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Category: Law

  • MIL-OSI Security: Guatemalan National Pleads Guilty To Attempting To Entice A 13-Year-Old Child To Engage In Sexual Activity

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Reagan Morales Roblero (37, Guatemala), has pleaded guilty to attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. Roblero faces a minimum penalty of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison for the attempted enticement offense and a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison for the attempted transfer of obscene material. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

    According to the plea agreement, from July 22 through September 5, 2024, Roblero communicated online with someone whom he believed was a 13-year-old girl. In actuality, the child was an undercover Homeland Security Investigations special agent (UC). Throughout their conversations, Roblero repeatedly described the sexual activity he wanted to engage in with the child, sending explicit videos to clarify the specific sex acts he desired. On September 5, 2024, after Roblero told the UC that he “want[ed] to make love tonight,” the UC discussed meeting at a motel in in Marion County. Roblero told the UC that the “most private” motel without “cameras” was better for their “protection.” Roblero further stated that he would drive to the motel to see if they could safely meet “because u underage [and] I’m old.” Ultimately, Roblero was arrested by law enforcement in the lobby of the motel. The motel clerk advised law enforcement that Roblero had asked about obtaining a room at the back of the building. 

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Britain Woman Admits Fraudulently Obtaining COVID-19 Relief Funds

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that VICTORIA KATES, 34, of New Britain, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday before U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to offenses related to her fraudulent receipt of COVID-19 relief funds.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provided emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  One program created by the CARES Act was a temporary federal unemployment insurance program for pandemic unemployment assistance (“Pandemic Unemployment Assistance”).  Pandemic Unemployment Assistance provided unemployment insurance (“UI”) benefits for employed individuals who were not eligible for other types of UI due to their employment status.  The CARES Act also created a new temporary federal program called Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (“FPUC”) that provided additional weekly benefits to those eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or regular UI.  The Connecticut Department of Labor (CT-DOL) administers UI benefits for residents of Connecticut.

    From March 2020 through May 2021, Kates defrauded the CT-DOL of $217,056 by filing fraudulent unemployment applications with the CT-DOL on behalf of her family, acquaintances, and others.  Kates prepared and submitted the original applications and, in certain instances, submitted required weekly recertifications of the applicant’s purported continued unemployment status.  Kates took a portion of the payouts as a fee.

    As an example, in August 2020, Kates submitted an online unemployment application to the CT-DOL for a friend that made several false representations, including that the applicant was a self-employed driver who worked 40 hours per week, when, in fact, the applicant was neither self-employed nor worked the hours represented.  Kates also used her home address as the applicant’s address.  Based on the original application and weekly certifications, the CT-DOL made $27,993 in payments, with Kates taking at least $1,000 to $1,500 as a fee.  When the CT-DOL demanded proof of legal wages and proof of address, Kates created and provided to the CT-DOL a fraudulent IRS form showing the applicant’s purported gross wages for 2019, and a cropped photograph of a business envelope to make it appear that the applicant had lived at the represented address.

    Another source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).  In April 2020, Congress authorized more than $300 billion in additional PPP funding.  The PPP allowed qualifying small businesses and other organizations to receive unsecured loans at an interest rate of 1%.  PPP loan proceeds were to be used by businesses on payroll costs, interest on mortgages, rent and utilities. The PPP allowed the interest and principal to be forgiven if businesses spent the proceeds on these expenses within a certain period of time of receipt and used at least a certain percentage of the amount to be forgiven for payroll.

    The PPP was overseen by the Small Business Administration, which has authority over all PPP loans.  Individual PPP loans, however, were issued by private approved lenders, which received and processed PPP applications and supporting documentation, and then made loans using the lenders’ own funds, which were guaranteed by the SBA.

    In 2021, Kates applied for and received $16,250 through the PPP loan program by making false representations, including overstating her yearly gross income.  Kates also provided a false IRS filing to support the income figure on the application.  She subsequently provided additional fraudulent information to obtain forgiveness of the loan.

    Kates pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud, an offense that carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years on each count.  Judge Nagala scheduled sentencing for September 2.  Kates is released on a $40,000 bond pending sentencing.

    This matter is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of the Inspector General.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Antigonish — Police charge Antigonish man with drug trafficking offences, seize drugs and weapons

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Police have charged an Antigonish man with drug trafficking offences and seized drugs and weapons after executing a search warrant in Afton Station.

    On April 2, the Antigonish-Guysborough RCMP Street Crime Enforcement Unit executed a search warrant at a residence on West Arm Branch Rd. in Afton Station as part of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation.

    Officers safely arrested a man and seized cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, prescription drugs, and drug paraphernalia. They also seized firearms and ammunition, a baton, and brass knuckles. Additionally, officers recovered a 2019 Keystone camper trailer that had been reported stolen.

    Jed Douglas Decoste, 34, of Antigonish, has been charged with Possession for the Purpose of Trafficking (three counts). He was remanded into custody and is scheduled to appear in Antigonish Provincial Court on May 14.

    The ongoing investigation is assisted by the Pictou County Integrated Street Crime Enforcement Unit (PCISCEU), the Port Hawkesbury Street Crime Enforcement Unit, and the Antigonish County District RCMP. Additional charges are anticipated.

    Nova Scotians are encouraged to contact their nearest RCMP detachment or local police to report crime, including the illegal sale of drugs, in their communities. Anonymous tips can be made by calling Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submitting a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or using the P3 Tips app.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three sentenced to federal prison for roles in tax refund fraud scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TEXARKANA, Texas – Three men have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a tax refund fraud scheme, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

    Imafedia Adevokhai, 47, of Alpharetta, Georgia, pleaded guilty to money laundering on February 15, 2023, and was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder, III on April 2, 2025. Adevokhai was ordered to pay $90,380.60 in restitution and $3500 in forfeiture.

    Michael Martin, 52, of Texarkana, Texas, pleaded guilty to conspiracy on February 14, 2023, and was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison by Judge Schroeder on November 21, 2023. Martin was ordered to pay $90,380.60 in restitution and $121,623.41 in forfeiture.

    Osazuwa Peter Okunoghae, 46, of Houston, pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy on November 12, 2019, and was sentenced to 78 months in federal prison by Judge Schroeder on January 13, 2022. Okunoghae was ordered to pay $451,117.63 in restitution and $451,117.63 in forfeiture.

    “The Eastern District of Texas is committed to prosecuting individuals who participate in schemes to steal personal information, prepare and file fraudulent tax returns, and launder the proceeds,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr. “Crimes like these affect all of us, the individual victims whose identities are stolen and used to file fraudulent tax returns, the taxpayers, who are left with the bill, and our financial institutions, which are manipulated and misused to launder the proceeds.”

    “Adevokhai, Martin, and Okunoghae, along with others, created a complex scheme to steal the tax refunds of law-abiding U.S. taxpayers through stolen identity refund fraud,” said Christopher J. Altemus Jr., special agent in charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation’s Dallas Field Office. “The women and men of IRS-CI did an outstanding job of uncovering this fraudulent activity and bringing the individuals to justice. Their sentences should be a warning to anyone who would try to defraud the U.S. Government or prey on law-abiding taxpayers.”

    According to information presented in court, Adevokhai, Martin, Okunoghae, and others were involved in a multi-year stolen identity refund fraud (SIRF) conspiracy involving the theft of victims’ personal identifying information and the use of the stolen information to file fraudulent tax returns. The total tax refunds claimed by the fraudulent returns was $4,945,886, and the U.S. Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, suffered at least a $390,220.40 loss.  Adevokhai was involved in the preparation and filing of many of the fraudulent tax returns. Okunoghae and Martin were involved in the laundering of the stolen funds. To that end, they worked together and with others who would transfer fraud proceeds through United States financial accounts and ultimately to foreign financial accounts. The investigation connected Adevokhai, Martin, and Okunoghae to dozens of victims whose taxpayer identities were stolen.

    In January 2019, individuals from three states and other individuals from Nigeria were charged for their roles in the conspiracy.

    One of the Department of Justice Tax Division’s top priorities is prosecuting individuals who use stolen identities to steal money from the United States Treasury by filing fraudulent tax returns. SIRF schemes threaten to disrupt the orderly administration of the income tax system for law-abiding taxpayers and have cost the United States Treasury billions of dollars.

    This case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathaniel C. Kummerfeld and Sean Taylor.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals Task Force Arrests Baltimore Murder Suspect in Massillon

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Massillon, OH – This morning, members of the US Marshals led, Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force arrested Unique Thorn, 26, in Massillon, OH. Thorn was wanted through the Baltimore City Police Department for murder.

    It is alleged that on March 18, 2025, Thorn shot and killed a female victim near the 700 block of East Preston Street in Baltimore, Maryland. Thorn is alleged to have fled Baltimore following the incident and investigators determined she was residing in Massillon, Ohio. Late this morning, members of the NOVFTF located and arrested Thorn at a residence in the 1700 block of Alpha Street NW, Massillon. Thorn was booked into the Stark County Jail where she will await her extradition back to Baltimore.

