC is a national, toll-free hotline, with specialists available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also submit a tip on the NHTRC website.

    If you believe a child is involved in a trafficking situation, you can also submit a tip via the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) CyberTipline or call 1-800-THE-LOST. FBI personnel assigned to NCMEC review information provided to the CyberTipline.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Commissioner of Police leads JPC members to witness Force mascots launching into space with satellite (with photos)

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Commissioner of Police leads JPC members to witness Force mascots launching into space with satellite (with photos)
    Commissioner of Police leads JPC members to witness Force mascots launching into space with satellite (with photos)
    ******************************************************************************************

         The six-day Beijing-Jiuquan Exchange Tour held by the Junior Police Call (JPC) concluded its main itinerary today (September 28). Eighteen JPC members started their journey on September 24. In addition to visiting a number of historical and cultural sites in Beijing, the members also visited the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in Gansu Province. This not only enhanced participants’ understanding of our nation’s history and popular science knowledge, it also provided opportunities for them to have a closer understanding of our country’s latest technological developments and achievements.      The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre is an important stop of the tour. On September 27, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Siu Chak-yee, led the delegation to witness the historic moment when the mascots of the Force and the JPC were launched into space together with a satellite.      The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre is the birthplace of China’s aerospace industry. The whole nation rejoiced after China’s first satellite “Dongfanghong 1” was launched into space from the centre on April 24, 1970. Since its establishment in 1958, the centre has carried out numerous historic launch missions, witnessing the glorious history of China’s aerospace development.      The satellite launched today is named “Shijian Satellite 19”. Accompanying the satellite into space were the Police’s anti-scam mascot “Little Grape” and JPC mascot “Mini Bean”. The cute “Little Grape” promotes anti-scam messages, while the amicable “Mini Bean” symbolises the self-discipline and bravery of JPC members.      This was the first time for JPC members to witness a satellite launch in Jiuquan. The space flight of “Mini Bean” symbolises the infinite possibilities of the younger generation and inspires JPC members to bravely pursue their dreams and explore the unknown.      In addition to witnessing the satellite launch, the Commissioner also led the JPC members to visit the launch site of the LandSpace liquid oxygen-methane carrier rocket, launch tower of the Shenzhou manned spaceships, and astronaut dormitory “Wen Tiange” to learn about the daily lives and training of astronauts.      The delegation will return to Hong Kong tomorrow (September 29). 

     
    Ends/Saturday, September 28, 2024Issued at HKT 18:23

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cárdenas, Trone, Moore, and Senator Whitehouse Introduce Resolution Designating October 2024 National Youth Justice Action Month

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Tony Cardenas (D-CA)

    September 27, 2024

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — This week, Congressman Tony Cárdenas (CA-29), Congressman David Trone (MD-06), and Congresswoman Gwen Moore (WI-04) introduced a resolution designating October 2024 as National Youth Justice Action Month. The resolution sheds light on the collateral consequences youth face when they are treated as adults in the criminal justice system and encourages the Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to prioritize rehabilitation and support over wasteful incarceration. Earlier this week, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) introduced a companion resolution in the U.S. Senate.

    “For over 20 years, I have worked alongside my colleagues, experts, practitioners, advocates, and individuals to fight on behalf of youth in marginalized communities who are far too often pushed into our country’s mass incarceration system,”

    “It should be our nation’s highest priority to build a brighter future for our youth. As a nation with the highest youth incarceration rate, this priority is even more vital,” said Congressman Trone. “During National Youth Justice Action Month, we recommit ourselves to calling for accountability in our justice system and focusing on compassionate, effective policies to ensure everyone is given the chance to achieve the American Dream. We cannot accept the status quo – let’s get to work.”

    “Youth Justice Action Month is an opportunity to lift up and call for juvenile justice reforms that help young people grow, develop, and become their best selves,” said Congresswoman Moore. “This resolution reaffirms this as a key priority, which will benefit all our communities.”

    “Kids who end up in the legal system deserve a fair shot at a brighter future.  Yet, too often, our system fails them – particularly young people of color and those with disabilities,” said Senator Whitehouse, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a former Rhode Island Attorney General and U.S. Attorney. “During National Youth Justice Action Month, we recommit to building a justice system focused on meaningful rehabilitation and redemption for all of our young people.”

