Dingoes will tear open tents and containers to access food and rubbish.
Photos of damaged tents show the incredible sense of smell dingoes have, and their capacity for opportunistic feeding in the camping areas on K’gari.
Taken by rangers from the Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation (DETSI), the photos show the results of food and rubbish being incorrectly stored by campers.
Dr Linda Behrendorff said dingoes recently gorged themselves on accessible food and rubbish after breaking into a tent and then began hanging around the camping area.
“Dingoes are opportunistic by nature and have torn open tents, can chew eskies open and knock over bins before ripping rubbish bags apart,” Dr Behrendorff said.
“Wildlife scavenging around camping areas is a common occurrence, and the problem with leaving food or rubbish where dingoes or other wildlife can get it makes them less fearful of humans.
“Dingoes don’t differentiate between food and rubbish, and they can start approaching people for food which puts dingoes and people at risk.
“Even in fenced areas, campers must ensure that all food and rubbish is stored in strong, secure containers and kept in an inaccessible place, such as a vehicle cabin or an enclosed ute tray.
“A tent or annexe is not a secure place, and dingoes have also taken people’s belongings such as clothing, toiletries or shoes that carry the smell of food.
“Fishers should bury fish frames and unused bait at least 50cm deep in the sand to prevent dingoes digging it up.
“During the school holidays, we’re asking everyone to secure your camping area, secure your food and shoo dingoes away if they’re lingering nearby.”
Bins are provided on K’gari, and people are encouraged to use bins properly and never leave bags of rubbish beside bins.
Reasons to prevent dingoes getting access to food and rubbish:
Opportunistic feeders: They will eat a wide variety of foods, including rubbish.
Habituation: Feeding dingoes or leaving food unattended can lead to them losing their natural fear of humans and becoming familiar and habituated to human-provided food, making them more likely to scavenge.
Food availability: There is plenty of natural food for dingoes on K’gari. They are opportunistic predators, and if food is readily available in the form of rubbish, they will likely scavenge for it, especially if it is easier to obtain than hunting.
Never feed dingoes: It is illegal and can have serious consequences for both people and dingoes.
If dingoes don’t find food at your camping area, they are more likely to hunt or scavenge for natural food.
It is an offence to deliberately or inadvertently feed dingoes. On the spot fines include $2,580 for deliberately feeding a dingo and $464 for food availability. The maximum court-imposed penalty for feeding dingoes is $26,614.
The Portfolio Committee on Justice and Constitutional Development, Mr Xola Nqola, welcomed the sentence of long-term imprisonment for the man who was found guilty of murdering ANCYL secretary-general Mr Sindiso Magaqa, a former ANC Youth League Secretary-General and dedicated public servant.
Mr Nqola said the conviction and the 25-year sentence mark a significant moment for the rule of law in South Africa and reinforces our collective belief that justice must be served — regardless of time, influence or status.
Mr Ncengwa admitted that he was one of a group of men who were paid R120 000 to kill Mr Magaqa in 2017. Mr Ncengwa also implicated in the crime former city manager of the Umzimkhulu municipality Mr Zweliphansi Skhosana; the ex-mayor, Mr Mluleki Ndobe, who has since passed on, and former journalist and eThekwini municipality communications manager Mr Mdu Ncalane.
Mr Magaqa was a passionate advocate for youth empowerment and integrity in public service. His untimely death was not only a loss to his family and community but to the nation.
Mr Nqola said the committee commends the investigative and prosecutorial teams for their persistence in pursuing this complex case and hopes that this outcome brings some measure of closure to Mr Magaqa’s loved ones.
“We urge continued support for law enforcement and the judiciary in their efforts to address politically motivated crimes and protect all who serve the public. South Africa’s democracy depends on the assurance that no one is above the law,” Mr Nqola said.
– on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.
Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
New York, NY – Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries appeared on ABC’s The View where he highlighted the devastating impacts of Donald Trump and House Republicans’ One Big Ugly Bill that was signed into law last week.
