NewzIntel.com

Category: Law

  • MIL-OSI Security: Twenty-Seven Members of Little Rock Drug Trafficking Organization in Custody Following Arrest Operation

    Source: US FBI

    More than $100,000 and 19 guns also seized during investigation.

          LITTLE ROCK—Twenty-seven defendants accused of distributing large amounts of fentanyl, as well as methamphetamine and cocaine, in central Arkansas are in custody after federal and state authorities made a series of arrests in Pulaski County this morning as part of an ongoing drug-trafficking investigation. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Warner Benson, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Little Rock Field Office, announced today’s arrests.

          According to a federal superseding indictment that was unsealed today following the arrests, the large-scale drug organization in central Arkansas is headed by Eric Dillard, 44, and Jimmie McDaniels, 49, both of Little Rock. A team of law enforcement agencies in the area coordinated to arrest 27 of the 29 defendants listed in the indictment this morning. Dillard was already in federal custody based on a federal indictment filed against him on September 11, 2024.

          The superseding indictment was returned by a federal grand jury on March 4, 2025. The defendants were charged with a series of drug and gun crimes, including conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine,  felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. A financial investigation also led to money laundering charges, including conspiracy, against six defendants.

          “The lethality of fentanyl requires our continued resolve to prioritize these types of investigations,” Ross said. “We will also keep our focus on other deadly drugs such as methamphetamine, which remains the most abused drug in our state, and cocaine, both of which were involved this case.”

          The arrests stem from an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, or OCDETF, investigation that began in September 2023. Most the defendants listed in the indictment are from Little Rock and surrounding towns. The investigation, which was headed by the DEA, involved numerous controlled purchases of fentanyl from members of the conspiracy, as well as the seizure of 19 firearms and approximately a pound of fentanyl. According to information learned throughout the investigation, it is believed this organization has trafficked hundreds of pounds of fentanyl to people in Arkansas.

          Additionally, during the investigation law enforcement agents intercepted numerous phone calls in which the conspiracy members discussed trafficking fentanyl and layering profits through various channels to disguise the source of the proceeds. Throughout the investigation more than $100,000 in illegal proceeds was seized by law enforcement.

          “This morning’s arrest operation represents a significant blow to a criminal network that was flooding our communities with deadly fentanyl,” said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Warner Benson. “Along with our federal, state, and local partners, we are committed to dismantling these organizations and protecting the citizens of Central Arkansas from the devastating consequences of drug trafficking.”

          This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

          Those arrested today will be arraigned before United States Magistrate Judge Jerome T. Kearney on Thursday. Today’s arrests are the result of a joint investigation between the DEA Little Rock District Office; DEA New Orleans Field Division, DEA Houston, FBI, U.S. Marshal Service, North Little Rock Police Department, Arkansas State Police, Sherwood Police Department, Cabot Police Department, Arkansas Community Corrections, Central Arkansas Drug Task Force, Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office, Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, U.S. Postal Service; and the Arkansas National Guard Counter Drug Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Eldridge.

    # # #

    Additional information about the office of the

    United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    X (formerly known as Twitter):

    @USAO_EDAR 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Personnel Assist in Hurricane Helene Response

    Source: US FBI

    Special Agents Durant and O’Hare relied heavily on the Mobile Biometrics Application (MBA) and Special Processing Center (SPC) teams to expedite the identification of victims. These specialized units, operating out of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services Division in West Virginia, provided agents in the field with real-time support, often pulling fingerprints and running them through reference files within minutes. In some cases, results were returned in as little as 15 to 20 minutes, streamlining the identification process during critical moments.

    The MBA team, in particular, played a vital role by swiftly processing prints, actively monitoring quality control, and troubleshooting more difficult cases. When automated systems didn’t yield a match, the SPC team took over, applying manual processes to assist with identification. This seamless coordination between field agents and the FBI’s lab-based experts highlights the Bureau’s ability to deploy advanced technology in disaster zones, ensuring that victims’ families receive answers as quickly as possible.

    While working to bring closure to grieving families, the agents have also felt the storm’s personal impact. O’Hare’s daughter and grandchildren evacuated from North Carolina to stay with her in Upper East Tennessee after being displaced by power loss. “I joined the FBI to help people,” O’Hare said. “In situations like this, that’s why I am doing my very small part to try to provide some closure for the families of the victims.”

    As the FBI and its partners work to support communities impacted by Hurricane Helene, the Bureau issued a warning about scammers looking to exploit survivors and mislead charitable donors. Learn to spot the red flags of disaster fraud at fbi.gov/DisasterFraud.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: East Hartford Man Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Federal Prison for Distributing Fentanyl and Cocaine

    Source: US FBI

    David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that BRANDON SPENCE, also known as “Spun,” 37, of East Hartford, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 56 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for distributing fentanyl and cocaine.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on February 5, 2019, Spence was sentenced in Hartford federal court to 24 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for unlawfully possessing a firearm as a felon.  He was released from federal prison in February 2020.  On December 7, 2020, Hartford Police surveillance cameras captured Spence and another individual engaged in a dispute.  Spence pulled out a firearm, shot the individual in the leg, and then stole the victim’s vehicle.  On May 28, 2021, Spence was sentenced to an additional 24 months of imprisonment for violating the conditions of his federal supervised release.

    In March and April 2024, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force made controlled purchases of fentanyl and crack cocaine from Spence.  Spence was arrested on April 3, 2024.  On that date, a court-authorized search of his residence and vehicles revealed distribution quantities of fentanyl, crack cocaine, and marijuana.

    On January 28, 2025, Spence pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, cocaine and fentanyl.  He has been detained since his arrest.

    This investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and the Hartford Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shan Patel.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Waterbury Man Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in Federal Prison for Violent Carjacking, Drug Trafficking

    Source: US FBI

    David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that LUIS CRUZ, also known as “Goldo,” 27, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 97 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for his participation in both a violent carjacking and a Waterbury-based narcotics trafficking ring.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, in the early morning hours of June 18, 2023, two all-terrain vehicles (“ATVs”) were stolen from a Waterbury residence.  After the theft, Cruz posted on Facebook offering $5,000 to anyone providing information about the location of the stolen vehicles.  Cruz and others then mistakenly identified an individual (“Victim 1”), who they incorrectly believed was involved in the theft.  Later that night, Victim 1’s friend, (“Victim 2”), picked up Victim 1 from work and drove him home.  As they arrived at Victim 1’s residence, three vehicles followed them and surrounded the victims.  Cruz and his associates, one of whom carried an assault-style rifle, exited the vehicles and approached the victims.  Cruz and his associates demanded the return of the stolen ATVs, threatened to kill the victims, and physically assaulted them.  Cruz, who was recovering from a leg injury, used a crutch to repeatedly strike one of the victims.

    Cruz and his associates then stole Victim 2’s vehicle, which was owned by Victim 2’s relative, and other items and cash belonging to the victims.

    Also in 2023, Cruz was one of 17 individuals charged with federal offenses as a result of an investigation into two drug trafficking organizations based in the city of Waterbury.  One organization operated in the area of William Street and the other operated in the area of Maple Avenue.  The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones, video surveillance, GPS tracking of vehicles, and numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that the two organizations distributed cocaine, crack, and fentanyl through a network of sellers.  The organizations shared sources of supply and worked together to further their operations.

    During the investigation, Cruz, who was involved in the William Street organization, was intercepted multiple times over a wiretap discussing the distribution of narcotics.  Cruz distributed cocaine, and also stored narcotics for the organization at various hotels.

    Cruz and several codefendants were arrested on November 29, 2023.  In association with the arrests, investigators executed multiple search warrants and seized approximately 700 grams of crack cocaine, more than 900 vials (“caps”) of crack, approximately 200 grams of loose fentanyl, more than 1,600 dose bags of fentanyl/heroin, two stolen firearms, numerous rounds of ammunition, and more than $39,000 in cash.

    On September 10, 2024, Cruz pleaded guilty to carjacking resulting in serious bodily injury, and conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.