    “The Coalition for Juvenile Justice is grateful for Rep. Cardenas’s steadfast commitment to youth justice,” said Executive Director, Melissa Milchman. “YJAM is a time to educate about how far we have come as a country and how far we have left to go in youth justice reform. It is also a time to inspire action to ensure youth and communities have the resources, tools, and supports they need to thrive. As we acknowledge the 50th anniversary of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act this year, we are pleased to see Congress’ continued commitment to youth and their communities.”

    “Strong families and supportive communities are the key to safety and opportunity for young people,” said Lisette Burton, Chief Policy and Practice Advisor for the Association of Children’s Residential & Community Services and Co-Chair of the Act4JJ Coalition. “We appreciate that the House of Representatives, through the longstanding leadership of Congressman Cárdenas, is recognizing Youth Justice Action Month as a time to underscore what our courts have affirmed: children are different from adults, and our policies and systems must reflect that truth.”

    “As we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the JJDPA this Youth Justice Action Month, we challenge members of Congress and leaders nationwide to invest in trauma-informed, healing-centered solutions for youth in our communities. Through decades of research, we know that prioritizing services within the community rather than investing in the prison pipeline creates safer communities for everyone. We thank the members of Congress who continue to show a steady commitment to ensuring youth and families have what they need to thrive,” said Tracey Tucker, Executive Director at the National Youth Justice Network.

    Congressman Cárdenas has long been a leader on juvenile justice issues, beginning with his time in the California State Assembly when he co-authored and passed AB 1913, the Schiff-Cárdenas Juvenile Justice Crime Prevention Act. This law provided local communities with approximately $120 million per year, the single largest appropriation of state funds for youth crime prevention in the history of the United States. Now in Congress, he is the founder and chairman of the Youth Justice Caucus, working to support at-risk youth and fix the major problems in the United States juvenile justice system.

    To read the resolution, click here.

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Beaver Bank — RCMP charges man with multiple offences

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment has charged a man with multiple offences, including assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, following a disturbance in Beaver Bank.

    On September 26, at approximately 8:15 p.m., RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment responded to a report of an unwanted person outside a home on Sherri Ln. Upon arrival, responding officers confirmed the identity of the man and determined that he was in breach of conditions. When officers advised the man he was under arrest, he fled inside his home, which was nearby, grabbed a bat and returned outside, threatening the officers.

    The man was highly agitated and officers made several attempts to subdue and arrest him, including deploying their conducted energy weapons, before safely taking him into custody. The man and two officers sustained minor injuries during the incident. All three were treated and released by EHS.

    Shawn Michael Deschenes, 51, of Beaver Bank, has been charged with:

    • Assaulting a Peace Officer (two counts)
    • Assaulting a Peace Officer with a Weapon (three counts)
    • Uttering Threats
    • Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose
    • Resist Arrest
    • Mischief
    • Criminal Harassment
    • Causing Disturbance (two counts)
    • Failure to Comply with a Release Order (two counts)

    Deschenes appeared in Dartmouth Provincial Court on September 27 and was remanded into custody. He will return in court on October 1, 2024, at 9:30 a.m.

    File # 24-132543

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three protesters charged with criminal damage

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Three Just Stop Oil protesters will appear in court charged with criminal damage after soup was thrown at two Van Gogh paintings in the National Gallery.

    Stephen Simpson, 61, of Bradford, West Yorkshire; Phillipa Green, 24, of Penryn, Cornwall and Mary Somerville, 77, of Bradford, West Yorkshire will appear in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 30 September.

    The three were arrested by police following the incident on Friday, 27 September.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Snorkeller located deceased, Kaikōura

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    A missing snorkeler has been found deceased by rescue crews at Kaikōura.

    Police were alerted at around 4.50pm yesterday afternoon when the man was about 30 minutes overdue. Sadly, a body was located in the water about 6pm.

    Support is being provided to the man’s whānau at this difficult time.

    Police would like to thank those involved in the search for the person, including Coastguard Kaikōura volunteers.

    The death will be referred to the Coroner.

    ENDS
     

    Issued by Police Media Centre. 

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Appeal to trace man absconded from mental health facility

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Police are appealing for assistance to locate a man who has absconded from a mental health facility in Kingsbury.

