NewzIntel.com

Category: Law

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tanner Settlement — Lunenburg District RCMP investigating suspected arson in Tanner Settlement

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Lunenburg District RCMP is investigating a suspected arson after a structure fire in Tanner Settlement.

    On March 17, at approximately 2:10 am, Lunenburg District RCMP and fire services responded to a report of a fire at a home on Tanner Settlement Rd. Upon arrival, the residence was fully engulfed in flames.

    The fire was extinguished, but the home sustained extensive damage. No one was at the residence at the time of the fire.

    Initial investigation indicates the fire was intentionally set.

    The investigation is ongoing and is being led by the Lunenburg District RCMP with assistance from RCMP Forensic Identification Services and the Nova Scotia Fire Marshal’s Office.

    Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lunenburg District RCMP at 902-634-8674. To remain anonymous, contact Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). A secure web tip can be submitted at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca or use the P3 Tips App.

    File #: 2025-345521

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: Water cooperation is essential when countries share lakes and rivers – yet it’s been deteriorating in many places, with serious consequences

    Source: The Conversation – USA – By Susanne Schmeier, Associate Professor of Water Law and Diplomacy, IHE Delft

    Lake Chad once provided adequate livelihoods for 20 million people in Africa, but it lost 90% of its surface area in 30 years. AP Photo/Christophe Ena

    Just over half the world’s population shares a river or lake basin with at least one other country. To sustainably manage those water resources for the health of people, ecosystems and economies, neighboring countries must work together.

    However, many countries have been less willing to cooperate in recent years, even to protect a resource as vital as freshwater.

    This trend away from multilateralism isn’t unique to water. The world is seeing a decline in the general willingness of countries to jointly solve many interstate, regional and global challenges. It shows as countries, like the U.S., pull out of the global institutions, such as the World Health Organization, and drop their support for global climate goals.

    The breakdown in cooperation can have severe consequences. If one country takes more water than agreed upon, and builds dams or pollutes the water, its neighbors and their people, cities, agriculture, energy production and wildlife can suffer. That can ultimately destabilize local communities, deteriorate relations between countries and endanger regional peace and stability.

    Water flowing into Africa’s Nile River affects several countries. A large dam being built by Ethiopia has led to concerns and disputes in the region.
    AP Photo/Amr Nabil

    We conduct research and work with governments and international organizations on environment and water law, policy and governance. The shift we’re seeing away from multilateral cooperation and rules-based order to more nationalistic tendencies, in which a country prioritizes itself to the detriment of all others, is raising concerns about the future.

    Thousands of years of water cooperation paid off

    More than 4,000 years ago, two Sumerian city-states – Lagash and Umma – were engaged in a fierce war over a strip of fertile land and a canal fed by the Tigris River in what today would be southern Iraq.

    The conflict ended in 2550 B.C. with the first known precursor to an international water treaty. The Mesilim Treaty included payments and agreements on collaborative water use. It didn’t hold the peace permanently, but it created a model that lasted.

    Conflict still occurs over shared waters; however, since the late 1800s, and particularly since the end of World War II, cooperation has been the dominant interaction between countries in the world’s 313 surface water basins, 468 transboundary aquifers and more than 300 transboundary wetlands.

    In Europe, for example, countries have worked together through treaties, data sharing and joint projects to improve water quality, including in the Rhine and Danube rivers.

    Nine countries work closely to protect the health of the Rhine River, which each depends on. In 2018, that cooperation became essential as water levels dropped to levels that interrupted ship travel.
    AP Photo/Martin Meissner

    Having cooperative processes in place also helps when disagreements arise. In Southeast Asia, negotiations and technical exchanges between countries that share the Mekong River have helped to ease tensions over the construction of dams in Laos.

    Unilateralism is rising

    Despite the proven benefits from cooperating over water resources, we’re seeing a troubling trend: Countries are increasingly taking actions that undermine water cooperation.

    Even in the Columbia River Basin, often considered a model of cross-border cooperation, the status of an updated treaty between the U.S. and Canada is in question after the Trump administration paused talks in March 2025.

    Since 1964, the U.S. has paid Canada to control the river’s flow to prevent flooding and to serve U.S. hydropower plants. The updated deal has been agreed to in principle, but is not signed. That’s raising questions about what will happen if the interim agreements expire in 2027 before the new treaty comes into force.

    Another example is in the Zambezi River Basin in southern Africa, where countries increasingly disregard agreements to notify one another before building projects that will affect the water flow. Similar behavior happens in the Nile and Aral Sea regions, among others.

    Ethiopia’s construction of a large hydroelectric damage on the Blue Nile has upset its downstream neighbors.

    As unilateral actions over shared water resources become more frequent, the willingness of governments to enter into agreements and establish joint institutions to guide that cooperation is declining. The rate of establishing multilateral agreements has significantly slowed since the 2010s. Only around 10 agreements have been signed since 2020, and only two joint institutions have been established. A large proportion of basins have no agreements or institutions at all.

    The few recent attempts to establish cooperative mechanisms have stalled or failed. The formal establishment of an organization to manage Lake Kivu and the Ruzizi River basin, shared by Congo, Rwanda and Burundi, was never formally ratified by its member countries. That left the once-promising organization a zombie.

    Even when institutions already exist, some governments are withdrawing from them. But moves made for short-term gain can have long-term repercussions.

    An example involves the Aral Sea, which has shrunk dramatically since the 1960s due to a combination of water demand for cotton crops and climate change drying the region.

    The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, IFAS, was created in 1993 by five countries to support projects designed to ensure water use remains possible along its rivers. However, in 2016, Kyrgyzstan froze its membership, arguing that the organization wasn’t taking Kyrgyzstan’s national interests into account. Kyrgyzstan contributes about 25% of water flowing into the region. Its frozen participation limits IFAS’ effectiveness.

    The Aral Sea in Central Asia has been shrinking since the 1960s, but dramatically lost water each year over the past two decades. The top left image is from 2000.
    NASA

    Similarly, Egypt and Sudan froze their participation in the Nile Basin Initiative in 2010 over a cooperative agreement that they saw as violating their historical water rights – established in colonial 1929 and 1959 agreements – in favor of governance centered on “equitable water allocations.” While Sudan resumed participation in the Nile Basin Initiative in 2012, Egypt’s participation remains frozen.

    Erosion of multilateralism

    The changes we’re seeing with water agreements and institutions reflect a broader decline in countries’ willingness to address shared problems through multilateral cooperation — a trend that seems to be rapidly increasing.

    In the United States, the Trump administration is pursuing expansionist foreign policies and protectionist trade policies. The administration has also publicly wavered on the U.S. commitment to NATO and announced it was leaving the World Health Organization.

    Argentina also announced it would withdraw from the WHO. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have withdrawn from the Economic Community of West African States, which promotes economic and political cooperation in the region.

    The environment has been particularly affected by this trend. The U.S. move to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and the difficulty of reaching a global plastics treaty also reflect the growing difficulty in reaching cooperative solutions to benefit future generations.

    Harm to ecosystems, people and countries

    As climate change shrinks freshwater resources, and growing populations lead to overexploitation of water supplies, countries will increasingly need multilateral cooperation to avoid conflict.

    These agreements and institutions provide forums for communication and cooperation. Losing them can lead to less well-governed water resources, declining environmental, economic and health benefits, and increasing conflict.

    Lake Chad is a cautionary example. The Lake Chad Basin Commission was established in 1964 by Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria to oversee its water and other natural resources and coordinate projects related to the lake. But the countries never fully committed to cooperating.

    Since then, the lake has shrunk by around 90%, which has increased poverty by reducing people’s access to vital water resources to support their livelihoods. And that has created optimal conditions for terrorist group Boko Haram’s violent insurgency to succeed in recruiting young men who had limited livelihood options left.

    People collect water from a branch of Lake Chad in Ngouboua, Chad, which has been attacked by the terrorist group Boko Haram. People depend on the lake for water, but it has been shrinking.
    Philippe Desmazes/AFP via Getty Images

    We believe this decline in countries’ commitment to multilateral cooperation should be a wake-up call for everyone. If the world’s most precious resource is not managed cooperatively and sustainably across international boundaries, more than just water is at risk.

    Melissa McCracken has not received funding related to this article.

