Police acknowledge the findings of the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) over the use of force on a male prisoner.
In November 2023, Police staff received a 19-year-old man into custody at the Manukau District Custody Unit.
Mr X began banging his head against a wall after being placed into a holding cell.
Custody staff began to engage with Mr X to get him to stop, which was unsuccessful, and Custody Officer A entered the cell, using force in an attempt to restrain him.
Mr X was removed from the holding cell after additional custody officers entered and removed him.
While Mr X was being removed, Custody Officer A punched him to the face after believing he was about to spit on him.
The IPCA’s investigation found that Custody Officer A should not have intervened by himself, and the use of force was unjustified to restrain Mr X.
It also found that the use of force to stop the man spitting was justified, however the punching to the face was excessive.
Police acknowledge these findings.
Counties Manukau District Commander Superintendent Shanan Gray says Police have a general duty of care to all people in custody, of which 120,000 are managed across the country every year.
“That day the staff felt they needed to act with urgency after the detainee had hit his head against the wall multiple times with escalating intensity,” he says.
“We accept the staff present could have had better coordination around a plan for a safer approach to the unfolding situation.”
Police carried out an investigation into the actions of Custody Officer A.
Superintendent Gray says: “While there was insufficient evidence to lay criminal charges, our investigation found that the actions of punching Mr X to the face with a closed fist was unreasonable and unnecessary given the circumstances.
“A disciplinary process has since been carried out, the details of which remain confidential.
“However, I can confirm Custody Officer A remains employed by New Zealand Police.”
A bridge on State Highway 29 east of Te Poi remains closed, after a tree fell this morning.
The road is expected to remain closed for at least the next four hours, while a structural assessment of the bridge is carried out.
We’re also starting to experience high winds in the Coromandel and we’re urging motorists – particularly those in light or high-sided vehicles – to exercise caution if travel is necessary.
A former senior executive of a Michigan asphalt paving company was sentenced today to six months in prison and a $20,000 fine for his role in a conspiracy to rig bids for asphalt paving services contracts in Michigan.
Timothy Baugher, former president of Pontiac-based Asphalt Specialists LLC (ASI), pleaded guilty to conspiring with F. Allied Construction Company Inc. (Allied), and employees from those companies to rig bids in each other’s favor on Jan. 8. According to court documents, the co-conspirators coordinated each other’s bid prices so that the agreed-upon losing company would submit intentionally non-competitive bids. These bids gave customers the false impression of competition when, in fact, the co-conspirators already had decided among themselves who would win the contracts. Baugher participated in the conspiracy from July 2017 through May 2021.
Baugher’s former employer, ASI, and another former ASI executive also pleaded guilty for their participation in the conspiracy with Allied in January 2024. Allied and two of its executives previously pleaded guilty in August 2023 for their participation in the conspiracy. On Aug. 15, 2024, ASI was sentenced to pay a fine of $6,500,000.
“There is nothing impressive, just, or indeed lawful about rigging bids with your competitors to ‘win’ a contract,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “As the court itself noted, white-collar criminals mistakenly expect better treatment than blue-collar criminals. The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will enforce the law against all individuals who seek to cheat and deprive the public of the benefits of competition.”
Baugher is one of seven individuals that have been charged as part of an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the asphalt paving services industry. Three companies also have been charged as part of the investigation, which, to date, has resulted in over $8.1 million in criminal fines.
The Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office is prosecuting the case, which was investigated with the assistance of the Offices of Inspectors General for the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Postal Service.
Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit http://www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
A former senior executive of a Michigan asphalt paving company was sentenced today to six months in prison and a $20,000 fine for his role in a conspiracy to rig bids for asphalt paving services contracts in Michigan.
Timothy Baugher, former president of Pontiac-based Asphalt Specialists LLC (ASI), pleaded guilty to conspiring with F. Allied Construction Company Inc. (Allied), and employees from those companies to rig bids in each other’s favor on Jan. 8. According to court documents, the co-conspirators coordinated each other’s bid prices so that the agreed-upon losing company would submit intentionally non-competitive bids. These bids gave customers the false impression of competition when, in fact, the co-conspirators already had decided among themselves who would win the contracts. Baugher participated in the conspiracy from July 2017 through May 2021.
Baugher’s former employer, ASI, and another former ASI executive also pleaded guilty for their participation in the conspiracy with Allied in January 2024. Allied and two of its executives previously pleaded guilty in August 2023 for their participation in the conspiracy. On Aug. 15, 2024, ASI was sentenced to pay a fine of $6,500,000.
“There is nothing impressive, just, or indeed lawful about rigging bids with your competitors to ‘win’ a contract,” said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “As the court itself noted, white-collar criminals mistakenly expect better treatment than blue-collar criminals. The Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners will enforce the law against all individuals who seek to cheat and deprive the public of the benefits of competition.”
Baugher is one of seven individuals that have been charged as part of an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the asphalt paving services industry. Three companies also have been charged as part of the investigation, which, to date, has resulted in over $8.1 million in criminal fines.
The Antitrust Division’s Chicago Office is prosecuting the case, which was investigated with the assistance of the Offices of Inspectors General for the U.S. Department of Transportation and U.S. Postal Service.
Anyone with information in connection with this investigation should contact the Antitrust Division’s Complaint Center at 888-647-3258, or visit http://www.justice.gov/atr/report-violations.
Yesterday, a district court judge convicted a Virginia man, who worked for the Department of Commerce, of possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Rafferty Daniel Kelly, 40, of Alexandria, worked for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In March 2022, a federal CSAM investigation involving an internet-based peer-to-peer file sharing service, a program used by the defendant to obtain CSAM, led federal agents to execute a search warrant at Kelly’s home, where they seized multiple devices. A review of those devices revealed that, over a period of at least two years, Kelly had downloaded and stored over 50,000 images of CSAM and child erotica, including images of infants and prepubescent children. Kelly also possessed a handbook on how to groom children.
At the end of the bench trial yesterday, the Honorable Michael S. Nachmanoff found Kelly guilty of one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. Judge Nachmanoff will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, United States Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division made the announcement.
Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Strobbe for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
ALBUQUERQUE – The Justice Department and City of Albuquerque (City) filed a joint motion this week seeking court approval to terminate certain portions of the consent decree covering the Albuquerque Police Department (APD). The joint motion follows the independent monitor’s 21st report, also filed today, which concluded that the City and APD have maintained compliance with 99% of the consent decree’s terms since the independent monitor’s 20th report which was filed in October 2024.
The joint motion seeks court approval to terminate 22 specific consent decree provisions related to use-of-force investigations, supervisor reviews of such investigations, and early intervention systems – all areas where APD has maintained full compliance for at least two years. This marks the fourth joint motion filed by the parties which, if granted will result in the termination of 205 paragraphs of the consent decree, or 75% of the enforceable provisions of the agreement.
This progress underscores years of dedicated reform – including critical upgrades to de-escalation training, crisis intervention protocols, and accountability frameworks – empowering the City and APD to demonstrate to Albuquerque’s citizens their transformative strides in constitutional policing. With 75% of enforceable provisions now slated for removal, this foundational work enables APD to focus its efforts on sustaining compliance and to refine remaining components, ensuring lasting excellence in public safety through independent oversight and community-aligned accountability measures.
“Where the consent decree once served as a blueprint for change, each provision we now move to terminate stands as a testament to APD’s operational adherence to constitutional policing,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin. “Effective policy, sustained compliance, and a dedication to continuous improvement have positioned APD to meet the highest standards of public service.”
The District Court for the District of New Mexico entered the consent decree in June 2015. The decree, as well as information about the Civil Rights Division, are available on the Special Litigation Section Cases and Matters website. Additional information about implementation of the consent decree is also available on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website. If you believe your civil rights have been violated, please submit a complaint through our online portal.