    Officers were called shortly after 15:00hrs on Saturday, 14 September and informed that Trevor St Martins, 56, had absconded while on an escorted visit to shops.

    Detectives have carried out extensive enquiries to locate him but he remains missing.

    St Martins is described as 6ft tall and of medium build.

    When last seen, he was wearing a black top, black jeans and a black hat.

    Members of the public are advised not to approach him. For an immediate sighting call 999.

    If you know of his whereabouts, please call 101 quoting CAD 4057/14.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: MSST Honolulu enhances security operations in support of Forces Micronesia Sector Guam’s PWCS surge operations

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    SANTA RITA, Guam  –  

    Maritime Safety and Security Team (MSST) Honolulu completed quarterly surge operations in support of the U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam’s Ports, Waterways, and Coastal Security (PWCS) mission in Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands from Aug. 31 – Sept. 18, 2024.

    During this period, MSST Honolulu, augmented by MSST San Francisco, provided a law enforcement capable tactical crew to bolster regional security efforts.

    “We proudly support Sector Guam’s PWCS mission and strengthen our partnerships with local agencies. Through our joint operations, we are enhancing maritime security and ensuring the safety of our regional waters. Our crews love their time out here. Collaboration is key to our success, and we remain dedicated to serving the Marianas communities,” said Lt. j.g. Emily Titus, team lead of MSST Honolulu.

    Key highlights from the operation include:
    • Joint Law Enforcement Missions: MSST Honolulu participated in multiple interagency law enforcement missions, including a joint shoreside patrol with Guam’s Department of Agriculture and NOAA Enforcement Division. Crews conducted over 13 hours of collaborative patrols, significantly enhancing interagency relationships.

    • Surge Operations in Saipan: MSST personnel conducted surge LE operations in Saipan, completing 22 recreational boardings and engaging in four hours of joint patrols with Saipan’s Department of Public Safety.

    • Operational Achievements: Completed 17 hours of joint interagency patrols.

    • Interoperability Discussions: MSST Honolulu met with the Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam’s Enforcement Division and Guam’s Department of Agriculture to discuss interoperability and develop an operational plan for a 2025 deployment focused on marine protected species.

    “The presence of MSST Honolulu as a force multiplier is invaluable. Their specialized capabilities enhance the Coast Guard’s ability to respond effectively to emerging threats and support interagency operations. By working alongside local partners, we increase our operational capacity and build stronger relationships that are essential for ensuring the safety and security of our maritime environment throughout the Marianas,” said Lt. Chelsea Garcia, the U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam, Enforcement Division chief.

    Additionally, MSST Honolulu’s commitment to regional security was underscored by their involvement in Operation Irensia in June, where the team provided mission law enforcement support and training for visiting crews. During their June 2023 deployment to Guam, MSST Honolulu played a vital role in recovery efforts following Typhoon Mawar, collaborating with U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy EOD Mobile Unit Five divers and Station Apra Harbor to remove obstructed buoys and conducting side scan sonar operations to reopen the port after a three-day closure. They also facilitated the first escort of essential supplies to the island once the port was operational again.

    The ongoing collaboration and operational excellence demonstrated by MSST Honolulu and MSST San Francisco crews further solidifies the Coast Guard’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of Guam’s waters and the surrounding regions.

    -USCG-
    About U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam
    The U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam team focuses on maritime safety, security, and stewardship in Oceania. With a primary presence in Guam and Saipan and around 300 members across Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the team maintains a strong U.S. presence in the Micronesia sub-region and adjacent areas, closely tied to local communities.

    About MSST Honolulu
    The Maritime Safety and Security Team Honolulu is a specialized unit of the U.S. Coast Guard dedicated to enhancing maritime security and safety in the Pacific region. With a highly trained personnel team equipped to conduct law enforcement operations, port security assessments, and emergency response activities, MSST Honolulu collaborates closely with local, state, and federal agencies to safeguard vital maritime infrastructure and natural resources.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Cantwell Celebrates Grand Opening of Largest Public Project in Mount Vernon’s History