    Susanne Schmeier 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. Water cooperation is essential when countries share lakes and rivers – yet it’s been deteriorating in many places, with serious consequences – https://theconversation.com/water-cooperation-is-essential-when-countries-share-lakes-and-rivers-yet-its-been-deteriorating-in-many-places-with-serious-consequences-251864

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI Security: The ‘Wolf of West Virginia’ Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud

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

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Theodore Miller, 35, of South Charleston, pleaded guilty today to two counts of wire fraud. Miller admitted to defrauding more than 170 individuals through two real estate-related investment schemes that caused losses of between $395,000 and $434,501.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Miller conceived and perpetrated the two fraudulent schemes between the spring of 2022 and September 2024. One scheme solicited direct investments to develop modern residential duplexes and a dry-storage lot on Bigley Avenue in Charleston. The other scheme offered a pooled real estate investment vehicle dubbed “Bear Lute.”

    To carry out these schemes, Miller portrayed himself on social media as the “Wolf of West Virginia,” a wealthy, successful and knowledgeable real estate mogul with enough disposable income to travel the world at his leisure. As part of his guilty pleas, Miller admitted that in reality, he had poor credit, thin month-to-month financial margins, was delinquent on property taxes and bills, and defaulted on loans.

    In each scheme, Miller made multiple misrepresentations to investors. These misrepresentations included that individuals would receive returns on their investments, that their investments were secured by real property, and that they could withdraw their investments. As part of his guilty pleas, Miller admitted that there were no returns on investments, that he never owned the real property he identified as security for the investments, and that he used the money from his fraud schemes to pay unrelated expenses, debts and obligations.

    Miller’s victims included an individual who wired $20,000 to Miller from California for the storage lot project on July 5, 2022, and an individual who wired $2,500 to Miller from Texas for Bear Lute on December 12, 2022.

    The money from the schemes was deposited into bank accounts for several entities Miller solely owned and operated including Bear Industries LLC, which initially served as an umbrella entity for the related businesses. Miller’s mother, Deanna Drumm, served as vice president of operations for Bear Industries from in or around 2019 to September 2024. While Miller lived outside the United States from in or about June  2021 to on or about August 8, 2024, he directed his mother to handle the day-to-day operational tasks for the Bear entities including the management of finances and transfer of funds.

    Drumm, 61, of Charleston, pleaded guilty on November 21, 2024, to aiding and abetting the sale and offer of unregistered securities. Both the direct investments and the Bear Lute investments were securities as defined by federal law, offered through interstate commerce via the internet, and were required to be registered. Drumm admitted that no registration statement was in effect for either of these securities, and that neither was exempt from the registration requirement. Drumm further admitted that she aided and abetted the offering of these unregistered securities in the course of her duties as vice president of operations for Bear Industries. Drumm is scheduled to be sentenced on May 29, 2025.

    In September 2022, the West Virginia Securities Commission issued a cease-and-desist letter to Bear Industries ordering it to stop the unregistered sale and offering of securities in Bear Lute. In November 2022, the West Virginia Securities Commission issued a cease-and-desist order regarding the same. Miller admitted that he continued to operate Bear Lute in violation of the order and never disclosed the order to his investors.

    On August 9, 2024, law enforcement officers arrested Miller following his return to the United States. Miller admitted that he told his wife during a recorded jail phone call on August 11, 2024, to report his iPhone stolen to make it inaccessible to law enforcement and to hide a backpack containing his laptop computer. Miller further admitted that the laptop contained most of the documents related to the direct investments and Bear Lute.

    Miller is scheduled to be sentenced on July 2, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $500,000 fine. Miller also owes restitution of between $395,000 and $434,501, with the final amount to be determined by the Court.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the West Virginia Fusion Center, the West Virginia Securities Commission, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

    United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Holly Wilson and Joshua Hanks are prosecuting the case.

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a parallel civil action against Miller, Bear Industries LLC, Bear Investments and Business Consulting LLC, and Drumm in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia. The lawsuit alleges that Miller has engaged in the unregistered and fraudulent offer of securities related to his real estate-related investment programs since at least 2022, and that Miller’s social-media persona and businesses were all a calculated fraud to divert investor funds for his own personal benefit. The lawsuit seeks permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains and prejudgment interest, and civil penalties.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case Nos. 2:24-cr-145 and 2:24-cv-479.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Mayor announces new £6 million fund to support survivors of domestic abuse

    Source: Mayor of London

    • New £6 million investment from Mayor will help ensure thousands of victims and survivors of domestic abuse get the help and support they need to reach safe accommodation, and rebuild their lives for the long term
    • Since its launch in 2021, the Mayor’s Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation (DASA) programme has ensured more than 23,500 victims and survivors have received support
    • Additional funding builds on Sadiq’s record £233 million funding to tackle violence against women and girls in all its forms
    • Mayor visits voluntary organisations Refuge, Solace and Asha in Lambeth to see first-hand how his Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation (DASA) programme is supporting the most vulnerable in London’s diverse communities

    The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced a new £6 million package of funding to support grassroots community organisations delivering life-changing support for victims and survivors of domestic abuse and violence across the capital.

    The funding will be used to fund keyworkers, helplines, advocates who can help support victims find new housing, legal advice, counselling and specialist play therapy for children alongside a range of other initiatives.

    It is part of Sadiq’s £54 million investment in his Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation (DASA) programme1 which funds vital support and services for survivors and their children in safe accommodation. 

    The additional £6 million announced today builds on the record support the Mayor has already provided for domestic abuse services in London, which includes the delivery of 81 vital services for domestic abuse survivors between 2022 and 2024.2

    Since it launched in 2021, the Mayor’s DASA programme has helped more than 23,500 survivors of domestic abuse, including vulnerable men, women, and children from across London’s communities rebuild their lives. Thanks to new City Hall investment, it is expected that thousands of more victims and survivors will benefit over the course of the Mayor’s DASA programme.

    The latest Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) found that an estimated 2.3 million people aged 16 or over in the UK had experienced domestic abuse in the last year ending March 2024.3 In London there were 86,863 police recorded domestic abuse offences in the 12-month period to February 2025.4

    Sadiq is continuing to work in partnership with community organisations, government, charities, the police and other partners to support victims of domestic abuse access safe housing and one-to-one support to cope and recover from trauma and abuse.

    However, victims and survivors are still facing barriers in receiving the help they need and the situation has been exacerbated by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis which is forcing many people who have been impacted to stay with abusers or face financial hardship.

    The Mayor is determined to ensure that all Londoners in need are able to access the domestic abuse support they need, in a way that benefits them. To help achieve that, Sadiq has today set out a new refreshed approach to Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation which will create more safe spaces for victims and survivors from minority backgrounds – included faith-based communities and those with more complex needs. The new approach will help communities from London’s diverse communities feel more comfortable reaching out for support. 5

    Today, the Mayor visited voluntary organisations Refuge, Solace and Asha in Lambeth to see first-hand how his funding will continue to help dedicated staff deliver high-quality care and support for survivors of domestic abuse and their families.

    The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “Domestic abuse refuges and community organisations are a lifeline for so many Londoners in need. Despite caseloads growing, grassroot support groups are struggling to survive due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis and years of underfunding from the previous government.

    “So I’m pleased to be working with partners to fund vital support services for thousands of survivors of domestic abuse and violence who need safe accommodation across our city.

    “The investment I have announced today will build on my record £233 million funding to tackle violence against women and girls in all its forms and help community organisations continue their life-changing work with some of the most vulnerable people experiencing domestic abuse so we can build a safer and fairer London for everyone.”

    Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Kaya Comer-Schwartz, said: “The Mayor’s funding for domestic abuse victims and survivors is changing lives. Since 2021, the DASA programme has ensured more than 23,500 victims and survivors have received the support they need to move forward.

    “This latest investment and refreshed strategy will help us do even more and ensure Londoners of all backgrounds can access the vital one-to-one care they need to rebuild their lives. All of this is happening alongside record funding for the police to go after the worst domestic abuse offenders and better education and public campaigns to tackle the root causes of misogyny and domestic violence.”

    Deputy Mayor of London for Housing and Residential Development, Tom Copley, said: “This vital new investment from the Mayor will ensure thousands of victims and survivors of domestic abuse in safe accommodation receive the help they need to rebuild their lives.

    “This will enable grassroots community organisations to continue delivering life-changing services for victims, including helplines and therapy, as we build a safer London for all.”

    London’s Independent Victims’ Commissioner, Claire Waxman OBE, said: “It’s absolutely critical that victims and survivors affected by domestic abuse and violence receive the support and help they need to access safety and rebuild their lives.

    “I know first-hand from my work with victims across the capital just how important these specialist services are; safe accommodation offers survivors a lifeline and ensures they can escape their abusers. Whilst there is a still a lot more work to do to tackle the root causes of domestic abuse, I hope this new funding from City Hall will support the most vulnerable victims and survivors in our diverse communities.”

    Cllr Claire Holland, the Leader of Lambeth Council, said: “We are proud of Lambeth’s leading work to support women and girls who are victims and survivors of domestic abuse and to work with the Mayor of London on our shared ambitions to keep women and girls safe.

