NewzIntel.com

Category: Law

  • MIL-OSI: Volta Finance Limited – Net Asset Value(s) as at 30 April 2025

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Volta Finance Limited (VTA / VTAS)
    April 2025 monthly report

    NOT FOR RELEASE, DISTRIBUTION, OR PUBLICATION, IN WHOLE OR PART, IN OR INTO THE UNITED STATES

    Guernsey, May 23rd, 2025

    AXA IM has published the Volta Finance Limited (the “Company” or “Volta Finance” or “Volta”) monthly report for April 2025. The full report is attached to this release and will be available on Volta’s website shortly (www.voltafinance.com).

    Performance and Portfolio Activity

    Dear Investors,

    Volta Finance’s net performance for the month of April was negative -2.4%, taking the Aug 2024-to-date performance to +7.1%. Both our investments in CLO Debt and CLO Equity have experienced volatility post-liberation day, reflected in the valuation of the underlying assets of the fund.

    April was dominated by highly volatile markets driven by a confluence of macroeconomic and geopolitical events. On April 2, 2025, President Trump announced aggressive tariff policies aimed at addressing trade imbalances and bolstering U.S. economic sovereignty. Key measures included a 10% baseline tariff on all countries, with higher reciprocal tariffs on countries with significant trade deficits. These tariffs prompted swift responses from trading partners, notably escalating tensions with China, leading the U.S. to further increase tariffs on Chinese products to 145%.

    These announcements triggered immediate market reactions, causing U.S. and European stock indices to experience sharp declines amid fears of disrupted supply chains and higher costs. Markets partially recovered by month’s end as the Trump administration declared a 90-day tariffs pause on all countries that did not retaliate. From a macroeconomic perspective, sentiment was mixed. The April U.S. jobs report indicated resilience, with 177,000 jobs added—surpassing expectations—and the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.2%. However, GDP data painted a less optimistic picture, with a -0.3% annualized contraction in Q1 2025, sharply down from the previous quarter’s 2.4% growth. Increased imports and reduced government spending drove this decline, prompting the IMF to revise recession risks upward from 25% to 40%, while the Federal Reserve lowered its 2025 GDP growth forecast to 1.7%. In Europe, the ECB cut interest rates by 25 basis points to 2.25% amid weakening growth prospects and tariff-related uncertainties, also revising the bloc’s 2025 growth forecast down to 0.9% from 1.1%.

    Market-wise, the European High Yield index (Xover) closed around 40bps wider while Euro Loans lost 1pt at 97.80px (Morningstar European Leveraged Loan Index). US Loans were down as well (-85cts) at 96.30px. Primary CLO markets remained busy as many transactions had secured orders, while levels moved wider across the capital structure, notably with BBs north of +600bps and single-Bs above +900bps. In terms of performance, CLO BB tranches total returns reached -1.5%. This is to be put in perspective with US High Yield returning -1.07% in the same period and Euro High Yield -1%.

    In terms of defaults, Liability Management Exercises (aka ‘LME’) are now the norm in the US market. Default rate in the US is standing at c.4.3% (0.8% excluding LME) according to Morningstar LL Index while the default rate in Europe is kept at 0.3% at the end of March in terms of principal amount. This is resulting into some par erosion and some pressure on CCC headroom for amortizing CLO.

    In front of these uncertainties, we decided to increase our cash up to c.16% of NAV at the end of the month through active management in addition to strong CLO Equity distributions: we received €7.5m coming from called CLO Equities, sold European CLO single B and redeemed US CLO debt. At the opposite, we invested into our US and European CLO warehouses €1.9m to buy loans at a discount and €2.3m into CLO debt tranches. In addition, Volta Finance’s cashflow generation remained stable at €28.5m equivalent of interests and coupons over the last six months, representing close to 22% of April’s NAV on an annualized basis.

    Over the month, Volta’s CLO Equity tranches returned -3.6%** while CLO Debt tranches returned -0.9% performance**. This performance is consistent – although better – with the total returns of the product as mentioned above, especially when considering that Volta Finance is exposed to both BB and single-B tranches.

    Through the month, the dollar volatility had again a meaningful impact on the overall funds’ performance (-0.64%). In the second half of the month, considering the potential change into the long-term investor view on the dollar, we decided to lower our exposure to USD to avoid further weakening and decreased our exposure to c.12%.

    As of end of April 2025, Volta’s NAV was €262.9m, i.e. €7.19 per share.

    *It should be noted that approximately 4.24% of Volta’s GAV comprises investments for which the relevant NAVs as at the month-end date are normally available only after Volta’s NAV has already been published. Volta’s policy is to publish its NAV on as timely a basis as possible to provide shareholders with Volta’s appropriately up-to-date NAV information. Consequently, such investments are valued using the most recently available NAV for each fund or quoted price for such subordinated notes. The most recently available fund NAV or quoted price was 4.24% as at 31 March 2025.

    ** “performances” of asset classes are calculated as the Dietz-performance of the assets in each bucket, taking into account the Mark-to-Market of the assets at period ends, payments received from the assets over the period, and ignoring changes in cross-currency rates. Nevertheless, some residual currency effects could impact the aggregate value of the portfolio when aggregating each bucket.

    CONTACTS

    For the Investment Manager
    AXA Investment Managers Paris
    François Touati
    francois.touati@axa-im.com
    +33 (0) 1 44 45 80 22

    Olivier Pons
    Olivier.pons@axa-im.com
    +33 (0) 1 44 45 87 30

    Company Secretary and Administrator
    BNP Paribas S.A, Guernsey Branch
    guernsey.bp2s.volta.cosec@bnpparibas.com 
    +44 (0) 1481 750 853

    Corporate Broker
    Cavendish Securities plc
    Andrew Worne
    Daniel Balabanoff
    +44 (0) 20 7397 8900

    *****
    ABOUT VOLTA FINANCE LIMITED

    Volta Finance Limited is incorporated in Guernsey under The Companies (Guernsey) Law, 2008 (as amended) and listed on Euronext Amsterdam and the London Stock Exchange’s Main Market for listed securities. Volta’s home member state for the purposes of the EU Transparency Directive is the Netherlands. As such, Volta is subject to regulation and supervision by the AFM, being the regulator for financial markets in the Netherlands.

    Volta’s Investment objectives are to preserve its capital across the credit cycle and to provide a stable stream of income to its Shareholders through dividends that it expects to distribute on a quarterly basis. The Company currently seeks to achieve its investment objectives by pursuing exposure predominantly to CLO’s and similar asset classes. A more diversified investment strategy across structured finance assets may be pursued opportunistically. The Company has appointed AXA Investment Managers Paris an investment management company with a division specialised in structured credit, for the investment management of all its assets.

    *****

    ABOUT AXA INVESTMENT MANAGERS
    AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) is a multi-expert asset management company within the AXA Group, a global leader in financial protection and wealth management. AXA IM is one of the largest European-based asset managers with 2,800 professionals and €859 billion in assets under management as of the end of June 2024.  

    *****

    This press release is published by AXA Investment Managers Paris (“AXA IM”), in its capacity as alternative investment fund manager (within the meaning of Directive 2011/61/EU, the “AIFM Directive”) of Volta Finance Limited (the “Volta Finance”) whose portfolio is managed by AXA IM.

    This press release is for information only and does not constitute an invitation or inducement to acquire shares in Volta Finance. Its circulation may be prohibited in certain jurisdictions and no recipient may circulate copies of this document in breach of such limitations or restrictions. This document is not an offer for sale of the securities referred to herein in the United States or to persons who are “U.S. persons” for purposes of Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or otherwise in circumstances where such offer would be restricted by applicable law. Such securities may not be sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration from the Securities Act. Volta Finance does not intend to register any portion of the offer of such securities in the United States or to conduct a public offering of such securities in the United States.

    *****

    This communication is only being distributed to and is only directed at (i) persons who are outside the United Kingdom or (ii) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”) or (iii) high net worth companies, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as “relevant persons”). The securities referred to herein are only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to subscribe, purchase or otherwise acquire such securities will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. Any person who is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents. Past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance.

    *****
    This press release contains statements that are, or may deemed to be, “forward-looking statements”. These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes”, “anticipated”, “expects”, “intends”, “is/are expected”, “may”, “will” or “should”. They include the statements regarding the level of the dividend, the current market context and its impact on the long-term return of Volta Finance’s investments. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and readers are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. Volta Finance’s actual results, portfolio composition and performance may differ materially from the impression created by the forward-looking statements. AXA IM does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise forward-looking statements.

    Any target information is based on certain assumptions as to future events which may not prove to be realised. Due to the uncertainty surrounding these future events, the targets are not intended to be and should not be regarded as profits or earnings or any other type of forecasts. There can be no assurance that any of these targets will be achieved. In addition, no assurance can be given that the investment objective will be achieved.

    The figures provided that relate to past months or years and past performance cannot be relied on as a guide to future performance or construed as a reliable indicator as to future performance. Throughout this review, the citation of specific trades or strategies is intended to illustrate some of the investment methodologies and philosophies of Volta Finance, as implemented by AXA IM. The historical success or AXA IM’s belief in the future success, of any of these trades or strategies is not indicative of, and has no bearing on, future results.

    The valuation of financial assets can vary significantly from the prices that the AXA IM could obtain if it sought to liquidate the positions on behalf of the Volta Finance due to market conditions and general economic environment. Such valuations do not constitute a fairness or similar opinion and should not be regarded as such.

    Editor: AXA INVESTMENT MANAGERS PARIS, a company incorporated under the laws of France, having its registered office located at Tour Majunga, 6, Place de la Pyramide – 92800 Puteaux. AXA IMP is authorized by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers under registration number GP92008 as an alternative investment fund manager within the meaning of the AIFM Directive.