    Cruz has been detained since his arrest.

    These investigations were led by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force and Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task Force, and the Waterbury Police Department.  The carjacking case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan J. Guevremont and David T. Huang, and the narcotics trafficking case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha M. Freismuth and Shan Patel through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: CJIS Division Observes a Milestone

    Source: US FBI

    And there was a way. In February 1992, in a memo proposing the creation of a Criminal Justice Information Services Division, a Bureau executive wrote: “The FBI has an opportunity to significantly improve the level of information services provided to the criminal justice community. An all-inclusive CJIS will ensure the needs of our users are met and exceeded well into the 21st century, and the technology advancements gained through the creation of CJIS will ensure that the FBI remains in the forefront of criminal justice information systems worldwide.”

    The establishment of this new office—which was, in effect, a one-stop shop for criminal justice information—was quickly approved by the FBI Director.

    The CJIS Division initially included the fingerprint identification services from the Identification Division, the UCR Program from the Information Management Division, and the NCIC program from the Technical Services Division. Over the past 25 years, CJIS has successfully overseen the creation of additional criminal justice services to assist our partners. For example:

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: 30-Year-Old Murder Solved

    Source: US FBI

    The 2012 Latent Hit of the Year Award was presented last month to two employees of the Omaha Police Department—Detective Douglas Herout and Senior Crime Laboratory Technician Laura Casey—for their efforts to identify the man responsible for a brutal murder more than 30 years ago.

    The crime: In 1978, 61-year-old Carroll Bonnet was stabbed to death in his apartment. Police collected evidence, including latent fingerprints and palmprints from the victim’s bathroom (officers believed the killer was trying to wash off blood and other evidence before leaving the apartment). The victim’s car was then stolen.

    The investigation: The car was found in Illinois, but after collecting additional latent prints, investigators couldn’t develop any new leads. The crime scene evidence was processed, and latent prints recovered from the scene and the car were searched against local and state fingerprint files. Investigators also sent fingerprint requests to agencies outside Nebraska, but no matches were returned and the case soon went cold.

    The re-investigation: In late 2008, the Omaha Police Department received an inquiry on the case, prompting technician Laura Casey to search the prints against IAFIS (which didn’t exist in 1978). In less than five hours, IAFIS returned possible candidates for comparison purposes. Casey spent days carefully examining the prints and came up with a positive identification—Jerry Watson, who was serving time in an Illinois prison on burglary charges.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Online Platform Provides Current Data on Law Enforcement Suicides

    Source: US FBI

    Data includes circumstances surrounding law enforcement suicides and suicide attempts, general locations, demographics, occupations, and the methods used.

    “We aim to provide agencies with the means to understand and mitigate situations which could eventually lead to a death by suicide,” said Lora Klingensmith, a program manager in the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division, which manages the Bureau’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program.

    This year, according to the LESDC, seven law enforcement agencies have reported nine suicides and three attempted suicides. All the suicide victims were males—seven were white, one was Black, and one was Hispanic or Latino. Firearms were used in seven suicides; two were listed as “other.” The collection does not collect information that identifies individuals.

    As with crime statistics, the ideal is to have more agencies report to the LESDC so that a more representative picture emerges. Law enforcement agencies are not required to submit suicide information to the FBI; it’s voluntary. But the Law Enforcement Suicide Data Collection Act, passed in 2020, requires the attorney general and the FBI to report the suicide data annually to Congress. The FBI, which has a nearly century-long history of collecting data from law enforcement agencies, began collecting the information from agencies on January 1, 2022.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: The FBI’s Counterterrorism Division Turns 25

    Source: US FBI

    A steadfast dedication to countering the threat

    After the ISIS caliphate collapsed in the late 2010s, a perception arose that terrorist threats were on a decline. To some, the threat posed by foreign terrorist organizations had diminished to the point where counterterrorism didn’t need to be the Bureau’s top priority.

    “And, I’ll admit, I even had my own doubts,” Scott said. “I was a JTTF [Joint Terrorism Task Force] squad supervisor at the time and then assistant special agent in charge at a field office, and I could see that downward trend myself. And it was very obvious. And, of course, I consider that a good thing. If we had helped to diminish the terrorist threat, that’s always a good thing.”

    But, he said, the events of October 7, 2023, in the Middle East confirmed the Bureau’s threat calculus.

    “Even before the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the FBI had been very public in saying that the terrorism threat was already elevated across the board, with international threats, domestic terrorism threats, and the state-sponsored threat,” he said. “And, as I talk to my counterparts now across the interagency—and even with international partners—everybody is saying the same thing: They’re seeing this across the globe. This is an issue that’s not just facing the U.S., but it’s facing everybody with these simultaneously elevated threats.” 

    How CTD has evolved 

    The Bureau’s bandwidth for handling counterterrorism-related tips has also grown exponentially in the past 25 years, with the creation of our National Threat Operations Center to triage and route tips from the public to investigators in the field.

    The FBI’s use of partnerships to stem this threat has expanded in parallel fashion. 

    In 1980, the FBI New York Field Office pioneered the Joint Terrorism Task Force partnership model—which brings together experts from local, state, and federal government agencies to leverage their collective range of skillsets to investigate and prevent acts of terror. Since then, these task forces have expanded throughout the field. 

    “And, now, you’ve got 4,000 members from over 500 different state and local agencies, 50 federal agencies, all working nationwide on Joint Terrorism Task Forces, and they’re working to prevent any of these domestic attacks, any international terrorism attacks,” Scott said.

    The Bureau has also established a Headquarters-level National Joint Terrorism Task Force, whose membership includes representatives from the Defense Department, the U.S. Intelligence Community, and other federal government agencies. The interagency corps coordinates field-level JTTF efforts and oversees personnel movement to ensure those squads have the proper mix of staffing from member agencies, Scott explained.

    As for tactics, Scott said the increasing sophistication of terrorists’ techniques and use of communications has also demanded innovation on the part of CTD. For example, he said, these bad actors’ use of encrypted mobile apps to plot attacks against Americans on U.S. soil and around the world inspired the Bureau to form specialized teams, known as Terrorist Use of the Internet squads, to determine how to disrupt such efforts. 

    Why the FBI investigates terrorism

    Guidelines from the attorney general dictate when the FBI can start a terrorism investigation and authorize the FBI to collect information accordingly. 

    This information serves two purposes:

    • First, it helps us build a case against people or groups who break the law to help us arrest them and to assist the U.S. Department of Justice in prosecuting them. Our investigations focus on the unlawful activity of the group, not the ideological orientation or First Amendment-protected activity of its members.
    • Next, it builds an intelligence base that we can analyze to prevent terrorist activity. 

    The FBI’s approach to counterterrorism investigations is based on the need both to prevent incidents where possible and to react effectively after incidents occur.

    The FBI is empowered to investigate terrorism both at home and overseas. “That goes back to 1983, when Attorney General William French Smith modified the guidelines for conducting intelligence investigations,” Scott said. “And then, the next year, Congress authorized the Bureau to pursue criminals who attacked Americans beyond our shores.”

    These days, CTD has a global footprint to protect Americans the world over.

    “Now, we have counterterrorism assistant legal attachés––or ALATs––forward-deployed in U.S. embassies across the globe,” Scott said. “We’ve got the fly team that can deploy both domestically and overseas at a moment’s notice. And then, we’ve got a significant portion of our division here at Headquarters that is dedicated to ensuring our U.S. citizens are protected overseas, just as they would be here within the borders of the U.S.” 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hawthorne Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Leading Ring That Committed 12 Armed Robberies of L.A. County Businesses

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – A South Bay man was sentenced today to 300 months in federal prison for leading a ring that committed 12 armed robberies of Los Angeles County businesses – mostly chain-store pharmacies – during a six-week crime spree in 2023.

    Makai Yusef Sanders, 23, a.k.a. “Muk Muk,” of Hawthorne, was sentenced by United States District Judge R. Gary Klausner, who also ordered him to pay $48,490 in restitution. 