    “This visit recognises Lambeth’s long history of strong local funding, partnerships and expertise. We are committed to tackling gender based violence in all its forms in our borough and have protected these services from the deep funding cuts our sector has faced over many years. Lambeth Council’s strategy for tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) has been in place since 2021 and sets out how the council works with its partners on the issue over the following five years. It builds on previous strategies and a decade of work to establish effective services, partnerships and processes that support victims and survivors and their children and hold perpetrators to account.

    “Lambeth council funds 52 refuge bed spaces, which is the highest number of commissioned domestic abuse safe accommodation beds in any London borough, and twice as many as the London average. The majority offer culturally specific support in recognition of the evidenced benefit of tailored support for women and their children fleeing abuse. There is also specialist community-based support for victims and survivors of all genders and ages who are at risk of gender based violence through our free, confidential and independent service, the Gaia Centre. We look forward to working with the Mayor and his team on a fair and sustainable offer for those fleeing domestic abuse across London.”

    Martina Palmer, Head of Services at Refuge, said: “Refuge is delighted to welcome a new strategy for domestic abuse safe accommodation from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC). Violence against women and girls (VAWG) in London remains at ‘endemic’ levels, and funding for safe accommodation for survivors is an integral part of what’s needed to make good on the Government’s pledge to halve VAWG within the next decade.

    “Refuges play a lifesaving role for survivors by giving them the space, safety and support required to rebuild their lives free from abuse. We are proud to be continuing our work with Lambeth and other expert partners to deliver a co-ordinated approach to domestic abuse that is inclusive, accessible and tailored to each survivor’s individual needs.”

    Nahar Choudhury, Chief Executive of Solace, said: “Safe and accessible accommodation is a lifeline for survivors of domestic abuse, and we welcome the Mayor’s commitment to improving provision across London. Solace has been proud to contribute to the consultation on this strategy, which takes important steps to expand safe accommodation, strengthen specialist support, and remove barriers for those most in need.

    “We are particularly pleased to see a focus on grant funding for ‘by and for’ services, improving sanctuary schemes, expanding move on housing, and investing in psychologically informed environments. We look forward to continuing our work with the Mayor’s Office and partners to ensure every survivor in London has a secure place to rebuild their life.”

    Ila Patel, Director of Asha, said: “We welcome the Mayor’s new strategy for Domestic Abuse Safe Accommodation, which is an important step in ensuring survivors have the support they need.

    Specialist by and for organisations like Asha play a crucial role in supporting women who are often the most vulnerable and least visible.

    “Working together with our Lambeth partners, we have delivered quality support to survivors, ensuring they feel safe, valued, and empowered to rebuild their lives. As a small organisation, this achievement was made possible through the DASA funding, which has been vital in enabling us to provide this essential support.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fatal collision close to The Strand

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Police are on scene and dealing with a collision close to The Strand, WC2.

    Officers were called at 11:41hrs on Tuesday, 18 March following a collision involving a van and pedestrians.

    Three pedestrians suffered injuries, with a woman in her twenties sadly pronounced dead at the scene. Two pedestrians have been taken to hospital, one has potentially life-threatening injuries, and the other has minor injuries.

    The driver of the van, a 26-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion causing death by careless driving and driving with concentration of specified controlled drug above specified limit.

    He remains in custody.

    Enquiries are ongoing and a crime scene is in place.

    This collision is not being treated as terrorism-related.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Cocoa Man Who Drove Across the State to Commit Armed Robbery in Tampa and Shot Employee in the Face Charged

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

    Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the filing of a criminal complaint charging Phillip Johnson (21, Cocoa) with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, robbery, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. If convicted on all counts, Johnson faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison.  

    According to the complaint, during the early morning hours of February 1, 2025, three individuals traveled from Brevard County to Tampa to commit a robbery. After arriving in Tampa, the three individuals went inside the Dreams Club near Ybor City. The three individuals were wearing all black clothing, ski masks, and armed with rifles and handguns.  

    While inside, the three individuals demanded money from the victim, and Johnson ultimately shot the victim in the face. 

    A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Tampa Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with great assistance provided by the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, the Cocoa Police Department and the State Attorney’s Office for the 13th Judicial Circuit in Tampa. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Haines City Man Arrested for String of Convenience Store Robberies

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

    Tampa, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the arrest of Davian Walker (19, Haines City) for robberies of convenience stores throughout the Middle District of Florida. If convicted, Walker faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. 

    According to the complaint and court statements, Walker committed five robberies over the course of less than three months. Each robbery involved Walker brandishing what appeared to be a handgun to store clerks and demanding cash.

    Through an investigation into the first four robberies, law enforcement was able to link Walker to the robberies by identifying his phone number and the vehicle Walker was using to travel to each of the robberies. Using that information, law enforcement tracked and ultimately arrested Walker shortly after he committed a robbery in Titusville during the early morning hours of March 13, 2025.

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office, the Zephyrhills Police Department, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Titusville Police Department, the Orlando Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Candace Garcia Rich.

    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 –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Transnational Criminal Organization That Dispatched Thousands of Kilograms of Cocaine From the Venezuela/Colombia Border Dismantled

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

    Tampa, FL – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces the dismantlement of a transnational criminal organization (TCO) that operated out of La Guajira, a peninsula on the Venezuelan/Colombian border. From there, the organization dispatched thousands of kilograms of cocaine intended for the United States and Europe.

    Socrates Barros-Fince Transnational Criminal Organization

    Name

    Age

    Sentence Imposed
    Socrates Gabriel Barros-Fince, a/k/a “Chunchun,” “Chun,” “Indio,” “El Loco,” “Tawara,” “Chupo”

    45

    		 17 years, 6 months
    Cristian Camilo Cordoba-Cuesta, a/k/a “Cris,” “El Primo”

    37

    		 14 years
    Jorge Leonardo Diaz-Ramos, a/k/a “40,” “Numerito”

    35

    		 7 years, 3 months
    Santander Barros-Pulido, a/k/a “Pollo,” “Tio,” “Divino”

    57

    		 15 years, 8 months
    Nefer Alfonso Hinojosa-Larrada, a/k/a “El Negrito,” “Divino”

    45

    15 years, 8 months

     

    According to the plea agreements, the above-named individuals were part of a transnational criminal organization that dispatched cocaine-laden vessels to the Dominican Republic and Spain. From the Venezuela/Colombia border, the organization planned smuggling trips and recruited crewmembers for that purpose. It was foreseeable to the conspirators that some of the cocaine was intended for the United States.

    The investigation resulted in several seizures totaling over 6,700 kilograms associated with the organization that were prosecuted in the United States and abroad, to include:

    • Seizure of about 932 kilograms of cocaine near the Dominican Republic on August 15, 2016;
    • Interdiction of a go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea on November 9-10, 2016, smuggling about 700 kilograms of cocaine and prosecuted in the United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico;
    • Interdiction of a go-fast vessel in the Caribbean Sea on October 4, 2018, smuggling over 450 kilograms of cocaine and prosecuted in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida;
    • Interdiction of the M/V KARAR carrying about 4,000 kilograms of cocaine off the coast of Galicia, Spain on April 25, 2020, resulting in the arrests of 15 crewmembers and a dozen Spanish organized crime members.

    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.

    This prosecution is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Panama Express Strike Force Initiative, whose mission is to disrupt and dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations involved in large scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and related activities. The OCDETF Panama Express Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from the Coast Guard Investigative Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations. The Colombian National Police, Spanish National Police, and Spanish Coast Guard provided critical investigative support. The Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá assisted in the extradition of these defendants. The prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fort Wainwright Soldier Arrested on Multiple Child Pornography Charges

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

    Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division is seeking additional information.

    FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A Soldier stationed at Fort Wainwright was arrested yesterday evening on the military base after a criminal complaint was filed in federal court charging him with production and possession of child pornography.

    According to court documents, on Sept. 11, 2024, the Fort Eustis Resident Unit of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division (DACID) received a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) cybertip reporting that five images of alleged child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were uploaded to an online platform. Fort Eustis DACID reviewed the images and determined they depicted CSAM of prepubescent female children.

    A subsequent investigation resulted in law enforcement executing search warrants in October 2024 for the residence of David Andres Mayoral, 20, Mayoral’s electronic devices and his account on the previously mentioned online platform.

    A review and forensic examination of Mayoral’s accounts and electronic devices allegedly revealed over 2,500 images and over 680 videos of suspected CSAM that Mayoral possessed and communicated across four messaging applications.