LAREDO, Texas – A 25-year-old Laredo woman has been convicted of conspiracy to transport, attempting to transport and bringing in and attempting to bring a minor alien to the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
The jury deliberated for approximately 45 minutes before finding Salma Galilea Veliz guilty late April 15 after a two-day trial.
Law enforcement first encountered Veliz at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge in Laredo Nov. 14, 2024, with a three-year-old male. At that time, she presented a Texas birth certificate and claimed the minor was her son.
Veliz eventually admitted the child was actually not her own and that she had picked him up in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. She claimed she did not know the boy’s name or where she was taking him, just that a person known as “Malandro” was bringing him to her.
Veliz planned to have the boy assume the identity of her biological son in an effort to smuggle him into the United States. In exchange, she would be paid $2,500.
During trial, the jury heard testimony and evidence regarding his true identity, which included the minor child’s original birth certificate indicating Mexico as his place of birth. Testimony also revealed there was no record in existence pertaining to the minor child that would indicate he had ever been authorized to enter the United States.
The defense attempted to convince the jury the boy had claims to citizenship through an unidentified father. However, evidence revealed the minor is a Mexican citizen and had no claim to enter the county. The jury ultimately found Veliz guilty as charged.
“This verdict demonstrates that those who think they can make a quick buck by trafficking human beings—particularly children—are sorely mistaken,” said Ganjei. “The facts of this case are a reminder of the tremendous human cost of weak border security. There is no telling who or what awaited that three-year-old boy had he been successfully snuck across the border. Due to the quick thinking and thorough work of law enforcement, that child will be returned to his home, rather than face an uncertain—and possibly dangerous—fate in the hands of unknown persons.”
U.S. District Judge John A. Kazen presided over trial and will set sentencing at a later date. At that time, Veliz faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.
She was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations and Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation with the assistance of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of State and Department of Health and Humans Services – Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa A. Lopez and Tory Sailer prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (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).
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Three members of the La Mara Salvatrucha gang (known as MS-13) were sentenced in federal court today for engaging in violent criminal conduct, including murder, in support of the criminal organization, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.
Christian Alejandro Garcia Santa Cruz, a/k/a “Crimen,” 32, of El Salvador, and Aderly Jose Veliz-Ronquillo, a/k/a “Chanchin,” 30, of Guatemala, were each sentenced to 35 years in prison for using a firearm during a crime of violence resulting in death for the 2022 murder of W.G.M. in front of a Charlotte nightclub. Luis Fernando Guardardo Moreno, a/k/a “Fantasma” and “Scrappy,” 24, of El Salvador, was sentenced to 20 years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for racketeering (RICO) conspiracy.
Two additional MS-13 members who held leadership roles within the gang, Fredy Mauricio Buruca, a/k/a “Piranha,” “Machete,” and “Insoportable,” 27, and Santos Guillermo Ramirez Mancia, a/k/a “Azazel,” “Timido,” and “Johnny,” 33, both of El Salvador, have pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing. Buruca has also pleaded guilty to kidnapping a minor. A sixth MS-13 member charged in this case, Juan Francisco Sanchez Estrada, a/k/a “Nene” and “Turbo,” 31, of El Salvador, has pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy and will be sentenced at a later date in the Middle District of North Carolina, following a consolidation of federal cases against him in each district.
“MS-13 is one of the most violent and dangerous criminal gangs operating in the United States. MS-13 members use murder, robbery, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and extortion to support this criminal enterprise and tighten its grip on our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson. “But we are fighting back. This case has dismantled the local MS-13 clique, and we’re not done. Our goal is not just to prosecute violent gangs, but to eliminate them completely.”
“Today’s prison sentences should make it clear to MS-13 members and their associates, violence and senseless murder will not be tolerated in North Carolina. The FBI and our partners will use every tool available to disrupt and dismantle violent criminal terrorist organizations and bring offenders to justice,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge DeWitt.
According to filed court documents and court proceedings, the defendants were leaders and members of the MS-13 sub-unit, or clique, known as the Hollywood Locos Salvatrucha Clique (the HLS clique), which operated in and around the Western District of North Carolina and other areas in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. From at least December 2018 and continuing through November 2022, as members of the HLS clique, the defendants engaged in a pattern of racketeering activity that consisted of multiple acts and threats involving murder, kidnapping, extortion, robbery, and drug trafficking.
The investigation into the gang’s criminal activity revealed that these criminal acts were sanctioned by MS-13 leadership and were committed to promote a climate a fear and intimidation within the gang; to maintain the gang’s control and to expand its territory; to enforce discipline within the gang and punish any acts of disrespect; to intimidate witnesses and discourage cooperation with law enforcement; and to retaliate against rivals, or “chavalas.”
Participation in criminal activity was also intended to increase respect and ranking of members within the gang and to open the door to promotion to a leadership position. Accordingly, Santa Cruz and Veliz-Ronquillo committed murder in aid of racketeering for the purpose of maintaining and increasing their position in the MS-13 enterprise.
According to court documents, on November 6, 2022, Santa Cruz, Mancia, and Veliz-Ronquillo were at a nightclub in Charlotte. Over the course of the evening, Santa Cruz, Mancia, and Veliz-Ronquillo got into an argument with several men at the parking lot of the nightclub. During the argument, Mancia identified himself as MS-13 to the other men. At some point, W.G.M. and Mancia shoved each other. Ronquillo then shot W.G.M. once and Santa-Cruz shot the victim three times, causing the victim to sustain fatal gunshot wounds. At today’s sentencing hearing, the government contended that through their involvement in W.G.M.’s murder, Santa Cruz and Veliz-Ronquillo demonstrated their full commitment to further the goals of MS-13 and to advance their reputation within the gang.
The defendants will remain in federal custody until they are transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.
In making today’s announcement U.S. Attorney Ferguson commended the FBI, HSI, and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for their investigation of the case, and thanked the Davidson County Sheriff’s Office, the Kannapolis Police Department, the Monroe Police Department, the Prince William County (Virginia) Sheriff’s Office, and the Annapolis (Maryland) Police Department for their invaluable assistance.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik Lindahl and David Kelly of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the case.
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.
Yesterday, a district court judge convicted a Virginia man, who worked for the Department of Commerce, of possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Rafferty Daniel Kelly, 40, of Alexandria, worked for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. In March 2022, a federal CSAM investigation involving an internet-based peer-to-peer file sharing service, a program used by the defendant to obtain CSAM, led federal agents to execute a search warrant at Kelly’s home, where they seized multiple devices. A review of those devices revealed that, over a period of at least two years, Kelly had downloaded and stored over 50,000 images of CSAM and child erotica, including images of infants and prepubescent children. Kelly also possessed a handbook on how to groom children.
At the end of the bench trial yesterday, the Honorable Michael S. Nachmanoff found Kelly guilty of one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced on July 24 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison. Judge Nachmanoff will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, United States Attorney Erik S. Siebert for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division made the announcement.
Trial Attorney Nadia Prinz of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa Strobbe for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force is composed of FBI agents, along with other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. The task force is charged with investigating and bringing federal charges against individuals engaged in the exploitation of children and those engaged in human trafficking.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
A 28 year old Montello woman has been arrested and charged after a targeted search by Western Drugs and Firearms, Taskforce Scelus and the Dog Handler Unit today. About 1pm police executed a search warrant at a Montello address. Approximately 130grams of methylamphetamine in addition to unlawful prescription medication, cannabis and a quantity of cash were located. The woman was arrested and charged with several offences including trafficking in a controlled substance, dealing in property suspected of being proceeds of crime and selling a controlled drug. The woman was bailed to appear in Burnie Magistrates Court in June. Police would like to remind members of the public that if they have any information surrounding illicit drug possession and distribution to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously. Police will continue to target and hold to account those involved in the distribution of illicit drugs within the community.