SARA HAINES: Well, when you first started speaking, people thought that you would delay the vote by an hour. And instead, you spoke on the Senate floor for eight hours and 44 minutes. This is becoming a trend for you. What was behind the decision to keep going?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I thought first of all, that this kind of bill, which is going to have such a dramatic impact on people all across the country. I mean, literally millions of everyday Americans are going to be hurt. And it’s all being done to reward billionaires—Unacceptable, right, unconscionable, un-American—that it needed to be debated in the light of day, not passed in the middle of the night, which was the original intention. This debate started at 3:28 a.m. And so, you know, this is such an unprecedented assault on healthcare, on the economy, on nutritional assistance, on higher education, on everything, that we just wanted to be able to do everything that we could to fully air the challenges with the bill, but also see if we can persuade just a handful of Republicans to do the right thing by the American people.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Well, you persuaded two and one person as I understand was absent from the vote, which could’ve changed it. But you’re calling this the One Big Ugly Bill. And not only is it projected by the Congressional Budget Office to add $3.4 trillion to our national debt, it extends tax cuts for the rich, as you mentioned. It also includes though, big cuts to healthcare programs, such as Medicaid, cuts to SNAP benefits for the poor. My understanding is in New York, about 1 million people will be affected by this. Can you talk about the implications for healthcare and how it affects people who don’t even use these programs?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, first of all, like, in America, healthcare shouldn’t simply be a privilege, it should be a right to every single American. Presidents throughout the years, whether that’s, you know, Roosevelt or Truman, you know, President Johnson, President Clinton, President Obama, President Biden, have all worked to expand access to healthcare. But what’s so extraordinary about this bill is that more than 17 million people will lose healthcare as a result of the, you know, cuts to Medicaid, the attack on Medicare, the attack on the Affordable Care Act, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and Planned Parenthood.
ANA NAVARRO: And by the way, MAGA kept saying that it was illegal aliens that were going to be kicked out. Explain to folks that there’s not 17 million illegal aliens that are receiving free Medicaid.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Actually federal law, to your point, Ana, explicitly prohibits federal dollars from being used to provide healthcare to undocumented immigrants. And so, that was always a lie. But we’re dealing with some folks where facts don’t matter, hypocrisy is not a constraint to their behavior and people actually have concluded that shamelessness is a superpower. And so, our view is we just have to aggressively push back with righteous intensity, continue to press on, as I indicated, as John Lewis would always inspire us to do, speak up, show up, stand up so we can get the type of America that this country deserves.
SUNNY HOSTIN: But don’t you then also—I think that’s right—shouldn’t you and other Democrats be screaming from the mountaintops and tether the Republicans to this bill, tether because there’s going to be true human loss here, right? People are going to really feel it.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, real pain and suffering. I mean, the attack on healthcare is not just going to result on millions of people losing access, but hospitals will close, nursing homes will shut down, community-based health clinics won’t be able to provide assistance.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Rural hospitals.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Rural hospitals in particular are at great risk. And in fact, people who have private insurance, once you attack the healthcare ecosystem, premiums, co-pays and deductibles for tens of millions of others are going to go up. And so it’s a big problem. It’s an immoral thing that just took place on the floor of the House of Representatives. An immoral thing.