    The complaint also alleges Mayoral engaged in sexually explicit conversations with minor victims, where he requested and directed the victims to take sexually explicit photos and send them to him.

    Mayoral is charged with three counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. If convicted, Mayoral faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman of the District of Alaska, Special Agent in Charge Michele Starostka of the DACID Western Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office made the announcement.

    The DACID and FBI Anchorage Field Office are investigating the case.  If anyone has information concerning Mayoral’s alleged actions or may have encountered an individual using the name “David Mayoral” or “ghoulishclown” online, please contact DACID at (907)353-6212 or anonymously at www.cid.army.mil/Submit-a-Tip/.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carly Vosacek and Jennifer Ivers are prosecuting 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 CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Fullstory Has Successful Second Half: Sees Sustained Enterprise Customer Growth, Launches Innovation Solutions with Google, and Becomes First In Industry Certified In Responsible AI

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    ATLANTA, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fullstory, a leading behavioral data company, today announced several milestones the company reached in the second half of its fiscal year, including customer growth in key market segments, co-developed partner solutions, and certification for responsible AI.

    Following a strong first half, Fullstory’s momentum carried through the remainder of its year, and the company continues to see an increasing appetite for digital behavioral data. Its recent research findings highlighted the significant opportunity for enterprises to improve customer experiences and anticipate buyer needs through AI-driven personalization, a task that hinges on nuanced customer behavioral insights made available only through this unique data source.

    Customer and Partner Momentum
    Fullstory continues to see noteworthy growth in its enterprise customer base. Large accounts have been its fastest-growing customer segment for the past six consecutive quarters, with sustained double-digit growth for the past 14 consecutive quarters. In the second half of its fiscal year, Fullstory added several large and well-respected organizations to its customer portfolio, including: one of the largest crowdfunding platforms; a top 10 airline; one of the largest cruise lines; a Fortune 100 technology company; a high-end fashion house; a prominent online retail styling service; a Fortune 500 bank; a luxury women’s retailer; and one of the largest online gaming and sports betting companies in North America.

    Its inaugural customer awards, announced in January 2025, included winners across industries. The winners were Autodesk—Customer Experience Champion; Chipotle—Analytics In Action; LTK—AI Innovator; NOBULL—Fastest Time To Value; Patagonia—Data-Driven Innovator; PepsiCo—Cross-Platform Creator; and Pizza Hut—Digital Transformation Leader.

    Fullstory also continued to deepen its relationship with key partners across the ecosystem, activating its digital behavioral data in unique ways to deliver value to customers. In the fall of 2024, Fullstory and Google launched a number of Innovation Solutions that address specific mission-critical use cases across industries:

    Fullstory, alongside NVIDIA and Palo Alto Networks, will present additional top-of-mind use cases, like monetizing AI agents, at Google Cloud Next in April 2025.

    Leadership Appointments
    In addition to the appointments of President Jason Wolf and Chief Product and Technology Officer Claire Fang in the first half of its year, Fullstory added notable roles, including:

    • Chief Customer Officer: Adam Spisak, who has nearly two decades of experience and a depth of knowledge in customer success, was appointed Chief Customer Officer.
    • Chief Revenue Officer: Phil Simpson, a longtime Fullstory employee and former Salesforce sales executive, was appointed Chief Revenue Officer.

    Industry Recognition
    Fullstory continued to lead and innovate by being the first in the digital behavioral data analytics space to receive ISO/IEC 42001, the accredited certification for responsible AI.

    “We are honored to be not only the first in our industry but also amongst some of the largest and most trusted companies in the world to receive ISO/IEC 42001 certification,” said Mark Stanislav, vice president of security engineering & governance, risk, and compliance at Fullstory. “The power of AI must be matched with responsible, early security diligence to allow exciting new solutions to meet the expectations that customers should place on their vendors.”

    To learn more about Fullstory, visit www.fullstory.com.  

    About Fullstory
    Fullstory is on a mission to help technology leaders make better, more informed decisions by injecting behavioral data into their analytics stack. The company’s patented technology unlocks the power of quality behavioral data at scale by transforming every digital visit into actionable data and insights. With Fullstory, enterprises can get closer to their customers’ true sentiments and intentions to predict what they want, create personalized experiences, and drive conversion, loyalty, and revenue. Fullstory is headquartered in Atlanta, USA, with regional teams across North America, EMEA, and APAC. For more information, visit www.fullstory.com.

    Fullstory Media Relations
    Alexandra King
    Director of Communications
    pr@fullstory.com 

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI: Pivotal Appoints Marjorie Dickman to its Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    PALO ALTO, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Pivotal, the market leader in light electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, today announced the appointment of Marjorie Dickman to its board of directors. A global government affairs and geopolitical expert, Ms. Dickman is consistently recognized among the nation’s top public policy executives and top women in technology. For decades, she has led corporate strategies that navigate complex regulatory landscapes in the U.S. and abroad – creating opportunities, managing risk and growing market share.

    “We are thrilled to welcome Marjorie to Pivotal’s Board of Directors. Her wisdom of U.S. and global government affairs and her deep business acumen in the emerging tech and transportation sectors are invaluable to our growth,” said Ken Karklin, Chief Executive Officer, Pivotal. “This is an exciting time for Pivotal. Our aircraft offer a new way to experience flight, and our aero architecture is ready for public safety and defense use cases.”

    “I am excited to join the board and delighted that my extensive experience in tech and transportation innovation aligns with Pivotal’s mission,” said Marjorie Dickman. “I am especially pleased that my regulatory expertise in navigating global market access and competition can be an asset for Pivotal’s growth in the eVTOL market.”

    About Marjorie Dickman
    Ms. Dickman is a highly seasoned government affairs expert and attorney, based in Washington, D.C.

    She built her career leading government engagement and communication strategies for multinational technology companies – with a focus on rapidly evolving sectors like AI, automated and connected vehicles, cybersecurity, data privacy, Internet of Things (transport, energy, manufacturing), and secure communications for defense and first responders. Her track record of success building trusted government relationships, influencing public policy, and navigating regulatory and legal frameworks has earned numerous accolades. Examples include “Tech Titan” Policy Influencer, Global HERoes Role Model, and Most Powerful Women in Tech.

    As BlackBerry’s first Chief Government Affairs and Public Policy Officer and direct report to the CEO/Executive Chairman, Ms. Dickman opened the company’s Washington, D.C. office in 2020. She built BlackBerry’s Global Government Affairs and Public Policy organization from the ground up, including the company’s Government Relations and Technical Standards teams operating in the U.S., Canada, EMEA, the UK, LATAM, and APJ.

    Prior to BlackBerry, Ms. Dickman led a highly successful 16-year career at Intel Corporation – most recently launching and leading global government affairs for two of Intel’s most ‘disruptive’ businesses: Automated Driving and the Internet of Things – where she managed teams across the U.S., EMEA, China and Japan. Prior to Intel, she practiced law at a prominent Washington firm, specializing in telecom regulation and M&A.

    Ms. Dickman has been appointed to the Boards of the Eno Center for Transportation, Consumer Technology Association (CES), U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Engagement Center and Cybersecurity Leadership Council, No. Virginia Technology Council, and George Mason University’s College of Engineering and Computing. She is an honors graduate of Georgetown University Law Center (J.D.) and Duke University (A.B., Public Policy).

    About Pivotal
    Pivotal designs, develops, and manufactures light eVTOL aircraft. An industry pioneer, Pivotal is renowned for the BlackFly, the first light eVTOL to be commercially available and delivered to customers in the United States. In October 2023, Pivotal introduced its next generation production aircraft, the Helix, and in January 2024 began sales of the Helix. The company’s distinctive tilt-aircraft architecture and scalable technology platform have been under continuous improvement for well over a decade, and today, Pivotal has the most mature technology in the light eVTOL category. Efficient, compact, and simple, Pivotal vehicles are designed for a wide range of consumer, public safety, and defense applications. The company is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. For videos and more information, visit https://pivotal.aero.

    Media Contact:
    Heidi Groshelle
    press@pivotal.aero

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7fd7ffc9-f2e7-429c-b5b0-55ff0a50da3d

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Coventry food business sentenced for filthy conditions

    Source: City of Coventry

    A Coventry food business operator has been given a 12-month conditional discharge after pleading guilty to food hygiene offences.

    Mrs Liang Zheng, the former Food Business Operator of Chef Wang, 4 Torrington Avenue, Coventry pleaded guilty to 3 hygiene offences at Coventry Magistrates Court on 12 March 2025.  

    Mrs Zheng was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay costs of £3,377.58 as well as a victim surcharge of £26.