    Sanders, who has been in federal custody since October 2023, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act), and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

    In August and September of 2023, Sanders “personally victimized countless employees and customers in armed robberies of nine pharmacies and two…restaurants,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum, noting that during one robbery Sanders “[held] a victim by the neck and [dragged] him around the store, while brandishing a handgun in his other hand.” 

    The targeted businesses included Rite Aid stores in Long Beach, Bellflower, North Hollywood, Whittier, and South Los Angeles, and Walgreens stores in Pasadena, Lakewood, Monterey Park, and Glendale. Sanders and his co-conspirators also targeted Wingstop restaurants in Lynwood and Whittier.

    The ring’s co-leader, Kenyatta Kamar Jones, 23, a.k.a. “Yatta,” of Hawthorne, pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. On April 28, Judge Klausner sentenced Jones to 25 years in federal prison and ordered him to pay $48,490 in restitution.

    Co-defendants Diavion Deshawna Mouton, 23, of Carson, and Rodney Darrin Maxwell Evans, 23, of South Los Angeles, are scheduled to be sentenced on June 9. In December 2024, Mouton and Evans were each found guilty by a jury of one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, two counts of Hobbs Act robbery, and two counts of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. Mouton and Evans participated in two armed robberies during the six-week crime spree.

    Co-defendant Adrian Timothy Bedran, 24, of Rosemead, pleaded guilty on September 9 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8. Co-defendant DeAngel Daryl Alvarez, 23, a.k.a. “Macc,” of the Athens area of South Los Angeles, pleaded guilty on February 24 to one count of Hobbs Act robbery and is scheduled to be sentenced on July 2. Co-defendant Kevin Antwon Gadley, 21, a.k.a. “One Shot,” of San Fernando, was transferred from state to federal custody on April 28, and is currently scheduled to stand trial on June 24, for one count of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, one count of Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

    The FBI; the Glendale Police Department; the Los Angeles Police Department; the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department; the Inglewood Police Department; the Long Beach Police Department; the Pasadena Police Department; the Monterey Park Police Department; the Whittier Police Department; and the Burbank Police Department investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler and Jena A. MacCabe of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Juan M. Rodriguez of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section are prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Five Defendants Federally Charged in Los Angeles, Orange Counties as Part of Nationwide Crackdown on Child Sexual Abuse Offenders

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – Attorney General Pamela Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel recently announced an unprecedented national initiative to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities. The FBI launched a coordinated effort with all field offices in a sweeping action to identify, track and arrest child sex predators.

    Since the end of April, the FBI arrested 205 subjects across the country and rescued 115 children during Operation Restore Justice. These subjects are accused of various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking. They include school leaders and registered sex offenders, among others. 

    In the Central District of California, a seven-county jurisdiction that includes Los Angeles and Orange counties, five defendants were charged with federal crimes as follows:

    • Andrew Castillon, 47, of El Monte, was arrested May 1 on a federal criminal complaint charging him with possession of child pornography. A federal magistrate judge ordered him released on $5,000 bond. Castillon’s arraignment is scheduled for May 27 in United States District Court in Los Angeles. Assistant United States Attorney Thi H. Ho of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
    • Jose Olvera, 34, of North Hollywood, was arrested May 1 on a federal indictment charging him with two counts of distribution of child pornography and five counts of possession of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty to all charges at his arraignment and a June 23 trial was scheduled in this case. A federal magistrate judge ordered him jailed without bond. Assistant United States Attorney Mikaela W. Gilbert-Lurie of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
    • Steven Martin Nuss, 66, of San Juan Capistrano, was arrested May 9 on a two-count federal grand jury indictment charging him with distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty to both charges and a federal magistrate judge ordered him jailed without bond. He is scheduled to go to trial on July 1. Assistant United States Attorney Melissa S. Rabbani of the Orange County Office is prosecuting this case.
    • David Eugene Parker, 55, of La Palma, was arrested April 30 on federal grand jury indictment charging him with two counts of possession of child pornography. He pleaded not guilty to the charge and a federal magistrate judge ordered him released on $100,000 bond. A June 24 trial date is scheduled in this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Lauren E. Border of the General Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
    • Gregory Cole Jr., 30, of Lancaster, was arrested April 30 in Arizona after he failed to appear at his trial earlier last month in which a jury found him guilty in absentia of one count of production of child pornography, one count of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, and one count of receipt of child pornography. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 23, at which time he will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Assistant United States Attorney Derek R. Flores of the Violent and Organized Crime Section is prosecuting this case.

    Two additional individuals were arrested in Los Angeles for sexual exploitation of a child and charges of coercion and enticement, respectively; however, those cases are being prosecuted in separate districts.

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

    “Sexual predators who target children leave emotional scars that can last a lifetime,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Along with our law enforcement partners, we seek to bring a measure of solace to victims and put criminals on notice that they risk lengthy prison sentences and severe penalties for harming children.”

    “The amount of child predators arrested during Operation Restore Justice should shock the conscience of any law-abiding citizen and parents or guardians, in particular,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office.  “Each day, our agents are tackling criminal allegations involving children, whether it be online dangers such as ‘sextortion,’ emerging nihilist extremist networks such as ‘764,’ or children being groomed by someone close to them. We urge caretakers of all children to educate themselves about these constant threats targeting the most vulnerable members of our society.”

    As the nation marked National Child Abuse Prevention month in April, the timing of this effort was a culmination of countless hours by hundreds of FBI agents. It further underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Bureau works relentlessly to investigate these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of prevention and community education.

    The FBI takes a proactive approach to identify unknown individuals involved in the sexual exploitation of children and the production of child sexual abuse material. We do that through our Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Forces (CEHTTFs) located in each field office. This allows the FBI to combine resources with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The FBI also partners with the nonprofit National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org. 

    In 2004, the FBI created the Endangered Child Alert Program (ECAP) to identify individuals involved in the sexual abuse of children and the production of child sexual abuse material. The program is a collaborative effort between the FBI and the NMCEC.

    The FBI also offers resources for parents and caregivers to stay engaged with their children’s online and offline activities. The FBI’s Safe Online Surfing (SOS) program teaches students in grades 3 to 8 how to navigate the web safely.

    The FBI urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through our tiplines at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office. 

    Other online resources:

    • Electronic Press Kit:

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Brentwood Man Found Guilty of Cyberstalking New Jersey Judge

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – A man from the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles has been found guilty by a jury of a federal felony for sending dozens of emails to a New Jersey state court judge that threatened violence and death against the victim, the Justice Department announced today.

    Jonathan Lipman, 36, was found guilty late Thursday of one count of stalking. He has been in federal custody since September 2023.

    According to evidence presented at a three-day trial, from February 2023 to September 2023, Lipman sent dozens of emails to the victim, a New Jersey Superior Court judge, intending to harass, intimidate, and terrorize the victim.

    In addition to voluminous threatening emails to the victim, Lipman also tracked down the victim’s home address and called the victim’s neighbor to stoke fear in the victim. Lipman also left numerous voicemails at the New Jersey courthouse directed at the victim.

    Lipman continued his course of conduct despite a warning from law enforcement regarding his illegal conduct. Over time, Lipman’s communications became increasingly graphic and explicit. For example, in July 2023, Lipman sent the victim multiple emails detailing his graphic depictions of the jurist’s death.

    United States District Judge Fernando L. Aenlle-Rocha scheduled an October 3 sentencing hearing, at which time Lipman will face a statutory maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.

    The FBI investigated this matter. 

    Assistant United States Attorneys Clifford D. Mpare of the General Crimes Section and Daniel H. Weiner of the Transnational Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Files Complaint Against Several National Health Insurance Companies and Brokers Alleging Unlawful Kickbacks and Discrimination Against Disabled Americans

    Source: US FBI

    Government alleges that three of the nation’s largest health insurance companies paid hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks in exchange for Medicare Advantage enrollments

    BOSTON – The United States has filed a complaint against three of the nation’s largest health insurance companies: Aetna, Inc. and affiliates; Elevance Health, Inc. (formerly known as Anthem); and Humana Inc., and three large insurance broker organizations: eHealth, Inc. and an affiliate; GoHealth, Inc.; and SelectQuote, Inc. The United States alleges that from at least 2016 through at least 2021, the defendant insurers paid hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks to the defendant brokers in exchange for enrollments into the insurers’ Medicare Advantage plans.