ANA NAVARRO: And at the same time that this bill—by the way, I think instead of calling it the Big Ugly Bill, you should call it BUL—Big Ugly Law. But at the same time that it cuts SNAP benefits and it cuts healthcare for the neediest amongst us, it sets aside 170 billion for ICE mass deportation efforts, a bigger budget than the FBI and federal prison system combined. And last week, we saw the administration opened a new migrant detention center in my home state of Florida. They’re calling it Alligator Alcatraz. And we’ve also seen military style ICE raids throughout cities in this country. People are being imprisoned and deported and disappeared and taken away by masked men without any due process. And the worst part is, you know, my community in particular, Latinos, are being racially profiled and targeted. Communities and families are being torn apart. But for me, the saddest part is that people feel helpless and hopeless, that there is nothing they can do. They feel there’s nothing you can do, as a minority in the House. What’s your message to these people that feel such lack of hope and such fear?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, you know, we are seeing sort of an unprecedented flood of extremism being unleashed on the American people. And it’s happened from the very beginning, January 20, months and months and months, you know, of chaos, of cruelty, of corruption. But I think we can never lose hope in the resilience of the American people to face turbulence—and this is an incredibly turbulent moment—but to power our way through it and to come out stronger on the other side. It’s not to say it’s going to be easy. It will be challenging. But I think I still believe in the fundamental goodness of the American people. A recognition—one of the reasons why this bill is so deeply unpopular and it is, is because they recognize that this is not what America should be all about in terms of the deportation situation. One, we have to, of course, secure the border. We have a broken immigration system. We need to fix it. We should fix it in a bipartisan and comprehensive way. But we should also never abandon the fact that, yes, we are a nation anchored in the rule of law. We are also a nation of immigrants. E pluribus unum. Out of many, one. It’s one of the great strengths of the United States of America. We should not abandon it. And so, as House Democrats, our view is that while we, you know, work on making sure the border can remain secure, while we work to fix our broken immigration system, we also are going to stand up for Dreamers, for farmworkers and for law-abiding immigrant families at all times, at all times.
[…]
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: So Leader Jeffries, you wear many hats, and one of your jobs is to try to win back the House for Democrats. I mean, we were talking about immigration before we went to break. Now, some Democrats, amid the criticisms of ICE right now to do these ICE raids, have started calling for defunding ICE. Do you think that’s effective going into the midterms, and do you support those calls?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, I definitely think that we need aggressive oversight as it relates to the overly aggressive behavior that we’ve seen, you know, from ICE, from the Department of Homeland Security. It’s not what the American people actually, in my view, voted for. Donald Trump and Republicans promised to go after violent felons. But instead, they’re going after law-abiding immigrant families, and in fact, in some cases, deporting American citizens and children, some with cancer. And America is better than this, and that’s the reality. In terms of what House Democrats stand for, we believe that in this country, you work hard and you play by the rules, you should be able to experience the American dream. You should able to afford to live the good life. And we believe that that’s, you know, that’s a good paying job, good healthcare, good housing, good education for your children and a good retirement. And a good retirement, by the way, means keep your hands off of Social Security and Medicare, now and at all times. That’s the good life.
ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I also want to ask you, because I could argue you’re the most important Democrat in New York right now, and Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primary, is poised to become the next mayor of New York City. Now, he ran as an avowed socialist. He called for defunding the police in 2020. That would mean the New York Police Department. You have yet to endorse him. Will you be endorsing him, and do you have any concerns about some of his past positions?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Well, you know, he’s actually said that he plans to keep the police fully funded. I’m scheduled to meet with him next week, and we’ll have a conversation about his vision. He did run a campaign that was actually focused largely on affordability, and that was the right issue to focus on because New York City’s too expensive. America right now is too expensive.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Ain’t nobody got any money because money is all dissipated.
LEADER JEFFRIES: It’s a very—you’re right—it’s a very challenging situation in terms of affordability that we have to lean in on. In fact, Donald Trump promised that he would lower costs on day one. Costs haven’t gone down, they’re going up in America. And now we have to deal with the consequences of this One Big Ugly Bill, which is now One Big Ugly Law, Ana, as you pointed out. So, we’ll sit down, we’ll talk. I also want to talk to him about the importance of Democrats taking back control of the United States House of Representatives next year so we can have some balance in the country, which is what the founders envisioned.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Can’t you also roll back this Big Ugly Bill some, because it doesn’t take effect until after the midterms, correct?
LEADER JEFFRIES: It has several provisions in the legislation that will not take effect until after the 2026 midterm elections.
ANA NAVARRO: Before you go, I want to ask you—I want you to say something about Texas, because the entire country is in mourning and people have questions about why this happened, and could it have been avoided? Is there something that you can do?