    *****

    Attachment

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: As Trump Administration Plans to Drop Criminal Charges Against Boeing, Warren and Blumenthal Call for Accountability of Boeing Executives

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    May 23, 2025
    “Any deal between DOJ and Boeing that would allow the company and its executives to avoid accountability would be a serious mistake”
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi, calling on the Department of Justice to hold Boeing and any responsible executives accountable for their role in the 2018 Lion Air and the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines crashes, which killed a total of 346 passengers. Boeing had previously agreed to plead guilty to criminal fraud in connection to the plane crashes, but recent reporting suggests the company is backtracking on its agreement in an attempt to receive more lenient treatment under the Trump administration. Now, DOJ appears to be preparing to drop the pending criminal charge against Boeing, signing a non-prosecution agreement..
    “We urge you not to sign a non-prosecution agreement with Boeing, and to instead hold the company, and its executives, to account for the consequences of their actions,” wrote the senators. 
    In both the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes, the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) flight control software installed on the aircraft, was found to have unexpectedly and forcefully pushed the aircraft’s nose down preceding the crashes. Boeing has admitted to criminally conspiring to defraud the federal government about MCAS in the course of the 737 MAX’s certification.
    Even as Boeing executives have promised to improve safety at Boeing, serious safety problems have persisted at the company. Last year, a door plug blew out of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282, a Boeing 737 MAX. A preliminary report indicates that the aircraft was delivered from Boeing’s factory without the key bolts that hold the door plug in place. Following the incident, an audit by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of Boeing’s 737 MAX production line found “systemic” safety issues including failures in 33 of the 89 safety tests it conducted.
    “The series of safety incidents and warnings from whistleblowers and regulators all point to one troubling conclusion—that manufacturing errors and defects in Boeing aircraft are not one-offs. They appear to be a product of its broken safety culture across multiple manufacturing sites—an atmosphere that prioritizes speed of production and short-term profit over quality and safety,” wrote the senators. 
    Even as these safety issues persist, Boeing executives have continued to squeeze profits out of the company to pay for their exorbitant salaries. Since the two Boeing 737 MAX crashes that resulted in the deaths of 346 people, Boeing executives have received over $377 million in pay and bonuses. Just days before DOJ told the court that it is considering a non-prosecution agreement, Boeing’s CEO appeared in Qatar with President Trump to announce that Qatar Airways had placed an order for 160 Boeing jets.
    “Senior Boeing executives have consistently failed to take responsibility or face meaningful repercussions for wrongdoing, and the agreement that is reportedly under discussion would increase the odds that they are ever forced to do so…Any deal between DOJ and Boeing that would allow the company and its executives to avoid accountability would be a serious mistake,” said the senators. 
    The lawmakers demanded that the DOJ not sign the non-prosecution agreement and instead ensure that both the company and its executives are held accountable if they are found to have violated federal laws or regulations. 
    Senator Warren has led calls to hold Boeing accountable for its safety failures, and has pushed for greater corporate and executive accountability: 
    In October 2024, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, urging the Department of Justice to investigate Boeing executives following years of promoting short-term profit over passenger safety.
    In October 2023, Senator Warren sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, calling on the DOJ to immediately reverse its newly unveiled “safe harbor” policy that would provide a get-out-of-jail-free card for mergers involving corporate white-collar criminals.
    In August 2022, Senators Warren and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) sent a letter to Attorney General Garland and Deputy Attorney General Monaco urging DOJ to use its authority to ban corporations that commit misconduct from government contracting.
    In May 2019, Senator Warren and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) released a new report: Rigged Justice 2.0: Government of the Billionaires, by the Billionaires, and for the Billionaires. The report is the second in a series on the failure of the federal government to hold corporate and white-collar criminals accountable and highlights how enforcement hit a 20-year low under the Trump administration.
    In April 2019, Senator Elizabeth Warren wrote to then-Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration Dan Ewell urging them to enact strong ethics policies to ensure that the Special Committee tasked with reviewing the FAA’s Aircraft certification process is free from all conflicts of interest and undue insider influence.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Minnesota State Trooper Indicted for Producing and Distributing Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota State Trooper Jeremy Francis Plonski was charged today in a four-count indictment in U.S. District Court for the production and distribution of child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

    Plonski had been previously charged via federal complaint with one count of producing child pornography and had been ordered detained pending trial. Plonski faces a mandatory minimum of fifteen years and up to life in prison if convicted.

    “The U.S. Attorney’s Office has zero tolerance for public officials who violate federal laws—particularly those laws that protect vulnerable children from sexual abuse,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick. “Plonski took an oath to protect and serve our community. While donning his uniform, Plonski committed one of the most vile and predatory offenses imaginable. This is abhorrent—to Minnesota as a whole and to our law enforcement community in particular. I am proud of the swift and decisive action of law enforcement, who responded immediately and worked cooperatively to take Plonski into custody.”

    “The conduct alleged in this case is horrifying and a gross betrayal of public trust,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “Law enforcement officers are sworn to protect the most vulnerable among us — not exploit them. When someone in a position of authority commits such an egregious and despicable crime, the damage extends beyond the victim — it shakes the very foundation of our communities’ trust. The FBI and our partners will not hesitate to investigate and bring to justice anyone who preys on children, no matter their badge or title.”

    “The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is committed to working with our federal, state and local partners to identify and hold accountable those who sexually abuse children,” BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said. “We will pursue anyone who wishes to harm children in our communities.”

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks the FBI for their investigation and hard work, as well as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Shakopee Police Department.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office also thanks the Minnesota State Patrol for their work and assistance in safely apprehending the defendant.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W. Bobier is prosecuting the case.

    An indictment is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Russia is facing fresh sanctions, but Putin is used to dealing with a struggling economy

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Yerzhan Tokbolat, Lecturer in Finance, Queen’s University Belfast

    The UK and the EU have agreed to hit Russia with a raft of new economic sanctions after hopes of a ceasefire with Ukraine came to nothing. One French minister commented that it is time to “suffocate” the Russian economy.

    Since the country’s fullscale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, that economy has certainly suffered. Sanctions on Russia have already led to a depreciation of the rouble, high inflation, very high interest rates and a stagnating economy.

    But it remains unclear what effect any new measures will have. And Vladimir Putin has a history of riding out economic hardship.

    When he became president of Russia just over 25 years ago, the country’s economy was in dire straits. Attempts by his predecessors Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin to build a more open and capitalist system had not worked well for most Russian citizens.

    Instead, a rapid wave of privatisations, which reformers hoped would build strong institutions, had mostly benefited a small group of oligarchs who exploited a weak and corrupt state to seize key oil, gas and mineral assets.

    Those oligarchs resisted legal reform, moved wealth abroad, failed to invest in the domestic economy, and gradually gained control of major corporations and media, expanding their political influence. By 1995, nearly half of Russians were living in poverty.

    The 1998 crisis worsened the situation, as a global recession and falling commodity prices led to fiscal imbalances and doubts about Russia’s ability to service its debt and uphold the fixed exchange rate. The central bank raised interest rates to 150% to try and stabilise the rouble, but this failed.

    It eventually allowed the rouble to float, and the currency lost about two-thirds of its value. When he came to power in 2000, Putin was then confronted with the challenge of rebuilding the Russian economy.

    Luckily for him, between 2000 and 2008, an oil and gas boom drove GDP growth, increasing incomes, and allowing for early repayment of national debts. Putin – and national pride – received a boost.

    Rising energy revenues helped stabilise the economy and enabled the state to tighten its grip on the energy sector. By 2006, Gazprom accounted for 20% of government tax revenue.

    Putin then shifted his focus to Europe. With German support, the Nord Stream pipeline was completed in 2011, enabling direct gas exports to western Europe while bypassing Ukraine. This increased European dependence on Russian energy.

    But Putin’s oil and gas-driven economic model struggled to sustain growth, and by 2013, his approval ratings had fallen to their lowest point since 2000.

    The annexation of Crimea in 2014, along with a very expensive Winter Olympics in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, temporarily boosted his popularity.

    Running on empty

    However, these accomplishments did little to address Russia’s core economic problems, particularly its failure to build a diversified economy.

    By 2018, Russia’s economy was again stagnant, with a weak currency and declining living standards, and Putin’s popularity fell in part due to unpopular budget-saving reforms, including raising the retirement age.

    There was widespread doubt about Putin’s model of lasting prosperity, which relied on state-led growth, but was marked by instability, resource dependence and growing geopolitical ambition.

    In this light, Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 appeared to be a familiar tactic to boost support. Indeed, his approval jumped to 83% after invading Ukraine, matching levels seen after the 2014 Crimea annexation. His ratings have remained high since, with recent polls still showing approval levels above 80%.

    But the Russian economy will still be a worry. Sustaining a “war economy”, where manufacturing and investment are focused on conflict cannot go on forever, particularly as the manufacturing product is being rapidly depleted as the Russian military uses it the field. And reliance on commodities has amplified the impact of sanctions, hitting key banks and energy firms such as Gazprom and Rosneft.

    Meanwhile, the US has significantly expanded its presence in Europe’s energy market, supplying nearly 50% of the EU’s liquid natural gas imports after tripling exports between 2021 and 2023.

    Major Russian pipeline projects such as Nord Stream 2 and Power of Siberia 2 remain in limbo. And the decline in oil prices in April 2025, the biggest since November 2021, poses further risks.

    If a ceasefire is agreed, a pause in the war could offer Russia the chance to regroup and recover economically. Sanctions are often temporary, and global demand for oil and gas remains strong. Some countries may re-engage in trade.

    But future economic stagnation could once again fuel aggression. Unless Russia undertakes structural reforms and redefines its role in the global economy by reducing reliance on resource exports and engaging more constructively with global markets, the cycle of confrontation may repeat itself, with far-reaching global consequences.

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

    – ref. Russia is facing fresh sanctions, but Putin is used to dealing with a struggling economy – https://theconversation.com/russia-is-facing-fresh-sanctions-but-putin-is-used-to-dealing-with-a-struggling-economy-255732

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Houston deports accused murderer to Mexico who has been on the run for 20 years

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    HOUSTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported Jesus Vazquez Daniel, a 59-year-old illegal alien and accused murderer, from the U.S. May 22.

    Vazquez has been on the run for the past 20 years after he allegedly murdered a Mexican national in Hidalgo, Mexico, Oct. 1, 2004.

    ICE transported Vazquez from the Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe to the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge Port of Entry in Laredo, and he was turned over to Mexican authorities.

    “For the past 20 years, this accused murderer evaded authorities while the family of his alleged victim was forced to wait patiently praying that justice might one day be served,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston Field Office Director Bret Bradford. “Thanks to outstanding teamwork and unyielding persistence by ICE officers from the Dallas and Houston field offices, that wait has finally come to an end.”

    Vazquez illegally entered the United States on an unknown date and at an unknown location without inspection, admission or parole. On July 18, 2024, ERO Dallas notified ERO Houston that they had received information indicating that Vazquez was potentially illegally residing in the Hillsboro area. A follow-up investigation by officers from ERO Houston’s Waco office confirmed that Vazquez was residing in the area and had an open warrant in Mexico for his arrest. On Feb. 2, ICE officers, with assistance from the Hill County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, safely arrested Vazquez in Hillsboro. Vazquez was transported to the Montgomery Processing Center Feb. 3 and placed into immigration proceedings. On May 13, an immigration judge with the Justice Department’s Executive Office for Immigration Review ordered Vazquez removed to Mexico.