Chicago, IL – The U.S. Marshals Service’s (USMS) Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force (GLRFTF) and the Chicago Police Department (CPD) April 8 arrested a man for a stabbing that occurred in the Loop area of downtown Chicago March 18.
Ralwin Galito Perez, 30, was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon after a verbal altercation turned physical and he stabbed the victim in the chest and arm.
During their search for Galito Perez GLRFTF and CPD investigators developed information that led them to a residence in the 100 block of West 87th Street where they found Galito Perez and took him into custody without incident. He was booked into a local detention facility.
The U. S. Marshals Service Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force was created by the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000. Congress recognized the U. S. Marshals expertise in tracking and apprehending dangerous fugitives and ordered the creation of regional fugitive task forces (RFTFs) in core cities throughout the country. Via this mandate, GLRFTF was created in 2003 and has offices in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin to assist state, county, and local agencies as a central investigative base to identify, locate and apprehend dangerous offenders.
Newport News, VA – A multi-agency fugitive investigation for a triple murder suspect from Newport News, Virginia came to an end this afternoon. Dimair Jones, 26, was arrested in the 400 block of Cox Landing in Newport News.
On April 16, 2025 the United States Marshals Service (USMS) Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force (CARFTF), in coordination with the Newport News Police Department (NNPD), located and safely arrested Jones, who was wanted for three counts of 1st Degree Murder, three counts of Use of a Firearm in the Commission of a Felony, Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, and Discharging a Firearm Within a Dwelling.
Just before 1:00 a.m. on August 8, 2023, NNPD officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 400 block of Stallings Court. Officers found 3 adult males who were pronounced dead at the scene.
Arrest warrants were issued on April 15, 2025, and CARFTF investigators developed information that Jones was at a hotel in Williamsburg, Virginia. CARFTF investigators observed Jones at the hotel and followed him to the 400 block of Cox Landing in Newport News, where he was safely taken into custody.
Jones is currently being detained at the Newport News City Jail awaiting an initial court appearance.
The USMS CARFTF began operations in June 2004. The CARFTF has partnership agreements with 14 federal and 87 state, and local agencies and operates in Virgina, Maryland and the District of Columbia. The CARFTF has apprehended more than 102,000 fugitives since its inception.
Source: United States Senator for Maine Susan Collins
Washington, D.C. – In an effort to make more homes energy efficient and help residents save on their utility bills, U.S. Senators Susan Collins, Jack Reed (D-RI), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced the Weatherization Assistance Program Improvements Act. This bipartisan bill seeks to improve public health and lower household energy costs by expanding the federal Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), which covers home weatherization, window replacement, sealing air leaks, ventilation improvements, and other key energy-saving measures.
“The Weatherization Assistance Program is a proven, cost-effective way to permanently decrease energy usage while reducing low-income Americans’ energy bills,” saidSenator Collins. “This bipartisan bill would help build on the significant investments we have secured for the Weatherization Assistance Program so that more Americans are able to make improvements that will allow them to affordably heat their homes.”
Since 1976, the Weatherization Assistance Program has helped more than 7.4 million low-income families reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient. The U.S Department of Energy estimates that these upgrades help each household save $372 in energy bills annually.
The bill would authorize a Weatherization Readiness Fund to help those in need repair structural issues and prepare homes for weatherization assistance, increasing the number of homes the program is able to serve. It also seeks to raise the amount of funding allowed to be spent on each home to keep up with current labor and material costs, and will raise the cap on the amount of funding allowed to be spent on renewable energy upgrades in each home. These provisions are essential updates to a program that has helped so many families over the past few decades.
“We applaud Senators Reed, Collins, Coons and Shaheen for introducing this important bipartisan piece of legislation, which will help low-income and elderly Americans. The sponsoring senators are continuing their long-time support of energy efficiency programs that reduce costs for the public,” said David Terry, the President of the National Association of State Energy Officials.
“The Weatherization Assistance Program Improvements Act keeps hundreds of community teams hard at work with streamlined processes and up to date technology. It will help make older homes safer and sturdier, so retirees and working families can stay in their communities; energy bills will be lower; residents will be healthier and even make fewer emergency hospital visits. Thousands of contractors and crew members will be trained in valuable specialty skills of measuring and improving building performance. The unwavering leadership of Senators Jack Reed, Susan Collins, Chris Coons and Jeanne Shaheen keeps the Weatherization Assistance Program robust and relevant through changing times,” said David Bradley, CEO of the National Community Action Foundation.
“NASCSP is thrilled to support the Weatherization Assistance Program Improvements Act, introduced by Senators Reed, Collins, Coons, and Shaheen, long time champions of weatherization. This legislation paves the way toward decreasing energy burdens and improving the health and safety of low-income households, while supporting more than 8,500 highly skilled jobs across the country,” said Cheryl Williams, Executive Director of the National Association for State Community Services Programs.
Senators Collins and Reed spearheaded the bipartisan effort to include $3.5 billion in WAP funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
ST. LOUIS – A felon caught in the act of assaulting a woman by St. Louis police pleaded guilty to a gun charge Wednesday.
Lee M. Shields, 46, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted that on Sept. 17, 2023, Saint Louis Metropolitan Police Department Officers were on patrol when they saw him striking a woman over the head. She fell to the ground and was bleeding heavily from her mouth and nose. Shields got into a Jeep before being approached by officers, who found the magazine for a pistol in his pocket and a Glock 23 handgun in the Jeep. The victim told police that she didn’t know if Shields hit her with his fist or an object. One of the officers saw Shields holding an object in the hand he used to strike the victim. The 6-year-old son of Shields and the victim said Shields hit his mother with the gun.
Shields is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 9. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and Shields’ lawyer have agreed to recommend 50 months in prison.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Hoag is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
WASHINGTON – Erik Schleehauf, 43, of Washington, D.C., was charged in Superior Court with assault of a police officer while armed and assault with a deadly weapon stemming from the April 15, 2025, attack of a Metro Transit Police Officer, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. and Chief Michael Anzallo of the Metro Transit Police Department (MTPD).
Schleehauf made an appearance in court today and was ordered held without bond. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for April 18, 2025, before Superior Court Judge Robert A. Salerno.
According to documents filed with the court, at approximately 2:26 p.m., on April 15th, at the Navy Yard-Ballpark Metro Station, an MTPD Sergeant observed Schleehauf attempting to evade his fare by standing up on the fare machine and jumping over the glass gates. The MTPD Sergeant, followed the defendant as he walked towards the escalators and tried to stop him from exiting. Schleehauf pulled out a sharpened, pointed tool, which he had hidden on his person, and began to stab the MTPD Sergeant in the face, causing puncture wounds. The MTPD Sergeant suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Schleehauf was arrested at the scene.
This case is being investigated by the Metro Transit Police Department.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nickolas Reck.
Charges are merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston today announced the detention of four Mexican nationals following their arrest in the Southern District of West Virginia.
Maximino Montalvo Salas, 20, Federico Montalvo Salas, 22, and Bernabe Montalvo Salas, 24, are each charged with illegally reentering the United States. Julio Cesar Ruiz-Perez, 21, is charged with deceptive use of a Social Security account number.
United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn ordered the detention of each today following separate initial appearance, preliminary and detention hearings.
On March 28, 2025, law enforcement officers interviewed each Salas defendant at the South Charleston restaurant where they worked. Officers determined that all three were in the United States illegally. Further investigation determined that each Salas defendant had previously been deported from the United States, had no identification documents permitting their legal status in the United States, never obtained the express consent of the Secretary of the United States Department of Homeland Security to reapply for admission to the United States, and did not reenter the United States through legal means.