LEADER JEFFRIES: Yeah, it’s an unspeakable and horrific tragedy. And, you know, our thoughts and prayers go out to every single family that has experienced a loss. And we know, you know, I mean, no parent should ever have to bury their child. And dozens will now have to bury their children. And so, with extreme weather events and the climate crisis and these natural disasters, we should never play politics, ever. Not play politics with the wildfires, not play politics with these floods and get the American people the relief that they need and deserve. That’s my commitment.
WHOOPI GOLDBERG: Our thanks to House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
July 01, 2025
The Department of Justice—under Principal Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove’s leadership, a Trump judicial nominee—allegedly misled the courts and evaded court orders to advance Trump’s illegal mass deportation scheme
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led all Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in further investigatingwhistleblower accusations made by Mr. Erez Reuveni, formerly the Acting Deputy Director for the Office of Immigration Litigation at the Department of Justice (DOJ), against Principal Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove and senior DOJ leadership.
In a letter to Attorney General Bondi, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Noem, and Department of Defense (DOD) Secretary Hegseth, the Senators write: “We write concerning grave allegations that senior Department of Justice (DOJ) leadership misled the courts and evaded court orders. These credible accusations are included in the protected whistleblower disclosure of Erez Reuveni, former Acting Deputy Director for the DOJ Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL). This disclosure, which was lawfully transmitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee under the Whistleblower Protection Act, describes multiple instances where senior DOJ officials advocated for ignoring court orders, delayed compliance with court orders, presented baseless legal arguments, misrepresented facts or made false statements in court, and directed Mr. Reuveni to misrepresent facts in court.”
The Senators then cite multiple allegations raising alarm regarding Mr. Bove’s conduct, including suggestions that DOJ should consider telling a court “f— you” and ignore a court order and that DHS should violate an order, writing: “DOJ leadership provided instructions to agency clients to facilitate removals to El Salvador in violation of the existing injunction, and ‘report[ed] “down the chain” that the government was not going to answer the court’s questions about anything that happened before 7:26 p.m. on March 15, and so not to provide information about when the flights took off.’ Mr. Reuveni’s superiors indicated that Mr. Bove was unhappy with his efforts to prevent the violation of a court order by providing consistent instructions to agency clients, including DHS and DOD.”
The Senators then cited concerning attempts at retaliation against the whistleblower, writing: “In addition to the legal and ethical concerns with DOJ’s attempts to mislead the courts and evade court orders, the disclosure details multiple instances where senior DOJ officials attempted to prevent Mr. Reuveni from creating records that could subject this misconduct to outside scrutiny. It also details apparent retaliation against Mr. Reuveni for following his professional ethical obligations as a member of the bar by placing him on administrative leave and ultimately terminating him.”
The Senators concluded with requests for any communications or records concerning these events, as well as transcribed interviews with senior DOJ leadership, writing: “The gravity of these allegations and the preexisting public record that corroborates the disclosure necessitate an immediate investigation by the Senate Judiciary Committee. Additionally, given Mr. Bove’s prominent alleged role in this disclosure and the Committee’s current consideration of his nomination to a lifetime appointment as a judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, we ask that you provide the following information and materials no later than July 14, 2025.”
In addition to Durbin, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Adam Schiff (D-CA).
For a PDF of the letter, click here.
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Two Chinese nationals and a New York woman, all members of a prolific Chinese money laundering organization (CMLO), pleaded guilty today to money laundering charges involving drug trafficking proceeds. They are the last of six total defendants charged in the indictment to plead guilty.
According to court documents, Enhua Fang, 38, and Jianfei Lu, 30, both of China, and Shu Jun Zhen, 36, of Staten Island, New York, were members of the CMLO that laundered over $92 million in illicit funds, including proceeds from the importation and distribution of illegal drugs into the United States, primarily through Mexico.
According to court documents, Fang was an organizer within the CMLO who directed a group of couriers to pick up bulk cash proceeds from unlawful activities, including narcotics trafficking, from individuals throughout the United States. The couriers then deposited these illicit funds, which generally exceeded $10,000, into shell company bank accounts controlled by the CMLO in order to conceal the nature of the illicit funds. Fang used multiple cellphones, changing phone numbers regularly, and several encrypted messaging applications to communicate with the CMLO’s foreign-based operatives and U.S.-based drug traffickers. Pursuant to her plea agreement, Fang admitted that she was personally responsible for laundering at least $90 million of illicit funds in less than two years. Fang further admitted that she knew funds laundered in the conspiracy included drug trafficking proceeds or funds intended to promote drug trafficking.