    U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott stated, “Outstanding collaborative police work from Baltimore, Maryland to Massillon, Ohio resulted in the arrest of this fleeing and violent fugitive. Strong law enforcement partnerships between local police departments and the US Marshals Service contributes to safer communities for the citizens of the United States.”

    Anyone with information concerning a wanted fugitive can contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED (1-866-492-6833), or you can submit a web tip. Reward money is available, and tipsters may remain anonymous.  Follow the U.S. Marshals on Twitter @USMSCleveland.  

    The NOVFTF Canton Division consists of the following federal, state and local agencies:  United States Marshals Service, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Stark County Sheriff’s Office, Canton Police Department, Carrollton Police Department, Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, North Canton Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Perry Township Police Department, Stark County Park District, and Stark County Probation.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Antigonish — Do you know this person?

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    #Antigonish County District RCMP is asking for public assistance to identify a man in relation to an incident that occurred on March 16 at a convenience store on James St. in Antigonish. The man is believed to have entered the store with three other people and caused damage to some of the store’s product. He is described as having blonde hair, cut in a mullet style. He was wearing a Ford Trucks jacket at the time of the incident.

    Anyone who can identify the man or has information about this incident is asked to contact Antigonish County District RCMP at 902-863-6500. To remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Arizona to Receive Additional Resources From Justice Department to Investigate Unresolved Violent Crimes

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Justice Department today announced that it will boost FBI assets across the country over the next six months to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country through Operation Not Forgotten.

    The FBI will send a total of 60 personnel, rotating in temporary duty assignments over a six-month period to select FBI field offices across the United States, including Arizona. Operation Not Forgotten is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date. The detailed FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. FBI Phoenix will receive 11 agents on a rotating basis over the next six months, who will be spread across offices in Arizona.

    FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, and will work in partnership with Tribal law enforcement agencies across the country.

    “Protection of the public is one of the key responsibilities of the Department of Justice. Here in Arizona, the United States Attorney’s Office and the FBI have a special trust relationship with the 22 federally recognized tribes in our state,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “Operation Not Forgotten reflects the continued commitment of the federal government to pursue justice for crime victims in all Native American communities.”

    “Our FBI personnel and Safe Trails Task Forces work closely every single day with our law enforcement partners to investigate crimes of violence throughout the many tribal territories in Arizona,” said FBI Phoenix Special Agent in Charge Jose A. Perez. “We are responsible for investigating the most serious crimes in Indian Country and this initiative will provide much needed additional resources to help us better serve those same communities by assisting victims and bringing criminals to justice.”

    “Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high. By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with US Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.

    “The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

    Indian Country faces persistent levels of crime and victimization. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.

    Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Trump’s first term under E.O. 13898, Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in the past two years. Combined, these operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.

    Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and coordinators in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered indigenous people.

    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-046_Operation Not Forgotten

    # # #

    For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/

    Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Hawley Announces Facebook Whistleblower to Testify Before His Subcommittee Next Week

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo)

    Wednesday, April 02, 2025

    Today, U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) announced that Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams will testify before his Judiciary subcommittee next week on allegations that Facebook cooperated with the Communist regime in China to build censorship tools, punish dissidents, and make American users’ data available for Chinese use.

    Big News — Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams will testify NEXT WEEK in public, under oath, before my judiciary subcommittee re: her explosive evidence of Facebook’s cooperation with the Communist regime in China, including FB’s plans to build censorship tools, punish…
    — Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) April 2, 2025
    Senator Hawley is the chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism. More details on the hearing, entitled “A Time for Truth: Oversight of Meta’s Foreign Relations and Representations to the United States Congress,” are forthcoming.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Pushes Trump Environment, Energy Nominees to Protect California’s National Monuments and Hydrogen Hub

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla Pushes Trump Environment, Energy Nominees to Protect California’s National Monuments and Hydrogen Hub

    WATCH: Padilla highlights importance of national monuments and ARCHES hydrogen hub for California’s clean energy goalsWASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) questioned nominees for Department of the Interior (DOI) and Department of Energy (DOE) Deputy Secretary positions on their support for California’s national monuments and hydrogen hub following recent threats from the Trump Administration to eliminate them.
    California’s National Monuments
    During the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) nominations hearing, Padilla successfully pushed Katharine MacGregor, President Trump’s nominee for Deputy Secretary of the Interior, to acknowledge the broad bipartisan and local support for California’s Chuckwalla and Sáttítla Highlands National Monuments, which President Biden established earlier this year at Padilla’s urging. He also emphasized the critical importance of local and tribal involvement in public land management.
    Amid the Trump Administration’s orders aimed at elevating energy production on public lands and reviewing national monument protections, Padilla called on Interior to, as part of this review, meet with California’s Congressional delegation, California Governor Gavin Newsom, the state’s energy agencies, local officials, and crucially, the tribal leaders who spearheaded the movement behind the creation of these monuments. Padilla pointed out that these monuments had received endorsements from energy utilities and developers and were intentionally crafted to avoid including areas with energy potential.
    Padilla also pressed MacGregor on whether local and tribal leaders should have a role in public land management decisions, to which MacGregor agreed.
    PADILLA: As a matter of policy, do you believe that local communities and tribal leaders should have a say in the management of their public lands?
    MACGREGOR: I think local involvement is something that everyone on this dais agrees with.
    PADILLA: Okay, well, I’m talking just about you, not the folks on the dais, you’re the nominee before us…
    MACGREGOR: Local involvement is embedded in almost all the organic acts at the Department, so yes.
    PADILLA: Good, good faith consultation and engagement is what we’re looking for.
    California is home to some of the nation’s most pristine public lands, which not only preserve our natural heritage but also fuel California’s tourism and local economies. These protected landscapes generate billions of dollars in annual revenue, creating jobs, supporting local businesses, and enriching communities. However, Trump’s orders to prioritize energy development over all other uses of public lands pose a threat to landscapes with immense cultural, environmental, and economic value. These lands also offer vast opportunities for outdoor recreation — such as hiking, camping, and wildlife viewing — which further support local economies.
    ARCHES Hydrogen Hub
    Padilla also questioned James Danly, Trump’s nominee for Deputy Secretary of Energy, on his support for the Alliance for Renewable Clean Hydrogen Energy Systems (ARCHES) hydrogen hub. The Trump Administration is reportedly considering major cuts to hydrogen hub projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in Democratic-leaning states, including California, while preserving the projects in Republican-leaning states.
    Padilla highlighted the importance of the Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program to “jumpstart” the national hydrogen economy and urged Danly to work with California to protect the vital funding Padilla secured for ARCHES. After initially dodging Padilla’s questions about whether he would meet with ARCHES leadership, Danly said he would have “no objection” to talking with them.
    PADILLA: California, proudly, was the first state in the nation to launch a hydrogen hub — we refer to it as ARCHES — which will facilitate a network of hydrogen production sites to catalyze the use of hydrogen throughout California and, frankly, jumpstart the hydrogen economy, not just in California, but across the country. The California hub enjoys bipartisan support from our California delegation. However, last week, the Department of Energy “cut list” reportedly included ARCHES and other hydrogen hubs to be cut. So I want to point out that ARCHES, again, is not just critical to California, but critical to our national economy.
    Senator Padilla has been a strong supporter of the development of clean hydrogen power in California. Padilla secured up to $1.2 billion for the ARCHES hydrogen hub from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and sent a letter to former Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm urging the Department of Energy to support ARCHES’ proposal as part of its Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs program. He celebrated the official launch of the ARCHES hydrogen hub last year at an in-person event showcasing hydrogen-powered transportation.
    Video of Padilla’s full line of questioning is available here.
    More information on the hearing is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Texas Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Fatal Fentanyl Overdose

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    BEAUMONT, Texas – An Orange, Texas man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for his role in a fatal fentanyl overdose in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

    Lawrence Duguett Hardin, Jr., 39, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Marcia A. Crone on April 1, 2025.

    According to information presented in court, on August 17, 2023, law enforcement officers responded to an overdose death in Humble, Texas.  Autopsy results determined the victim died due to the toxic effects of fentanyl.  An investigation determined Hardin to be responsible for supplying the fentanyl that led to the individual’s death.  A search warrant was executed at Hardin’s residence in Orange and a substance containing fentanyl and weighing 365.2 grams was discovered.

    The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has issued a Public Safety Alert warning Americans of the alarming increase in the lethality and availability of fake prescription pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine.  The Public Safety Alert coincides with the launch of DEA’s One Pill Can Kill Public Awareness Campaign to educate the public of the dangers of counterfeit pills and urges all Americans to take only medications prescribed by a medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist. The campaign aims to raise public awareness of a significant nationwide surge in fake pills that are mass-produced by criminal drug networks in labs, deceptively marketed as legitimate prescription pills, and are killing unsuspecting Americans at an unprecedented rate. For more information, please visit https://www.dea.gov/onepill.