    For more news and information on ICE’s efforts to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and defend public safety, national security and border security in Southeast Texas follow us on X at @EROHouston.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Charges San Diego County Dermatologist with Insurance Fraud of Over $1.3 Million

    Source: US State of California Department of Justice

    Friday, May 23, 2025

    Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

    SAN DIEGO – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today announced the filing of felony charges against a San Diego dermatologist for Medi-Cal fraud of over $1.3 million. The investigation uncovered that the dermatologist charged Medi-Cal $1,386,995 for services that were never rendered.

    “We will not tolerate fraud where individuals take advantage of Medi-Cal to line thier own pockets, potentially jeopardizing critical, necessary medical services our most vulnerable residents rely on,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Today’s action is possible due to my team’s efforts to hold accountable those who defraud Medi-Cal, and we will continue to do so. At the California Department of Justice, we are committed to fighting against all types of elder abuse, theft, and fraud. We will take prompt action to ensure that anyone who exploits or harms these vulnerable members of our community is held accountable.”

    It is alleged that the dermatologist was invoicing for as many as 233 patients on a daily basis, averaging between 60 to 70 patients per day for identical or comparable services. Furthermore, it was found that all patients were undergoing light therapy, with the majority using non-medical lamps. A complaint was filed in San Diego County Superior Court charging the dermatologist with 22 counts of healthcare insurance fraud, one count of Medi-Cal fraud, the white-collar crime enhancement, and the excessive takings enhancement. 

    The California Department of Justice’s Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse (DMFEA) works to protect Californians by investigating and prosecuting those responsible for abuse, neglect, and fraud committed against elderly and dependent adults in the state, and those who perpetrate fraud on the Medi-Cal program. Assistance on this investigation was provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, California Department of Healthcare Services, and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. 

    The Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $69,244,976 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2025. The remaining 25 percent is funded by the State of California. FY 2025 is from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025.
     
    A copy of the complaint can be found here.  

    It is important to note that criminal charges must be proven in a court of law. Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: St. John’s — RCMP NL Traffic Services conducts check points and traffic stops across the province during Canada Road Safety Week; tickets issued for various offences

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    RCMP NL Traffic Services were out in full force during Canada Road Safety Week (May 13 – 19) and over the May long weekend. Police officers across the province conducted check points and traffic stops and issued tickets for speeding, failing to comply with the move over law, driving while suspended, and various other offenses.

    On May 16, during a joint speed enforcement initiative with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary, RCMP Traffic Services East stopped two motorists at the same time traveling on the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) near Thomas Pond at speeds in excess of 160 km/h. The two drivers were ticketed for excessive speeding and received licence suspensions, and both vehicles were seized and impounded.

    During this joint enforcement effort, more than 50 tickets were issued for various offences, most of which included speeding. The two police forces continued to work together on Monday, May 19, and conducted speed enforcement both on the TCH and on the Team Gushue Highway in St. John’s. More than 50 tickets were issued. RCMP Traffic Services East also conducted stops throughout the region during the week, issuing tickets for various offences.

    RCMP Traffic Services Central conducted two checkpoints where approximately 140 vehicles were checked. Officers were happy to report that none of these motorists were driving while impaired. During traffic stops conducted over the course of Canada Road Safety Week, 108 tickets were issued for various traffic violations, most of which included speeding. Two motorists were stopped and ticketed for traveling in excess of 151 km/h on the TCH. Both received licence suspensions and vehicle seizures. Five motorists were ticketed for failing to comply with the move over law while police were stopped roadside conducting their work. One motorist found driving while suspended was ticketed and the vehicle was seized and impounded.

    RCMP Traffic Services West conducted a number of checkpoints throughout the region, checking over 480 drivers were checked with no impaired drivers detected. During the week, RCMP Traffic Services West also focused on offroad vehicle use. Three operators of side-by-sides were ticketed for not wearing a helmet. The operator of another offroad vehicle was stopped near Bonne Bay Pond and showed signs of alcohol impairment. A roadside breath test determined that the operator had a blood alcohol concentration above the provincial limit. That individual received a licence suspension and the offroad vehicle was seized.

    Traffic safety is everyone’s responsibility. Drivers are encouraged to follow the rules of the road, including posted speed limits, moving over for emergency vehicles and choosing to drive safe and sober. Those who drive aggressively or while impaired place themselves and all others who share the road at unnecessary risk of serious injury or death.

    If you suspect someone is driving while impaired or in a dangerous manner, please immediately call your local police detachment or 911.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: May Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments Announced

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the May Federal Grand Jury 2024-B Indictments.

    The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

    Alejandro Aldave. Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute (Counts 1 and 2); Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises (Count 3); Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (Count 4). Aldave, 36, of Tulsa, is charged with knowingly possessing more than 500 grams of cocaine with intent to distribute. He is additionally charged with maintaining a residence to distribute cocaine and possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam D. McConney is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-173

    Daniel Allen Ash; Amber Dawn Murphy. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country (Count 1); Child Neglect in Indian Country (Counts 2 through 5); Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor Under 12 Years of Age in Indian Country; (Count 6); Second Degree Murder in Indian Country (Count 7); Child Neglect in Indian Country (Counts 8 through 11) Possession of Child Pornography in Indian Country (Count 12) (superseding). Both from Commerce, Ash, 32, and Murphy, 30, a member of the Cherokee Nation, are charged with unlawfully killing a minor child in Sep. 2024 and willfully neglecting the health, safety, and welfare of four minor children. Ash is further charged with engaging in a sexual act with a minor child under 12 years old. Additionally, he is charged with possessing visual images depicting the sexual abuse of at least one prepubescent minor. The FBI and Quapaw Nation Marshal Service are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Hockenbury is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-088

    David Moses Castro-Rivera. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Castro-Rivera, 22, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in June 2021. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Dill is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-183

    Javier Cortez Banda. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Banda, 36, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Sep. 2020. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Whipple is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-184

    James Devon Davis. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition After Conviction for a Misdemeanor Crime of Domestic Violence. Davis, 29, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition, knowing he was previously convicted of a felony and a domestic violence misdemeanor. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Dewhurst is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-177

    Bradley Ray Dick. Child Abuse in Indian Country. Dick, 47, of Claremore and a member of the Cherokee Nation, is charged with willfully and maliciously injuring a child under the age of 18. The FBI and the Claremore Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Heign is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-176

    Stephen Dale Homer. Production of Child Pornography; International Production of Child Pornography; Possession of Child Pornography. Homer, 57, of McAlester and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is charged with using a minor child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of child sexual abuse material. He also coerced a minor child to engage in sexually explicit conduct outside of the United States for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of the sexually explicit conduct. This visual depiction was then transported to the United States. Additionally, Homer is charged with possessing visual images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children under 12 years old. The FBI Tulsa, FBI Charlotte, the Federal Air Marshal Service, the Tulsa Police Department, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert is prosecuting the case with assistance from the Western District of North Carolina USAO. 25-CR-171

    Robert Marcus Johnston. Assault of an Intimate/Dating Partner by Strangling and Attempting to Strangle in Indian Country. Johnston, 19, of Tulsa and a member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, is charged with assaulting a minor victim by strangulation. The FBI and Sapulpa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Weems is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-169

    Kaci Anne-Rene Lima. Bank Fraud (Counts 1 through 3); Aggravated Identity Theft (Counts 4 through 6). Lima, 36, of Tulsa, is charged with fraudulently obtaining funds from the victim’s bank account without permission. Further, Lima used the victim’s identity while committing a felony. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Catoosa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-179

    Jorge Antonio Lopez Vasquez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Lopez Vasquez, 39, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in July 2018. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Dewhurst is prosecuting the case. 
    25-CR-180

    Olajuwon Hasan Myers. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Myers, 39, of Phoenix, Arizona, is charged with knowingly possessing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. The Drug Enforcement Administration Tulsa Resident Office and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mandy Mackenzie is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-178

    Ricardo Plateado-Martinez; Rosa Maria Olmos; Rafael Gonzalez; Joel Rosales Pina. Drug Conspiracy; Conspiracy to Commit International Money Laundering; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises; Conspiracy to Import a Controlled Substance (third superseding). Plateado-Martinez, 34, of Broken Arrow; Olmos, 35, of Broken Arrow; Gonzales, 31, of Beaumont; and Pina, 40, a Mexican National are charged with conspiring to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine. Plateado-Martinez, Olmos, Gonzalez, and Pina are charged with conspiring to move money internationally with the intent to promote methamphetamine distribution and the conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Pina is further charged with maintaining a residence to distribute drugs. Gonzalez, and Pina are charged with conspiring to import more than 500 grams of methamphetamine from Mexico. The Drug Enforcement Administration, FBI, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, Broken Arrow Police Department, and Oklahoma City Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Nasar is prosecuting the case. 
    24-CR-131

    Jordan Frazier Payne. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country; Child Neglect in Indian Country. Payne, 31, of Grove, is charged with unlawfully killing the minor victim by blunt force trauma to the head. Further, Payne is charged with willfully failing to provide medical care for the minor victim. The FBI, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, the Grove Police Department, and the Jay Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Valeria Luster and Emily Dewhurst are prosecuting the case. 25-CR-168

    Adan Orozco-Godines. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Orozco-Godines, 38, 
    a Guatemalan national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been previously removed in Dec. 2016. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas Field Office is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian Harris is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-182

    Lekeith Deshawn Russell. Use of a Communication Facility in Committing, Causing, and Facilitating the Commission of a Drug Trafficking Felony (Counts 1 and 2); Attempted Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute (Count 3). Russell, 38, of Tulsa, is charged with attempting to possess methamphetamine through the mail. He is further charged with attempting to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyson McCoy is prosecuting the case. 25-CR-172

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Owner of Durable Medical Equipment Companies Agrees to Plead Guilty in Nearly $30 Million Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant allegedly used proceeds to purchase two Ferraris, a Mercedes-Benz Model S, at least three Rolex watches

    BOSTON – The owner of Pharmagears, LLC (Pharmagears) and RR Medco, LLC (RR Medco) has agreed to plead to guilty in connection with a nearly $30 million health care fraud conspiracy involving medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME), including orthotics such as back and knee braces. 

    Raju Sharma, 61, of Sharon, Mass., has agreed to plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. A plea hearing has not yet been scheduled by the Court. Per the plea agreement, the government will recommend a sentence of 10 years in prison and more than $15.8 million in restitution.