According to court documents, Lu collected drug trafficking proceeds from U.S.-based drug traffickers and deposited those illicit funds, using both real and fake identities, into shell company bank accounts registered by other members of the CMLO. Lu also served as a manager for the CMLO: he coordinated bulk cash pickups and deposits while Fang was in China and procured fake driver’s licenses for the CMLO’s couriers, which were used to deposit illicit funds at major U.S. banks. Pursuant to his plea agreement, Lu admitted that he had actual knowledge and involvement in the laundering of between $25 million and $65 million in illicit funds. Lu further admitted that he knew funds laundered in the conspiracy included drug trafficking proceeds.
According to court documents, Zhen, at Fang’s and Lu’s direction, picked up and deposited — using both her real and fake identities — nearly $25 million of illicit bulk cash, including drug trafficking proceeds. Pursuant to her plea agreement, Zhen admitted that she knew funds laundered in the conspiracy included drug trafficking proceeds or funds intended to promote drug trafficking.
Fang and Zhen each pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy, one count of money laundering to conceal the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the illicit proceeds, and one count of monetary transaction involving criminally derived property greater than $10,000. Lu pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy, two counts of money laundering to conceal the nature, location, source, ownership, and control of the illicit proceeds, and two counts of monetary transaction involving criminally derived property greater than $10,000.
The defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each of the conspiracy and money laundering counts and a maximum of 10 years in prison on each of the monetary transaction counts. A federal district court judge will determine their respective sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
All members of the CMLO charged to date have pleaded guilty, including the three who pleaded guilty on April 30, 2025; as a result, this particularly prolific cell within the CMLO has been completely dismantled.
Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson for the Western District of North Carolina, Acting Special Agent in Charge Jae W. Chung of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Atlanta Division, and Criminal Investigation Chief Guy Ficco of the IRS Investigation (IRS-CI) Charlotte Field Office made the announcement.
The DEA Charlotte District Office and the IRS-CI Charlotte Field Office are investigating the case.
Acting Assistant Deputy Chief Mingda Hang, Acting Deputy Chief Melanie Alsworth, and Trial Attorney Jayce Born of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alfredo De La Rosa for the Western District of North Carolina are prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, 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 and Project Safe Neighborhoods.
Azumi LLC; Zuma NYC LLC; Zuma Las Vegas LLC; Zuma Japanese Restaurant Miami LLC; Inko Nito Garey St. LLC; and Beach Chu Hallandale LLC (collectively, the “Azumi Entities”) have agreed to pay $3,602,423 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by obtaining Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for which they were not eligible.
“PPP loans were intended to assist eligible small businesses during the pandemic,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “When ineligible businesses improperly obtained loans, they harmed both the taxpayers who funded the program and the eligible businesses who were denied relief.”
“The Paycheck Protection Program limits were put in place to prevent large corporate groups from obtaining a disproportionate share of the limited funds that were available to assist small businesses struggling during COVID,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “Our office is committed to holding accountable those who misappropriated taxpayer-funded relief program limits.”
The PPP, an emergency loan program established by Congress in March 2020 and administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), was intended to support small businesses struggling to pay employees and other business expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Borrowers were eligible to seek forgiveness of the loans if they spent the loan proceeds on employee payroll and other eligible expenses. In January 2021, SBA announced that certain parties that had previously received PPP loans were eligible to apply for a second loan, typically referred to as a second-draw PPP loan.
When applying for PPP loans, borrowers were required to certify the truthfulness and accuracy of all information provided in their loan applications and agree that they would comply with all PPP rules. Among other things, PPP rules limited the total amount of funding a single “corporate group” could receive in connection with both first-draw and second-draw loans.