    Under the Medicare Advantage (MA) Program, also known as Medicare Part C, Medicare beneficiaries may choose to enroll in health care plans (MA plans) offered by private insurance companies, such as defendants Aetna, Anthem and Humana. Many Medicare beneficiaries rely on insurance brokers to help them choose an MA plan that best meets their individual needs. Rather than acting as unbiased stewards, the defendant brokers allegedly directed Medicare beneficiaries to plans offered by insurers that paid brokers the most in kickbacks, regardless of the suitability for the beneficiary. According to the complaint, the broker organizations incentivized their employees and agents to sell plans based on the insurers’ kickbacks, set up teams of insurance agents who could sell only those plans, and at times refused to sell MA plans of insurers who did not pay sufficient kickbacks.  

    The United States further alleges that Aetna and Humana each conspired with the broker defendants to discriminate against Medicare beneficiaries with disabilities whom they perceived to be less profitable. Aetna and Humana did so by allegedly threatening to withhold kickbacks to pressure brokers to enroll fewer disabled Medicare beneficiaries in their plans. The United States alleges that, in response to these financial incentives from Aetna and Humana, the defendant brokers, or their agents, rejected referrals of disabled beneficiaries and strategically directed disabled beneficiaries away from Aetna and Humana plans.

    “It is concerning, to say the least, that Medicare beneficiaries were allegedly steered towards plans that were not necessarily in their best interest – but rather in the best interest of the health insurance companies. The alleged efforts to drive beneficiaries away specifically because their disabilities might make them less profitable to health insurance companies are even more unconscionable. Profit and greed over beneficiary interest is something we will continue to investigate and prosecute aggressively,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “This office will continue to take decisive action to protect the rights of Medicare beneficiaries and vulnerable Americans.”

    “Health care companies that attempt to profit from kickbacks will be held accountable,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Michael Granston of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We are committed to rooting out illegal practices by Medicare Advantage insurers and insurance brokers that undermine the interests of federal health care programs and the patients they serve.”

    The lawsuit was originally filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act (FCA). Under the FCA, private parties can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of the recovery. The FCA permits the United States to intervene in and take over the action, as it has done here. If a defendant is found liable for violating the FCA, the United States may recover three times the amount of its losses plus applicable penalties.

    U.S. Attorney Foley and AAG Granston made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles B. Weinograd and Julien M. Mundele of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit are handling the matter along with Trial Attorneys David G. Miller, Anna H. Jugo, Diana E. Curtis and Sara B. Hanson of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

    The claims asserted in the complaint are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fresno-Based Community Health System Agree to Pay $31.5 Million to Resolve Allegations of False Claims Act Violations

    Source: US FBI

    Community Health System and its affiliate Physician Network Advantage Inc. have agreed to pay $31.5 million to the United States to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act based on financial benefits provided to referring physicians, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced today. Community Health System operates in Fresno County and includes hospitals Community Regional Medical Center and Clovis Community Medical Center.

    “We cannot allow medical decisions to be distorted by kickback schemes or efforts to buy physicians’ loyalty with lucrative side perks,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Beckwith. “This settlement demonstrates this Office’s commitment to ensuring that patients’ best interests remain paramount.”

    The civil settlement announced today resolves allegations that Community Health System and Physician Network Advantage Inc. (PNA) provided several types of extravagant benefits to induce physicians in the Fresno area to refer their patients to Community facilities for medical services, in violation of the False Claims Act. PNA is a health care technology business formed and funded by Community to support Fresno-area physicians’ adoption of the electronic health records platform used by Community. The United States contends that PNA also played a key role in securing business for Community by unlawful means. In a custom-built lounge located on premises at PNA’s offices, known as HQ2, PNA provided expensive wine, liquor, cigars, and meals to referring physicians, with the knowledge and funding of Community.

    The settlement also resolves allegations that Community and PNA provided financial subsidies for electronic health records technology and equipment used by certain physicians in their private offices in return for the referral of governmental health care program patients to Community. Further, the settlement resolves allegations that Community paid bonuses to certain physicians ostensibly for participation in clinical integration activities, when the real purpose of the bonuses was to reward referrals.

    The United States contends that these financial benefits violated the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, resulting in false claims for the medical services referred by physicians receiving the benefits, that were submitted to governmental health care programs. The United States also contends that the conduct described above created financial relationships with referring physicians under the Physician Self-Referral Law (known as the “Stark Law”). The Stark Law seeks to safeguard the integrity of the Medicare program by prohibiting a hospital from billing for certain services referred by physicians with whom the hospital has a financial relationship, unless that relationship satisfies one of the law’s statutory or regulatory exceptions, which the United States contends were not met.

    “Kickback arrangements aimed at improperly influencing medical decisions will remain a top investigative priority for our agency,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Robb R. Breeden of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “This settlement demonstrates HHS-OIG’s commitment to identifying and holding accountable those who engage in unlawful financial relationships at the expense of Medicare patients and the taxpayer.”

    In connection with the settlement, Community entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement with HHS-OIG that requires, among other conditions, the implementation of a risk assessment and internal review process designed to identify and address evolving compliance risks. The Corporate Integrity Agreement also requires an independent review organization to annually assess the policies and systems to track arrangements with some referral sources.

    The settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by relator Michael Terpening. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery from that action. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Terpening v. Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center, et al., 1:19-CV-01699 (E.D. Cal.). As part of the settlement announced today, Mr. Terpening will receive approximately $5 million.

    The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California and HHS-OIG with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Thiess handled the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

    The claims resolved by this settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

    Note: View the settlement here.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Vallejo, California, Man Convicted of Being a Felon in Possession of Ammunition

    Source: US FBI

    After a two-day trial before U.S. District Judge Dena Coggins, a jury found Jeffrey Caldwell, 36, of Vallejo, guilty of being a felon in possession of ammunition, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to evidence presented at trial, law enforcement officers responded to the Super 8 Motel on 2070 Solano Avenue in Vallejo after multiple callers reported hearing gunshots from inside the building. By the time the officers arrived, Caldwell had barricaded himself in his hotel room and refused commands to surrender. A multi-hour standoff ensued, which ended when Caldwell finally left the room and attempted to flee. A subsequent search of the room discovered a privately manufactured firearm containing one round of ammunition. Caldwell is prohibited from possessing ammunition due to more than 10 prior felony convictions in California and Arizona, including for assault, burglary, and stalking.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Vallejo Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles Campbell and Alexander Cárdenas are prosecuting the case.

    Caldwell is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Coggins on Aug. 22, 2025. Caldwell faces a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

    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 U.S. Department of Justice 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.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cuban National Indicted for Bank Robbery

    Source: US FBI

    LAS VEGAS – A Cuban national with an outstanding warrant of removal made his initial court appearance Wednesday before United States Magistrate Judge Nancy J. Koppe for allegedly robbing a bank with a dangerous weapon.

    According to allegations contained in the indictment and statements made in court, on February 1, 2025, Anoy Lopez-Bles, 50, robbed a bank with a replica firearm.

    Lopez-Bles has six prior felony convictions including bank robbery in the District of Nevada, and multiple burglary and drug felonies in Nevada. He has five prior misdemeanor convictions including domestic violence, drug, and larceny convictions in Nevada. He failed to appear 20 times and has violated his probations or parole over 10 times.

    Lopez-Bles is charged with one count of bank robbery. A jury trial has been scheduled to begin May 19, 2025, before Chief United States District Judge Andrew P. Gordon.

    If convicted, Lopez-Bles faces the maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting United States Attorney Sue Fahami for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI Las Vegas Division made the announcement.