    Food & Safety Officers visited the business to undertake an unannounced food hygiene inspection on 7 June 2023. During this visit, filthy conditions were found throughout the kitchen. The standard of cleaning was well below standard – both day to day cleaning such as touch points, as well as deeper cleaning.

    Officers found:

    • Wash hand basins were not in use, either being obstructed or not provided with soap and hygienic hand drying facilities.
    • Dirty and deteriorated cloths were in use for cleaning.
    • Staff not wearing clean protective clothing.
    • Flies throughout the food preparation and handling areas.

    Officers worked with the food business to ensure conditions were improved and it was safe to operate.

    On 27 July 2023 following a paid for request for a re-rating revisit, a rating of 3 (hygiene standards are generally satisfactory) was achieved.

    When questioned about the poor conditions found in June 2023, Mrs Zheng did not appear to understand the gravity of the situation and did not think the conditions found by officers were poor, thus demonstrating that Mrs Zheng’s baseline cleaning standards do not match those of food hygiene law.

    Mrs Zheng pleaded guilty to three offences under the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations in respect of the following identified issues:

    •         Failure to keep the premises clean.

    •         Failure to protect food from contamination.

    •         Failure to implement and maintain a permanent procedure or procedures based on the HACCP (Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points) principles.

    The business has been subject to several inspections since the poor conditions were found in 2023.

    In June 2024, an unannounced food hygiene inspection led to a rating of 1 (major improvement is necessary) being issued and following payment for a rating revisit, a further unannounced inspection was carried out in August 2024 which resulted in a food hygiene rating of 4 (hygiene standards are good).

    Councillor Khan, Cabinet Member for Policing and Equalities said:

    “It is vital that people running food businesses in Coventry are running clean and safe establishments all of the time to ensure the safety of the food they sell to customers.”

    “This is a reminder to all Food Business Operators to ensure they have a clean kitchen with suitably trained staff undertaking regular and thorough cleaning every day to prevent a problem like this occurring and putting customers at a risk to their health”

    Davina Blackburn, Strategic Lead for Regulation and Communities in the city, said:

    “We take a staged approach to enforcement and prosecution is a matter of last resort. Wherever possible officers will always try to work with businesses offering advice and guidance but will take the necessary actions if they feel there is a risk to health.”

    We would encourage all residents to report unsatisfactory food hygiene conditions found in food businesses in Coventry to ehcommercial@coventry.gov.uk or call 08085834333.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Bessie Margolin, Labor Lawyer

    Source: US Global Legal Monitor

    Bessie Margolin was not born to privilege; she was left at the Jewish Orphans Home of New Orleans at four. She was fortunate to have a foundational education at the Newman School. She was admitted to Tulane Law School, the only woman in her class, and graduated with a liberal arts degree and a law degree, with honors, in 1930. The strong recommendations that she had from Tulane got her admitted to Yale Law School, where she worked as a research assistant and earned the Sterling Fellowship, the first woman to be awarded that honor. She graduated from Yale with a J.S.D. in May 1933. She immediately began working as a researcher for the Inter-American Commission of Women, mainly writing and conducting her research at the Library of Congress during that summer. (Trestman, 38.)

    Her first permanent post-degree position was at the new agency, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), at a time when women formed only 2% of the legal profession. (Trestman, 41.) While at the TVA, where again she was the first female lawyer, she worked on several key cases, including a few that challenged the TVA’s existence, such as Ashwander v. Tennessee Valley

    KF26 .L3 1963e United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. Equal Pay Act of 1963.
  • Earl Warren papers, box 832, Remarks, Dinner Marking Retirement of Bessie Margolin, Washington Hilton Hotel, January 28, 1972.
  • JK671.C52  Civil Service Journal.
  • KF3306 2016 The Employment Law Sourcebook / Eleanor L. Grossman, J.D., and Robert B. McKinney, J.D., of the staff of the National Legal Research Group, Inc., editors.

Subscribe to In Custodia Legis – it’s free! – to receive interesting posts drawn from the Law Library of Congress’s vast collections and our staff’s expertise in U.S., foreign, and international law.

MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Case Concludes with Nine Defendants Sentenced to a Total of Over 79 Years in Federal Prison

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

    ALEXANDRIA, La. – Nine defendants involved in an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (“OCDETF”) operation have all been sentenced for their involvement in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, announced Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook. This investigation in the Avoyelles Parish area resulted in a total sentence of over 79 years in federal prison for these defendants who conspired together in this drug trafficking organization. United States District Judge Dee D. Drell sentenced the nine defendants as follows:

    Darrell Joseph Sampson, Jr., 39, of Marksville, Louisiana, has been sentenced to 113 months (9 years, 5 months) in prison, for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    Christopher Glynn Bradford, 46, of Marksville, was sentenced to 50 months (4 years, 2 months) in prison, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    Travis Demond Carroll, 34, of Baton Rouge, was sentenced to 180 months (15 years) in prison, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    Kelly Johnson, Jr., 32, of Lake Charles, was sentenced to 90 months (7 years, 6 months) in prison, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    Troy Wayne Dominick, 42, of Mansura, was sentenced to 80 months (6 years, 8 months) in prison, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    Arthor Francisco, 37, of Moreauville, was sentenced to 160 months (13 years, 4 months) in prison, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    Desmond Dewayne Jordan, 46, of Alexandria, was sentenced to 225 months (18 years, 9 months) in prison, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    Joseph Patrick Murray, III, 27, of Cottonport, was sentenced to 37 months (3 years, 1 month) in prison, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    Tremayne Lee Lavalais, 34, of Bunkie, was sentenced to 20 months (1 year, 8 months) in prison, for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

    Each defendant will serve a term of supervised release following their release from prison.

    The FBI Central Louisiana Gang Task Force began an investigation into the distribution of methamphetamine in the Avoyelles Parish area. During their investigation, agents conducted surveillance of the defendants and observed them conducting drug transactions. Law enforcement agents received authorization to conduct wiretaps on phones which the defendants were using to conduct their drug trafficking business. Between January and September of 2023, numerous communications between the defendants wherein they discussed their narcotics trafficking were intercepted by law enforcement. This organization sourced the methamphetamine from the Houston, Texas area and distributed it throughout central and south Louisiana. 

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Louisiana State Police, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys John W. Nickel and LaDonte A. Murphy.

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

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: 6 killed in aircraft crash off Roatan Island

    Source: China State Council Information Office 3

    Honduran National Police officers and rescue teams from the Honduran government work in rescue operations after a small plane crashed into the sea, on Roatan island, Honduras, on March 17, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

    At least six people were killed after a small plane lost control and crashed on Monday evening upon taking off from Roatan Island in northern Honduras, said Octavio Pineda, minister of Infrastructure and Transportation of Honduras.

    The plane carried 18 people, including 15 passengers and three crew members, said the official.

    The aircraft lost power upon takeoff and fell into the sea some 1 km from the side of the airstrip, Miroslava Cerpas, the presidential commissioner of the National 911 Emergency System of Honduras told Xinhua.

    The aircraft of the Lanhsa company was carrying out a local flight from the Juan Manuel Galvez International Airport in Roatan to the city of La Ceiba.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: Registration for the qualifying round of the International Financial Security Olympiad is open

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: State University Higher School of Economics – State University Higher School of Economics –

    The Olympiad is organized by Rosfinmonitoring jointly with the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Education of Russia, as well as universities of the International Network Institute in the field of AML/CFT, including the Higher School of Economics. This year, HSE experts took methodological part in developing the tasks of the invitational round. Schoolchildren and students who registered for the selection round before March 30 are allowed to participate.

    International Financial Security Olympiad — is an intellectual competition that is held annually on the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. Its main objectives include popularizing financial security as a norm of life, minimizing the risks of involving young people in illegal activities and forming a new type of thinking: from the financial security of an individual to the financial security of the state and the commonwealth of states. Over the four years of its existence, the Olympiad has already united over 6 million people from 36 countries!

    The Olympiad is held for students in grades 8–10 in the unified profile “financial security” based on such school subjects as mathematics, computer science and social studies, and for students (1–3 years of bachelor’s degree, 1–4 years of specialist degree and 1st year of master’s degree) — in separate areas of training:

    jurisprudence;

    Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, Mathematics and Computer Science, Fundamental Computer Science and Information Technology, Computer Science and Computer Engineering, Applied Computer Science, Information Security, Business Computer Science;

    economics, finance and credit, economic security;

    international relations, foreign regional studies.

    The International Financial Security Olympiad is held in several stages. The first of them is an invitational one, which allows you to get acquainted with the format of the tasks, study additional materials and prepare for the new cycle. The second stage is a qualifying one. It is organized in the form of two rounds – from March 31 to April 4 and from April 9 to 15 – in an online format using the Sodruzhestvo platform. You can start completing the tasks only after registration, which must be completed before March 30.