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
    09.28.24
    Cantwell Celebrates Grand Opening of Largest Public Project in Mount Vernon’s History
    New regional transportation hub near I-5 will host largest public EV charging station in the U.S.; Sen. Cantwell secured $3 million for project in FY2024 annual appropriations bill
    MOUNT VERNON, WA – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined local officials and community members at the grand opening of the Mount Vernon Library Commons – the largest public project in Mount Vernon’s history.
    “Transit oriented development projects like this create more livable communities,” Sen. Cantwell said. “Come up here, recharge, go to the Co-op, stop at the library — see all the wonderful things in Skagit County.
    This year alone, we’ve been able to provide [$12.5] million from the bipartisan infrastructure bill for the 78 electrical charging stations and more in the future, and the entire building really is an apex of what energy efficiency is. Even the concrete used to bore the foundation took the environment into consideration,” she continued.
    “So it is really, really a great testament to the leadership of this city today […] making this region an even more attractive place to be and live.”
    Following the speaking program, Sen. Cantwell joined the community for a ribbon cutting and tour of the new space; b-roll is available for download HERE.
    Located right off I-5, the Mount Vernon Library Commons will serve as a regional transportation hub, featuring a public library, a young adult STEM center, a community conference center, a commercial kitchen, and charging stations for electric vehicles and electric bicycles. The facility boasts 76 public EV charging spaces and infrastructure to increase capacity by 200 stations, making it the largest public EV charging station in the country.
    The Library Commons was awarded a $12.5 million Charging & Fueling Infrastructure Grant from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Sen. Cantwell championed. She also secured a $3 million Congressionally Directed Spending request for the Library Commons project in the FY 2024 annual Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The Library Commons project also received a $26.8 million Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) loan, the first ever TOD loan in the nation, which saved the City of Mount Vernon $3 million.
    The Library Commons is the first publicly bid building in Washington state to be certified to Passive House standards – one of the highest environmental certifications for reduced energy use. The building utilizes solar panels that supply 19-21% of the building’s power demand. 
    Video of the speaking program and b-roll of the ribbon cutting and tour are HERE; photos are HERE; and a transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks is HERE.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Gov. Jim Justice issues proclamation calling for another Special Session of the West Virginia Legislature starting Monday

    Source: US State of West Virginia

    Gov. Justice released the following statement ahead of Monday’s Special Session:

    “As I call this Special Session, the goal is clear that we need to help the hardworking people of West Virginia. I’m hopeful that we can get another personal income tax cut across the finish line. I’ve said it time and again: nothing will help our population grow, create new opportunities, and drive economic progress in West Virginia like eliminating our personal income tax. We’re on the right track, but we need to keep pushing forward. The growth and momentum we’ve built during my time as Governor is off the charts. It’s truly been a rocketship ride. We’ve also minded the store, and because of that we now have the opportunity to get these things done.

    We also need to do something to help hardworking families afford childcare. Right now, families across the country are struggling with extreme childcare costs, and we can’t sit on the sidelines and watch it happen in West Virginia. We need to step in and help. That’s why I’m again asking for a childcare tax credit to lower costs for families. This will make things a lot better for working families.

    There are additional things to address, such as more money for our schools and our nurses and getting major water, sewer, and infrastructure projects across West Virginia completed. 

    We all know my time as your Governor is coming to an end. But I promised you that I would run across the finish line, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”

    Once the session gets underway, bill status may be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Hurricane Helene power outages leave millions in the dark – history shows poorer areas often wait longest for electricity to be restored

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Chuanyi Ji, Associate Professor of Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology

    Strong winds from Hurricane Helene, one of the most powerful storms to hit the Southeast, flooded roads and cut power in multiple states. AP Photo/Mike Carlson

    Hurricane Helene left more than 4 million homes and businesses in the dark across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas after hitting Florida’s Big Bend region as a powerful Category 4 storm late on Sept. 26, 2024. As Helene’s rains moved inland, and mountain rivers caused devastating flooding, officials warned that fixing downed utility lines and restoring power would take days in some areas.

    Electricity is essential to just about everyone – rich and poor, old and young. Yet, when severe storms strike, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities often wait longest to recover.

    That isn’t just a perception.

    We analyzed data from over 15 million consumers in 588 U.S. counties who lost power when hurricanes made landfall between January 2017 and October 2020. The results show that poorer communities did indeed wait longer for the lights to go back on.

    A 10 percentile drop in socioeconomic status in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s social vulnerability index was associated with a 6.1% longer outage on average. This corresponds to waiting an extra 170 minutes on average for power to be restored, and sometimes much longer.