    This case was investigated by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; FBI; Orange Police Department; Houston Police Department; West Orange Police Department; Bridge City Police Department; Harris County Constable’s Office Precinct 4; Jefferson County Crime Laboratory; and Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Lee and Rachel Grove.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Centralia Man Sentenced to Over 10 Years’ Imprisonment for Possessing Firearms as a Felon

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. – A district judge sentenced a Centralia man to 125 months in federal prison for possessing three firearms as a convicted felon in three separate incidents with police.

    Lamar R. Bennett, 33, pleaded guilty in July to three counts of felon in possession of a firearm.

    “Three brushes with the law by one defiant felon—this sentence of more than a decade in federal prison sends a strong message that repeat offenders who defy the law can expect to face certain justice in the federal system,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft.

    According to court documents, Bennett was convicted as a felon in possession of a firearm in Marion County Circuit Court in 2020, further barring him from legally possessing firearms.

    Bennett was the driver of a vehicle in a single-car crash in Washington County on April 21, 2023. Following the accident, Bennett placed a Smith and Wesson 9-millimeter pistol behind a concrete barrier on the side of the highway. Law enforcement recovered the firearm.

    On Oct. 14, 2023, emergency personnel and law enforcement responded to Bennett’s residence in Jefferson County. Officers observed a Glock 43X pistol in his sweatshirt and recovered the firearm.

    On November 23, 2023, law enforcement tried to conduct a traffic stop on Bennett’s vehicle in Marion County, but he fled. Ultimately, Bennett was apprehended and law enforcement recovered one Ruger SR9C pistol from him.

    “This investigation and sentencing are a direct result of FBI Springfield Field Office’s dedication to disrupting and dismantling violent threats in our territory,” said FBI Springfield Special Agent in Charge Christopher Johnson. “This sentencing is a direct warning to those who continue criminal activity in our area.”

    Following imprisonment, Bennett will serve three years of supervised release.

    The FBI Springfield Field Office, Centralia Police Department and Washington County Sheriff’s Office contributed to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Hudson prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Leader of International Ponzi Scheme Targeting Indonesian-American Community Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Defrauded Hundreds of Victims in Three Countries and More than 30 States Who Invested More than $24.5 Million in Sham Loan Programs

    Earlier today, at a federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Francius Marganda was sentenced by United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry to 18 years’ imprisonment for running a $24.5 million Ponzi scheme that defrauded hundreds of predominantly Indonesian and Indo-American victim investors. Marganda, an Indonesian national, led the scheme until it unraveled in 2021 and he fled the United States.  Marganda was extradited to the United States from Singapore in November 2023 and pleaded guilty to securities fraud in July 2024. As part of his sentence, Marganda was ordered to pay $8.5 million in restitution and $7.5 million in forfeiture.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI); and Michael Alfonso, Acting Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York), announced the sentence.

    “Marganda’s attempt to evade justice by fleeing halfway across the world to hide in fancy hotels was futile, as he found out today in a federal courtroom in Brooklyn,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “No matter how far defendants may flee, this Office and our law enforcement partners will work tirelessly to make sure they are brought to justice.  It is my hope that this prosecution will bring some measure of relief to the victims of Marganda’s fraud, who trusted him with their life savings because of their shared nationality and were cruelly exploited by him.”

    Mr. Durham expressed his appreciation to the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, particularly the DOJ Attachés based in Manila and Bangkok; law enforcement partners at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore, including the FBI’s Legal Attaché, the HSI Attaché, and the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service Overseas Criminal Investigations Office; and Singaporean authorities, particularly the Singapore Police Force and Attorney-General’s Chambers, for their assistance with Marganda’s arrest and extradition to the United States.  Mr. Durham also thanked the Securities and Exchange Commission, Fort Worth Regional Office; the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York; the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York; the Federal Trade Commission; the New York State Attorney General’s Office; the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office; the New York County District Attorney’s Office; the Queens County District Attorney’s Office; the New York City Police Department; the Westford Police Department, Westford, Massachusetts; the Richfield Police Department, Richfield, Minnesota; and the Lexington Police Department, Lexington, South Carolina, for their assistance in this matter.

    Francius Marganda financially crippled hundreds of victims after collectively stealing millions of dollars to fund his personal lifestyle,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia.  “The defendant enticed prospective investors across the globe with empty promises of guaranteed returns from his illegitimate companies, and subsequently created an alias to flee the country when his web of lies unraveled. The FBI will continue to pursue any individual who exploits others through fraudulent means, regardless of where they may hide.”

    HSI New York Acting Special Agent in Charge Alfonso stated: “Francius Marganda’s heartless scheme caused irreparable emotional, psychological, and in some cases even physical damage to many of his more than 200 victims. Marganda swindled the innocent, well-meaning public out of over $23 million, and then fled the country as his shameless conspiracy crumbled. Marganda left hardworking families without money they desperately needed for crucial, life-altering expenses — among them, cancer treatments, medical procedures, and college tuition — and with no opportunities to recoup their lost savings. While no amount of prison time can make up for the irreversible pain Marganda and his co-conspirators have caused, we are thankful to the special agents and officers from HSI’s El Dorado Task Force, together with the FBI and the Eastern District of New York, for securing whatever justice possible on behalf of his victims.”   

    From May 2019 to May 2021, while residing in New York after overstaying his visa, Marganda orchestrated a scheme to defraud investors by soliciting investments in two sham programs called Easy Transfer and Global Transfer, which Marganda and his co-conspirators falsely represented were short-term, high-interest loan programs in which investors would earn passive income.  Marganda and his co-conspirators promised rates of return as high as 200% or more.  On a near-daily basis, multiple investors were deceived into signing investment contracts.   

    Marganda and his co-conspirators misappropriated the invested funds for their own benefit, including by buying real estate and luxury goods, and paying off credit card bills.  They also laundered proceeds into their bank accounts.  As an example, more than $3.8 million in scheme proceeds was transferred into just one of Marganda’s personal accounts over the course of 11 months, and more than $264,000 in proceeds in the account was used to pay off his credit card bills.

    The Ponzi scheme ultimately collapsed in May 2021, when Marganda and his co-conspirators stopped making payments to investors.  Marganda fled the United States, obtained an Indonesian passport under a fake name, and used the scheme funds to pay for lavish stays in luxury hotels around the world, including in France, the Maldives, Nepal, and Thailand, until he was apprehended abroad and extradited to the Eastern District of New York.

    To date, 237 victims, ranging in age from 24 to 84, have identified losses of more than $24.5 million because of the defendant’s scheme.  The victims reside in the District of Columbia and at least 31 states, including New York, as well as in Indonesia and Malaysia.  Many of the victims had limited means and had pooled their resources with relatives and friends to make investments in U.S. dollars and Indonesian rupiah.

    Judge Irizarry considered statements prepared by dozens of victims in connection with the sentencing hearing held earlier today.  Many reported that, as a result of the defendant’s conduct, they declared bankruptcy or lost nearly all of their savings.  Because of the financial loss, one victim struggled to pay for a family member’s chemotherapy, while another struggled to pay for medical expenses associated with a family member’s Stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis.  One victim lacked the funds to travel and pay respects after both of the victim’s parents died.    Multiple victims suffered other serious losses and hardships.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Victor Zapana and Laura Zuckerwise are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Kavya Kannan.

    The Defendant:

    FRANCIUS MARGANDA
    Age:  42
    Jakarta, Indonesia and formerly of Queens, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-481 (DLI)

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Chinese National Sentenced To Federal Prison For Access Device Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Donghui Liao (32, China) to 33 months in federal prison for possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices (gift cards). Liao entered a guilty plea on December 16, 2024. 

    According to the plea agreement and evidence presented in court, a large retail store had been the victim of an ongoing organized gift card fraud scheme. The structure of the scheme involved individuals stealing gift cards from the store, obtaining the account information from the back of the cards, resealing the cards in their original packaging, and placing the gift cards back onto the shelves of a different store location for customers to purchase. Once a customer purchased the gift card and loaded funds onto it, the fraudsters had access to the funds without the customer’s knowledge.

    On October 17, 2023, an officer with the Ocala Police Department observed Liao retrieving numerous gift cards from a black shoulder bag he was wearing and placing those gift cards on the retailer’s gift card display. Liao was also observed taking gift cards off the shelves and concealing them inside his bag before leaving the store.

    Seventy-one of the gift cards that Liao had placed on the shelves showed signs of alteration and forgery. A search of Liao’s vehicle revealed 6,032 additional stolen gift cards. The combined value of the gift cards in Liao’s vehicle (pictured below), if purchased and activated by customers, would have been $1.886 million. Store surveillance identified Liao performing this same scheme on at least 28 other occasions at different locations in Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida. 

    “Gift card scams endanger retailers, consumers, and overall public safety,” said Homeland Security Investigations Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Pezzutti. “HSI is actively collaborating with law enforcement at all levels to combat organized crime involved in these schemes. Our proactive approach aims to raise awareness and disrupt fraud that could cost hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars. This successful prosecution in Florida highlights our commitment to addressing this issue on a global scale.”