On April 11, 2025, officers executed a search warrant at the Charleston residence where the Salas defendants were living and encountered Ruiz-Perez. Officers determined Ruiz-Perez was in the United States illegally and possessed a Social Security account number not assigned to him by the Commissioner of Social Security that he used to obtain employment in the Southern District of West Virginia.
These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
“Operation Take Back America and its core enforcement objectives is a top priority of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia,” Johnston said. “I commend U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Social Security Administration-Office of the Inspector General (SSA-OIG) for their investigative work in these cases.”
Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage is prosecuting the cases, as part of a special unit within the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia focused on the immigration enforcement objectives of Operation Take Back America.
Criminal complaints merely contain allegations, and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:25-mj-82, 2:25-mj-83, 2:25-mj-84, and 2:25-mj-91.
MIAMI – A South Florida federal district judge this week sentenced a 30-year-old Jacksonville, Florida man to 405 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for producing and transporting visual depictions involving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
David Wayne Currin Jr. pleaded guilty to the crimes on Jan. 23.
On Oct. 30, 2024, Currin arrived at the Miami Seaport from The Bahamas aboard a cruise ship. During a Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) inspection, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and HSI Jacksonville special agents discovered 260 images and 26 videos of CSAM on Currin’s smartphone, including a sexually explicit video of a minor victim and material depicting the abuse of an infant or toddler. Between March 2024 and Oct. 30, 2024, Currin used his smartphone to record sexually explicit conduct involving a minor.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office, announced the sentence.
HSI Miami and HSI Jacksonville investigated the case with assistance from CBP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilana Malkin prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 25-cr-20494.
GREAT FALLS – A Kalispell man who conspired to distribute drugs on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 128 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.
Cameron Lee Richard Carr, 34, pleaded guilty in September 2024 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian Morris presided.
The government alleged in court documents that in early November 2023, law enforcement received information Carr was trafficking illegal drugs from Kalispell, Montana to Browning, Montana. On November 28, 2023, Carr was observed leaving the Going to the Sun Inn in Browning. A Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services officer saw Carr run a stop sign and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. Carr fled before eventually stopping his vehicle and attempting to run away on foot. He was apprehended by the officer and arrested. The officer saw Carr reach for his waistband when he was arrested, so the officer searched him for weapons before placing him in a patrol vehicle. The officer recovered suspected meth and fentanyl from and noticed a 9 mm Ruger handgun on the ground near the area where Carr was apprehended.
Law enforcement searched Carr’s vehicle and seized 11 additional firearms, 500 grams of methamphetamine, 168 grams of fentanyl in pill and powder form, and small amounts of heroin, oxycodone, morphine, and cocaine. On December 1, 2023, during an interview with law enforcement, Carr admitted distributing drugs in Browning.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case and the investigation was conducted by the FBI, DEA, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, and the Glacier County Sheriff’s Office.
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 about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.
DENVER — A former member of the Gambian military was convicted April 15 on torture charges, following his involvement in crimes committed while the West African country’s then-President, Yahya Jammeh, was still in power.
Michael Sang Correa, 46, was indicted in 2020 and is the first non-United States citizen to be convicted under the U.S. criminal torture law. He was found guilty of inflicting torture on specific individuals as well as conspiring to commit torture against suspected opponents of Jammeh’s while serving in a military unit within the Gambia Armed Forces known as the “Junglers.”
“Correa’s crimes caught up with him today,” said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Denver Special Agent in Charge Steve Cagen, who also oversees Colorado, Montana and Wyoming. “Correa chose the wrong country to try to escape from justice. HSI actively investigates and apprehends human rights violators who run from their criminal pasts and come here. We have a zero-tolerance policy for human rights violators.”
“Michael Sang Correa tried to evade responsibility for his crimes in The Gambia by coming to the United States and hiding his past,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “But we found him, we investigated him, and we prosecuted him. The lesson is: if you commit violent crimes — let alone torture or other human rights violations — do not come to the United States. If you do, the Department of Justice, together with its law enforcement partners, will leave no stone unturned to see that your crimes are exposed and justice is served. I thank the jurors for their service and the witnesses for the courage to relive the horror they experienced at Correa’s hands.”
“The torture inflicted by Michael Sang Correa and his co-conspirators is abhorrent,” said acting U.S. Attorney J. Bishop Grewell for the District of Colorado. “Today’s verdict shows you can’t get away with coming to Colorado to hide from your past crimes. The jurors are to be commended for their service throughout this trial and the witnesses for traveling so far to serve the interests of justice.”
Evidence presented at trial proved that in March 2006, shortly after a failed coup attempt, Correa and his co-conspirators transported the victims to Gambia’s main prison, known as Mile 2 Prison, where they subjected the victims to severe physical and mental abuses.
For the rest of the month of March and well into April 2006, Correa and his co-conspirators beat, stabbed, burned and electrocuted the victims, among other horrific acts. One victim testified that he had his thigh burned by hot, molten plastic; the Junglers also placed the victim in a large bag, suspended him in the air, and dropped him to the ground. Another victim testified that Correa and his co-conspirators suffocated him with a plastic bag and put the barrel of a pistol in his mouth. In addition to suffocation from plastic bags, another victim testified that Correa and his co-conspirators electrocuted him on his body, including his genitals; hanged him upside down and beat him in that position; and stabbed him in the shoulder. A fourth victim endured electrocution and was hit in the head with a pistol. A fifth victim testified that he had cigarettes extinguished into his skin, experienced electrocution, and that he was struck in the face with a hammer.
Correa came to the U.S. in December 2016, eventually settling in Denver. Having overstayed his visa, ICE arrested Correa in 2019 and subsequently placed him in removal proceedings.
Correa faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the five torture counts and the count of conspiracy to commit torture. He will remain in U.S. custody pending his sentencing.
ICE HSI Denver investigated this case, with support from HSI agents in Dakar, Senegal, as well as personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Banjul and the FBI Legal Attaché in Dakar. The Human Rights Violators and War Crimes Center also provided significant support. Established in 2009, the HRVWCC leverages the expertise of criminal investigators, attorneys, historians, intelligence analysts and federal partners to provide a whole of government approach to prevent the U.S. from becoming a haven for individuals who commit war crimes, genocide, torture and other human rights abuses around the globe.
Currently, ICE has more than 180 active investigations into suspected human rights violators and is pursuing more than 1,945 leads and removals cases involving suspected human rights violators from 95 different countries. The center has issued more than 79,000 lookouts since 2003, for potential perpetrators of human rights abuses and stopped over 390 human rights violators and war crimes suspects from entering the U.S.
Members of the public who have information about foreign nationals suspected of engaging in human rights abuses or war crimes are urged to call the ICE Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE (1-866-347-2423) or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. You can also email HRV.ICE@ice.dhs.gov or complete the online tip form.
Microsoft maintains a continuous effort to protect its platforms and customers from fraud and abuse. From blocking imposters on Microsoft Azure and adding anti-scam features to Microsoft Edge, to fighting tech support fraud with new features in Windows Quick Assist, this edition of Cyber Signals takes you inside the work underway and important milestones achieved that protect customers.
Blocked about 1.6 million bot signup attempts per hour.
The evolution of AI-enhanced cyber scams
AI has started to lower the technical bar for fraud and cybercrime actors looking for their own productivity tools, making it easier and cheaper to generate believable content for cyberattacks at an increasingly rapid rate. AI software used in fraud attempts runs the gamut, from legitimate apps misused for malicious purposes to more fraud-oriented tools used by bad actors in the cybercrime underground.
AI tools can scan and scrape the web for company information, helping cyberattackers build detailed profiles of employees or other targets to create highly convincing social engineering lures. In some cases, bad actors are luring victims into increasingly complex fraud schemes using fake AI-enhanced product reviews and AI-generated storefronts, where scammers create entire websites and e-commerce brands, complete with fake business histories and customer testimonials. By using deepfakes, voice cloning, phishing emails, and authentic-looking fake websites, threat actors seek to appear legitimate at wider scale.