    The third important stage is the qualification stage, which is scheduled for the period from August 1 to September 3.

    The final will take place from September 28 to October 3 at the Siberian Federal University (Russia, Krasnoyarsk).

    Winners and prize winners of the Olympiad will receive advantages when entering a university and offers for practical training and internships with the possibility of further employment from Rosfinmonitoring, the Bank of Russia, PAO Promsvyazbank, MUMCFM, leading financial organizations and partners. Schoolchildren who show high results will be able to enroll in a bachelor’s/specialist’s degree at the Higher School of Economics without entrance examinations or get 100 points for the entrance examination. The benefits apply to the programs of the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow.Information security“, “Computer security” And “Jurisprudence: Digital Lawyer“, as well as to the relevant programs in Nizhny Novgorod And Perm.

    “We invite students not only to test themselves by participating in the Olympiad, but also to delve into the issues of financial security in more detail! For this purpose, in 2025 we are launching a minor”Financial Security and Computer Investigations”. You will be able to obtain the necessary knowledge base and form a framework of important legal, financial and digital competencies, and upon completion – an official document confirming the additional qualification received. Thanks to this, new career opportunities in this field will open up for you,” comments Alexander Chepovsky, Director of Strategic Work with Applicants.

    The micro-qualification obtained by the minor is “specialist (expert) in the field of financial and information security”. It will allow you to be a sought-after employee in the corporate sector, government agencies, budgetary organizations and non-profit organizations.

    Minor Selection Campaign will take place in the near future: March 20 and 21 – the first wave, March 25 – the second.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Boston arrests illegal Guatemalan alien charged with sex crimes against Massachusetts minor

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    BRIGHTON, Mass. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended Sostenes Perez-Lopez, 59, an illegal Guatemalan alien charged with two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child in Brighton, Feb. 18.

    “Sostenes Perez-Lopez stands accused of some horrific crimes against a child in Massachusetts,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. “We will not tolerate the victimization of our residents at the hands of alien offenders. ICE Boston will continue to prioritize the safety of our public by arresting and removing illegally present lawbreakers.”

    Perez illegally entered the United States on an unknown date, at an unknown location and without being inspected by a U.S. immigration official.

    ICE lodged an immigration detainer against Perez with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department, Nashua Street Jail Nov. 28, 2024, following Perez’ apprehension for indecent assault and battery on a child under 14.

    The Boston Municipal Court, Brighton Division, arraigned Perez Nov. 29, 2024, on two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. Following his arraignment, the court ordered Perez committed to the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department in lieu of posting bail in the amount of $8,000.

    The Boston Municipal Court ignored the ICE detainer and released Perez on bail Dec. 12, 2024. The court fitted Perez with GPS to include special conditions pending the outcome of his case.

    ICE served Perez with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge following his arrest and he remains in ICE custody.

    Members of the public can report crimes or suspicious activity by dialing the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our communities on X: @EROBoston.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man charged following serious assault in Bromley

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    A man will appear in court following a serious assault in Bromley.

    Demiesh Williams, 29 (10.06.1995) of Fir Tree Gardens, Croydon was charged with grievous bodily harm with intent on Tuesday, 18 March.

    He is due to appear before Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 18 March.

    The incident took place on Sunday, 16 March.

    Police were called to Upper Elmers End Road, Bromley at 20:24hrs following reports of an assault on a man in his 40s.

    The man was taken to hospital where he remains in a life-threatening condition.

    A 29-year-old man was arrested on Sunday, 16 March and subsequently charged as above.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: The DNA of organised crime is changing – and so is the threat to Europe

    Source: Europol

    A changing DNA: how organised crime is mutatingJust as DNA shapes the blueprint of life, the blueprint of organised crime is being rewritten. No longer bound by traditional structures, organised crime has adapted to a world shaped by global instability, digitalisation and emerging technologies.The EU-SOCTA identifies three defining characteristics of today’s serious and organised crime landscape:1. Crime is increasingly destabilisingSerious…

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Washington Man Arrested on Drug Trafficking and Firearm Charges

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

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Salt Lake City Division, Missoula Resident Agency, and the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Montana, announced the arrest of Tyreece Dunbar of Seattle, Washington, pursuant to a federal complaint. Dunbar was charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute Controlled Substances, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, and Possession of Body Armor by a Violent Felon.

    Dunbar was initially arrested on March 15, 2025, in Missoula, Montana, on an outstanding warrant out of Washington state, without incident.

    According to the affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, investigators received information alleging that Dunbar was distributing large amounts of fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Missoula area.

    Dunbar had his initial appearance today, March 17, 2025, in U.S. District Court in Missoula.

    This investigation was conducted by the FBI Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force (MRVCTF) with assistance from the Missoula County Sheriff’s Office. The FBI MRVCTF consists of agents from the FBI and investigators with the Missoula Police Department, Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, the Kalispell Police Department, Lewis and Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Customs Border Protection, Border Patrol, and Montana Probation and Parole.

    A criminal complaint is merely an accusation. An individual charged by criminal complaint is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at later criminal proceedings.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Statement by the HREU on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Decision concerning restrictive measures in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol

    Source: Council of the European Union

    Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain third countries with Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/397 of 24 February 2025 concerning restrictive measures in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Bureau members from the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration meet with Representatives of States parties

    Source: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe – OSCE

    Headline: Bureau members from the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration meet with Representatives of States parties

    The Bureau of the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration at its meetings in Vienna, on 10 and 11 March 2025 (OSCE Congress Centre, Hofburg). From left to right: Prof. Verica Trstenjak, Justice Mats Melin, Prof. Christian Tomuschat, Anne Ramberg, Prof. Vasilka Sancin, Vice-President Erkki Kourula, and President Emmanuel Decaux (OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration) Photo details

    President of the OSCE Court of Conciliation and Arbitration (CCA) Emmanuel Decaux, Vice-President Erkki Kourula, Justice Mats Melin as well as Professors Christian Tomuschat, Vasilka Sancin, Verica Trstenjak, and Anne Ramberg held an information meeting with Representatives of States parties to the Convention on 10 March in Vienna.
    The purpose of the meeting was for members of the Bureau of the Court to provide first-hand information to representatives of States Parties to the Stockholm Convention. The meeting addressed the timely institutional topic of the election of the next President and other members of the Bureau in September this year. The meeting also provided an opportunity for participants to become acquainted with the specific features of each of the procedures provided for under the Convention on Conciliation and Arbitration within the OSCE.
    Ambassador Anna Olsson Vrang opened the meeting with a welcome on behalf of the Depositary State of the 1992 Stockholm Convention. In his opening remarks, President Decaux noted the dual nature of the Court, created “within the OSCE”, as its name suggests, but with a life of its own as a multilateral treaty with 34 States parties today. He recalled that the preamble to the Convention referred to OSCE commitments and principles. Its procedures were consequently open to other participating States on a voluntary basis, at any time, he underscored.
    “We have endeavoured to raise the profile of the Court within the OSCE and to make it part of the Chairmanship-in-Office’s toolbox. We must therefore insist on the complementarity of institutions and mechanisms within the OSCE,” President Decaux concluded.
    With regard to the specific features of conciliation, Professor Tomuschat, former President of the Court and member of the Bureau, spoke of its flexibility and the straightforward process for setting up of a conciliation commission.
    “The parties enjoy almost complete freedom as to the choice of the members of any such Commission. There is no predetermined bench like in the case of the permanent international tribunals operating on the European level,” he said.
    Professor Sancin, member of the Bureau, talked about the function of an arbitral tribunal, the outcome of which is legally binding on the parties. The meeting concluded with an overview of the various stages of the election procedure for the President of the Court and the members of the Bureau that will be launched in September this year. It was presented by the Registry of the Court by Christa Allot, who emphasized that the conciliators and arbitrators eligible to vote were acting in their individual capacity.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government announces Race Equality Engagement Group to break down barriers to racial equality

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Government announces Race Equality Engagement Group to break down barriers to racial equality

    The views of ethnic minority people are being placed at the heart of government decision making following the establishment of the Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG).

    • New Race Equality Engagement Group (REEG) to help government’s plans to seize opportunities and remove barriers to racial equality
    • Group to be chaired by Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon OBE, who will lead partnerships with communities, stakeholders, and delivery partners
    • The REEG will aim to better understand the lived experience of ethnic minority people and ensure their views are represented in government decision making

    Chaired by Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon OBE, the group will work with equalities ministers to better understand ethnic minority people’s lived experience and make sure it is represented in government’s 5 missions.