    This case was investigated by the Ocala Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Organised Immigration Crime Summit organised by the United Kingdom on the 31 March 2025: UK statement to the OSCE

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Organised Immigration Crime Summit organised by the United Kingdom on the 31 March 2025: UK statement to the OSCE

    Ambassador Holland updates on UK and partners’ efforts to fight against Organised Immigration Crime and the protection of our collective border security.

    Thank you Chair.

    I would like to update the Council on the Organised Immigration Crime Summit convened by the UK in London earlier this week. The Summit brought together a range of partners, countries and international organisations in the global fight against Organised Immigration Crime and the protection of our collective border security.

    The threat from Organised Immigration Crime is increasing in scale and complexity, spanning multiple countries, nationalities, and criminal methodologies. Criminal gangs are now using sophisticated online tactics to lure potential customers. They are abusing legitimate supply chains, and they are using criminal financial networks to facilitate dangerous and illegal journeys which put thousands of lives at risk each year.

    This is a global threat, with no respect for national borders. Without firm action, organised crime groups will continue to profit at the expense of vulnerable migrants and international security.

    We must strengthen global cooperation, disrupt criminal networks, and prevent further loss of life.

    No single country can tackle these criminal gangs alone. Only a coordinated international response, across the whole irregular migration route, can effectively dismantle these networks.  Disrupting criminal financial flows, particularly the cross-border movement of illicit cash and commodities, requires all countries to work together across supply chains.

    This event engaged both European nations and key source and transit countries, ensuring a broader, more comprehensive approach to tackling Organised Immigration Crime. It delivered across Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, and North America by strengthening international partnerships, enhancing intelligence-sharing, and implementing targeted disruptions to crime networks.

    Through effective partnerships and shared international commitments, we can deliver change. Together, we can dismantle the online advertising and recruitment networks used by criminal gangs, target the financial enablers of irregular migration through operational disruption and promote an integrated approach to better understanding the scale of Organised Immigration Crime financial flows.

    I look forward to next week’s Security Committee meeting on irregular migration which I hope can consider the OSCE’s role on this issue. Tackling irregular migration, and specifically, people smuggling, requires a united, determined, sustained and sustainable, effort. Together, we can drive meaningful action, ensuring a safer and more secure future for all.

    Thank you.

    Updates to this page

    Published 3 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: World Must ‘Act to Stem Tide of Hate Speech, Stop Disunity, Discontent Mutating into Violence’, Says Secretary-General, in Rwanda Genocide Observance Message

    Source: United Nations MIL OSI b

    Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, observed on 7 April:

    Today, we mourn the 1 million children, women and men slaughtered in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

    This appalling chapter in human history was not a spontaneous frenzy of horrendous violence.  It was intentional, premeditated and planned — including through hate speech that inflamed division, and spread lies and dehumanization.  The overwhelming majority of victims were Tutsi, but also Hutu and others who opposed the genocide.

    As we recall how these crimes came about, we must also reflect on resonance with our own times.

    These are days of division.  The narrative of “us” versus “them” is ascendant, polarizing societies.  Digital technologies are being weaponized to further inflame hate, stoke division and spread lies.

    We must learn from the terrible history of the genocide in Rwanda, and act to stem the tide of hate speech, stop disunity and discontent mutating into violence, uphold human rights and ensure accountability.

    I urge all States to deliver on commitments made in the Global Digital Compact to tackle online falsehoods and hate, to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law and to become parties to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide without delay.

    On this day of remembrance, let’s commit to be vigilant and to work together to build a world of justice and dignity for all — in honour of all the victims and survivors of the genocide in Rwanda.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Washington AG says RealPage and landlords conspired to harm tenants, violate Consumer Protection Act

    Source: Washington State News

    SEATTLE — The Washington state Attorney General’s Office filed suit in King County Superior Court today against software company RealPage and nine local landlords, alleging that RealPage and its software are central to a conspiracy and unfair competition by certain landlords that resulted in rapidly rising rent prices for their tenants.

    The lawsuit says RealPage provides software tools to landlords that push rental prices beyond what landlords could otherwise achieve while reducing the risk that other landlords will undercut them with more competitive rates. Analysis by the Attorney General’s Office shows that in numerous markets, pricing is higher and occupancy is lower for properties managed by landlords who use RealPage’s products than for similar properties managed by landlords who don’t use RealPage.

    “RealPage’s unfair practices are cheating renters and pricing families out of stable housing,” said Attorney General Nick Brown. “Washington is facing a housing crisis and we must respond with every available tool.”

    Washington State was previously part of a multi-state antitrust lawsuit led by the U.S. Department of Justice in federal court, but withdrew to file this challenge in state court under statutes that would cover a greater number of Washingtonians impacted by these actions. This new lawsuit alleges six violations of the state Consumer Protection Act and seeks restitution for a large number Washington renters. An estimated 800,000 leases in Washington were priced using RealPage software between 2017 and 2024.

    The investigation found that RealPage’s pricing software provides landlords with a shared logic that tends to raise rents. Two types of RealPage’s pricing software collect nonpublic, competitively sensitive data from landlords to feed the algorithms. Landlords who use RealPage software agree to provide their data, knowing that the software combines their data with data from other landlords. The algorithm then recommends rents — in many cases increasing them. In feedback to RealPage about its software, one potential client said: “I always liked this product because your algorithm uses proprietary data from other subscribers to suggest rents and term. That’s classic price fixing.”

    Legislative leaders expressed their support for the litigation.

    “The Washington Legislature has passed dozens of bills over the last three years focused on addressing housing affordability,” said House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, D-Tacoma. I welcome AG Brown’s entry into this work and his willingness to fight against giant corporations using unfair algorithms across the State of Washington to jack up housing costs.”

    “I am proud that our state is working to protect renters from this kind of collusion and conspiracy,” said Sen. Yasmin Trudeau, D-Tacoma. “Renters deserve to have protections against unfair price-fixing, and I thank Attorney General Brown for his swift action on this issue. It is imperative that we prevent any company of taking advantage of Washington renters and that we do anything to prevent unnecessary and increased costs for people just trying to pay their rent and stay in their homes.”

    The lawsuit states that RealPage’s software creates pricing recommendations that will not go below a hard floor, though they may exceed a soft ceiling at the top of the market.

    RealPage also discourages pro-renter practices like price negotiations and concessions for renters and instead favors the highest possible prices in several ways. First, RealPage’s training advises new clients to set its software to automatically accept its pricing recommendations. If a landlord doesn’t want to use auto-accept, RealPage advisors are trained to convince them to turn it on.

    RealPage also encourages landlords to accept its pricing recommendations by forcing them to enter an explanation any time they reject the software’s recommendations. When RealPage’s advisers see the rejections, they can escalate review to higher-level managers.

    Second, RealPage software also advises landlords to keep prices high even when occupancy is down, the lawsuit asserts. The software also recommends adjusting lease timeframes to avoid a glut of apartment units hitting the market at the same time — for instance, recommending 13-month leases instead of 12. That way, rent prices don’t go down because of increased housing supply.

    RealPage also organized a conspiracy of landlords through its user groups for each pricing software product, the suit claims. In user group meetings, landlords vote on changes to the pricing software, discuss competitively sensitive topics, and build anticompetitive strategies around their use of RealPage’s pricing software.

    The lawsuit seeks to end RealPage’s and landlords’ illegal practices and force them to stop colluding, coordinating pricing and occupancy, sharing a pricing algorithm, and exchanging competitively sensitive nonpublic information.

    Assistant Attorneys General Brian H. Rowe, Rachel A. Lumen, Sarah Smith-Levy, Miriam Stiefel, Jessica So, Helen Lubetkin, and Ashley Locke; Paralegals Alicia Stensland, Mark O’Neal, Christina Baker, Kristina Wooster, Connor Hopkins, Tracy Jacoby and Kellie Tappan; Investigator Tony Perkins; and Economic Analyst Matthew Paskash are working on the case for Washington.

    The lawsuit can be found here.

    -30-

    Washington’s Attorney General serves the people and the state of Washington. As the state’s largest law firm, the Attorney General’s Office provides legal representation to every state agency, board, and commission in Washington. Additionally, the Office serves the people directly by enforcing consumer protection, civil rights, and environmental protection laws. The Office also prosecutes elder abuse, Medicaid fraud, and handles sexually violent predator cases in 38 of Washington’s 39 counties. Visit www.atg.wa.gov to learn more.

    Media Contact:

    Email: press@atg.wa.gov

    Phone: (360) 753-2727

    General contacts: Click here

    Media Resource Guide & Attorney General’s Office FAQ

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Long Beach Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Smash-and-Grab Robbery of Jewelry Worth $2.6 Million

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    LOS ANGELES – A Long Beach man was sentenced today to 84 months in federal prison for his role in a smash-and-grab robbery of a Beverly Hills jewelry store in 2022 in which more than $2.6 million in merchandise was stolen – and the proceeds of which he later displayed on his Instagram account.