According to the Microsoft Anti-Fraud Team, AI-powered fraud attacks are happening globally, with much of the activity coming from China and Europe, specifically Germany due in part to Germany’s status as one of the largest e-commerce and online services markets in the European Union (EU). The larger a digital marketplace in any region, the more likely a proportional degree of attempted fraud will take place.
E-commerce fraud
Fraudulent e-commerce websites can be set up in minutes using AI and other tools requiring minimal technical knowledge. Previously, it would take threat actors days or weeks to stand up convincing websites. These fraudulent websites often mimic legitimate sites, making it challenging for consumers to identify them as fake.
Using AI-generated product descriptions, images, and customer reviews, customers are duped into believing they are interacting with a genuine merchant, exploiting consumer trust in familiar brands.
AI-powered customer service chatbots add another layer of deception by convincingly interacting with customers. These bots can delay chargebacks by stalling customers with scripted excuses and manipulating complaints with AI-generated responses that make scam sites appear professional.
In a multipronged approach, Microsoft has implemented robust defenses across our products and services to protect customers from AI-powered fraud. Microsoft Defender for Cloud provides comprehensive threat protection for Azure resources, including vulnerability assessments and threat detection for virtual machines, container images, and endpoints.
Microsoft Edge features website typo protection and domain impersonation protection using deep learning technology to help users avoid fraudulent websites. Edge has also implemented a machine learning-based Scareware Blocker to identify and block potential scam pages and deceptive pop-up screens with alarming warnings claiming a computer has been compromised. These attacks try to frighten users into calling fraudulent support numbers or downloading harmful software.
Job and employment fraud
The rapid advancement of generative AI has made it easier for scammers to create fake listings on various job platforms. They generate fake profiles with stolen credentials, fake job postings with auto-generated descriptions, and AI-powered email campaigns to phish job seekers. AI-powered interviews and automated emails enhance the credibility of job scams, making it harder for job seekers to identify fraudulent offers.
To prevent this, job platforms should introduce multifactor authentication for employer accounts to make it harder for bad actors to take over legitimate hirers’ listings and use available fraud-detection technologies to catch suspicious content.
Fraudsters often ask for personal information, such as resumes or even bank account details, under the guise of verifying the applicant’s information. Unsolicited text and email messages offering employment opportunities that promise high pay for minimal qualifications are typically an indicator of fraud.
Employment offers that include requests for payment, offers that seem too good to be true, unsolicited offers or interview requests over text message, and a lack of formal communication platforms can all be indicators of fraud.
Tech support scams
Tech support scams are a type of fraud where scammers trick victims into unnecessary technical support services to fix a device or software problems that don’t exist. The scammers may then gain remote access to a computer—which lets them access all information stored on it, and on any network connected to it or install malware that gives them access to the computer and sensitive data.
Tech support scams are a case where elevated fraud risks exist, even if AI does not play a role. For example, in mid-April 2024, Microsoft Threat Intelligence observed the financially motivated and ransomware-focused cybercriminal group Storm-1811 abusing Windows Quick Assist software by posing as IT support. Microsoft did not observe AI used in these attacks; Storm-1811 instead impersonated legitimate organizations through voice phishing (vishing) as a form of social engineering, convincing victims to grant them device access through Quick Assist.
Quick Assist is a tool that enables users to share their Windows or macOS device with another person over a remote connection. Tech support scammers often pretend to be legitimate IT support from well-known companies and use social engineering tactics to gain the trust of their targets. They then attempt to employ tools like Quick Assist to connect to the target’s device.
Quick Assist and Microsoft are not compromised in these cyberattack scenarios; however, the abuse of legitimate software presents risk Microsoft is focused on mitigating. Informed by Microsoft’s understanding of evolving cyberattack techniques, the company’s anti-fraud and product teams work closely together to improve transparency for users and enhance fraud detection techniques.
The Storm-1811 cyberattacks highlight the capability of social engineering to circumvent security defenses. Social engineering involves collecting relevant information about targeted victims and arranging it into credible lures delivered through phone, email, text, or other mediums. Various AI tools can quickly find, organize, and generate information, thus acting as productivity tools for cyberattackers. Although AI is a new development, enduring measures to counter social engineering attacks remain highly effective. These include increasing employee awareness of legitimate helpdesk contact and support procedures, and applying Zero Trust principles to enforce least privilege across employee accounts and devices, thereby limiting the impact of any compromised assets while they are being addressed.
Microsoft has taken action to mitigate attacks by Storm-1811 and other groups by suspending identified accounts and tenants associated with inauthentic behavior. If you receive an unsolicited tech support offer, it is likely a scam. Always reach out to trusted sources for tech support. If scammers claim to be from Microsoft, we encourage you to report it directly to us at https://www.microsoft.com/reportascam.
Building on the Secure Future Initiative (SFI), Microsoft is taking a proactive approach to ensuring our products and services are “Fraud-resistant by Design.” In January 2025, a new fraud prevention policy was introduced: Microsoft product teams must now perform fraud prevention assessments and implement fraud controls as part of their design process.
Recommendations
Strengthen employer authentication: Fraudsters often hijack legitimate company profiles or create fake recruiters to deceive job seekers. To prevent this, job platforms should introduce multifactor authentication and Verified ID as part of Microsoft Entra ID for employer accounts, making it harder for unauthorized users to gain control.
Monitor for AI-based recruitment scams: Companies should deploy deepfake detection algorithms to identify AI-generated interviews where facial expressions and speech patterns may not align naturally.
Be cautious of websites and job listings that seem too good to be true: Verify the legitimacy of websites by checking for secure connections (https) and using tools like Microsoft Edge’s typo protection.
Avoid providing personal information or payment details to unverified sources: Look for red flags in job listings, such as requests for payment or communication through informal platforms like text messages, WhatsApp, nonbusiness Gmail accounts, or requests to contact someone on a personal device for more information.
Using Microsoft’s security signal to combat fraud
Microsoft is actively working to stop fraud attempts using AI and other technologies by evolving large-scale detection models based on AI, such as machine learning, to play defense by learning from and mitigating fraud attempts. Machine learning is the process that helps a computer learn without direct instruction using algorithms to discover patterns in large datasets. Those patterns are then used to create a comprehensive AI model, allowing for predictions with high accuracy.
We have developed in-product safety controls that warn users about potential malicious activity and integrate rapid detection and prevention of new types of attacks.
Our fraud team has developed domain impersonation protection using deep-learning technology at the domain creation stage, to help protect against fraudulent e-commerce websites and fake job listings. Microsoft Edge has incorporated website typo protection, and we have developed AI-powered fake job detection systems for LinkedIn.
Microsoft Defender Smartscreen is a cloud-based security feature that aims to prevent unsafe browsing habits by analyzing websites, files, and applications based on their reputation and behavior. It is integrated into Windows and the Edge browser to help protect users from phishing attacks, malicious websites, and potentially harmful downloads.
Furthermore, Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) partners with others in the private and public sector to disrupt the malicious infrastructure used by criminals perpetuating cyber-enabled fraud. The team’s longstanding collaboration with law enforcement around the world to respond to tech support fraud has resulted in hundreds of arrests and increasingly severe prison sentences worldwide. The DCU is applying key learnings from past actions to disrupt those who seek to abuse generative AI technology for malicious or fraudulent purposes.
Quick Assist features and remote help combat tech support fraud
To help combat tech support fraud, we have incorporated warning messages to alert users about possible tech support scams in Quick Assist before they grant access to someone approaching them purporting to be an authorized IT department or other support resource.