    The FBI and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada is prosecuting the case.

    An indictment is merely an accusation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    ###

     

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two California Men Sentenced to Prison Terms for Conspiring to Launder the Proceeds of a Fraud From a Resident of New Jersey

    Source: US FBI

    NEWARK, N.J. – Two California men were sentenced to prison terms for conspiring to launder money that originated from internet-related fraud that targeted a law firm based in New Jersey and from fraudulently obtained loans from the U.S. Small Business Association, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Eric Bullard, 62, of Los Angeles, California was sentenced to 37 months in prison, and Anthony Hannah, 61, of Moreno Valley, California, was sentenced to 33 months in prison.  Bullard and Hannah each previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to informations charging them with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

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

    In June 2020, Victim-1 communicated via email with a law firm in New Jersey that was advising Victim-1, a resident of Bergen County, New Jersey, on a real estate transaction.  A business email compromise is a method of wire fraud often targeting businesses or individuals working on business transactions involving high-dollar wire transactions.  The fraud is carried out by compromising and/or “spoofing” legitimate email accounts through social engineering or computer intrusion techniques to cause employees of a target company, or other individuals involved in legitimate business transactions, to conduct unauthorized transfers of funds, most often to accounts controlled by the fraud perpetrators.

    A co-conspirator conducted a business email compromise and sent an email to Victim-1 purporting to be on behalf of the law firm with fraudulent instructions to wire approximately $560,000 to a bank account controlled by Bullard.  Relying on the fraudulent instructions, Victim-1 wired approximately $560,000 into a bank account controlled by Bullard.  After receiving the funds, Bullard made several cash withdrawals and transferred money to other co-conspirators, including approximately $230,000 of the fraudulently obtained proceeds to an account controlled by Hannah.   

    In addition to laundering proceeds from the business email compromise, Bullard and Hannah also obtained and laundered funds from the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program based on fraudulent loan applications. EIDL loans were intended to be for small businesses that were experiencing substantial financial disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  In July 2020, Bullard received into a business bank account that he controlled approximately $143,100 from an SBA EDIL loan intended for a pharmacy company with a listed location in Colorado.  Hannah also received approximately $145,400 from the SBA for a loan intended for a pharmacy company with a listed location in Idaho.  Hannah then transferred approximately $51,395 to a bank account controlled by Bullard.

    In addition to the prison terms, Judge Arleo sentenced Bullard and Hannah each to three years of supervised release and to pay $705,400 in restitution to the victims.  Judge Arleo ordered forfeiture of $611,395 for Bullard and $375,400 for Hannah, constituting proceeds derived from the conspiracy.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the FBI Woodland Park Office, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark, with the investigation.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Farhana C. Melo of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

    The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud.  The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors.  The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

                                                               ###

    Defense counsel:
    Bullard: Brandon Minde, Esq., Cranford, New Jersey
    Hannah: Areeb Salim, Esq. Assistant Federal Public Defender, Newark

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Trussville Man Sentenced to Four Years in Prison for Drug Trafficking

    Source: US FBI

    BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Trussville man has been sentenced for drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples.

    U.S. District Court Judge R. David Proctor sentenced Antonio Sedell Ellis, 50, to 48 months in prison. In October 2024, Ellis pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.

    According to the plea agreement, on May 9, 2023, a Trussville police officer observed a black Ford F-450 traveling on Interstate 59 and cross the outside fog line several times. The officer initiated a traffic stop of the driver, later identified as Ellis. During the stop, the officer could smell alcohol coming from inside the vehicle and asked Ellis to exit the vehicle. Although Ellis initially complied with the officer’s requests, he then attempted to walk away from the scene and refused to follow the officer’s orders. Additional officers responded and successfully apprehended Ellis. He was placed into the back of the patrol car so that a full search of Ellis’s vehicle could be completed. The search uncovered a package containing one kilogram of cocaine, several bags of cocaine, and drug paraphernalia.

    The FBI investigated the case along with the Trussville Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany T. Byrd prosecuted the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Clay County Man Sentenced to 80 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    ANNISTON, Ala. – A Clay County man has been sentenced for his sexual crimes against children, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples. 

    U.S. District Court Judge Cory L. Maze sentenced Michael James Baker, 32, of Ashland, to 960 months in prison, followed by a life term of supervised release.  In October 2024, Baker pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography. These convictions will require Baker to register as a sex offender in accordance with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

    According to court documents, between July 25, 2022, and July 25, 2023, Baker produced a video and an image of child pornography involving his rape of a small child and uploaded the child pornography online. In his chat communication with an undercover agent, Baker expressed his desires to engage in sexual acts with two other children, and he admitted to sexual acts with a 13-year-old child. After Baker’s arrest on the federal child pornography charges, another young child disclosed that Baker had also raped her. 

    FBI Birmingham Division and FBI New Orleans Division investigated the case along with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Internet Crimes Against Children, Lineville Police Department, Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Oxford Police Department, Anniston Major Crimes Unit, Anniston Police Department, Alabama State Troopers, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and Russell County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case.

    If you suspect or become aware of possible sexual exploitation of a child, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.

    The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Marietta Resident Sentenced to Thirty Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Child

    Source: US FBI

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jukobie Allen Ramsey, age 22, of Marietta, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 360 months in prison for one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child/Use of a Child to Produce a Visual Depiction, to be followed by a lifetime term of Supervised Release.

    The charge arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Love County Sheriff’s Office.

    On December 4, 2024, Ramsey pleaded guilty to the charge.  According to investigators, beginning in May 2021, and continuing until April 29, 2024, Ramsey engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a minor for the purpose of producing and transmitting visual depictions of such conduct in interstate commerce via the internet, then transmitted those depictions onto the internet.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

    We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement.  You can file a report through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-843-5678 or online at http://www.cybertipline.com, through the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or through Homeland Security Investigations at 1-877-4-HSI TIP.

    The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing. Ramsey will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Dak T. Cohen represented the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Seven Defendants Sentenced for Roles in Marshall County Drug Trafficking Organization

    Source: US FBI

    HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Seven men have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a Marshall County Drug Trafficking Organization that was being directed from Mexico, announced United States Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Birmingham Division.

    United States District Judge Corey L. Maze imposed the following sentences on the defendants:

    • Armando Trevino-Vazques, 42, of Crossville, Alabama, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and felon in possession of a firearm.

    • Carlos Antonio Hernandez-Corona, 32, of Boaz, Alabama, was sentenced to 78 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

    • Juan Hernandez, 44, of Albertville, Alabama, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    • Gregory Allen Huff, 43, of Arab, Alabama, was sentenced to 61 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    • Angel Hernandez, Jr., 25, of Boaz, Alabama, was sentenced to 50 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

    • Thomas Gaspar, 35, of Boaz, Alabama, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for unlawful use of a communications facility.

    • Juan Damian Cortes, 33, of Albertville, Alabama, was sentenced to five months in prison for operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.

    According to plea agreements, the Drug Trafficking Organization used a series of dead drops to coordinate the distribution of methamphetamine and the receipt of bulk currency. Purchasers contacted the source of supply in Mexico. After that, the purchaser received a phone call providing a location to meet an individual to pay for the drugs purchased. Following that meeting, the purchaser received another call providing the location where the drugs could be picked up.

    “My office will use every tool in our toolbox to dismantle drug trafficking organizations intent on flooding the Northern District of Alabama with illegal drugs, focusing our effort on drugs originating from cartels and transnational criminal organizations,” U.S. Attorney Escalona said. “We are committed to ending the devastating impact these drugs have had on communities within our District. I am grateful for the strong partnership between the FBI and state and local law enforcement in Marshall County that led to these convictions and sentences.”

    “These sentencings demonstrate the FBI’s relentless determination to eradicate drug trafficking organizations that are plaguing communities,” said FBI Birmingham Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples.  “Disrupting organizations like this one is a priority objective of the FBI’s mission. We will continue to work with our local, state, and federal partners and use every legal means available to hold accountable those who threaten our neighborhoods.”