    Sharma was arrested and charged by criminal complaint in February 2025 and subsequently released on conditions pending trial. He was later ordered detained in April 2025 after the Court found that he violated the conditions of his release by contacting a potential witness. 

    According to the charging documents, between February 2021 and February 2025, Sharma – on behalf of Pharmagears and RR Medco – entered into contracts with telemarketing companies that generated DME orders by targeting Medicare beneficiaries. It is alleged that Sharma then billed Medicare for this medically unnecessary DME, which the Medicare beneficiaries often did not want or could not use; and/or a medical practitioner ordered without having met or examined the beneficiary; or were ordered by the fraudulent use of practitioners’ national provider identifiers without their knowledge or assent. It is further alleged that these DME orders were obtained in violation of the anti-kickback statute, because although Sharma agreed in the contracts to pay the marketing companies a flat fee for their services, Sharma in fact paid the marketing companies on a per-lead, or per-order, basis.  

    According to the charging documents, Sharma worked with multiple other co-conspirators, including family and acquaintances, to open and operate additional DME companies in the same fraudulent manner. In total, the companies owned, operated, or connected with Sharma billed Medicare approximately $29.6 million for these fraudulent DME orders and were paid approximately $15.8 million. 

    Sharma made substantial profits from this alleged fraud, which he used to purchase luxury goods, including two Ferraris, a Mercedes-Benz Model S and at least three Rolex watches. Pursuant to the plea agreement, the defendant has agreed to forfeit these luxury goods, as well as over $250,000 in cash investigators seized from his bank accounts. 

    The charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, supervised release for up to three years and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge, Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Marshals Service and the Sharon Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Graber and Sarah Hoefle of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Southern California Edison Agrees to Pay United States $82.5 Million to Resolve Lawsuit Stemming from 2020 Bobcat Fire

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – Southern California Edison (SCE) has agreed to pay the United States $82.5 million – the largest-ever wildfire cost recovery settlement by the United States in the Central District of California – to resolve claims on behalf of the U.S. Forest Service to recoup costs and damages associated with the 2020 Bobcat Fire in the Angeles National Forest, the Justice Department announced today.

    The Bobcat Fire ignited in September 2020 and burned more than 114,000 acres – approximately 175 square miles – of which nearly 100,000 acres were in the Angeles National Forest.

    “This record settlement against Southern California Edison provides meaningful compensation to taxpayers for the extensive costs of fighting the Bobcat Fire and for the widespread damage to public lands,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “My office will continue to aggressively pursue recovery for suppression costs and environmental damages from any entity that causes harm to the public’s forests and other precious national resources.”

    The United States filed a lawsuit in September 2023 on behalf of the Forest Service against SCE and Utility Tree Service to recover costs incurred fighting the Bobcat Fire and for the extensive damages that it caused to the Angeles National Forest.

    The United States alleged that the Bobcat Fire ignited when trees that were not properly maintained by SCE and its tree maintenance contractor came into contact with power lines, causing the blaze to ignite. The wildfire started on September 6, 2020, and resulted in damage to public lands. It caused years of closure of more than 100 miles of trails and numerous campgrounds. It also had a detrimental impact on habitats and wildlife, including to the federally endangered wildlife-mountain yellow-legged frog, federally threatened fish and birds, and irreplaceable cultural and heritage resources.

    SCE agreed to pay the $82.5 million settlement within 60 days of the effective date of the settlement agreement, which was May 14, without admitting wrongdoing or fault. 

    “These settlements are essential in restoring our landscapes after wildfires,” said Acting U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Regional Forester Jason Kuiken.

    “We are grateful to receive these settlement funds, which mark an important step toward recovery and restoration,” said Deputy Forest Supervisor Tony Martinez of the Angeles National Forest. “These resources will help us rehabilitate burned areas, restore wildlife habitats, and strengthen our forests’ resilience to future wildfires.”

    The United States Forest Service investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Sarah Quist and Joseph Tursi of the Complex and Defensive Litigation Section negotiated the settlement in this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Washington Man Sentenced to Over Five Years in Prison for Distributing Drugs on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation

    Source: US FBI

    GREAT FALLS – A Washington man who admitted to distributing fentanyl on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and Big Sandy, Montana was sentenced today to 66 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Terrence Derrell Milton, 35, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that beginning on or about May 18, 2023, and continuing through June 19, 2023, law enforcement received information from a witness that Milton and his co-defendant were working together to distribute fentanyl on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. The witness said Milton and his co-defendant would keep their stash of drugs off the reservation in Big Sandy and front a couple hundred pills at a time to individuals on the reservation to sell.

    On June 15, 2023, Milton met a witness for a controlled purchase of 20 fentanyl pills for $800 after communicating about the purchase through the co-defendant. The witness was met by Milton who provided the 20 fentanyl pills in exchange for $800.

    On June 19, 2023, the Tri-Agency Task Force executed a search warrant on a motel room in Big Sandy being rented by Milton. Under a bed in the motel room, law enforcement located approximately 3,200 fentanyl pills and a 10 mm handgun with a loaded 10 round magazine.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Tri-Agency Task Force.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Havre Man Sentenced to Over Five Years in Prison for Drug and Gun Charges on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation

    Source: US FBI

    GREAT FALLS – A Havre man who admitted trafficking methamphetamine and fentanyl while possessing a firearm on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation was sentenced yesterday to 66 months in prison to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    Bradley Lynn Perkins, 25, pleaded guilty in January 2025 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances (methamphetamine and fentanyl) and possession of an unregistered firearm.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

    The government alleged in court documents that on February 15, 2023, in Hill County, the Tri-Agency Task Force arranged a controlled purchase of roughly 27 grams of methamphetamine from the Perkins.

    One week later, Perkins was in state custody on other narcotics charges. He was interviewed by law enforcement and admitted he bought 500 fentanyl pills from someone on February 18, 2023, and he had previously purchased meth from the same person. Perkins also said he had been selling fentanyl pills for the last month or two and estimated he sold about 100 pills for $10 each. In March 2023, two witnesses said they had purchased fentanyl pills from Perkins. Another witness described selling between 500 and 700 fentanyl pills to Perkins between August and December 2022.

    On May 17, 2023, the Task Force and FBI arranged another controlled purchase of about 30 grams of methamphetamine from Perkins.

    On December 13, 2023, an FBI agent interviewed a witness who had gotten methamphetamine from Perkins and had previously paid him for meth. The witness also said Perkins gave them a shortened shotgun prior to a probation search; the FBI seized the shotgun and found the barrel was less than 18 inches in length. Perkins claimed ownership of the gun, and it had not been registered in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Tri-Agency Task Force.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Five Individuals Indicted in Insider Trading Scheme

    Source: United States Attorneys General 5

    Five individuals were charged in a 19-count indictment yesterday for their participation in a scheme to trade securities on the basis of material nonpublic information about the merger between two companies that resulted in profits of over $600,000.

    According to court documents, between May and June 2023, Rouzbeh “Ross” Haghighat, 61, of West Newbury, Massachusetts, Behrouz “Bruce” Haghighat, 60, of Laguna Niguel, California, Kirstyn Pearl, 35, of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Seyedfarbod “Fabio” Sabzevari, 31, of North Hollywood, California, and James Roberge, 70, of Westford, Massachusetts, allegedly profited more than $600,000 by unlawfully purchasing the securities of a biopharmaceutical company in Seattle, Washington (Company-1), where Ross Haghighat served as a director. As alleged, the defendants traded securities based on material nonpublic information about another pharmaceutical company’s (Company-2) proposed acquisition of Company-1. The indictment alleges that, in May 2023, Company-2 made a confidential proposal to acquire Company-1 at a price per share above the then current market value. The two companies then negotiated an agreement for the acquisition, which was announced in June 2023, causing the share price to spike.

    “The defendants were charged yesterday for allegedly trading on inside information and reaping hundreds of thousands in illicit profits,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Securities fraud and insider trading distort our financial markets and disadvantage Americans who play by the rules. These charges demonstrate that the Criminal Division is committed to maintaining the integrity of markets by holding accountable all those who defraud investors.”

    “Our office is committed to protecting the integrity of the market and holding accountable those who attempt to gain unfair advantages through trading on insider information,” said U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey.

    “This case makes one thing clear: if you think you can game the system using insider information, think again,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group. “Ross Haghighat and his associates thought they were above the law and colored outside the lines for financial gain, but yesterday’s indictment proves no one is above the law. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will not hesitate to pursue and bring to justice anyone who tries to corrupt the integrity of our financial markets.”

    In his position as a director on the board of Company-1, Ross Haghighat allegedly obtained material nonpublic inside information about its acquisition, including sensitive deal terms. He then purchased securities, and tipped others — including Bruce Haghighat, Pearl, Sabzevari, and Roberge — for personal benefit with the expectation that they would purchase securities, which the defendants allegedly did.

    Ross Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, 16 counts of insider trading, and two counts of conspiracy. He was previously charged with one count of conspiracy to commit insider trading.

    Bruce Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy. 

    Pearl was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy.

    Sabzevari and Roberge were both charged with one count of securities fraud and seven counts of insider trading.

    If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison on the securities fraud charge and 20 years in prison on each of the insider-trading charges. If convicted of conspiracy, Ross Haghighat, Bruce Haghighat, and Pearl face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

    The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney John J. Liolos of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mezzanotte for the District of New Jersey 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: 15 charged in wide-ranging narcotics and weapons conspiracy

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    HOUSTON – A 29-count indictment has been unsealed following the arrests of nine individuals for their roles in a drug trafficking organization. Some are also charged with related gun offenses.

    Houston residents James Michael Brewer aka Creeper, 33, Jonathan Alvarado aka Joker, 28, Alexis Delgado aka Chino, 28, Hector Luis Lopez aka Capulito, 23, Kylie Rae Alvarado, 24, Ruby Mata, 31, Victor Norris Ellison, 35, Mexi Dyan Garcia aka Mexi, 31, and Jesus Gomez-Rodriguez aka Jr., 33, made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Yvonne Ho, at which time the indictment was unsealed.

    Also charged are Enzo Xavier Dominguez aka Smiley, 32, William Alexander Lazo aka Miclo, 21, and Alfredo Gomez aka Fredo, 26. They are currently in custody and expected to make their initial appearances in the near future.

    Three others are considered fugitives and warrants remain outstanding for their arrests – Mexican national Jose Francisco Garcia-Martinez aka Paco, 29, Guatemalan national Marcos Rene Simaj-Guch aka Taco Man, 41, as well as Jose Eduardo Morales aka Primo, 22, Houston.