Windows users must read and click the box to acknowledge the security risk of granting remote access to the device.
Microsoft has significantly enhanced Quick Assist protection for Windows users by leveraging its security signal. In response to tech support scams and other threats, Microsoft now blocks an average of 4,415 suspicious Quick Assist connection attempts daily, accounting for approximately 5.46% of global connection attempts. These blocks target connections exhibiting suspicious attributes, such as associations with malicious actors or unverified connections.
Microsoft’s continual focus on advancing Quick Assist safeguards seeks to counter adaptive cybercriminals, who previously targeted individuals opportunistically with fraudulent connection attempts, but more recently have sought to target enterprises with more organized cybercrime campaigns that Microsoft’s actions have helped disrupt.
Our Digital Fingerprinting capability, which leverages AI and machine learning, drives these safeguards by providing fraud and risk signals to detect fraudulent activity. If our risk signals detect a possible scam, the Quick Assist session is automatically ended. Digital Fingerprinting works by collecting various signals to detect and prevent fraud.
For enterprises combating tech support fraud, Remote Help is another valuable resource for employees. Remote Help is designed for internal use within an organization and includes features that make it ideal for enterprises.
By reducing scams and fraud, Microsoft aims to enhance the overall security of its products and protect its users from malicious activities.
Consumer protection tips
Fraudsters exploit psychological triggers such as urgency, scarcity, and trust in social proof. Consumers should be cautious of:
Impulse buying—Scammers create a sense of urgency with “limited-time” deals and countdown timers.
Trusting fake social proof—AI generates fake reviews, influencer endorsements, and testimonials to appear legitimate.
Clicking on ads without verification—Many scam sites spread through AI-optimized social media ads. Consumers should cross-check domain names and reviews before purchasing.
Ignoring payment security—Avoid direct bank transfers or cryptocurrency payments, which lack fraud protections.
Job seekers should verify employer legitimacy, be on the lookout for common job scam red flags, and avoid sharing personal or financial information with unverified employers.
Verify employer legitimacy—Cross-check company details on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and official websites to verify legitimacy.
Notice common job scam red flags—If a job requires upfront payments for training materials, certifications, or background checks, it is likely a scam. Unrealistic salaries or no-experience-required remote positions should be approached with skepticism. Emails from free domains (such as johndoehr@gmail.com instead of hr@company.com) are also typically indicators of fraudulent activity.
Be cautious of AI-generated interviews and communications—If a video interview seems unnatural, with lip-syncing delays, robotic speech, or odd facial expressions, it could be deepfake technology at work. Job seekers should always verify recruiter credentials through the company’s official website before engaging in any further discussions.
Avoid sharing personal or financial information—Under no circumstances should you provide a Social Security number, banking details, or passwords to an unverified employer.
Microsoft is also a member of the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), which aims to bring governments, law enforcement, consumer protection organizations, financial authorities and providers, brand protection agencies, social media, internet service providers, and cybersecurity companies together to share knowledge and protect consumers from getting scammed.
Recommendations
Remote Help: Microsoft recommends using Remote Help instead of Quick Assist for internal tech support. Remote Help is designed for internal use within an organization and incorporates several features designed to enhance security and minimize the risk of tech support hacks. It is engineered to be used only within an organization’s tenant, providing a safer alternative to Quick Assist.
Digital Fingerprinting: This identifies malicious behaviors and ties them back to specific individuals. This helps in monitoring and preventing unauthorized access.
Blocking full control requests: Quick Assist now includes warnings and requires users to check a box acknowledging the security implications of sharing their screen. This adds a layer of helpful “security friction” by prompting users who may be multitasking or preoccupied to pause to complete an authorization step.
Kelly Bissell: A cybersecurity pioneer combating fraud in the new era of AI
Kelly Bissell’s journey into cybersecurity began unexpectedly in 1990. Initially working in computer science, Kelly was involved in building software for healthcare patient accounting and operating systems at Medaphis and Bellsouth, now AT&T.
His interest in cybersecurity was sparked when he noticed someone logged into a phone switch attempting to get free long-distance calls and traced the intruder back to Romania. This incident marked the beginning of Kelly’s career in cybersecurity.
“I stayed in cybersecurity hunting for bad actors, integrating security controls for hundreds of companies, and helping shape the NIST security frameworks and regulations such as FFIEC, PCI, NERC-CIP,” he explains.
Currently, Kelly is Corporate Vice President of Anti-Fraud and Product Abuse within Microsoft Security. Microsoft’s fraud team employs machine learning and AI to build better detection code and understand fraud operations. They use AI-powered solutions to detect and prevent cyberthreats, leveraging advanced fraud detection frameworks that continuously learn and evolve.
“Cybercrime is a trillion-dollar problem, and it’s been going up every year for the past 30 years. I think we have an opportunity today to adopt AI faster so we can detect and close the gap of exposure quickly. Now we have AI that can make a difference at scale and help us build security and fraud protections into our products much faster.”
Previously Kelly managed the Microsoft Detection and Response Team (DART) and created the Global Hunting, Oversight, and Strategic Triage (GHOST) team that detected and responded to attackers such as Storm-0558 and Midnight Blizzard.
Prior to Microsoft, during his time at Accenture and Deloitte, Kelly collaborated with companies and worked extensively with government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where he helped build security systems inside their operations.
His time as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at a bank exposed him to addressing both cybersecurity and fraud, leading to his involvement in shaping regulatory guidelines to protect banks and eventually Microsoft.
Kelly has also played a significant role in shaping regulations around the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance, which helps ensure the security of businesses’ credit card transactions, among others.
Internationally, Kelly played a crucial role in helping establish agencies and improve cybersecurity measures. As a consultant in London, he helped stand up the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the equivalent of CISA. Kelly’s efforts in content moderation with several social media companies, including YouTube, were instrumental in removing harmful content.
That’s why he’s excited about Microsoft’s partnership with GASA. GASA brings together governments, law enforcement, consumer protection organizations, financial authorities, internet service providers, cybersecurity companies, and others to share knowledge and define joint actions to protect consumers from getting scammed.
“If I protect Microsoft, that’s good, but it’s not sufficient. In the same way, if Apple does their thing, and Google does their thing, but if we’re not working together, we’ve all missed the bigger opportunity. We must share cybercrime information with each other and educate the public. If we can have a three-pronged approach of tech companies building security and fraud protection into their products, public awareness, and sharing cybercrime and fraudster information with law enforcement, I think we can make a big difference,” he says.
Next steps with Microsoft Security
To learn more about Microsoft Security solutions, visit our website. Bookmark the Security blog to keep up with our expert coverage on security matters. Also, follow us on LinkedIn (Microsoft Security) and X (@MSFTSecurity) for the latest news and updates on cybersecurity.
Methodology: Microsoft platforms and services, including Azure, Microsoft Defender for Office, Microsoft Threat Intelligence, and Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit (DCU), provided anonymized data on threat actor activity and trends. Additionally, Microsoft Entra ID provided anonymized data on threat activity, such as malicious email accounts, phishing emails, and attacker movement within networks. Additional insights are from the daily security signals gained across Microsoft, including the cloud, endpoints, the intelligent edge, and telemetry from Microsoft platforms and services. The $4 billion figure represents an aggregated total of fraud and scam attempts against Microsoft and our customers in consumer and enterprise segments (in 12 months).
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a previously convicted felon with gun charges after he allegedly possessed and discharged an AR-15 style rifle within a school zone. The defendant is restricted from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Carson Moffitt, 40, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was charged by complaint on April 3, 2025.