The Azumi Entities are limited liability companies, each of which operates a restaurant in the United States and each of which is either fully or partially owned by Azumi Limited. As part of the settlement, the Azumi Entities admitted that they collectively received and were granted loan forgiveness for second-draw loans in a total amount that exceeded the applicable corporate group limit for second-draw loans.
The claims resolved by the resolution announced today include claims that were brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the Act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. GNGH2 Inc. v. Azumi LLC et al., No. 22-cv-11822 (D. Mass.). As part of today’s resolution, GNGH2 Inc. will receive approximately $360,000.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel and Office of the Inspector General.
This matter was handled by Fraud Section Trial Attorney Kimya Saied and Senior Trial Counsel Benjamin Wei, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Julien M. Mundele for the District of Massachusetts.
Except for the facts admitted by the Azumi Entities, the claims in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
Azumi LLC; Zuma NYC LLC; Zuma Las Vegas LLC; Zuma Japanese Restaurant Miami LLC; Inko Nito Garey St. LLC; and Beach Chu Hallandale LLC (collectively, the “Azumi Entities”) have agreed to pay $3,602,423 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by obtaining Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for which they were not eligible.
“PPP loans were intended to assist eligible small businesses during the pandemic,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “When ineligible businesses improperly obtained loans, they harmed both the taxpayers who funded the program and the eligible businesses who were denied relief.”
“The Paycheck Protection Program limits were put in place to prevent large corporate groups from obtaining a disproportionate share of the limited funds that were available to assist small businesses struggling during COVID,” said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts. “Our office is committed to holding accountable those who misappropriated taxpayer-funded relief program limits.”
The PPP, an emergency loan program established by Congress in March 2020 and administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), was intended to support small businesses struggling to pay employees and other business expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Borrowers were eligible to seek forgiveness of the loans if they spent the loan proceeds on employee payroll and other eligible expenses. In January 2021, SBA announced that certain parties that had previously received PPP loans were eligible to apply for a second loan, typically referred to as a second-draw PPP loan.
When applying for PPP loans, borrowers were required to certify the truthfulness and accuracy of all information provided in their loan applications and agree that they would comply with all PPP rules. Among other things, PPP rules limited the total amount of funding a single “corporate group” could receive in connection with both first-draw and second-draw loans.
The Azumi Entities are limited liability companies, each of which operates a restaurant in the United States and each of which is either fully or partially owned by Azumi Limited. As part of the settlement, the Azumi Entities admitted that they collectively received and were granted loan forgiveness for second-draw loans in a total amount that exceeded the applicable corporate group limit for second-draw loans.
The claims resolved by the resolution announced today include claims that were brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the Act, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. GNGH2 Inc. v. Azumi LLC et al., No. 22-cv-11822 (D. Mass.). As part of today’s resolution, GNGH2 Inc. will receive approximately $360,000.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts with assistance from the SBA’s Office of General Counsel and Office of the Inspector General.
This matter was handled by Fraud Section Trial Attorney Kimya Saied and Senior Trial Counsel Benjamin Wei, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Julien M. Mundele for the District of Massachusetts.
Except for the facts admitted by the Azumi Entities, the claims in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.
overnor Kathy Hochul today announced a record investment of nearly $379.5 million in federal and State funding over three years to support programs and services for victims and survivors of crime and their families. This is the largest funding allocation ever administered by the State Office of Victim Services and is supported by $100 million in State funding secured by Governor Hochul to offset reductions in federal aid. OVS awarded grants to 230 nonprofit organizations, hospitals and government agencies to support victim assistance programs offering crisis counseling, therapy, emergency shelter, civil legal assistance, case management, advocacy and more across New York State. Available at no cost, these critical programs assist victims and survivors in the immediate aftermath of crime and for as long as they need help to heal and thrive.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe is my top priority, and I am committed to ensuring our law enforcement and community partners have the resources and tools necessary to prevent and solve crimes, but also ensure that victims and survivors have access to the support they need as well,” Governor Hochul said. “While the federal government slashes funding for community violence intervention and prevention programs and other crucial services, New York is delivering record-level funding to provide the vital support crime victims and their families need and rightfully deserve to recover, heal and thrive.”