    Ladell Tharpe, 39, was sentenced by United States District Judge George H. Wu, who also ordered him to pay $2,674,600 in restitution.  

    Tharpe pleaded guilty in September 2024 to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act).

    “Brazen criminal action that directly targets our small businesses in Los Angeles County will not be tolerated,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph McNally. “The consequences for such action are severe and penalized accordingly, and I want to thank our law enforcement partners for their exceptional and dutiful work during this investigation.”

    “Mr. Tharpe terrified his victims during this violent robbery carried out in broad daylight, then shamelessly boasted about it online,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work with our counterparts at local police departments to address violent crime and pursue justice at the federal level where appropriate.” 

    “The Beverly Hills Police Department is committed to protecting our community and ensuring justice,” said Beverly Hills Police Chief Mark G. Stainbrook. “We value our partnership with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office and appreciate the investigators who relentlessly pursued and prosecuted those responsible for this crime. As a reminder, crime will not be tolerated in Beverly Hills.” 

    In March 2022, Tharpe and his accomplices, Deshon Bell, 22, Jimmy Lee Vernon III, 33, both from Long Beach, as well as an unnamed minor drove three vehicles to a jewelry store in Beverly Hills and used sledgehammers and crow bars to break the glass surrounding the merchandise while employees and customers were present.

    One of the vehicles driven to the jewelry store had been reported stolen four days prior to the robbery and was left in front of the victim store.

    The thieves removed from the store’s display cases at least 19 bracelets, seven pairs of earrings, four necklaces, a pair of obelisks, eight rings, and 20 watches, all of which was valued at approximately $2,674,600. The robbers then returned to the car in which Bell was waiting and then fled the scene.

    Two days after the heist, Tharpe posted images of large amounts of cash on his Instagram with the text “Robbery Gang.”

    Tharpe has been in federal custody since March 2023.

    Bell and Vernon each pleaded guilty to one count of Hobbs Act robbery. Judge Wu sentenced Bell to one year and one day in federal prison in February 2024, as well as ordering him to pay $2,674,000 in restitution.

    Vernon, whose cellphone fell out of his sweatpants pocket during the conduct of the robbery and was recovered by investigators, was sentenced last month to 80 months in prison and was also ordered to repay $2,674,000 in restitution.

    The FBI and the Beverly Hills Police Department investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Kevin J. Butler of the Violent and Organized Crime Section and Kevin B. Reidy of the Major Frauds Section prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former School Custodian Admits Possessing Child Pornography

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    ST. LOUIS – A former high school custodian on Wednesday admitted possessing child sexual abuse material.

    Bernard Ray Mennemeier, 58, of O’Fallon, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of possession of child pornography. Mennemeier admitted possessing both child pornography and child erotica.

    The investigation began on Jan. 2, 2024, after Mennemeier uploaded five videos containing child sexual abuse material to Dropbox. An FBI agent traced the Dropbox account to Mennemeier, and then conducted a court-approved search of the Dropbox account, and then Mennemeier’s home. In an interview at the O’Fallon Police Department, Mennemeier admitted messaging someone on Twitter who would sell him child sexual abuse material. Mennemeier said he purchased those materials “numerous” times, his plea agreement says.

    Mennemeier is scheduled to be sentenced July 9. The charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.

    “This crime came to light thanks to a CyberTip reported to our partners at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Bernard Mennemeier thought he could anonymously obtain and possess child sexual abuse material,” said Special Agent in Charge Ashley Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division.  “When it comes to protecting children, the FBI is even more diligent in identifying, locating and arresting such perpetrators.”

    The FBI investigated 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 Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Millbourne Borough Officials and One Former Official Plead Guilty to Election Fraud Offenses

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that MD Nurul Hasan, 48, MD Munsur Ali, 48, and MD Rafikul Islam, 52, all of Millbourne, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty today to election fraud offenses, at separate hearings before United States District Judge Harvey Bartle III.

    In February, the defendants were charged in a 33-count indictment with conspiracy to commit voter fraud, giving false information in registering to vote, and fraudulent voter registration, arising from their scheme, ultimately unsuccessful, to steal Millbourne Borough’s 2021 mayoral election for Hasan.

    Hasan, the vice president of the Millbourne Borough Council, pleaded guilty to all 33 charges against him — one count of conspiracy, 16 counts of giving false information in registering to vote, and 16 counts of fraudulent voter registration.

    Ali, a member of the Millbourne Borough Council, pleaded guilty to all 25 charges against him — one count of conspiracy, 12 counts of giving false information in registering to vote, and 12 counts of fraudulent voter registration.

    Islam, a former member of the Millbourne Borough Council, pleaded guilty to all seven charges against him — one count of conspiracy, three counts of giving false information in registering to vote, and three counts of fraudulent voter registration.

    As set forth in court filings, in 2021, Millbourne held elections for mayor, three seats on its borough council, and tax collector. Defendant Hasan entered the majority party’s primary election for mayor.

    The primary election was held on May 20, 2021, and Hasan was defeated in the primary by a vote count of approximately 138 to 120. In the same primary, Ali was one of three majority party candidates for borough council to advance to the general election, while Islam lost his bid for reelection to the council.

    After the primary, Hasan decided that he would run as a write-in candidate for mayor in the general election, which was scheduled for November 2, 2021. Ali and Islam agreed to support Hasan in his write-in campaign.

    As detailed in court documents and admitted by the defendants, in or about 2021, defendants Hasan, Ali, and Islam conspired and agreed with one another, and other persons known and unknown to the U.S. Attorney, to steal the 2021 general election for Mayor of Millbourne for defendant Hasan through a multi-step process, which included:

    (a) obtaining personal identification information of non-Millbourne residents, such as their names, addresses, and dates of birth;

    (b) using the personal identifying information to access the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s online voter registration (PAOVR) website and change the voter registration addresses for those non-Millbourne residents to locations within Millbourne;

    (c) using the PAOVR website to request that mail-in or absentee ballots for those non-Millbourne residents be sent to addresses accessible by one or more of the defendants;

    (d) retrieving the ballots from the Millbourne mailboxes;

    (e) impersonating the voters and fraudulently casting write-in votes for defendant Hasan to be mayor;

    (f) enclosing the fraudulently completed ballots in envelopes and forging the voters’ signatures on the envelopes; and

    (g) submitting the ballots in their envelopes to the Delaware County Board of Elections.

    The defendants admitted that, to further this conspiracy, they contacted friends and acquaintances whom Hasan and Ali knew did not live in Millbourne, told these non-Millbourne residents that Hasan was running for mayor in Millbourne, asked if they could register the non-Millbourne residents to vote in Millbourne, and then cast mail-in ballots for Hasan to be mayor.

    Hasan and Ali persuaded many of their non-Millbourne friends and acquaintances to provide them with personal identification information so that defendants Hasan and Ali could register them to vote in Millbourne. During many of these conversations, Hasan and Ali told their non-Millbourne friends and acquaintances that they would not get in trouble, as long as they did not vote in another election in November 2021.

    Hasan and Ali also conspired and agreed to use personal identifying information for other non-Millbourne residents, which the two defendants had obtained from other sources, such as Hasan’s business, to register those nonresidents as Millbourne voters without the knowledge of those non-residents.

    Hasan personally did almost all of the fraudulent voter registrations himself, using a computer at his place of business to access the PAOVR website and change the voting addresses for non-Millbourne residents to locations within Millbourne. Every time that Hasan accessed the PAOVR website to change a voter registration address, he provided an email address for the voter. Many times, Hasan provided one of four email addresses that he used and accessed.

    To divert suspicion from himself, however, Hasan sometimes provided email addresses belonging to other people, who knowingly and willfully permitted Hasan to use their email addresses to cover up Hasan’s actions. One of those people was Islam, who allowed Hasan to use two of Islam’s email addresses when Hasan fraudulently changed the voter registration addresses for six individuals. Islam also permitted Hasan to use two of Islam’s email addresses when requesting mail-in ballots for five non-Millbourne residents.

    In total, the defendants conspired to falsely register nearly three dozen non-Millbourne residents as Millbourne voters and cast ballots for those non-Millbourne residents in the 2021 general election for mayor of Millbourne Borough. Hasan went on to lose the election by a vote of approximately 165 to 138.

    “Protecting the integrity of our elections is crucial to ensuring a fair result, as well as the public’s continued trust in the process,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “That’s why these cases are a priority for my office and the FBI. Election fraud will not be tolerated in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.”

    “Trust in the electoral process is the cornerstone of our democracy. When public officials betray that trust through fraud, they don’t just break the law — they erode confidence in the very institutions that uphold our system,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “The FBI is proud to stand with our partners in safeguarding the integrity of elections at every level of government.”