    “The defendants are alleged to have engaged in a multi-drug narcotics distribution ring, and, as often seen in the drug trade, are also alleged to have used illegal firearms to facilitate their enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. “Some of the charges indicate methamphetamine was alleged to have been sourced from Mexico, and thus this investigation highlights why this office’s enforcement efforts on the border are so critical. The Southern District of Texas will do everything it can to prevent narcotics from entering our country and will be relentless in apprehending those that would distribute drugs in our communities.”

    “As alleged, this drug trafficking organization imported methamphetamine directly from Mexico and used the U.S. mail, a taco truck, and homes in different Houston neighborhoods to distribute and sell methamphetamine and other dangerous drugs,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Several of the defendants are also alleged to have used firearms in furtherance of their narcotics trafficking and illegally possessed firearms despite having previously been convicted of felonies. The Criminal Division, along with our federal, state, and local partners, will continue to work tirelessly to combat the scourge of drug trafficking in communities.”

    “For years, the transnational criminal organization allegedly operated by these gang members has brazenly flooded our local communities with deadly narcotics,” said Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “Working in conjunction with the Houston Police Department (HPD) and our Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) partners, we were able to expose and dismantle their drug trafficking scheme, eliminating a significant contributor to violent crime in the area and saving an untold number of Houstonians from becoming addicted.”

    The indictment, returned under seal May 14, alleges all were members of a drug trafficking organization that distributed methamphetamine, powder cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone, Xanax psylocibin mushrooms and marijuana. They are alleged to have used several drug houses and a food truck to store illegal drugs and conduct drug transactions. In one notable instance in June 2023, authorities seized 29 kilograms of methamphetamine that one defendant was attempting to transport into the United States, according to the charges.

    With the exception of Simaj-Guch who faces up to 40 years, the rest could receive up to life, upon conviction. Brewer, Alvarado, Lopez, Gomez and Ellison are further charged with firearms offenses which carry up to another 15 years. 

    ICE-HSI and the HPD led the investigation with the assistance of the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Texas Board of Criminal Justice-Office of the Inspector General.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Francisco Rodriguez is prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorneys Ralph Paradiso and Amanda Kotula of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s OCDETF and Project Safe Neighborhood.

    This case is also part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Houston. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas have partnered, along with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes gang members and associates have committed through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the offenders and prevent further violence.

    An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Insect trafficking poses risk to wildlife and human health

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    Rhinoceros beetles are just one of the insect species being traded illegally

    By Angus Nurse, Anglia Ruskin University and Elliot Doornbos, Nottingham Trent University

    Four men were recently arrested and fined for attempting to smuggle more than 5,000 ants out of Kenya. Aiming to sell them as part of the exotic pet trade, these ants were being stored in individual test tubes and syringes with small amounts of cotton wool for transportation. This unusual case highlights an important yet overlooked aspect of wildlife trafficking.

    Wildlife trafficking is a crime against nature which occurs mainly because of consumer demand. Trafficking refers to the illegal smuggling and continued exploitation of wild animals, plants or timber. That includes, as in this case, insects.

    Much conservation effort, reporting, study and enforcement activity focuses on recognised species such as rhinos. Wildlife trafficking is often associated more with these charismatic species and products made from them such as elephant tusks and rhino horn.

    But wildlife trafficking includes a whole spectrum of illicit animal trade from poaching and smuggling to the distribution of protected and endangered species. There is also thriving illegal trade in insects.

    For avid collectors, trophies and the exotic pet trade a wide array of insects have been seized over the years including rhino beetles into Japan, praying mantis eggs into the US and butterflies out of Sri Lanka.

    Globally, insect species are declining. This is caused by an array of threats such as pollution, pesticides, climate change and urbanisation. Although the extent of the harm being caused by trafficking is unknown, this adds further pressure to species that already face extinction.

    Protections for insects vary. The conservation status of each ant species affects their level of protection both nationally and internationally.

    Ants that are on the red list – which is the largest classification of endangered species produced by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – and classed as critically endangered or endangered cannot be captured, killed or disturbed in any manner. An example is the anathema ant, which is currently listed as an endangered species.

    International law puts controls on wildlife that may be threatened by trade. Some ants are protected under UK law which makes it an offence to disturb or destroy the nests of species like the red wood ant.

    This case shows how wildlife trafficking extends to areas such as the smuggling of, and illegal trade, in ants. Some organised crime groups have moved from smuggling drugs and weapons to trafficking in plants, medicinal compounds and animals – including insects. Organised crime can include smaller and partially disorganised groups and networks. Where there is money to be made smuggling, networks will target wildlife.

    The scale of the insect smuggling problem is unknown. Many cases will go unreported due to the clandestine nature of the trade. As such, both law enforcement and the wider public might not know or care about this being an offence.

    Although there have been some insect trade seizures, law enforcement agencies are often underresourced and may view wildlife crimes as a low priority in comparison to other areas of criminality, such as drugs.

    Often, insects are easily concealed. For example, 37 rhino beetles were discovered at Los Angeles International airport hidden within sweet and crisp packets.

    Even once insects are seized, it can be difficult to identify the species to find out whether they are protected, given so many different levels of protections for species internationally.

    Invasive species risk

    Insect trafficking could introduce non-native species to new places. If they establish a breeding population and pose a threat to local ecosystems, they can become known as “invasive species”. Invasive species can outcompete native species for food. Some destroy habitats. Others have the potential to bring new diseases to a country.

    Not only can invasive insects pose threats to the environment such as the ongoing issue of invasive Asian hornets within Europe, but also affect people. Hawaii spends US$10 million (£7.5 million) on invasive species control measures – US$2.4 million of that is set aside just for coconut rhinoceros beetles.

    Although predicting which species and when they may become invasive is a challenge, insect trafficking can cause serious consequences. Undervaluing some species protections provides avenues for traffickers, so enforcing trafficking laws for all wildlife, including insects, is crucial.

    Elliot Doornbos, Senior Lecturer of Criminology, Nottingham Trent University and Angus Nurse, Professor of Law and Environmental Justice, Anglia Ruskin University

    This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

    The opinions expressed in VIEWPOINT articles are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARU.

    If you wish to republish this article, please follow these guidelines: https://theconversation.com/uk/republishing-guidelines

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Five Individuals Indicted in Insider Trading Scheme

    Source: US State of California

    Five individuals were charged in a 19-count indictment yesterday for their participation in a scheme to trade securities on the basis of material nonpublic information about the merger between two companies that resulted in profits of over $600,000.

    According to court documents, between May and June 2023, Rouzbeh “Ross” Haghighat, 61, of West Newbury, Massachusetts, Behrouz “Bruce” Haghighat, 60, of Laguna Niguel, California, Kirstyn Pearl, 35, of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, Seyedfarbod “Fabio” Sabzevari, 31, of North Hollywood, California, and James Roberge, 70, of Westford, Massachusetts, allegedly profited more than $600,000 by unlawfully purchasing the securities of a biopharmaceutical company in Seattle, Washington (Company-1), where Ross Haghighat served as a director. As alleged, the defendants traded securities based on material nonpublic information about another pharmaceutical company’s (Company-2) proposed acquisition of Company-1. The indictment alleges that, in May 2023, Company-2 made a confidential proposal to acquire Company-1 at a price per share above the then current market value. The two companies then negotiated an agreement for the acquisition, which was announced in June 2023, causing the share price to spike.

    “The defendants were charged yesterday for allegedly trading on inside information and reaping hundreds of thousands in illicit profits,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Securities fraud and insider trading distort our financial markets and disadvantage Americans who play by the rules. These charges demonstrate that the Criminal Division is committed to maintaining the integrity of markets by holding accountable all those who defraud investors.”

    “Our office is committed to protecting the integrity of the market and holding accountable those who attempt to gain unfair advantages through trading on insider information,” said U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for the District of New Jersey.

    “This case makes one thing clear: if you think you can game the system using insider information, think again,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Criminal Investigations Group. “Ross Haghighat and his associates thought they were above the law and colored outside the lines for financial gain, but yesterday’s indictment proves no one is above the law. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service will not hesitate to pursue and bring to justice anyone who tries to corrupt the integrity of our financial markets.”

    In his position as a director on the board of Company-1, Ross Haghighat allegedly obtained material nonpublic inside information about its acquisition, including sensitive deal terms. He then purchased securities, and tipped others — including Bruce Haghighat, Pearl, Sabzevari, and Roberge — for personal benefit with the expectation that they would purchase securities, which the defendants allegedly did.

    Ross Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, 16 counts of insider trading, and two counts of conspiracy. He was previously charged with one count of conspiracy to commit insider trading.

    Bruce Haghighat was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy. 

    Pearl was charged with one count of securities fraud, one count of insider trading, and one count of conspiracy.

    Sabzevari and Roberge were both charged with one count of securities fraud and seven counts of insider trading.

    If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison on the securities fraud charge and 20 years in prison on each of the insider-trading charges. If convicted of conspiracy, Ross Haghighat, Bruce Haghighat, and Pearl face a maximum penalty of 25 years in prison.

    The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney John J. Liolos of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney John Mezzanotte for the District of New Jersey 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 OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bedford — RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment seize a loaded handgun and drugs

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    The RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment (HRD) Street Crime Enforcement Unit (SCEU) has charged two people following the execution of a search warrant.

    On May 22, in relation to an ongoing drug trafficking investigation, RCMP HRD SCEU officers, with the assistance of the Halifax Regional Police Emergency Response Team, safely arrested a 25-year-old man from Halifax and a 33-year-old man from Dartmouth. The men had been traveling in a GMC Canyon that had stopped at a building supply store in Shubenacadie. A search of the vehicle resulted in the seizure of pre-packaged baggies of cocaine and a collapsible baton.

    Simultaneously, a search warrant was executed at a residence near the 500 block of Bedford Highway in Bedford. A 24-year-old woman from Timberlea was safely arrested at the home.

    During the search, officers seized a quantity of cocaine, a cash counting machine, a vacuum sealer, more than $10,000 in cash, ammunition and a stolen loaded handgun.

    Devin Patrick Wilson and Kristen Grace Parnell have been charged with:

    • Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking
    • Careless Use of Firearm
    • Contravention of Storage Regulations
    • Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose (two counts)
    • Possession of Firearm Knowing its Possession is Unauthorized
    • Possession of Restricted Firearm with Ammunition
    • Possession of Weapon Obtained by Commission of Offence
    • Laundering Proceeds of Crime

    Parnell and Wilson were held in custody. They will appear in Halifax Provincial Court today.

    The 33-year-old man was later released without charges.