According to court documents, on April 2, 2025, South Salt Lake City Police Department officers responded to a call of shots fired at Granite Park Junior High School in South Salt Lake, Utah, at 7:15 p.m. After officers arrived, they discovered AR-15 style shell casings in the middle of the road near the school. Surveillance cameras, provided by Granite School District law enforcement, captured the suspect’s vehicle, a Subaru WRX. Shortly after, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper observed a Subaru WRX speeding more than 100 miles per hour near 6000 South and I-15. UHP attempted to conduct a traffic stop, but the driver, later identified as Moffitt, fled and continued speeding up to 130 miles per hour before exiting Redwood Road and I-215 in Taylorsville. The pursuit was terminated. A run of the vehicles license plate showed the vehicle was registered to Moffitt. UHP troopers responded to the address on the vehicle’s registration and while troopers were working to make contact with Moffit, multiple shots were fired from inside the residence. A witness inside the home advised law enforcement Moffitt had a rifle. Moffitt eventually opened the garage door and fled in the Subaru. A Taylorsville City Police Department Officer intercepted and crashed into Moffitt’s Subaru, disabling the vehicle. Moffit was taken into custody. Officers seized an AR-15 style rifle with a drum magazine and ammunition from inside the vehicle.
Moffitt is charged with felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm within a school zone, and discharge of a firearm within a school zone. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for April 17, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by the Utah State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). Valuable assistance was provided by the Granite School District law enforcement, South Salt Lake Police Department, Utah Highway Patrol, and Taylorsville City Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Carlos A. Esqueda of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (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 (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced the April 9, 2025, unsealing of an indictment against KYRIN HUDSON (“HUDSON”), age 29, of Tangipahoa Parish, charging him with distribution of a substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, resulting in the death of a victim, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C).
If convicted, HUDSON faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of twenty years and up to a maximum term of imprisonment of life, a fine of up to $1,000,000.00, at least three years of supervised release following imprisonment, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.
Acting United States Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration Fentanyl Overdose Response Team (FORT), the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Hammond Police Department. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Lauren Sarver and Rachal Cassagne of the Narcotics Unit.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (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).
ST. LOUIS – Four people, including a former U.S. Postal Service employee, have pleaded guilty to federal charges and admitted to involvement in a conspiracy that stole checks from the mail to commit bank fraud.
Johnathan Barnett, 29, of University City, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to 80 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp, who also ordered him to pay restitution of $44,135.
Barnett pleaded guilty in December to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, one count of possession of stolen mail and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He admitted participating in a conspiracy from January of 2022 to September of 2023 to steal checks from the mail and alter the checks to defraud banks.
Barnett bought a key to U.S. Postal Service collection boxes from a U.S. Postal Service mail carrier, Wynter Hinton, and then he and others, including Ryan McKinney and Jayden Burklow, used that key to open collections boxes in St. Louis County and steal mail. Hinton also stole checks from the mail while on her postal route.
Barnett, Burklow and McKinney altered personal and business checks they found in the mail to create counterfeit checks. They recruited others to allow their bank accounts to be used to deposit the fraudulent checks. The conspirators then withdrew the money before the banks realized the checks were fraudulent. Barnett, Burklow and McKinney admitted trying to commit at least $800,000 worth of fraud this way.
On Sept. 15, 2023, when investigators were conducting a court-approved search of Barnett’s home, he tried to flee through a window with an AR-15-style rifle with a high-capacity drum magazine loaded with 76 rounds. Four other firearms were found in his home, as well as check-making equipment. Barnett was convicted of a 2014 drug charge and charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in 2020.
Hinton, 29, of St. Ann, and McKinney, 24, of St. Louis, both pleaded guilty Wednesday. Hinton pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a mail key and McKinney pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of possession of stolen mail. They are scheduled to be sentenced in July.
Burklow, 21, of O’Fallon, Illinois, pleaded guilty in March to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of possession of stolen mail. He is scheduled to be sentenced in June.
“The sentencing in this case illustrates that individuals who engage in mail theft will be held accountable for their actions,” stated Inspector in Charge, Ruth Mendonça, who leads the Chicago Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which includes the St. Louis Field Office. “The Inspection Service is proud to work with our local, state and federal partners to bring Mail Theft perpetrators to justice and prevent financial crimes targeting local citizens, postal customers, and financial institutions.”
This sentencing and guilty pleas represent the hard work and dedication by USPS OIG Special Agents working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring charges on this significant mail theft investigation,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennus Bishop, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Central Area Field Office. “The USPS OIG, along with our law enforcement partners, remain committed to safeguarding the U.S. Mail and ensuring the accountability and integrity of U.S. Postal Service employees.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Creve Coeur Police Department and the University City Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gwen Carroll is prosecuting the case.
A woman who illegally purchased multiple guns for her boyfriend, a convicted felon who was prohibited from possessing firearms, was sentenced on April 15, 2025, to 18 months’ imprisonment.
Daniella Maldonado-Paraday, age 29, from Palos Hills, Illinois, received the prison term after a December 4, 2024 guilty plea to making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.
From 2021 through 2024, Maldonado purchased multiple firearms for her boyfriend, who was a felon. Maldonado was also a drug user, but represented when purchasing firearms that she was not an unlawful user of marijuana.
Maldonado was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Maldonado was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment. She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the Cedar Rapids Police Department, the Marion Police Department, the Iowa State Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News (b)
GALVESTON, Texas – A 46-year-old Texas City resident has been ordered to federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.
John Earl Edwards pleaded guilty Sept. 24, 2024.
U.S. District Judge Jeffrey V. Brown has now ordered Edwards to serve 156 months to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release.
“Taking fentanyl off the street is good, but taking a fentanyl dealer off the street is even better,” said Ganjei. “This is one less person who makes their living off of the misery of their fellow citizens.”
On July 22, 2021, Edwards negotiated the sale of a small amount of fentanyl and arranged to have it delivered on July 22, 2021.
The investigation revealed Edwards’ drug distribution also included cocaine, cocaine base and methamphetamine.
He was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The FBI’s Safe Streets and Violent Crimes Task Force and the La Marque Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Cusick prosecuted the case.
Source: United States Senator for Washington Maria Cantwell
04.16.25
Cantwell Joins WA Small Business Owners at Port of Seattle to Explain Harms of Trump Trade Wars
Trump’s chaotic tariffs drive up costs for local companies and threatens to put them out of business; “Congress needs to get back in the game,” says Cantwell; her bipartisan bill would reassert Congressional role in U.S. trade policy
SEATTLE – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, joined nine local business owners and leaders at the Port of Seattle to push back against the Trump administration’s tariffs-first trade policy.
“These businesses here today are reminding us what we already should know: that this kind of tariff policy disrupts an integrated economy, hurts small businesses, and basically disrupts what is an important opportunity for the United States to grow more jobs for the future,” said Sen. Cantwell. “Building alliances and [strengthening] our innovation economy is what we should be doing.”
“In my 32 years of designing and manufacturing KAVU has survived tough times, but nothing close to this,” said Barry Barr, CEO of KAVU. “Due to the extreme spikes in prices, we are expecting that many if not all of our 2,000 independent outdoor retailers … will cancel their orders, leaving us with no sales and at the precipice of shutting down.”
“I never thought geopolitics would get in the way of making delicious pizza, yet here were are,” said Joe Fugere, CEO of Tutta Bella. “People in the United States should not have to travel overseas to enjoy the religious experience of great Italian pizza. We can have it right here at home. But only if we’re smart about how we unlock access to the world’s best products.”
“Last month we brought in a container with a value of about $200,000, and we had to pay an extra $20,000 to bring that in with the 10% [tariff],” said Jeff Demir, COO of SwaddleDesigns. “This month we’re bringing in another container, that container will cost us an extra $40,000 because the China tariffs went from 10% to 20%. … We have a container that’s right now sitting in China ready to ship, that container would cost us $300,000 of extra tariffs given the 145% [tariff]. Obviously that container is going to stay in China and it’s not going to be brought over here. Our company will have to operate with the product that we have until this gets resolved.”