    The group will also partner with ethnic minority communities, stakeholders and delivery partners. This collaborative approach will ensure that the government’s Plan for Change is informed by people from a diverse range of backgrounds, and works for everyone across the country.

    Minister for Equalities, responsible for race and ethnicity policy, Seema Malhotra MP, said:

    People across the UK still experience barriers to opportunity at work and in society because of their race. We are determined to change this so that everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

    The Race Equality Engagement Group will play a vital role in understanding everyday barriers to opportunity and hear voices from across the country so that together we can more actively address racial inequality and enable everyone to be supported in achieving their aspirations.

    Chair of the Race Equality Engagement Group, Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon OBE, said:

    It’s an honour to chair the newly-established Race Equality Engagement Group, which will ensure government decision-making is informed by the lived experience of ethnic minority people. 

    I look forward to leading the group and working with a diverse range of communities to create a more inclusive society, with increased opportunity for all.

    The government is committed to ensuring equality is at the heart of every mission. Through the 5 missions, everyone will be able to achieve their ambitions in work and beyond, no matter their background.

    [END]

    Notes to editors:

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Update on Lay Members on the Security Vetting Appeals Panel

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Update on Lay Members on the Security Vetting Appeals Panel

    An update on the term of four Lay Members who sit on the Security Vetting Appeals Panel.

    Four Lay Members on the Security Vetting Appeals Panel (SVAP) have had their terms extended until 31st March 2027.

    The Lay Members are Claire Stokes, James Barron, Nicholas Griffin and Sally Berlin, whose terms were due to finish on 31st March 2025. Their terms have been extended for continuity of board expertise.

    The Security Vetting Appeals Panel reviews decisions to refuse or withdraw National Security Vetting and the process involved. You can find out more about what the Panel does here.

    The Panel currently has 15 sitting members: a Chair, a Deputy Chair and 13 Lay Members. 

    There are no statutory limits on the number of terms a Lay Member can serve. However, the Governance Code for Public Appointments sets out that no individual should serve in a single role for more than two terms or ten years.

    Claire Stokes was Risk Management Lead Partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and is currently an Independent Contractor with PwC Global. 

    James Barron is a former senior civil servant and prior to retirement was Chief Executive of the Office of Parliamentary Counsel.

    Nicholas Griffin QC founded the QEB Hollis Whiteman Public Law Group and is the head of Chambers’ Business and Human Rights Group. He is Trustee of Anti-Slavery International; UK Anti-Doping board member and Former Assistant Commissioner for the Boundary Commission for England. 

    Sally Berlin is Director of Casework Operations at the Criminal Cases Review Commission.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Reappointment of Ex-Officio Member to the Senior Salaries Review Body

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Reappointment of Ex-Officio Member to the Senior Salaries Review Body

    Zoë Billingham CBE has been reappointed as Ex-Officio Member.

    Zoë Billingham CBE has been reappointed as Ex-Officio Member of the Senior Salaries Review Body following the end of her term on 31 January 2025. 

    She has been reappointed to the role for another term of 3 years, starting on 1 February 2025. She will serve as Ex-Officio Member until 31st January 2028.

    The Senior Salaries Review Body is an independent body which provides advice to the Prime Minister, the Lord Chancellor, the Secretary of State for Defence, the Secretary of State for Health and the Home Secretary on the pay of Senior Civil Servants, the judiciary, senior officers of the armed forces, certain senior managers in the NHS, Police and Crime Commissioners and chief police officers.

    Read more about the Senior Salaries Review Body here.

    The board currently has 8 members. The Governance Code for Public Appointments sets out that no individual should serve in a single role for more than two terms or ten years.

    Zoë was appointed as a Non-Executive Director of the Security Industry Authority in December 2021, and Chair of the Police Remuneration Review Body and the National Crime Agency Remuneration Review Body in January 2022. 

    She was appointed temporary ex-officio member of the Senior Salaries Review Body in March 2024. 

    Zoë brings years of experience of working in policing, having previously served as HM Inspector of Constabulary.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Awaab’s Law to come to Scotland

    Source: Scottish Government

    Further enhancing protections for social housing tenants.

    Social housing residents in Scotland will be given greater protection against issues of disrepair in their homes such as damp and mould through the introduction of Awaab’s Law.

    Awaab’s Law is named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak who died in 2020 after being exposed to mould in his home in Rochdale.

    The Scottish Government intends to introduce amendments to the Housing (Scotland) Bill that will broaden Ministers’ powers to impose timeframes on social landlords to investigate disrepair and start repairs, through regulation, following engagement with the sector.

    The regulations will build on provisions already in the Bill on strengthening tenants’ rights and Scotland’s existing legal protections for social tenants such as the Scottish Housing Quality Standard and the Right to Repair Scheme.

    Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:

    “Introducing timescales and expectations for repairs aims to make sure this never happens to a child or their family ever again.

    “Everyone in Scotland deserves the right to live in a warm, safe and secure home, free from disrepair. We already have a strong set of rights and standards that have been improving in Scotland.

    “However, these measures will go even further and give power and confidence to tenants that any issues identified and repairs started in a timely manner, so any issues do not have a detrimental impact on their health.

    “Our Housing Bill already contains proposals to improve tenants’ rights, and these measures will strengthen those even further to make sure their home is safe for them and their families.”

    Background

    Housing (Scotland) Bill | Scottish Parliament Website

    Registered social landlords are required to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS) which requires housing to be free from rising or penetrating damp, to have satisfactory ventilation and meet minimum energy efficiency standards.

    Just like the social rented sector, the Scottish Government is committed to and will consider how to implement Awaab’s Law for private tenants, using existing powers, after engagement with the private rented sector.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Fundamental changes to Armed Forces processes to better support Women in UK Defence

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Fundamental changes to Armed Forces processes to better support Women in UK Defence

    As part of a series of changes to eradicate unacceptable behaviours in the military a new Tri-Service complaints unit for the Armed Forces has been announced.

    • New initiatives to tackle unacceptable behaviours in the military to be introduced at pace.

    • Changes include a new specialist Tri-Service team for taking the most serious complaints, such as bullying, discrimination and harassment, outside the single Service chain of command.

    • MOD creates a central Violence Against Women and Girls Taskforce, to drive cultural improvements 

    • Progress comes as Armed Forces Commissioner Bill continues through Parliament as part of the Government’s Plan for Change 

    As part of a series of changes to eradicate unacceptable behaviours in the military, and step-up support for women across UK Defence, a new Tri-Service complaints unit for the Armed Forces has been announced.  

    The new team will be independent of the single Service chain of command to provide individuals with greater confidence and help ensure that the most serious complaints are dealt with quickly, fairly and in a standardised way across the Armed Forces. Building on the change in 2022 when complaints were taken out of the direct chain of command, providing greater independence and confidence. 

    The change will see Bullying, Harassment, Discrimination related service complaints dealt with by a team outside the commands of the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force.  

    This builds on the successes of the tri-service approach to sexual offending, within the Defence Serious Crime Command which was set up in 2022.

    In addition, the Ministry of Defence will set up a Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Taskforce, led centrally by Minister Carns to cohere and drive the work to change culture from the heart of the department. Minister Carns will be supported by a network of regional champions who will help raise awareness of and tackle violence against women and girls across the military, and a Defence Voices Panel – a challenge group made up of service personnel and civil servants to provide honest feedback and lived experiences. 

    The Minister for Defence People and Veterans Al Carns will set out these new measures before the House of Commons Defence Select Committee later today. He will give evidence alongside Service chiefs.  

    Minister for Veterans and People Alistair Carns said:

    This government was elected on a manifesto of change, and we are delivering for Defence. I am personally committed to ensuring that we do everything within our power to root out unacceptable behaviour and ensure that the Armed Forces is a place where everyone can thrive. 

    Women in the armed forces play a vital role in our keeping our nation safe. This is not just a matter of basic justice and equality, it is essential to military effectiveness.   

    Our people have spoken, and we have listened. We are moving at pace to create a new Tri-Service Complaints team to take the most serious complaints out of the chain of single Service command for the first time and to launch a central taskforce to give this issue the attention and focus it deserves.

    The MOD’s VAWG Taskforce will include regional support network, trained on topics including domestic violence and sexual offending. These roles will use a network of multidisciplinary experts to support Armed Forces personnel, including healthcare providers, social workers, and HR advisors and will link into the Victim Witness Care Unit.   These measures are part of the government’s commitment to improving Service life and renewing the contract with those who serve and have served and support this government’s foundation of strong national security.  