    The investigation is ongoing.

    Anyone with information about illicit drugs or other criminal activity in the Halifax Regional Municipality is encouraged to contact police at 902-490-5020. To remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app.

    File: 25-61504

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals Offer Reward for Scranton Homicide Suspect

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Scranton, PA – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Middle District of Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force is asking for the public’s assistance in locating Malachi Allah Darden, 20. 

    On May 17, 2024, a warrant for Homicide and related charges was issued by the Scranton Police Department for Darden’s role in the shooting of a man on the 1800 block of Jackson Street in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

    The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to a $2,500 reward for information leading to Darden’s arrest.

    Darden stands 5 feet 11 inches and weighs approximately 160 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes. He is known to frequent the Bronx, New York. He is also associated with addresses in Northeastern Pennsylvania, specifically Lackawanna and Luzerne counties.

    Tips can be called in to the USMS tip line at 1-877-WANTED2 (926-8332) or by using the USMS Tips App.

    The USMS Middle Pennsylvania Fugitive Task Force comprises 22 state, county, and local police agencies, including the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, the Wilkes-Barre Police Department, the Kingston Police Department, the Bradford County Sheriff’s Office, Carbon County Sheriff’s Office and the Lackawanna County District Attorney’s Office.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Brockton Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Fentanyl; Multiple Machineguns and Kilograms of Fentanyl Recovered During Searches

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant sold fentanyl to a cooperating witness while on probation for a 2019 drug conviction and on pretrial release for a separate pending drug charge

    BOSTON – A Brockton man pleaded guilty yesterday to selling fentanyl to a cooperating witness during multiple controlled purchases. At the time of the controlled purchases, the defendant was on probation for a 2019 fentanyl conviction and on pretrial release for a separate March 2024 drug arrest.

    Joshua Tavares, 29, pleaded guilty to three counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and fentanyl analogue. U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy scheduled sentencing for Sept. 9, 2025. In December 2024, Tavares was indicted by a federal grand jury.

    During today’s hearing, Tavares admitted to conducting six sales of fentanyl and fentanyl analogue to a cooperating witness from September to November of 2024. Over the course of the six transactions, Tavares sold approximately 549 grams of fentanyl analogue to a cooperating witness. All of the transactions were captured on video recording.

    After the controlled purchases, an arrest warrant and search warrants were executed on Dec. 3, 2024 at multiple residences and stash houses in Brockton. During the searches, approximately four kilograms of suspected fentanyl, cocaine, packaging materials for distribution of controlled substances and over $89,000 in cash were recovered. A .40 caliber Glock firearm and a 9mm Glock firearm with a machinegun conversion device were also located in the residence where Tavares was located.

    A 9mm Glock firearm with a machinegun conversion device and a tactical laser sight was recovered from a stash location along with numerous rounds of ammunition and multiple loaded magazines, including a 50 round “drum” style magazine. Machinegun conversion devices, commonly referred to as “switches,” are designed to convert firearms into fully automatic weapons.

    The charge of possession with intent to distribute 100 grams and more of fentanyl analogue provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $10 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Brockton Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former police officer admits to sexual relations with minor female

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A 31-year-old resident of Corpus Christi has pleaded guilty to enticing a minor, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    On Jan. 8, authorities discovered Daniel Verduzco was having a relationship with a 15-year-old minor female dating back to May 2024. The two had exchanged more than 3,700 messages which included sexually suggestive images and detailed different times they had engaged in sexual relations and intentions for future sexual acts.  

    The conversations further revealed Verduzco and the minor victim had met in person on multiple occasions.

    U.S. District Judge David Morales will impose sentencing Aug. 21. At the time, Verduzco faces a minimum of 10 years and up to life in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.

    He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department. 

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Boston Woman Charged with Sex Trafficking a Minor

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant allegedly trafficked victim while on probation for stabbing a female multiple times in the abdomen and thigh

    BOSTON – A 29-year-old Boston woman has been charged with allegedly trafficking a 15-year-old minor who had previously been reported missing. 

    Shakera Pina, a/k/a “Stacks,” 29, is charged in a criminal complaint with one count of sex trafficking of a minor. She is currently in state custody on related charges and will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

    According to court filings, on April 7, 2025, law enforcement encountered online postings advertising commercial sex with a 15-year-old minor female who had previously been reported as missing. On April 9, 2025, as part of a sting operation, law enforcement responded to the online advertisement in an undercover capacity posing as a purported sex buyer in an attempt to recover the minor. In subsequent correspondence, the responding individual who posted the advertisements agreed to meet the purported sex buyer at a hotel later that night for a commercial sex date with the minor victim. 

    There, law enforcement recovered a different 15-year-old victim. It is alleged that text messages on that minor victim’s phone showed Pina instructing the minor victim on how to interact with sex buyers and what to do with the proceeds from the commercial sex. Pina was allegedly located in the parking lot where the sting operation was occurring, waiting inside her vehicle.

    It is alleged that when officers approached Pina with flashing emergency lights, Pina immediately put her car into drive and attempted to flee. Officers then approached the car on foot, identified themselves as law enforcement officers and demanded Pina open the door. It is alleged that Pina refused, and was observed manipulating her cell phone, allegedly in an apparent attempt to delete evidence. Officers then broke the driver’s side window of Pina’s vehicle and, as she was being placed on the ground, Pina allegedly threw the two cell phones that were in her possession. At the time of the alleged offense, Pina was on probation for stabbing a female victim multiple times in the abdomen and right thigh in December 2022.

    Government filings allege that the minor victim originally depicted in the advertisement was subsequently recovered and disclosed that that Pina also trafficked her during the same time period, requiring her to engage in commercial sex and provide Pina with the proceeds.

    If you or someone you know may be impacted or experiencing commercial sex trafficking or child exploitation, please contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov. 

    The charge of sex trafficking of a minor provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Riley, Chief of the Human Trafficking & Civil Rights Unit, is prosecuting the case.

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Seizes More than $868,247 in Alleged Proceeds of a Cryptocurrency Confidence Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – The United States has seized over $868,247 worth of cryptocurrency from perpetrators of a cryptocurrency confidence scheme, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro; Deputy Chief Claudia Quiroz of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section; and Special Agent in Charge David K. Porter of the FBI Honolulu Field Office.

                Cryptocurrency confidence investment schemes begin by criminals contacting potential victims through seemingly misdirected text messages, dating applications, or professional meetup or investment groups. Next, using various means of manipulation, the criminal gains the victim’s affection and trust. The perpetrator then recommends cryptocurrency investment by touting their own, or an associate’s, success in the field.

                Means of carrying out the scheme vary, but a common tactic is to direct a victim to a fake investment platform hosted on a website. These websites, and the investment platforms hosted there, are created by criminals to mimic legitimate platforms. The subject assists the victim with opening a cryptocurrency account, often on an exchange based in the U.S., and then walks the victim through transferring money from a bank account to that cryptocurrency account. Next, the victim will receive instructions on how to transfer their cryptocurrency assets to the fake investment platform.

                On its surface, the fraudulent platforms often show lucrative returns, encouraging further investment; underneath, all deposited funds are routed to a cryptocurrency wallet address controlled completely by the perpetrators.

                The perpetrators frequently allow victims to withdraw some of their “profits” early in the scheme to engender trust and help convince victims of the legitimacy of the platform. As the scheme continues, victims are unable to withdraw their funds and are provided various excuses as to why. Ultimately, victims are locked out of their accounts and lose all their funds.

                Anyone who believes they are a victim of a cybercrime – including cryptocurrency scams, romance scams, and investment scams – should contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov.

                The FBI Honolulu Field Office is investigating the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and FBI’s Virtual Asset Unit are providing invaluable assistance. The Department of Justice would like to acknowledge Tether for its assistance in effectuating the transfer of these assets.

               This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Columbia Acting Deputy Chief Kevin Rosenberg and Asset Forfeiture Coordinator Rick Blaylock Jr., along with Trial Attorneys Gaelin Bernstein and Stefanie Schwartz from the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Department of Justice, and Daniel Zytnick with the Consumer Protection Branch of the Department of Justice.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: 60 More Illegal Aliens Plead Guilty to National Defense Area Violations in El Paso, 133 New NDA Cases Added to the Docket

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    EL PASO, Texas – Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced that from May 20 through May 22, 60 illegal aliens pleaded guilty to charges that they had illegally entered the National Defense Area (NDA) that had been established along the U.S.-Mexico border from area bordering New Mexico, through El Paso County, to an area near Fort Hancock.

    This three-day increase in guilty pleas adds to the 60 that the Acting U.S. Attorney announced earlier in the week, bringing the month’s total NDA violation convictions to 120 heading into Memorial Day weekend.

    The Acting U.S. Attorney also announced that federal prosecutors in the district’s El Paso Division filed 133 new cases involving NDA violations this week. Among the defendants charged are Mexican nationals Gustavo Ramos-Solorzano and Enrique Arenas-Garcia.

    Ramos-Solorzano was arrested May 14, two miles west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry. He had just been removed from the U.S. through El Paso on May 10, following an illegal re-entry felony conviction. Ramos Solorzano was also convicted in February for an improper entry by an alien misdemeanor. His removal on May 10 was his fourth deportation.

    Arenas-Garcia was arrested May 15 two miles west of the Ysleta Port of Entry. The defendant’s arrest comes just over one week after his most recent removal from the U.S. on May 7 through San Ysidro, California. Arenas-Garcia has been removed from the U.S. a total of three times in addition to two voluntary departures.

    Title 50 United States Code (USC) 797 and Title 18 USC 1382 are among the federal statutes that establish criminal penalties for unlawful intrusions into areas designated as National Defense Areas.  Title 50 USC 797 refers to the willful violation of defense property security regulation, which, pursuant to lawful authority, was approved by the Secretary of Defense—or a military commander designated by the Secretary of Defense—for the protection or security of Department of Defense property. Title 18 USC 1382 subjects anyone to criminal penalties who, within the jurisdiction of the U.S., entered upon a military post, fort, or yard—in these cases, the Texas National Defense Area—for a purpose prohibit by law or lawful regulation, that is illegal entry into the U.S.

    These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Coram Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges

    Source: US FBI

    GREAT FALLS – A Coram man accused of possessing methamphetamine admitted to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    The defendant, Blaine Justin Olds, 51, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Olds faces a mandatory minimum term of 10 years to life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is set for September 18, 2025. Olds was detained pending further proceedings.