    The FBI’s North Alabama Criminal Enterprise Task Force investigated the cases. The Marshall County Drug Task Force and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Drug Task Force provided valuable assistance. Assistant United States Attorneys Russell E. Penfield and John M. Hundscheid prosecuted the cases.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hugo Resident Sentenced for Possessing Child Sexual Exploitation Material

    Source: US FBI

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Steven Mark McAnally, age 65, of Hugo, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 63 months in prison for one count of Possessing Certain Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.  He will serve 5 years of supervised probation upon release from incarceration.

    The charge arose from an investigation by Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    On December 12, 2024, McAnally pleaded guilty to the charge.  According to investigators, in July of 2023, McAnally knowingly possessed visual depictions from the internet of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, which McAnally accessed with intent to view.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement.  You can file a report through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) at 1-800-843-5678 or online at www.cybertipline.com, through the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or through Homeland Security Investigations at 1-877-4-HSI TIP.

    The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.  McAnally will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah McAmis represented the United States at the sentencing hearing.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Johnstown Woman Sentenced to Over Eight Years in Prison for Narcotics Trafficking

    Source: US FBI

    JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A resident of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, was sentenced in federal court to 100 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, on her convictions of conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute heroin, crack, methamphetamine, and fentanyl, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    United States District Judge Marilyn J. Horan imposed the sentence on Jessica Wilson, 39, on May 8, 2025.

    According to information presented to the Court, from in and around January 2021 to July 2021, in the Western District of Pennsylvania, Wilson conspired to distribute and possessed with intent to distribute quantities of heroin, crack, and methamphetamine. Wilson was intercepted on a federal wiretap obtaining quantities of the drugs that she distributed to others. During a separately charged offense, from in and around April 2024 to June 2024, Wilson conspired to distribute and possessed with intent to distribute quantities of mixtures containing fentanyl and crack.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Maureen Sheehan-Balchon and Arnold P. Bernard Jr. prosecuted these cases on behalf of the government.

    Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Laurel Highlands Resident Agency and Homeland Security Investigations for the investigation that led to the successful prosecution of Wilson. Additional agencies participating in this investigation included the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Internal Revenue Service–Criminal Investigation, United States Postal Inspection Service, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Pennsylvania State Police, Cambria County District Attorney’s Office, Indiana County District Attorney’s Office, Cambria County Sheriff’s Office, Cambria Township Police Department, Indiana Borough Police Department, Johnstown Police Department, Upper Yoder Township Police Department, Richland Police Department, Ferndale Police Department, and other local law enforcement agencies.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: California Man Sentenced to 14 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

    Source: US FBI

          LITTLE ROCK—Victor Garcia will spend the next 168 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge D.P. Marshall, Jr.

          A federal grand jury indicted Garcia, 43, of Palmdale, California, in a superseding indictment on April 5, 2023. He was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. On November 4, 2024, Garcia pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.

          On December 21, 2022, the Conway Police Department conducted a traffic stop and upon investigation, discovered Garcia had a federal warrant for drug distribution out of California. Officers conducted a pat down search of Garcia and located a methamphetamine pipe in his possession. Garcia admitted to officers that he had a small amount of marijuana in the center console of the vehicle. During the officers questioning of Garcia and his passenger, they provided officers inconsistent stories. Upon a search of the passenger, officers located a baggie of methamphetamine in her possession.

          While conducting a search of the vehicle, officers noted the carpeting was not uniform and after locating the seam of the carpet, determined it had been glued down. Officers pulled the carpet back and discovered a sheet of metal with hinges. Upon a search of this after-market hidden compartment, officers located over 20 kilograms of pure methamphetamine in five vacuum-sealed bags.

          Judge Marshall sentenced Garcia to serve 168 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Judge Marshall also sentenced Garcia to five years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

          This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Conway Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin O’Leary.

    # # #

    Additional information about the office of the

    United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    X (formerly known as Twitter):

    @USAO_EDAR 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Federal Task Force Agent Found Guilty of Corruption

    Source: US FBI

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – After a five-day jury trial, a federal jury convicted Antonio Pizarro Adorno, a former Puerto Rico Special Investigations Bureau (“NIE” as known in Spanish) officer who was assigned to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSI), for corruptly concealing $170 during a law enforcement seizure. United States District Court Judge Camille Vélez-Rivé presided over the trial.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on April 27, 2023, Pizarro Adorno, took $170 in cash seized by the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB), with the intent to impair its integrity and availability for use in an investigation being conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives related to drug trafficking in a community in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

    “The vast majority of law enforcement officers serve the community with honor and valor,” said U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico. “Those who do not, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

    “Every act of corruption, big or small, weakens the foundation of justice, and we will not tolerate it,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s San Juan Field Office. “The FBI remains focused on holding accountable those who betray that trust, no matter the amount, no matter the circumstances.”

    The FBI San Juan Field Office, Public Corruption Unit is investigating the case, with the collaboration of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Pizarro Adorno is facing up to 20 years in prison. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 10, 2025.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Christine Amy prosecuted the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Wisconsin Man Sentenced to More Than 3½ Years in Prison for ‘Swatting’ Spree that Hacked Doorbell Cameras to Livestream Police Response

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – A Wisconsin man was sentenced today to 44 months in federal prison for participating in a one-week nationwide “swatting” spree that gained access to Ring home security door cameras, placed bogus emergency phone calls designed to elicit an armed police response, then livestreamed the events on social media, sometimes while taunting responding police officers in communities such as West Covina and Oxnard.       

    Kya Christian Nelson, 23, of Racine, Wisconsin, was sentenced by United States District Judge John A. Kronstadt.

    Nelson pleaded guilty on January 23 to one count of conspiracy and two counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information. He has been in federal custody since August 2024 and previously was serving a prison sentence in Kentucky after being convicted in state court there in an unrelated case.

    From November 7, 2020, to November 13, 2020, Nelson and co-conspirators gained access to home security door cameras sold by Ring LLC, a Santa Monica-based home security technology company. Nelson acquired without authorization the username and password information for Yahoo! email accounts belonging to victims throughout the United States.

    The conspirators then determined whether the owner of each compromised Yahoo! account also had a Ring account using the same email address and password that could control associated internet-connected Ring doorbell camera devices. Using that information, they identified and gathered additional information about their victims.

    Then, the conspirators placed false emergency reports or telephone calls to local law enforcement in the areas where the victims lived. These reports or calls were intended to elicit an emergency police response to the victim’s residence. The conspirators then accessed without authorization the victims’ Ring devices and transmitted the audio and video from those devices on social media during the police response. They also taunted responding police officers and victims through the Ring devices during several of the incidents.

    For example, on November 8, 2020, Nelson and a co-conspirator accessed without authorization Yahoo! and Ring accounts belonging to a victim in West Covina. A hoax telephone call was placed to the West Covina Police Department purporting to originate from the victim’s residence and posing as a minor child reporting her parents drinking and shooting guns inside the residence. The caller claimed that her parents had multiple firearms and had fired approximately seven gunshots inside the house. Based on this hoax call, West Covina Police Department officers made an emergency response to the house and cleared the residents from the home at gunpoint.

    During the police response, Nelson accessed the Ring doorbell camera located at the West Covina residence and used it to verbally threaten and taunt the police officers who responded to the reported incident.

    In another incident, on November 11, 2020, Nelson illegally possessed the Yahoo! and Ring login credentials of a victim living in Oxnard. Nelson then used those credentials to access the victim’s Ring account. Nelson or a co-conspirator made a hoax call to the Oxnard Police Department purporting to be coming from inside the victim’s home.

    The caller told the police that they were a child whose father was wielding a handgun inside the residence. Nelson made a second hoax call to Oxnard Police to report hearing shots fired at the victim’s residence. Based on these hoax calls, Oxnard Police officers made an emergency response to the house and cleared the residents from the home at gunpoint.