    “This investigation exposed public officials who forgot that their role in a democracy is limited to accepting the voters’ choice. I applaud the hard work and partnership of the United States Attorney’s Office, the FBI and my Special Investigations Unit led by Deputy DA Doug Rhoads. This investigation serves as a reminder that my Office remains committed to election integrity, ensuring that everyone’s vote is counted equally,” said Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer.

    The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on June 18 and face maximum possible sentences of five years in prison for each of the charges to which they have pleaded guilty.

    The case was investigated by the FBI and the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark B. Dubnoff.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts Ashland Man of Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Distribution of Methamphetamine

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    BILLINGS – A federal jury yesterday convicted an Ashland man of sexually abusing four women and distributing methamphetamine to two of them over a three-year period, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    After a two-day trial that began on March 31, the jury found the defendant, Stephen “Mutt” John Parker, 60, guilty of four counts of aggravated sexual abuse and two counts of distribution of methamphetamine. Parker faces a maximum term of imprisonment of life on each charge of sexual abuse, in addition to a fine of $250,000 and a term of supervised release of five years to life. For each meth charge, Parker faces zero to 20 years in prison, a fine of $1 million, and at least 3 years of supervised release.

    U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The Court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for July 31, 2025. Parker was detained pending further proceedings.

    “Parker preyed on women on the Northern Cheyenne reservation by plying some of them with drugs and alcohol, seeking to capitalize on their addiction to perpetrate violent sexual assaults. We are pleased with the jury’s verdict, which will help ensure the safety of women on the Northern Cheyenne community. I would like to thank the attorneys and staff in our office for their hard work on this case as well as the FBI agents who conducted the investigation.” U.S. Attorney Alme said.

    The government alleged at trial and in court documents that from 2018 to 2021, Parker sexually abused six women after providing them with alcohol and illegal drugs. During one instance in 2018, he gave a victim food and a place to stay. Parker also provided her with alcohol and methamphetamine. During a party at his house, Parker threatened the victim with a stick before sexually abusing her. On another occasion, Parker distributed meth to a different victim. After hitting her with an ax handle, Parker sexually assaulted her. In other instances, Parker physically assaulted the victims, including punching one victim in the face multiple times, prior to sexually abusing them.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Northern Cheyenne Criminal Investigation Services.

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

    XXX

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Justice Department to Surge Resources to Indian County to Investigate Unresolved Violent Crimes

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    Operation Not Forgotten Will Surge 60 FBI Personnel to 10 FBI Field Offices to Support Investigations of Indian Country Violent Crimes

    BILLINGS  — The Justice Department today announced that it will surge FBI assets across the country to address unresolved violent crimes in Indian Country, including crimes relating to missing and murdered indigenous persons.

    The FBI will send 60 personnel, rotating in 90-day temporary duty assignments over a six-month period. This operation is the longest and most intense national deployment of FBI resources to address Indian Country crime to date. FBI personnel will support field offices in Albuquerque; Denver; Detroit; Jackson, Miss.; Minneapolis; Oklahoma City; Phoenix; Portland, Oreg.; Seattle; and Salt Lake City. The FBI will work in partnership with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tribal law enforcement agencies across jurisdictions.

    FBI personnel will be assisted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit, and they will use the latest forensic evidence processing tools to solve cases and hold perpetrators accountable. U.S. Attorney’s Offices will aggressively prosecute case referrals.

    “Crime rates in American Indian and Alaska Native communities are unacceptably high. By surging FBI resources and collaborating closely with US Attorneys and Tribal law enforcement to prosecute cases, the Department of Justice will help deliver the accountability that these communities deserve,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi.

    “The FBI will manhunt violent criminals on all lands – and Operation Not Forgotten ensures a surge in resources to locate violent offenders on tribal lands and find those who have gone missing,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.

    “We are very pleased that the FBI is dispatching additional resources to the Salt Lake City Division, which covers Montana, to assist our ongoing efforts to find missing indigenous persons and hold violent offenders accountable. I want to thank the agents already working on these cases in Montana from both the FBI and the BIA’s Missing and Murdered Unit. Together with the Tribal Community Response Plans facilitated by DOJ for each Montana reservation community and DOJ’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, this deployment will help address this critical problem.  Missing and murdered indigenous people will not be forgotten.” said U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.

    Indian Country faces persistent levels of crime and victimization. At the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations.

    Operation Not Forgotten renews efforts begun during President Trump’s first term under E.O. 13898, Establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives. This is the third deployment under Operation Not Forgotten, which has provided investigative support to over 500 cases in the past two years. Combined, these operations resulted in the recovery of 10 child victims, 52 arrests, and 25 indictments or judicial complaints.

    Operation Not Forgotten also expands upon the resources deployed in recent years to address cases of missing and murdered indigenous people. The effort will be supported by the Department’s MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which places attorneys and coordinators in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the United States to help prevent and respond to cases of missing or murdered indigenous people.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI USA: Transnational Manager for Colombia’s Clan del Golfo Drug Cartel Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    A Colombian national and lieutenant for Clan del Golfo (CDG) pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute large quantities of cocaine destined for the United States.

    According to court documents, Fabian Edilson Torres Caranton, also known as David and Cassius, 53, served as a coordinator, intermediary, and lieutenant for the Bloque Roberto Vargas Gutierrez of CDG — a Colombian paramilitary and multibillion-dollar Transnational Criminal Organization. CDG is one of Colombia’s largest and most powerful drug cartels with its membership in the thousands. CDG’s primary source of income is from cocaine trafficking, which it uses to fund its paramilitary activities.

    According to court documents, in July 2018, Torres Caranton and an individual seeking to broker the purchase of cocaine on behalf of Mexican buyers, attended a meeting with another member of CDG at a ranch in or near Caucasia, Colombia. During the meeting, the other CDG member authorized the production of 500 kilograms of cocaine to be transported from Colombia into and through Central America for delivery to Mexican buyers for final delivery to the United States. Torres Caranton spent several days monitoring the cocaine production at a clandestine laboratory in Coralito, Colombia. Torres Caranton and his co-conspirators made two controlled deliveries of cocaine to an undercover officer: 191 kilograms on Sept. 16, 2018, in Valledupar, Colombia, and 172 kilograms on Oct. 16, 2018, in Cartagena, Colombia. Torres Caranton knew the purported Mexican buyers intended to distribute the cocaine in Houston, Texas.

    Torres Caranton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine for unlawful importation into the United States from Colombia. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 4 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge 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, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Judicial Attaché Office in Bogota worked with law enforcement partners in Colombia to secure the arrest and December 2023 extradition of Torres Caranton.

    Trial Attorney Douglas Meisel and Acting Deputy Chief Melanie Alsworth of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

    MIL OSI USA News –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Local Man and Woman Plead Guilty to Drug, Money Laundering Crimes

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A local man and woman pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court here today to drug and money laundering crimes related to assisting two Chillicothe brothers traffic drugs from Mexico and Arizona. 

    Todd Michael Fulkerson, 42, of Columbus, admitted to conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and cocaine.

    In February 2024, Fulkerson traveled to Arizona at the request of Caleb Barillaro, 30, who was acquiring kilogram quantities of the drugs to resell through street-level drug dealers in Chillicothe and the surrounding areas. The men drove separate vehicles to Arizona, and Fulkerson accompanied Caleb on the trip to provide security. Fulkerson was recruited for this role based on his military experience.

    In Arizona, Caleb purchased two kilograms of fentanyl and five kilograms of cocaine for $94,000 in cash. Caleb put the drugs in a cooler and placed ice on top of the drugs to conceal them before putting the cooler in Fulkerson’s car.

    Law enforcement surveilled the two vehicles traveling in tandem back towards Ohio from Arizona.

    The two stopped at a gas station near the Indiana and Ohio border. Caleb discovered that the melting ice in the cooler had ruined some of the kilograms of drugs. He became upset and took the cooler to his car. Caleb feared he was being surveilled by law enforcement as he traveled from the gas station, and he discarded the drugs along the side of the road.

    Fulkerson faces up to 20 years in prison for his role in transporting the drugs.

    Lazae Lett, 24, of Chillicothe, admitted to laundering drug proceeds to Sinaloa, Mexico, to help Dillon Barillaro, 31, obtain more drugs through a source of supply there. She sent several approximately $2,000 money orders via Western Union money orders from Walmart and two Kroger locations in Chillicothe. 

    Dillon Barillaro provided the illicit money to Lett and instructed her on recipient names and payment amounts. Dillon Barillaro drove Lett to the Walmart and Kroger locations to conduct financial transactions in immediate succession.

    Lett faces up to 20 years in prison.

    The Barillaro brothers have each pleaded guilty to federal narcotics crimes punishable by at least 10 years and up to life in prison and await sentencing.

    Congress sets minimum and maximum statutory sentences. Sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the Court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at future hearings.

    Kelly A. Norris, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Andrew Lawton, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Detroit Field Office; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Chillicothe Police Chief Ron Meyers announced the guilty pleas offered today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Norah McCann King. Assistant United States Attorneys Nicole Pakiz and Damoun Delaviz are representing the United States in the related cases.