    The government alleged in court documents that beginning in May 2024, Blaine Justin Olds and his co-defendant were coming from their home in Coram, Montana, to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to deliver large amounts of methamphetamine. In October 2024, law enforcement arranged three controlled purchases of large of amounts of methamphetamine from the defendants. During each of these controlled purchases, Olds and his co-defendant traveled from their home in Coram to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and exchanged methamphetamine for money.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley prosecuted the case. The FBI, BIA, DEA, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, and Glacier County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psn.

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: DAUPHIN COUNTY – Shapiro Administration to Remind Drivers to Put Down the Phone, ‘Paul Miller’s Law’ Effective June 5

    Source: US State of Pennsylvania

    May 27, 2025 – Harrisburg, PA

    ADVISORY – DAUPHIN COUNTY – Shapiro Administration to Remind Drivers to Put Down the Phone, ‘Paul Miller’s Law’ Effective June 5

    Officials from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PA Turnpike), and the Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) will gather with Senator Rosemary Brown and national advocate Eileen Miller to urge drivers to put down the phone while driving ahead of the effective date for “Paul Miller’s Law.” This new law makes it illegal to use a hand-held cell phone while driving.

    There will be a demonstration of the dangers of distracted driving with the use of a driving simulator. Media are invited to use the simulator to safely experience the potential consequences of texting while driving.

    WHO:
    Mike Carroll, PennDOT Secretary
    Major Robert Krol, Director, Bureau of Patrol, PSP
    Michael Humphreys, Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner
    Mark Compton, Chief Executive Officer, PA Turnpike
    Senator Rosemary Brown
    Eileen Miller, National Advocate & Paul Miller, Jr.’s mother

    WHEN:
    Tuesday, May 27 at 10:00 AM

    WHERE:
    Capitol Media Center
    Pennsylvania State Capitol, Room 01 East Wing

    RSVP:
    Media interested in attending should RSVP with the name of reporter/photographer to jkuntch@pa.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Supreme Court’s one-sentence order closes the door to Catholic charter school – but leaves it open for future challenges

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Charles J. Russo, Joseph Panzer Chair in Education and Research Professor of Law, University of Dayton

    Supreme Court justices heard arguments April 30, 2025, and issued a 4-4 order just a few weeks later. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

    The saga over St. Isidore of Seville, which hoped to become the nation’s first religious charter school, has come to a surprising end – for now.

    In April 2025, Supreme Court justices heard arguments in the case from Oklahoma, which dealt with how to interpret the First Amendment’s religion clauses. Proponents argued that prohibiting local public school boards from contracting with a faith-based organization would be unconstitutional because it hinders “free exercise” of religion. Critics warned a faith-based charter would be an unconstitutional breach of the “establishment clause,” which forbids the government from establishing an official religion or promoting particular faiths over others.

    Both sides anticipated a pivotal ruling. However, in an anticlimatic outcome, the Supreme Court issued a brief order May 22, 2025. The 4-4 outcome leaves a lower court judgment in place that prevented St. Isidore’s from opening – but did not explain why.

    The Conversation U.S. asked Charles Russo, who teaches education law at the University of Dayton, to walk us through what happened.

    What does the order do?

    On its face, the Supreme Court’s terse, one-sentence opinion means that Oklahoma cannot presently create and fund a Roman Catholic charter school – an online K-12 institution.

    However, because the Supreme Court did not address the underlying merits of the claim, it arguably leaves the door open to similar challenges in Oklahoma and elsewhere.

    Two items stand out as unusual here.

    First, the justices issued what is called a “per curiam” opinion, which means “by the court.” These opinions are unsigned, without any dissents – an unexpected outcome for such an important topic. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas have defended religious freedom vociferously under both the establishment and free exercise clauses, including in education. So, it would have been insightful to read their arguments about why the creation of St. Isidore would be permissible under the Establishment Clause.

    Second, Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case, without offering a reason. Many court observers suggested she did so due to her friendships with legal scholars at Notre Dame who were involved in St. Isidore’s defense.

    Was this the expected outcome?

    Based on oral arguments, it was going to be a close call involving the eight justices. On the one hand, Alito and Thomas seemed to find St. Isidore’s argument persuasive, as did Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. Conversely, Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson appeared skeptical.

    The wild card, so to speak, was Chief Justice John Roberts, author of the court’s three most recent opinions supporting government aid to religious schools. The first of these cases allowed assistance to enhance playground safety in a Missouri preschool facility. The second held that it was constitutional for parents sending their children to faith-based institutions to participate in Montana’s educational tax credit program. The most recent ruled that Maine’s tuition assistance to parents in districts lacking public secondary schools can be used at religious institutions.

    During oral arguments, Roberts observed that St. Isidore’s creation seems like “much more comprehensive [state] involvement” with a religious organization, compared with the previous cases expanding aid to faith-based schools. His comment left the door open to speculation over how he might vote – though, of course, because this was an unsigned opinion, we do not know.

    The Oklahoma case is part of a broader push to allow more government aid to go to religious schools. Is this much of a setback for that movement?

    At this point, supporters of St. Isidore are likely left without options. The state’s own Supreme Court ruling – left in place by the U.S. Supreme Court – was grounded in both its own and the federal constitutions.

    However, the movement to allow more government funding toward religious education continues. While the dispute over St. Isidore attempted to let Oklahoma, and perhaps other states, directly fund faith-based schools, this part of the school-choice movement has had more success with indirect forms of funding, like vouchers and tax credits.

    At least 17 states have already adopted various universal school choice laws, meaning families who send their children to private religious schools are eligible for such programs. Most recently, on May 3, 2025, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed the nation’s largest school voucher program law into effect. The law, which sets aside US$1 billion in funding for the 2026-2027 academic year, allows parents up to about $10,500 to pay for tuition and school-related expenses at accredited non-public schools, including faith-based ones. Parents of children with disabilities can receive up to $30,000.

    At the federal level, supporters of a school choice bill promoting vouchers for non-public schools introduced a bill in the House of Representatives in May 2025.

    In sum, a key question remains over the meaning of the dispute concerning St. Isidore. There are two possible interpretations. First, the case may signal an end to the court’s expanding aid to parents and students under the Establishment Clause. Second, it seems the justices were hesitant to allow funding to create what would have been the nation’s first-ever charter school under the control of religious officials. Round 1 is over, but there’s likely more to come.

    Charles J. Russo does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Supreme Court’s one-sentence order closes the door to Catholic charter school – but leaves it open for future challenges – https://theconversation.com/supreme-courts-one-sentence-order-closes-the-door-to-catholic-charter-school-but-leaves-it-open-for-future-challenges-257437

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Global: 5 years after George Floyd’s murder: How the media narrative has changed around the killing and the protests that followed

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Danielle K. Brown, Professor of Journalism, Michigan State University

    Flowers, painted benches and handmade memorials surround a mural of George Floyd at George Floyd Square on May 18, 2025. Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

    On the evening of May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by police outside a grocery store in Minneapolis.

    From the outset, the incident became a battle of narratives. The local police initially reported Floyd was experiencing “distress” and died from a medical incident. A day later, bystander Darnella Frazier uploaded a video that showed the graphic details, including the police’s excessive use of force leading up to Floyd’s death.

    Floyd’s murder, and Frazier’s documentation of it, spawned what by some measures was the largest protest movement in American history.

    And that, too, became a contest of narratives, this time in the media. A focus on the aftermath of the events in Minneapolis, and elsewhere, were quickly supplanted by stories of lawlessness and violence by protesters.

    For almost a decade, I’ve researched the media’s coverage of protests, focusing extensively on the reporting of modern-day uprisings against police brutality.

    Time and time again, colleagues and I have found that the bulk of news coverage of protests against police brutality tends to focus on protesters’ violence, disruption or sensational actions.

    Protesters hold up their illuminated phones as they block a road beneath a highway in Missouri in June 2020.
    AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

    Yet in reading some of the coverage ahead of the fifth anniversary of Floyd’s death, I have observed a different media trend. With the benefit of time, what was once a news media frenzy focusing on the violence after Floyd’s killing has yielded space for reflection and coverage that legitimizes those who took to the streets.

    In so doing, these narrative changes provide essential opportunities to understand the complexity of journalism and social movements seen from different moments in time.

    Following flames

    Quickly after Floyd’s murder in 2020, it became clear that subjects such as the role of state violence, the sophistication of demands for change and community grief were less likely to make headlines than things such as rioting and lawlessness.

    This pattern is part of what scholars call a “protest paradigm” that explores the relationship between protests, media and the public.

    The paradigm holds that journalism often works against protest movements hoping to change the status quo. The news media’s tendency to emphasize the frivolous, violent or annoying actions of protests rather than the depth of protesters’ demands, grievances and agendas negatively shapes public opinion and affects the public’s willingness to support the movements behind them.

    After Floyd’s death, those closely following the coverage of conservative media were more likely to be exposed to stories that depicted protests as “criminal mobs.”

    But it wasn’t just conservative media. On May 31, 2020, the local paper, the Star Tribune, described the governor’s “show of strength” – a term used to describe the massive deployment of the Minnesota National Guard to help quell the “days of lawless rampage.”

    Most coverage at the time fit a familiar pattern of delegitimizing the protest movement.

    With time and space, the pattern breaks

    Five years later, some delegitimizing news coverage continues to headline. The New York Post, for example, recently published a 13-minute documentary that suggests Minneapolis is still on fire.

    But a good portion of today’s news also presents a different framing. In one five-year anniversary piece, The New York Times described George Floyd Square, the murder-site-turned-place-of-reverance for many activists and local residents, as a “site of protest, art, grief and remembrance.” Another article in The Minnesota Star Tribune describes preservation efforts of street art and murals made by activists after the murder. Other coverage described the complicated process of demanding change and the path that remains ahead.

    A portrait of George Floyd painted on the pavement is at the center of a memorial surrounded by flowers, artwork and tributes outside a storefront at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, Minn., on May 22, 2025.
    Photo by Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

    Of course, these are selective snapshots of the coverage. And some media may shy away from covering the anniversary at all.

    But from my standpoint as a media scholar, the coverage that does exist has gone from being dominated by an initial focus on the violent aspects of protest to, in the main, a more reflective look at the meaning — rather than the spectacle — of the unrest.

    That legitimizing trend over time isn’t an isolated phenomenon. My colleagues Rachel Mourão and George Sylvie and I found something similar in previous research looking at the protests that followed the killings of Trayvon Martin in Florida in 2012 and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in 2014.

    In our analysis of the protests following Brown’s death, we observed that the first weeks of coverage focused more on protesters, delegitimizing frames and episodic news – that is, the disruption, destruction and arrests.