    Nelson accessed the Ring doorbell camera located at the Oxnard residence and used it to threaten and taunt the police officers who had responded to the reported incident.

    “[Nelson] and his co-conspirators went on a digital crime spree, terrorizing innocent people around the country from behind their keyboards,” prosecutors argued in a sentencing memorandum. “While [Nelson] was safe behind his keyboard, he subjected others to real danger.”

    One of Nelson’s indicted co-conspirators, James Thomas Andrew McCarty, 22, of Kayenta, Arizona, was sentenced in June 2024 to seven years in federal prison both for his role in this case, and on additional charges in the District of Arizona. In connection with the Ring swatting incidents, McCarty pleaded guilty to the same conspiracy as Nelson.

    McCarty further admitted to illegally accessing a victim’s Ring camera in Florida and making a call to the North Port Florida Police Department, in which he purported to be the victim’s husband who had just killed her, was holding a hostage, and had rigged explosives at the residence. McCarty then livestreamed the law enforcement response and posted a message on social media taking credit for the swatting incident and stating that he thought it was amusing.

    The FBI investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorney Khaldoun Shobaki of the Cyber and Intellectual Property Crimes Section prosecuted this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Source of Supply for Merced County Methamphetamine Distribution Sentenced to 22 and One Half Years in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    FRESNO, Calif. — Raul Zamudio Hurtado, 42, of Oakdale, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 22 and a half years in prison and for two counts of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine arising from two separate cases, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, in May 2017, a coalition of federal, state, and local agencies investigated a group of Sureño gang members and associates in the Merced area for crimes of violence, drug sales, and illegal firearms possession. More than 50 individuals were arrested and 14 defendants were charged federally. Hurtado was the source of supply of methamphetamine to the suspected Sureño members and was indicted. On July 24, 2019, Hurtado pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and remained in custody pending sentencing in the first case. In April 2020, he was released with conditions.

    Between December 2021 and November 2022, Hurtado obtained and distributed methamphetamine in large quantities and received tens of thousands of dollars in drug proceeds. On Nov. 16, 2022, a search warrant was executed, more than 73 pounds of methamphetamine was seized, and Hurtado was charged again. On June 3, 2024, Hurtado pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in this second case.

    These cases were the product of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, the Merced Area Gang and Narcotic Enforcement Team (MAGNET), the California Department of Justice/California Highway Patrol, Special Operations Unit, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and the Modesto Police Department Major Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ross Pearson and Kimberly Sanchez prosecuted the cases.

    The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information, visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

    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 U.S. Department of Justice 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.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Twenty-Two Charged in Imperial Valley Takedown of Violent Drug Trafficking Organization Linked to Beltran Leyva Cartel

    Source: US FBI

    EL CENTRO – Twenty-two alleged members of a sophisticated transnational drug trafficking organization with ties to the Sinaloa-based Beltran Leyva Cartel were indicted by a federal grand jury for importing and distributing more than a ton of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine into the United States, laundering the illicit proceeds, and attempting to export firearms from the United States into Mexico.

    In a coordinated takedown this morning in California, Arizona, Iowa, and Colorado, more than 150 federal, state, and local law enforcement officials arrested 10 defendants and executed six search warrants in Imperial County. As of this afternoon, the search continues for 12 fugitives.

    Including seizures today and throughout this long-term investigation, authorities have confiscated more than 1,000 kilograms (about 2,204 pounds) of drugs, including methamphetamine, cocaine, and over 750 kilograms (about 1,653 pounds) of fentanyl, 10 firearms, and more than $250,000 in narcotics proceeds.

    “We have literally seized a ton of drugs that were destined to hit our streets and harm our community,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden. “By disrupting this prolific, cartel-linked trafficking network, we are preventing the devastation and violence it brings.”

    “Today’s enforcement action marks the culmination of a complex, long-term HSI investigation, demonstrating the strong collaboration between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies nationwide,” said Shawn Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of HSI San Diego. “Our local communities are undoubtedly safer today, and we remain committed to aggressively pursuing criminal organizations that threaten our country.”

    “Close coordination and aggressive action amongst allied law enforcement agencies just made communities nationwide safer places to live and work,” said El Centro Border Patrol Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gregory Bovino. “The well executed takedown of this drug trafficking organization heralds a new day in homeland security where we will relentlessly apprehend and prosecute transnational threats.”

    According to search warrants, the defendants belonged to a Mexicali, Mexico- and Imperial County-based transnational criminal organization that operated as a distribution cell for the Beltrán Leyva Cartel, specifically associated with Fausto Isidro Meza Flores aka El Chapo Isidro. Using undercover operations and multiple rounds of wiretaps, agents conducted numerous controlled purchases, traffic stops of personal vehicles and tractor trailers, and searches of houses and stash locations leading to large seizures of narcotics.

    Additionally, during the fourth round of wiretaps, one of the wiretap targets, an Imperial County-based narcotics subdistributor, was shot multiple times in Mexicali and died several months thereafter. Investigators believe that the subdistributor was lured from the United States to Mexico and shot by a co-conspirator in relation to their drug trafficking and money laundering activities.

    According to federal search warrants:

    In one instance on January 23, 2023, authorities seized approximately 1.4 million fentanyl pills after intercepting phone conversations about moving fentanyl pills in a semi-truck. Federal agents watched the transaction from afar, then conducted a traffic stop on the drug-laden tractor-trailer. Law enforcement officials located eight duffel bags containing approximately 148.53 kilograms (327.45 pounds) in the trailer of the truck.

    In another instance, on May 9, 2023, authorities seized approximately 483,000 fentanyl pills after intercepting phone conversations about moving narcotics in a semi-truck. Law enforcement conducted a traffic stop on the drug-laden tractor-trailer and located bags containing approximately 48.30 kilograms (106.48 pounds) of fentanyl pills in the truck.

    Shortly thereafter, on May 25, 2023, authorities seized approximately 480,000 fentanyl pills, 72.29 kilograms of methamphetamine, and a loaded 9mm handgun with a 10-round magazine inserted and a round in the chamber. After intercepting phone conversations about coordinating the movement of narcotics in a semi-truck, federal agents surveilled the narcotics being loaded into the tractor-trailer, then conducted a traffic stop. Law enforcement officials located six duffel bags containing approximately 72.29 kilograms (159.37 pounds) of methamphetamine and 48.6 kilograms (107.14 pounds) of fentanyl in the trailer of the truck.

    In another instance, on October 9, 2023, investigators seized approximately 139,000 fentanyl pills and 36.66 kilograms (80.82 pounds) of methamphetamine following federal agents’ surveillance of defendants unloading and transporting the narcotics.

    On March 14, 2024, after a traffic stop conducted by a Brawley police officer, law enforcement seized approximately 59.48 kilograms (131.13 pounds) of methamphetamine.

    Federal agents also seized firearms and ammunition during the investigation, including two gold plated AR-15 semi-automatic rifles hidden inside a 55-gallon barbeque grill on August 3, 2023, and two rifles, two pistols, approximately 2182 ammunition rounds, and seven magazines destined for Mexicali-based drug traffickers.

    Additionally, according to court records, five of the charged defendants are tied to alien smuggling activity, having been either arrested and/or previously prosecuted for immigration-related crimes, such as alien smuggling, accessory after the fact to illegal entry, and selling or offering to sell a Visa.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Loren G. Renner.