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

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Possession and Firearms Sales Land Oklahoma City Men in Federal Prison for More Than 19 Years Collectively

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OKLAHOMA CITY – AUSTIN GAGE OSBORN, 24, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 68 months in federal prison for engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license and being a drug user in possession of firearms, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester. 

    According to public record, beginning in July 2024, undercover agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) began purchasing firearms from Osborn and codefendant JOSE ADRIAN HERMOSILLO, 22, of Oklahoma City. Agents identified Hermosillo as a convicted felon who was prohibited from possessing firearms. Between July 17, 2024, and August 9, 2024, ATF agents met with Osborn and Hermosillo on several occasions purchasing approximately 20 firearms.  In one specific transaction on July 29, 2024, undercover agents told Osborn and Hermosillo that the guns the agents were purchasing would be transported out of the United States and into Mexico. Despite having reason to believe that the firearms would be trafficked across the border, Osborn and Hermosillo continued to sell firearms to undercover agents for profit, without a federal firearms license, in violation of federal law. 

    On November 26, 2024, Osborn was charged by Superseding Information with engaging in the business of dealing firearms without a license and with being a drug user in possession of firearms. On December 5, 2024, Osborn pleaded guilty to the Superseding Information, and admitted he possessed 19 firearms while being a regular user of marijuana, and that he was illegally dealing firearms as a business without a license to do so. At the sentencing hearing on March 26, 2025, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Osborn to serve 68 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

    Hermosillo pleaded guilty on November 26, 2024, to trafficking firearms, and admitted he willingly transferred firearms to another person with reasonable cause to believe that the use, carrying, or possession of the firearms by the recipient would constitute a felony. Hermosillo was sentenced on March 24, 2025, to serve 168 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

    In announcing the sentences for Osborn and Hermosillo, Judge Palk noted the seriousness of these offenses, the need for the sentences to deter others in the public who may consider engaging in similar behavior, and the history and characteristics of the defendants. Public record further reflects that Hermosillo has previous felony convictions in Oklahoma County that include attempted burglary in case number CF-2021-2066 and possession of a firearm after juvenile adjudication in case number CF-2022-3560.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the ATF and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Drew E. Davis and Mary E. Walters prosecuted the case.

    This case is also part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Department of Justice program to reduce violent crime.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information. 

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Convicted Felon Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges in Shooting Incident

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Zuni man pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from a violent shooting incident involving the illegal use of a firearm.

    According to court records, on the night of September 19, 2024, Devin Wade Wyaco shot John Doe (who was riding a bicycle) from the passenger side of his girlfriend’s vehicle, striking John Doe in the abdomen. Doe was transported to Zuni Hospital and later to the University of New Mexico Hospital for treatment. During an interview with investigators, John Doe identified the vehicle as belonging to Wyaco’s girlfriend. Doe survived the shooting.

    Police identified Wyaco, 34, an enrolled member of the Zuni Pueblo, as the shooter through statements from his girlfriend, who admitted being present during the incident and confirmed Wyaco’s involvement. A federal search warrant executed at her residence corroborated her account. In his plea agreement, Wyaco confessed that he fired at John Doe after becoming angry when one of the bicyclists threw a rock at the car. He also admitted that as a previously convicted felon—having prior convictions for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and aggravated fleeing from a law-enforcement officer—he knowingly possessed a firearm and ammunition in violation of federal law.

    Handgun recovered from Wyaco’s girlfriend’s home.

    Wyaco pled guilty to all three charges contained in the indictment, including assault with a dangerous weapon, using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    At sentencing, Wyaco faces no less than 10 years and up to life in prison followed by up to five years of supervised release. Additionally, Wyaco faces up to $250,000 in fines.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Zuni Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: All Charged Money Launderers Tied to Nigerian Sextortion Scheme Plead Guilty

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

              GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Andrew Birge today announced that all five defendants charged with conspiring to launder proceeds for Nigerian sex extortionists have pleaded guilty.

    • Dinsimore Guyton Robinson, 29, of Huntsville, Alabama, pleaded guilty on January 22, 2025.
    • Kendall Ormond London, 32, of Lithonia, Georgia, pleaded guilty on March 26, 2025.
    • Brian Keith Coldmon, Jr., 30, of Peachtree Corners, Georgia, pleaded guilty on March 28, 2025.
    • Jarell Daivon Williams, 31, of McDonough, Georgia pleaded guilty on April 2, 2025.
    • Johnathan Demetrius Green, 32, of Stone Mountain, Georgia, pleaded guilty on April 2, 2025.

              According to the Indictment, the conspirators used online payment systems to collect sextortion proceeds and send them to a Nigerian individual they referred to as “The Plug.” According to the Indictment, the sextortionists had boys and young men create nude images. After the sextortionists received those images, they allegedly had the victims send funds to the U.S.-based money launderers through online payment systems like Apple Pay, Cash App, and Zelle. The money launderers would keep about 20 percent of the money, convert the rest to bitcoin, and send the bitcoin to The Plug in Nigeria, who kept a portion and then sent the remainder to the sextortionists.

              The indictment alleges that conspirators laundered the funds of sextortion victims, including Jordan DeMay.  In November 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan charged three Nigerian nationals in a sextortion scheme that resulted in the death of Jordan DeMay, a 17-year-old high school student from Marquette, Michigan, and targeted more than 100 other victims. Two of the three defendants in that case were extradited to the United States in August 2023 and pled guilty in April 2024 and were later sentenced.

              “These individuals helped and profited from this awful, heartbreaking scheme and so they now will face the consequences,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Birge.  The conspiracy offense is punishable by up to 20 years in prison.  The court will decide the sentences upon consultation with federal sentencing guidelines and the individual circumstances.

              “These guilty pleas by the defendants serve as a strong reminder to anyone involved in sextortion or money laundering schemes,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Michigan Division. “I want to express my sincere gratitude to the dedicated members of our FBI Detroit Cyber Task Force, as well as teams from the Grand Rapids Resident Agency, Lansing Resident Agency, Marquette Resident Agency, FBI Birmingham (Huntsville Resident Agency), and FBI Atlanta for their tireless efforts. We also deeply appreciate our partners at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan. The FBI remains committed to protecting the American public and will continue to prioritize dismantling criminal networks that exploit our most vulnerable citizens.”

    Safety Tips and Resources for Victims, Teens, and Parents

              The FBI provides the following tips on how people can protect themselves from sextortion schemes:

    • Be selective about what you share online. If your social media accounts are open to everyone, a predator may be able to figure out a lot of information about you.
    • Be wary of anyone you encounter for the first time online. Block or ignore messages from strangers.
    • Be aware that people can pretend to be anything or anyone online. Videos and photos are not proof that people are who they claim to be. Images can be altered or stolen. In some cases, predators have even taken over the social media accounts of their victims.
    • Be suspicious if you meet someone on one game or app and that person asks you to start talking on a different platform.
    • Be in the know. Any content you create online—whether it is a text message, photo, or video—can be made public. And nothing actually “disappears” online. Once you send something, you don’t have any control over where it goes next.
    • Be willing to ask for help. If you are getting messages or requests online that don’t seem right, block the sender, report the behavior to the site administrator, or go to an adult. If you have been victimized online, tell someone. Being a victim of sextortion is not your fault. You can get through this challenge, even if it seems scary and overwhelming. There are people who want to help.

              If you have information about or believe you are a victim of sextortion, contact your local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at http://tips.fbi.gov. This FBI PSA and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children PSA share survivor stories and resources for individuals to get help. More FBI sextortion resources are available here.

              This case has been investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Mekaru.

              The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and the remaining defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Transnational Manager for Colombia’s Clan del Golfo Drug Cartel Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking Conspiracy

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A Colombian national and lieutenant for Clan del Golfo (CDG) pleaded guilty today to conspiring to distribute large quantities of cocaine destined for the United States.

    According to court documents, Fabian Edilson Torres Caranton, also known as David and Cassius, 53, served as a coordinator, intermediary, and lieutenant for the Bloque Roberto Vargas Gutierrez of CDG — a Colombian paramilitary and multibillion-dollar Transnational Criminal Organization. CDG is one of Colombia’s largest and most powerful drug cartels with its membership in the thousands. CDG’s primary source of income is from cocaine trafficking, which it uses to fund its paramilitary activities.

    According to court documents, in July 2018, Torres Caranton and an individual seeking to broker the purchase of cocaine on behalf of Mexican buyers, attended a meeting with another member of CDG at a ranch in or near Caucasia, Colombia. During the meeting, the other CDG member authorized the production of 500 kilograms of cocaine to be transported from Colombia into and through Central America for delivery to Mexican buyers for final delivery to the United States. Torres Caranton spent several days monitoring the cocaine production at a clandestine laboratory in Coralito, Colombia. Torres Caranton and his co-conspirators made two controlled deliveries of cocaine to an undercover officer: 191 kilograms on Sept. 16, 2018, in Valledupar, Colombia, and 172 kilograms on Oct. 16, 2018, in Cartagena, Colombia. Torres Caranton knew the purported Mexican buyers intended to distribute the cocaine in Houston, Texas.