    The government introduced the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill in November – the first ever independent champion for serving personnel and their families. The Bill has passed through the House of Commons and is now in Committee Stage in the Lords. The Commissioner will be a direct point of contact for serving personnel and their families to raise issues which impact Service life. They are expected to be appointed by the end of 2025.  With powers to visit Defence sites unannounced and commission reports, the Commissioner will hold Defence to account and drive improvements to Service life.  

    The government is committed to standing up for those who serve the nation. At the end of July, the Armed Forces received the largest pay rise in over 20 years, and in December the MOD struck a landmark deal to bring the military housing estate back into public ownership to enable additional investment into homes for military families and deliver savings for taxpayers.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Charter committing to openness, transparency and accountability

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    Charter committing to openness, transparency and accountability

    Welsh public organisations pledge new approach focused on the bereaved and survivors of public tragedies.

    Organisations across Wales have signed a charter which commits them to responding to public tragedies with openness, transparency and accountability.

    The Charter for Families Bereaved by Public Tragedy calls for a cultural shift in public bodies’ engagement with bereaved families, ensuring the lessons of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster and its aftermath are learned to prevent those who are affected by public tragedy in the future from having the same experience.

    Organisations across Wales – including Welsh Government, local authorities, police forces, Welsh Ambulance Service, fire and rescue services, and the Mining Remediation Authority – have all signed up to support bereaved families and the community in the aftermath of a major incident, with a clear commitment to people and to providing services that meet their needs before, during and after an event.

    A launch event will be held in Merthyr Tydfil today (Tuesday 18 March 2025), attended by Bishop James Jones KBE, who wrote the charter as part of his report on lessons from the Hillsborough tragedy.

    He will be joined by the bereaved and survivors of public tragedies, including Hillsborough, Grenfell Tower, Manchester Arena and Aberfan, which stands only a few miles from the launch.

    Bishop Jones said:

    Today the nation of Wales is leading the way with more than 50 of its public bodies signing the charter. In doing so the culture of the organisations has begun to change and there is a renewed commitment to public service and to respecting the humanity of those we are called to serve.

    The charter represents a promise that after any future tragedy no one will be left to navigate their grief and survival alone. That no one will endure again the ‘patronising disposition of unaccountable power’.

    This is a pivotal moment in the life of the nation as we embrace the principles of the charter and pledge to respect the humanity of all its citizens which should be at the heart of all public service.

    North Wales Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer Dawn Docx, chair of the Joint Emergency Services Group in Wales, said:

    We recognise that co-operation when supporting families affected by public tragedy is vital for ensuring the wellbeing and resilience of our communities.

    By working together we can use our collective expertise and resources to provide meaningful support to those in need during times of crisis and beyond.

    South Wales Police Deputy Chief Constable Mark Travis added:

    By signing the charter, each and every organisation is making a public statement to learn the lessons of the Hillsborough disaster and other tragedies to ensure that we never lose sight of the perspective of bereaved families and ensure that they are treated with care and compassion, not only at the time of emergency and tragedy but in the weeks, months and years after.

    While today is a landmark, the real challenge is to embed the charter into our training and culture to ensure it becomes an integral part of our response to any public tragedy.

    The involvement of the bereaved and survivors of public tragedy has been a driving force in bringing about today’s momentous step forward.

    Julia Draycon, Environment Director at the Mining Remediation Authority, said:

    As a 24/7 emergency response organisation, with staff across Great Britain ready to respond to incidents, we are proud to sign up to the charter For Families Bereaved Through Public Tragedy and we’re committed to upholding the principles within it.

    We act with integrity, respect and empathy; we take pride in the way we are dedicated to delivering for the communities we serve.

    For media enquiries contact the community response team

    Email communityresponse@miningremediation.gov.uk

    Telephone 0800 288 4211

    For emergency media enquiries (out of hours) call: 0800 288 4242.
    Only urgent media calls will be attended to.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Waste company prosecuted for ignoring audit at Notts site

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Waste company prosecuted for ignoring audit at Notts site

    A Midlands-based waste company and a partner in the business have been prosecuted for failing to comply with a demand for information about materials accepted.

    • Droitwich-based business ordered to pay total of £52,405.05 for failing to provide details of metals processed
    • Partner in firm to pay total of £7,996.05 for his part in running Welbeck Colliery operation
    • Case heard at Worcester Magistrates Court on 14 March 2025

    At Worcester Magistrates Court on Friday 14 March, Tetron Welbeck Limited Liability Partnership pleaded guilty and were fined £44,800 and ordered to pay costs of £5,605.05.

    The Partnership was also ordered to pay the victim surcharge of £2,000. In total the Partnership has to pay £52,405.05.

    Edward Seekings, a designated member of the Partnership, also pleaded guilty and was fined £1,708.

    Seekings, 41, of Bridge Lane Court, Bawtry, Doncaster, was also ordered to pay costs of £5,605.05 and the victim surcharge of £683, coming to a total of £7,996.05.

    The court was told that the Partnership, whose office is at Hadzor Court, Hadzor, Droitwich, Worcestershire, had an environmental permit since 2013 to operate a site at Welbeck Colliery near Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. It was stated that the business changed hands around 2020.

    The Partnership failed to comply with a formal information notice served on it after it failed to provide information requested by the Environment Agency.

    The information was required to allow the Environment Agency to conduct an audit of the site to ensure waste within the correct category was being accepted.

    The deadline in the notice for the receipt of the information was the 15 June 2023. No information was received.

    Seekings sent a work plan on 15 June 2023 but it did not include the required information. He engaged with the Environment Agency but did not provide the information required.

    Further attempts by the Environment Agency to obtain the relevant information failed.

    A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said:

    We welcome this sentence which should act as a deterrent to others considering flouting the law.  

    As a regulator, the Environment Agency will not hesitate to pursue any person failing to provide information requested.

    The Environment Agency served a formal legal notice in this case requiring information to be provided. It is a criminal offence to fail to comply with a notice requiring information.

     >If anyone is suspicious of waste activities they should call our 24/7 hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or Crimestoppers anonymously and in confidence on 0800 555 111.

    The Charge

    Tetron Welbeck LLP (Company Number OC366746) failed without reasonable excuse by 15 June 2023 to furnish to the Environment Agency information required by a Notice in writing dated 15th May 2023.

    This was served on it pursuant to section 71(2) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, contrary to section 71(3) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

    The offence was committed with the consent or connivance of, or was attributable to any neglect on the part of Edward Seekings, contrary to Section 157(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

    Updates to this page

    Published 18 March 2025

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  • MIL-OSI Russia: Polytechnic University teacher Ekaterina Chumakova wins Woman of the Year competition

    Translartion. Region: Russians Fedetion –

    Source: Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University – Peter the Great St Petersburg Polytechnic University –

    In our city, the winners and laureates of the “Woman of the Year” competition were awarded. It is held with the support of the Government of St. Petersburg. 190 application forms were submitted for participation in the competition in ten nominations. Ekaterina Chumakova, a practicing teacher at the Higher School of Law and Forensic Science of SPbPU, won in the “Armed Forces and Law Enforcement” nomination.

    Thanks to my combination of service in the Internal Affairs Department and teaching at the Higher School of Law and Technical Education of the Polytechnic, I was among the winners. Thanks to the Polytechnic for the opportunity to share practical experience with the younger generation, – noted Ekaterina Chumakova.

    Ekaterina Sergeevna is a police lieutenant colonel and the chief expert of the forensic accounting department of the forensic center of the Transport Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Northwestern Federal District. She successfully combines police service with teaching at SPbPU. She organizes practical classes for students at the forensic center. At the training ground, future lawyers become “participants in the investigation of crimes” and solve problems right at the “scene of the crime.”

    A practice-oriented approach to education allows our graduates to be in high demand on the labor market, noted Dmitry Mokhorov, Director of the Higher School of Law and Economics.

    The Woman of the Year competition is held within the framework of the Petersburg and Petersburgers program with the support of the city government. It is organized by the Committee for Social Policy of St. Petersburg in partnership with government bodies, commercial and non-commercial organizations.

    Over the years of its existence, the competition has become the main platform for assessing the professional merits of St. Petersburg women and their high achievements. The selection criteria are outstanding results in professional or service activities, active participation in the socio-economic development of St. Petersburg, public and charitable activities. Therefore, the winners of the competition are not just women who are successful in their profession, they are distinguished by an active life position and no less active public activities, – said Vice-Governor of St. Petersburg Natalia Chechina.

    Natalia Chechina noted that thanks to the Woman of the Year competition, the city discovered many talented names, and also saw new social projects and programs come to life. The winners of the competition received diplomas and memorable gifts. Portraits of the laureates will also appear on advertising stands on the main streets of St. Petersburg.

    Please note: This information is raw content directly from the source of the information. It is exactly what the source states and does not reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.

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