    DEFENDANTS                                            

    Case Number 24cr2399                               

    Irving Alberto Lopez Valdes                                      Age: 36                       Mexicali, Mexico

    Raul Salome Valdez-Orduno                                     Age: 46                       Mexicali, Mexico

    Case Number 24cr2400

    Jesus Damian Lizarraga Sanchez                               Age: 28                       Mexicali, Mexico

    Case Number 24cr2434

    Elizabeth Millan                                                         Age: 46                       San Diego, California

    Brandon Garcia                                                          Age: 27                       Calexico, California

    *Seven unnamed defendants are fugitives

    Case Number 24cr2431

    Roberto Marrufo                                                        Age: 40                        Calexico, California

    Case Number 25cr0785

    Ricardo Miramontes Nava                                          Age: 35                       Calexico, California

    Case Number 25cr0786

    Jacob Rodiles                                                              Age: 21                       El Centro, California

    Roberto Fernandez                                                     Age: 70                       Calexico, California

    Raul Martinez Jimenez                                               Age: 56                       Mexicali, Mexico

    Julian Banuelos                                                           Age: 19                       Imperial, California

    Alain Alejandro Robles-Murrieta                               Age: 19                       Mexicali, Mexico

    *Three unnamed defendants are fugitives

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 841(a) and (b)(1), 846

    Maximum penalty: Life in prison with a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a $10 million fine.

    Money Laundering Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(h)

    Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and a $500,000 fine

    Attempted Transfer of a Firearm for Use in a Drug Trafficking Crime – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1924(h)

    Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison and a $250,000 fine

    INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

    Homeland Security Investigations, Calexico – Imperial Valley Border Enforcement Security Taskforce (IV-BEST)

    Homeland Security Investigations, Riverside, CA

    Homeland Security Investigations, Denver, CO

    Homeland Security Investigations, Yuma, AZ

    Homeland Security Investigations, Sioux City, IA

    United States Border Patrol, El Centro Sector Intelligence Unit

    Customs and Border Protection, Calexico Intelligence Division

    Imperial County Narcotics Task Force

    Drug Enforcement Administration, Imperial County Office

    Drug Enforcement Administration, Phoenix Office

    Federal Bureau of Investigations, Imperial County Office

    United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations

    United States Marshals Service

    Calexico Police Department

    Imperial County Sheriff’s Office

    Imperial County District Attorney’s Office

    Brawley Police Department

    California Highway Patrol

    El Centro Police Department

    San Diego-Imperial Valley HIDTA

    *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

    High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program, created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988, provides assistance to Federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States. This grant program is administered by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). There are currently 33 HIDTAs, and HIDTA-designated counties are located in 50 states, as well as in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia.

    This investigation 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 (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 Asia-Pac: Hong Kong Customs detects money laundering case involving about $61 million following narcotics investigation

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Hong Kong Customs yesterday (May 22) detected a suspected money laundering case involving about $61 million in crime proceeds subsequent to a follow-up investigation of a dangerous drug case identified last year. Two local women and one local man suspected to be connected with the case were arrested.
     
    In October last year, Customs detected a dangerous drug case involving about $1.9 million worth of drugs and arrested two local persons suspected to be connected with the case. A subsequent financial investigation and fund-flow analysis revealed that there were numerous suspicious transactions, which were suspected to be crime proceeds, in the personal bank accounts of one of the arrestees. Meanwhile, the investigation also revealed that a 55-year-old local woman and a 30-year-old local man transferred or received the suspected crime proceeds. During the period between January and December 2024, the total amount of the suspicious transactions handled by the three arrestees reached about $61 million.
     
    Upon further investigation, Customs arrested the 55-year-old local woman and 30-year-old local man yesterday for “dealing with property known or reasonably believed to represent proceeds of an indictable offenses” (commonly known as money laundering) under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (OSCO) and searched their residential premises in Ho Man Tin and Tung Chung. Three mobile phones were seized in the operation. On the same day, Customs officers also further arrested a 63-year-old local woman who has been remanded due to the related drug trafficking case, for money laundering.
     
    Two of the arrested persons have been released on bail pending investigation, while one arrested person continues to be remanded in custody. The investigation of the case is still ongoing, and the likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.
     
    Under the OSCO, a person commits an offence if he or she deals with any property knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that such property, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly represents any person’s proceeds of an indictable offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and imprisonment for 14 years while the crime proceeds are also subject to confiscation.
         
    Members of the public may report any suspected money laundering activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two out-of-state residents charged with stealing Alaskan identities to target local financial institutions

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment yesterday charging two out-of-state residents with conspiring to commit bank fraud by stealing identities and creating false identification documents.

    According to court documents, on April 14, 2025, the Anchorage Police Department (APD) received a report that a female entered three local bank branches in Eagle River, Wasilla and Anchorage, respectively. The female presented potentially fraudulent military ID and passport cards and requested to withdraw $9,500 from accounts at each branch. The documents had the female’s picture but the name and date of birth of the account holders. The female successfully withdrew $9,500 from the Eagle River and Wasilla branches for a total of $19,000.

    On April 15, 2025, Soldotna Police Department (SPD) received a report similar to the report APD received the day prior, detailing that a female entered a local credit union and presented a potentially fraudulent military ID and passport card to try and withdraw cash.  Staff suspected the identification was fraudulent and attempted to contact their fraud department. While on the phone, the female left the credit union.

    Later the same day, the Kenai Police Department (KPD) received the same report of a female presenting a potentially fraudulent military ID and passport card at a local bank to try and withdraw cash. Bank staff recognized the female from a recent internal fraud alert.

    Staff at the Kenai bank attempted to call the police after the female suspect presented the alleged false documents, but she fled the bank in a vehicle. SPD officers located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Law enforcement identified the driver as Karey McLeish, 25, of Texas and the female suspect, who was a passenger in the vehicle, as Rebekah Walker, 45, of Connecticut. Officers searched the defendants and located over $700 in cash and a plane ticket from Texas to Anchorage dated April 13, 2025. Officers also searched the vehicle and discovered over $1,600 in cash, three cell phones and key cards for a local hotel.

    Court documents further explain that law enforcement searched the hotel room McLeish and Walker were staying at in Soldotna and located a bag containing men’s clothing and hygiene products, as well as 11 military ID’s and 11 U.S. passport cards. The identification documents contained different names and dates of birth for Alaska residents, but all had Walker’s picture. 

    McLeish and Walker were originally charged by complaints on May 16, 2025, and were arrested in Kenai on May 21, 2025.

    McLeish and Walker are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, five counts of aggravated identity theft, five counts of forgery or false use of a passport and one count of fraud in connection with identification documents. The defendants are scheduled to make their initial court appearance on May 23, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kyle F. Reardon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. If convicted, they face a mandatory minimum penalty of two years in prison for each aggravated identity theft count, and up to 30 years in prison for the other seven counts. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska and Special Agent in Charge William Chang of the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), San Francisco Field Office made the announcement.

    The DSS San Francisco Field Office, with assistance from APD, KPD and SPD, is investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Miller is prosecuting the case.

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

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Who Attempted to Carjack a Deputy U.S. Marshal Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

               WASHINGTON – Kentrell Flowers, 19, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison for the attempted gunpoint carjacking of an unmarked vehicle occupied by a Deputy U.S. Marshal. 

               The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Acting U.S. Marshal Ron Carter of the District Court for the District of Columbia, and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

               Flowers pleaded guilty on Feb. 20, 2025, before District Court Judge Richard J. Leon to using, carrying, possessing, and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. In addition to the 120-month prison term, Judge Leon ordered Flowers to serve five years of supervised release. 

               According to court documents, on July 5, 2024, at 1:17 a.m., two deputy U.S. Marshals were working a protective detail on the 2100 block of 11th Street, NW. The deputies were parked in separate unmarked vehicles when a silver minivan pulled up alongside one of them. A man, later identified as Flowers, got out of the van, approached the driver’s side-door, and pointed a pistol directly at the deputy marshal.

               The deputy marshal pulled out his own department-issued firearm. The deputy fired four shots through the side window, striking Flowers in the mouth. The second deputy marshal at the scene also fired on Flowers. 

               Flowers fell to the ground. The deputy marshals provided first aid, while the silver minivan driven by the unknown accomplice fled the scene. A second unknown suspect ran away on foot. Flowers was treated at a local hospital.

               Law enforcement recovered Flowers’.40 caliber Smith & Wesson which was loaded with eight rounds of ammunition. 

               This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Metropolitan Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jared English and Emory V. Cole.

    24cr331

    MIL Security OSI –