Also appearing at today’s event were: Northwest Seaport Alliance and Northwest Seaport Alliance Co-Chair and Port of Tacoma Commissioner John McCarthy; Port of Seattle Commissioner Sam Cho; Gordon Bluechel, CEO of Access Laser; Chris Stone, Deputy Director of the Washington State Wine Commission; Blas Alfaro, Partner at Fulcrum Coffee Roasters; and Molly Neitzel, CEO of Molly Moon’s.
Sen. Cantwell recently introduced the bipartisan Trade Review Act of 2025 to reaffirm Congress’ key role in setting and approving U.S. trade policy, and reestablish limits on the president’s ability to impose unilateral tariffs. Since the introduction, Sen. Cantwell has appeared on CNN International, CNBC , CBS’s Face the Nation, MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes, MSNBC’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell, to discuss the bill.
Sen. Cantwell’s bill has since picked up 12 additional cosponsors – an equal mix of Republicans and Democrats – and been endorsed by multiple major U.S. business organizations, including the National Retail Federation, which is the largest retail trade association in the world. Last week, a bipartisan House companion bill was introduced.
In Washington state, two out of every five jobs are tied to trade and trade-related industries. More information about how those tariffs will affect consumers and businesses in the State of Washington can be found HERE.
For the past three months, President Trump has been sowing economic chaos across the country with unpredictable and ever-changing tariff announcements. His back-and-forth announcements and actions, which have whipsawed American businesses and consumers, as well as close neighbors and allies, include:
On January 31 — citing punishment for failing to crack down on fentanyl trafficking — the Trump administration announced plans to impose a 25% tax on many goods imported into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico and a 10% tax on goods imported from China, then abruptly postponed those tariffs.
In February, he doubled down, announcing an additional 25% tax on all steel and aluminum imports.
At 12:01 a.m. ET on March 4, President Trump’s long-promised 25% tariffs on goods from Mexico and Canada and 10% tariff increase on goods from China took effect, causing stock prices in the United States to plummet.
Then, on March 5, he announced that automobiles from Canada and Mexico would be exempt from his tariffs for one month.
The morning of March 6, he announced that he would suspend the tariffs for some products from Mexico. Then, later that same afternoon, he announced he was suspending most new tariffs on products from both Mexico and Canada until April 2.
On March 11, Trump threatened to double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum – increasing them to 50% – before reversing himself later the same day.
On March 13, he threatened 200% tariffs on alcoholic products from the European Union, including all wine and Champagne.
On March 27, he announced plans to impose a 25% tax on all imported sedans, SUVs, crossovers, minivans, cargo vans, and light trucks, as well as some auto parts, beginning on April 2.
On March 29, President Trump said, “I couldn’t care less,” if automakers raise the price of cars in response to his tariffs.
On April 2, he announced a “National Economic Emergency,” and signed an executive order declaring a 10% minimum baseline tariff on all countries as well as additional tariffs on nearly 60 countries.
On April 7, he threatened to impose an additional 50% tariff on China.
On April 9, he announced a rollback of his April 2 tariffs down to the 10% baseline across the board, with the exception of China, which he increased to 125%.
On April 11, the administration announced that electronics, including smartphones and laptops, would be exempt from the 125% rate.
Video of today’s press conference is HERE; photos are HERE; video of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks is HERE; audio of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks is HERE; and a transcript of Sen. Cantwell’s remarks is HERE.
Michael McMahon, a Retired New York City Police Department (NYPD) Sergeant, and Two Co-Conspirators Were First Defendants Convicted After a U.S. Trial in Connection with Repatriation Program ‘Operation Fox Hunt’
Today, in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, Michael McMahon, 57, of Mahwah, New Jersey, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and ordered to pay an $11,000 fine for acting as an illegal agent of the government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit the same, for his participation in a scheme to coerce repatriation of a U.S. resident to the PRC as part of its international repatriation effort known as “Operation Fox Hunt.” McMahon and co-defendants Zhu Yong, 68, of East Elmhurst, New York, and Congying Zheng, 29, of Brooklyn, were convicted by a federal jury in June 2023 following a three-week trial. In January 2025, Zhu and Zheng were sentenced respectively to 24 months and 16 months in prison.
As proven at trial, between approximately 2016 and 2019, the defendants and their co-conspirators participated in an international campaign to threaten, harass, surveil, and intimidate John Doe #1 and his family in order to force him and his wife, Jane Doe #1, to return to the PRC to face purported corruption charges. Beginning in 2012, John Doe #1 and Jane Doe #1 had been targeted for repatriation as part of the PRC’s transnational repression programs known as “Operation Fox Hunt” and “Operation Sky Net.” John Doe #1 and his family had accordingly sought to keep their address out of public records.
Zhu hired McMahon, a retired NYPD sergeant working as a private investigator, to locate John Doe #1. McMahon obtained sensitive information about John Doe #1, which he then reported back to Zhu and others, including a PRC police officer. McMahon also conducted surveillance outside the New Jersey home of John Doe #1’s relative and provided Zhu and PRC officials with detailed reports of what he observed. The operation was supervised and directed by several PRC officials, including a PRC police officer and a PRC prosecutor.
As McMahon knew, the operation was intended not only to locate John Doe #1, but to coerce him to return to the PRC by exerting pressure on his family members. In April 2017, PRC officials threatened to jail John Doe #1’s sister, who lived in the PRC, in order to coerce John Doe #1’s then-82-year-old father to travel from the PRC to their relative’s home in New Jersey. John Doe #1’s father, who had recently suffered a brain hemorrhage, was so frail that a doctor accompanied him for the trip. McMahon followed John Doe #1’s father from the relative’s New Jersey home, and, by doing so, was able to learn John Doe #1’s address. McMahon immediately provided this information to a PRC operative.
On Sept. 4, 2018, Zheng and another co-conspirator drove to the New Jersey residence of John Doe #1 and Jane Doe #1 – at the address that McMahon had provided – where they pounded on the front door, attempted to enter the house, and then peered through the windows in the back of the home. They left a note on the front door informing John Doe #1 that his “wife and children will be okay” if John Doe #1 surrendered himself to face a ten-year prison term in the PRC.
McMahon knew that the subjects of his investigation were wanted by the PRC government, a fact that he texted about with another investigator he contracted to help him. Following his arrest, McMahon acknowledged knowing that his employers wanted to get the victim back to China “so they could prosecute him.” After providing the victims’ address, McMahon told his surveillance partner that he was “waiting for a call” to find out what to do next. McMahon’s partner responded, “Yeah. From NJ State Police about an abduction,” to which McMahon responded “Lol.” McMahon later suggested to a PRC co-conspirator that they “harass” John Doe #1 by “[p]ark[ing] outside his home and let[ting] him know we are there.” McMahon took other investigative steps designed to harass the victims, such as researching their daughter’s university residence and college major. McMahon was paid more than $19,000 in total for his role in the illegal repatriation scheme. In an apparent attempt to conceal the source, McMahon deposited payments from his PRC clients into his son’s bank account, the only time he had done so with client payments.
Previously, three co-defendants pleaded guilty in connection with their roles in the PRC-directed harassment and intimidation campaign. They are awaiting sentencing.
Sue J. Bai, head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney John J. Durham for the Eastern District of New York, and Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division made the announcement.
The FBI New York Field Office investigated the case, with valuable assistance provided by the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meredith A. Arfa and Irisa Chen for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Christine A. Bonomo of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. Paralegal Specialist Rebecca Roth for the Eastern District of New York provided valuable assistance.
The FBI has created a website for victims to report efforts by foreign governments to stalk, intimidate, or assault people in the United States. If you believe that you are or have been a victim of transnational repression, please visit the FBI’s website.