    The top map shows the total duration of power outages over eight storms by county. The lower map is a comparison with socioeconomic status taken into account, showing that counties with lower average socioeconomic status have longer outages than expected.
    Ganz et al, 2023, PNAS Nexus

    Implications for policy and utilities

    One likely reason for this disparity is written into utilities’ standard storm recovery policies. Often, these polices prioritize critical infrastructure first when restoring power after an outage, then large commercial and industrial customers. They next seek to recover as many households as they can as quickly as possible.

    While this approach may seem procedurally fair, these recovery routines appear to have an unintended effect of often making vulnerable communities wait longer for electricity to be restored. One reason may be that these communities are farther from critical infrastructure, or they may be predominantly in older neighborhoods where power infrastructure requires more significant repairs.

    Commercial areas are often higher on the priority list for faster power recovery in an outage. This store was still closed for several days during Texas’ widespread outages in 2021.
    Montinique Monroe/Getty Images

    The upshot is that households that are already at greater risk from severe weather – whether due to being in flood-prone areas or in vulnerable buildings – and those who are least likely to have insurance or other resources to help them recover are also likely to face the longest storm-caused power outages. Long outages can mean refrigerated food goes bad, no running water and delays in repairing damage, including delays in running fans to dry out water damage and avoid mold.

    Our study spanned 108 service regions, including investor-owned utilities, cooperatives and public utilities. The differential impact on poorer communities did not line up with any particular storm, region or individual utility. We also found no correlation with race, ethnicity or housing type. Only average socioeconomic level stood out.

    How to make power recovery less biased

    There are ways to improve power recovery times for everyone, beyond the necessary work of improving the stability of power distribution.

    Policymakers and utilities can start by reexamining power restoration practices and power infrastructure maintenance, such as replacing aging utility poles and trimming trees, with disadvantaged communities in mind.

    Power providers already have granular data on power usage and grid performance in their service regions. They can begin experimenting with alternative recovery routines that consider the vulnerability of their customers in ways that do not substantially affect average recovery duration.

    People in some Fort Myers, Fla., neighborhoods still lacked water and electricity more than a week after Hurricane Ian in 2022.
    Montinique Monroe/Getty Images

    For socioeconomically vulnerable regions that are likely to experience long outages because of their locations and possibly the aging energy infrastructure, utilities and policymakers can proactively ensure that households are well prepared to evacuate or have access to backup sources of power.

    For example, the U.S. Department of Energy announced in October 2023 that it would invest in developing dozens of resilience hubs and microgrids to help supply local power to key buildings within communities when the wider grid goes down. Louisiana plans several of these hubs, using solar and large-scale batteries, in or near disadvantaged communities.

    Policymakers and utilities can also invest in broader energy infrastructure and renewable energy in these vulnerable communities. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Justice40 program directs that 40% of the benefit from certain federal energy, transportation and housing investments benefit disadvantaged communities. That may help residents who need public help the most.

    Severe weather events are becoming more common as global temperatures rise. That increases the need for better planning and approaches that don’t leave low-income residents in the dark.

    Chenghao Duan, a Ph.D. student at Georgia Tech, also contributed to this article. This article, originally published on Feb. 7, 2024, has been updated with Hurricane Helene’s rising power outage toll.

    The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Hurricane Helene power outages leave millions in the dark – history shows poorer areas often wait longest for electricity to be restored – https://theconversation.com/hurricane-helene-power-outages-leave-millions-in-the-dark-history-shows-poorer-areas-often-wait-longest-for-electricity-to-be-restored-240001

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Police investigating fatal Huon Highway crash

    Source: Tasmania Police

    Police investigating fatal Huon Highway crash

    Sunday, 29 September 2024 – 8:59 am.

    Sadly, a person has died following a single vehicle crash on the Huon Highway near Port Huon in the state’s south early this morning.
    Inspector John Pratt said police and emergency services were called to the scene about 4am, following reports of a crash.
    “Initial inquiries indicate the driver was travelling on the Huon Highway near Castle Forbes Bay, when the vehicle left the road and went down an embankment,” he said.
    “The circumstances leading up to the crash are being investigated by police and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.”
    “Anyone with information or relevant dash cam footage, is asked to contact police on 131 444.”
    “Our thoughts are with everyone involved.”

    MIL OSI News –