    But we saw a dramatic change by the third and fourth weeks of coverage. With the passing of time, more legitimizing frames emerged, describing the protest’s substance and demands, and more thematic and in-depth reporting became apparent.

    We observed a similar trend when we looked out even further from the triggering events. After the trial of George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch leader charged and then acquitted over the deaths of Martin, and the grand jury verdict not to indict police officer Darren Wilson over the death of Brown, news coverage of protests was more contextual and thematic. The coverage provided more space and voice to “nonofficial” sources such as protesters and family members.

    A question of journalism

    The protest paradigm’s persistence may be a function of journalistic bias − the adage of “if it bleeds, it leads” talks to the immediate reporting imperative of prioritizing violence and spectacle over issues and meaning. But it can also be a consequence of how journalism operates to inform the public.

    George Floyd family attorney Ben Crump addresses media along with other attorneys and members of Floyd’s family outside the Hennepin County Government Center on March 29, 2021, in Minneapolis where the trial for former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin began.
    AP Photo/Jim Mone

    When uprisings against police brutality first begin, everything is new to the journalist and the public. The initial coverage tends to reflect this newsness and emphasizes breaking news and official narratives − which are often easier to obtain than the statements of protest groups. Police departments, for example, have well-established media relations departments with preexisting relationships with journalists.

    These initial reports also tend to feature information that would have the biggest impact on wider communities − such as blocked highways and potential property destruction − than just the aggrieved community.

    This translates to more coverage generally in the aftermath of a big event − and that reporting is more likely to delegitimize protests.

    These are the first drafts of history, and they are typically incomplete.

    But five years later in the case of George Floyd and protests of his death, coverage looks more complete and complex. That complexity brings more balance, from my perspective.

    What journalists write years later are no longer the first drafts of history reported with limited perspectives. In these subsequent drafts, journalists have a little more time to think, learn and breathe. Immediacy takes a back burner, and journalists have had more time to collect information.

    And it is in these collections of subsequent drafts that the protesters and social movements get a fairer shake.

    Danielle K. Brown receives funding from Lumina Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

    – ref. 5 years after George Floyd’s murder: How the media narrative has changed around the killing and the protests that followed – https://theconversation.com/5-years-after-george-floyds-murder-how-the-media-narrative-has-changed-around-the-killing-and-the-protests-that-followed-257199

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warner, Kaine Push ICE to Require Agents Identify Themselves, Limit Use of Masks and Face Coverings During Enforcement Operations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Commonwealth of Virginia Mark R Warner
    WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine are pressing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to follow U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations requiring law enforcement to properly identify themselves and limit use of face coverings during official operations. This letter comes following repeated instances of unidentified ICE agents making arrests across the country, including in Virginia, causing panic and danger during arrests. 
    “Across the country and in Virginia, masked ICE officers and agents without clearly visible identification as law enforcement have been arresting individuals on the streets and in sensitive locations, such as courthouses. Such actions put everyone at risk – the targeted individuals, the ICE officers and agents, and bystanders who may misunderstand what is happening and may attempt to intervene,” wrote the senators.
    The senators highlighted that the current alarming trend of ICE agents carrying out arrests while obscuring their faces and failing to identify themselves has increased risk to both officers and the general public alike.
    They continued, “The failure of ICE officers and agents to promptly and clearly identify who they are and the authority under which they are acting has led witnesses of immigration enforcement operations to justifiably question the law enforcement status, authority, and constitutionality of ICE officers and agents and their operations. Such actions compromise the safety of law enforcement officers and agents conducting the operation, the individual(s) being apprehended, bystanders, and other law enforcement who may be called to the scene to respond to a suspected crime.”
    As part of their letter, the senators are requesting DHS and ICE provide policies, guidance, memoranda, legal advice, training materials, and all other relevant documents produced by ICE and DHS that discuss when and how to use face coverings, organizational clothing, or reveal officer and agent identities during immigration enforcement operations.
    Earlier this year, Sen. Warner questioned DHS and ICE regarding their enforcement practices, specifically highlighting a March 5th incident where a U.S. citizen and Virginia resident was stopped and interrogated by ICE. Sens. Warner and Kaine also demanded answers from DHS regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a father who was living legally under protected status in Maryland with his family until he was wrongfully deported without due process by the Trump Administration.
    A copy of letter is available here and text is below.
    Dear Secretary Noem, Mr. Homan, Acting Director Lyons, and Director Hott:
    We are steadfast in our desire to protect the safety of law enforcement and uphold public safety for every person, regardless of their immigration status, when interacting with law enforcement. The two are inexorably interconnected. The public and law enforcement must both be safe during immigration enforcement actions.
    Accordingly, we write to you today regarding ICE’s recent immigration enforcement operations that have taken an alarming and dangerous turn. Across the country and in Virginia, masked ICE officers and agents without clearly visible identification as law enforcement have been arresting individuals on the streets and in sensitive locations, such as courthouses.   Such actions put everyone at risk – the targeted individuals, the ICE officers and agents, and bystanders who may misunderstand what is happening and may attempt to intervene.  
    We urge you to direct ICE officers and agents to promptly and clearly identify themselves as law enforcement officers conducting law enforcement actions when arresting subjects, and limit the use of face coverings during arrests and other enforcement actions to avoid intimidation and reduce safety risks to the public.
    The American public encounters federal, state, local, territorial, campus, and other law enforcement regularly. In the overwhelming majority of these law enforcement encounters, law enforcement officers reveal their faces and identities while in the commission of their duties. There are likely associated risks to doing so, yet the trooper pulling over a driver at night or the officer standing watch at the courthouse as suspected criminals enter manage those risks to their own and the public’s safety in a transparent and accountable fashion.
    The Department of Homeland Security’s regulations provide that, at the time of an arrest, immigration officers must identify themselves if it is practical and safe to do so, and inform the individual of the reason for the arrest.  Additionally, under DHS policy, following a warrantless arrest, ICE officers must submit a write-up documenting the facts and circumstances surrounding the arrest, including a statement of how “at the time of arrest, the immigration officer [did], as soon as it [was] practical and safe to do so, identif[ied] himself or herself as an immigration officer who is authorized to execute an arrest; and state[d] that the person is under arrest and the reason for the arrest.” 
    Under the Trump administration, there has been an increase in reported instances of ICE officers and agents apprehending individuals while concealing their faces with masks, balaclavas, or other face coverings, often without clearly displaying their law enforcement credentials through identification, organizational uniform, or insignia.  Historically, the use of face coverings by ICE had been reserved for undercover or sensitive operations, but press reports and public videos indicate that ICE officers and agents have broadened this practice to the arrests of nonviolent individuals without a prior criminal history.  Anecdotally, the increased use of face coverings has been described as a means to conceal ICE officer and agent identities to avoid identification and accountability, particularly as the public has taken to filming immigration enforcement encounters. 
    The International Association of Chiefs of Police warns that, “members of the general public may be intimidated or fearful of officers wearing a face covering, which may heighten their defensive reactions.”  The failure of ICE officers and agents to promptly and clearly identify who they are and the authority under which they are acting has led witnesses of immigration enforcement operations to justifiably question the law enforcement status, authority, and constitutionality of ICE officers and agents and their operations.  Such actions compromise the safety of law enforcement officers and agents conducting the operation, the individual(s) being apprehended, bystanders, and other law enforcement who may be called to the scene to respond to a suspected crime. We remain deeply concerned that ICE’s lack of transparency will lead the public to intercede in enforcement efforts, escalating an already tense interaction, and risking an entirely avoidable violent situation. 
    Increased use of face coverings and lack of prompt and clear identification by ICE officers and agents in public is also having unintended consequences. Criminals are taking advantage of ICE’s anonymity and impersonating law enforcement officers and ICE agents.   Recently, this resulted in several criminal acts including harassment, theft, extortion, assault, battery, sexual assault, and kidnapping.  The uptick in ICE officers and agents concealing their identities and ICE affiliation blurs the public’s understanding of what ICE officers and agents look like and do while lawfully conducting their mission.  Bad actors have and will continue to take advantage of ICE’s lack of transparency to perpetrate crimes on the most vulnerable in our society.
    We strongly urge you to take swift action to ensure the safety of the public and your officers and agents during the performance of their duties by reducing unnecessary intimidation tactics that escalate defensive reactions.  Additionally, we ask you to provide us with copies of any policies, guidance, memoranda, legal advice, training materials, and all other relevant documents produced by ICE and DHS that discuss when and how to use face coverings, organizational clothing, or reveal officer and agent identities during immigration enforcement operations by June 6, 2025.
    Sincerely,
     

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin, Murkowski Reintroduce Legislation To Bolster Crime Fund

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
    May 23, 2025
    The Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act would bolster the Crime Victims Fund
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) reintroduced the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act. The bill bolsters the Crime Victims Fund (CVF), established by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984, which supports state victim compensation and assistance programs. The legislation would transfer residual funds collected through the False Claims Act (FCA), which are currently directed to the General Fund of the U.S. Treasury, to the CVF.
    “The Crime Victims Fund is a lifeline for survivors and their families. The state programs supported by this fund provide a chance for victims to recover and rebuild their lives, whether it be through compensating the cost of medical and mental health expenses or providing access to emergency shelter. With this bill, we have a straightforward, bipartisan solution that will help strengthen the Crime Victims Fund. I look forward to working with Senator Murkowski to advance this legislation,” said Durbin.
    “Victim service organizations are facing dire financial situations due to decreasing deposits into the CVF. This fund has an integral role in funding service organizations that provide immediate and long-term support to survivors,” said Murkowski. “It is essential that we pursue any and all solutions to ensure that shelters, counseling and other social services are able to provide quality, consistent care for those in need.”
    Durbin has long been a fierce advocate for victims’ rights.  In March 2022, Congress enacted the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization Act—led by Durbin and U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).  For 30 years, VAWA has transformed the way we address domestic and sexual violence in America and saved countless lives. The same month as VAWA’s reauthorization, then-President Biden signed into law the bipartisan Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, sponsored by Durbin and U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
    In 2021, Durbin worked with his colleagues to strengthen the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) by leading the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act. This legislation redirects monetary penalties from federal deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements into the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) to increase funding for state victim compensation and assistance programs.
    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Video: DM Botes

    Source: Republic of South Africa (video statements-2)

    Minister of Police, Mr Senzo Mchunu, together with the National Commissioner of Police, General Fannie Masemola, present the quarterly #CrimeStats, reflecting on crimes that occurred during the fourth quarter of the previous financial year (1 January 2025 – 31 March 2025).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDE0vbcfmeo

    MIL OSI Video –