    Torres Caranton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine for unlawful importation into the United States from Colombia. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 4 and faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge 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, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Miami Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI Miami Field Office investigated the case. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Judicial Attaché Office in Bogota worked with law enforcement partners in Colombia to secure the arrest and December 2023 extradition of Torres Caranton.

    Trial Attorney Douglas Meisel and Acting Deputy Chief Melanie Alsworth of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section are 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Maryland Man Sentenced for Role in Drug Distribution Operation

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Charles Edward Scott, 31, of Damascus, Maryland, was sentenced to 156 months in prison for his leadership of a drug conspiracy that sold the drug “boot” in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Scott, also known as “Whop Whop,” led a group of people selling Eutylone, also known as “boot,” in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties. Scott was storing large quantities of the drug and firearms in an apartment in Maryland, and with other known defendants, traveled to West Virginia to distribute. Scott has prior drug, firearms, and theft convictions.

    Scott will serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence. 

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative; the Martinsburg Police Department; the Montgomery County, Maryland Police Department; the Virginia State Police, Montgomery County; and Maryland State Attorney’s Office investigated.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

    U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.

    Find the related cases here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/16-indicted-conspiracy-charges-boot-distribution-operation

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Global: How a lone judge can block a Trump order nationwide – and why, from DACA to DOGE, this judicial check on presidents’ power is shaping how the government works

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Cassandra Burke Robertson, Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Professional Ethics, Case Western Reserve University

    The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to limit judges’ power to issue what legal experts call ‘nationwide preliminary injunctions.’ Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

    When presidents try to make big changes through executive orders, they often hit a roadblock: A single federal judge, whether located in Seattle or Miami or anywhere in between, can stop these policies across the entire country.

    These court orders have increasingly become a political battleground, increasingly sought by both Republicans and Democrats to fight presidential policies they oppose.

    This explains why the Trump administration recently asked the Supreme Court to limit judges’ power to issue what legal experts call “nationwide preliminary injunctions.” Congress also held hearings on curtailing judges’ ability to issue the injunctions.

    But what exactly are these injunctions, and why do they matter to everyday Americans?

    Immediate, irreparable harm

    When the government creates a policy that might violate the Constitution or federal law, affected people can sue in federal court to stop it. While these lawsuits work their way through the courts – a process that often takes years – judges can issue what are called “preliminary injunctions” to temporarily pause the policy if they determine it might cause immediate, irreparable harm.

    A “nationwide” injunction – sometimes called a “universal” injunction – goes further by stopping the policy for everyone across the country, not just for the people who filed the lawsuit.

    Importantly, these injunctions are designed to be temporary. They merely preserve the status quo until courts can fully examine the case’s merits. But in practice, litigation proceeds so slowly that executive actions blocked by the courts often expire when successor administrations abandon the policies.

    Legislation introduced by GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley would ban judges from issuing most nationwide injunctions.
    Sen. Chuck Grassley office

    More executive orders, more injunctions

    Nationwide injunctions aren’t new, but several things have made them more contentious recently.

    First, since a closely divided and polarized Congress rarely passes major legislation anymore, presidents rely more on executive orders to get substantive things done. This creates more opportunities to challenge presidential actions in court.

    Second, lawyers who want to challenge these orders have gotten better at “judge shopping” – filing cases in districts where they’re likely to get judges who agree with their client’s views.

    Third, with growing political division, both parties aim to use these injunctions more aggressively whenever the other party controls the White House.

    Affecting real people

    These legal fights have tangible consequences for millions of Americans.

    Take DACA, the common name for the program formally called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which protects about 500,000 young immigrants from deportation. For more than 10 years, these young immigrants, known as “Dreamers,” have faced constant uncertainty.

    That’s because, when President Barack Obama created DACA in 2012 and sought to expand it via executive order in 2015, a Texas judge blocked the expansion with a nationwide injunction. When Trump tried to end DACA, judges in California, New York and Washington, D.C. blocked that move. The program, and the legal challenges to it, continued under President Joe Biden. Now, the second Trump administration faces continued legal challenges over the constitutionality of the DACA program.

    More recently, judges have used nationwide injunctions to block several Donald Trump policies. Three different courts stopped the president’s attempt to deny citizenship to babies born to mothers who lack legal permanent residency in the United States. Judges have also temporarily blocked Trump’s efforts to ban transgender people from serving in the military and to freeze some federal funding for a variety of programs.

    While much of the current debate focuses on presidential policies, nationwide injunctions have also blocked congressional legislation.

    The Corporate Transparency Act, passed in 2021 and originally scheduled to go into effect in 2024, combats financial crimes by requiring businesses to disclose their true owners to the government. A Texas judge blocked this law in 2024 after gun stores challenged it.

    In early 2025, the Supreme Court allowed the law to take effect, but the Trump administration announced it simply wouldn’t enforce it – showing how these legal battles can become political power struggles.

    A polarized Congress rarely passes major legislation anymore, so presidents – including Donald Trump – have relied on executive orders to get things done.
    Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

    Too much power or necessary protection?

    Some critics say nationwide injunctions give too much power to a single judge. If lawyers can pick which judges hear their cases, this raises serious questions about fairness.

    Supporters argue that these injunctions protect important rights. For example, without nationwide injunctions in the citizenship cases, babies born to mothers without legal permanent residency would be American citizens in some states but not others – an impossible situation.

    Congress is considering legislation to limit judges’ ability to grant nationwide injunctions.

    The Trump administration has also tried to make it expensive and difficult to challenge its policies in court. In March 2025, Trump ordered government lawyers to demand large cash deposits – called “security bonds” – from anyone seeking an injunction. Though these bonds are already part of existing court rules, judges usually set them at just a few hundred dollars or waive them entirely when people raise constitutional concerns.

    Under the new policy, critics worry that “plaintiffs who sue the government could be forced to put up enormous sums of money in order to proceed with their cases.”

    Another way to address the concerns about a single judge blocking government action would be to require a three-judge panel to hear cases involving nationwide injunctions, requiring at least two of them to agree. This is similar to how courts handled major civil rights cases in the 1950s and 1960s.

    My research on this topic suggests that three judges working together would be less likely to make partisan decisions, while still being able to protect constitutional rights when necessary. Today’s technology also makes it easier for judges in different locations to work together than it was decades ago.

    As the Supreme Court weighs in on this debate, the outcome will affect how presidents can implement policies and how much power individual judges have to stop them. Though it might seem like a technical legal issue, it will shape how government works for years to come – as well as the lives of those who live in the U.S.

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

    – ref. How a lone judge can block a Trump order nationwide – and why, from DACA to DOGE, this judicial check on presidents’ power is shaping how the government works – https://theconversation.com/how-a-lone-judge-can-block-a-trump-order-nationwide-and-why-from-daca-to-doge-this-judicial-check-on-presidents-power-is-shaping-how-the-government-works-252556

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

    April 4, 2025

  • MIL-OSI Security: Approximately 13,000 Fentanyl Pills Seized During Undercover Operation, Three Foreign Nationals Detained and Charged

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging three foreign nationals, living in Utah, with drug crimes after agents allegedly seized approximately 13,000 fentanyl pills during a controlled buy and execution of a search warrant in West Valley City, Utah.

    Diego Armando Campos-Fallas, 19, of Costa Rica, Hugo Eduardo Miraba-Franco, 20, of Ecuador, and Jose Enrique Zuniga-Diaz, 19, of, Honduras, were charged by complaint on March 21, 2025.
        
    According to court documents, on March 19, 2025, agents coordinated an undercover operation to purchase 5,000 fentanyl pills during a controlled buy from Campos-Fallas in West Valley City. Upon arrival at the meeting location for the controlled buy, Campos got into the undercover agent’s vehicle with approximately 5,000 fentanyl pills and was subsequently detained. Miraba-Franco, who was seated in the drivers’ seat of Campos’ vehicle was also detained. A search warrant was served at a residence in West Valley City, where Campos, Miraba and Zuniga-Diaz live. At the residence, agents seized an additional 8,000 fentanyl pills, 102.2 grams of marijuana, and 1125.3 grams of THC cartridges. A search warrant was also executed on Campos’ vehicle, a black Hyundai Elantra, and approximately 1,000 fentanyl pills were recovered. The fentanyl provided to the undercover agent during the controlled buy, and the fentanyl seized at the residence, approximately 13,000 in total, were field-tested and tested positive for fentanyl.

    Campos-Fallas, Miraba-Franco, and Zuniga-Diaz are charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute. Campos Fallas and Miraba-Franco are also charged with distribution of fentanyl. Their initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for April 3, 2025, at 2:00 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 jointly by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

    Assistant United States Attorney Mark K. Vincent of the United States 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. 
     

    MIL Security OSI –

    April 4, 2025
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