The 230 entities receiving funding are the most that the State Office of Victim Services (OVS) has ever supported: The agency currently funds 219 unique grantees. Selected programs currently receiving funding will receive new grant awards and there are 25 newly funded recipients, allowing OVS to expand its reach and better serve individuals and communities that face barriers to accessing support due to language, age, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. Annual grant awards range from $72,000 to $4.3 million, with an average award of $506,000. Total grant funding to the State’s 10 regions and to programs that serve the entire State:
New York City: $47,612,645
Long Island: $9,848,136
Mid Hudson: $18,319,067
Capital Region: $10,164,000
North Country: $3,511,660
Mohawk Valley: $3,887,865
Central New York: $3,935,645
Southern Tier: $3,319,373
Finger Lakes: $14,944,456
Western New York: $6,423,364
Statewide: $4,529,368
Federal rules require OVS to prioritize funding for victims of child abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as underserved populations. Nearly half of the funding (49 percent) has been awarded programs supporting survivors of domestic violence; 22 percent to programs serving underserved communities; 15 percent to child abuse services; and 14 percent to sexual assault services. Additionally, OVS prioritized access to programs across the State’s 10 regions and closing service gaps for victims of gun violence, awarding more than $21 million to support programs assisting individuals, families and communities disproportionately affected by gun violence over the three-year grant cycle.
New York State Office of Victim Services Director Bea Hanson said, “This record-level funding will help ensure continued support for victims and survivors while improving access to services, especially in those communities most impacted by violence. We thank Governor Hochul for her unwavering commitment to ensuring that New York State remains a national leader in victim services.”
In addition to funding for victim assistance programs, the FY26 Enacted Budget includes other significant investments to better support victims and survivors, including creation of a Mass Violence Crisis Response Team; increasing reimbursement for victims of financial scams to $2,500, expanding benefits to those impacted by homicide and ensuring that all survivors of sexual assault receive a full course of anti-HIV medication. The Budget also continues the state’s work to strengthen support for survivors of gender-based violence by improving access to public assistance for survivors of gender-based violence, and codifying gender-based violence workplace policy that requires vendors doing business with New York State to affirm they have a gender-based violence workplace policy.
New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Executive Director Kelli Nicholas Owens said, “Now more than ever, New Yorkers need to know services and resources in our state are available and open to anyone who needs them. This record-setting investment allows us to continue supporting survivors and victims of all forms of violence in a way that ensures services are survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive. Thank you, Governor Hochul, for your steadfast commitment to victims and survivors across the state, no matter who they love, where they came from, or how they identify.”
Senator Charles Schumer said, “We must do all we can to support crime victims and their families with critical services, and I am proud to deliver hundreds of millions in federal funding to support this effort in every corner of New York State. Together with the State of New York we are sending an unequivocal message that we will not leave victims and survivors of crime behind. I’m grateful for Governor Hochul’s work putting these federal dollars to good use to support crime victims and their families and will continue to fight tooth and nail to ensure our communities have all the resources needed to keep New Yorkers safe.”
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said, “It is critical that the victims and survivors of crime have access to the support programs and services they need to get back on their feet. This investment is an important step in the right direction, and I look forward to continuing to work with Governor Hochul to keep our communities safe while ensuring that victims and their families have the resources they need to recover.”
Representative Jerry Nadler said, “I’m proud that New York is stepping up with this critical investment to ensure that victims and survivors of crime across our state have the best possible services and supports. Robust and sustained funding for victim assistance programs is vital, which is why I led the fight in 2021 to pass the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act, which prevents future cuts to victim services grants. I will continue fighting in Congress to increase federal funding for these lifesaving programs.”
State Senator Julia Salazar said, “As Chair of the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction, I commend the Governor’s and the State’s record level investment of nearly $379.5 million in support of no-cost services for survivors of crime and their families. More than $47 million of that funding will be earmarked for New York City alone. As a survivor of crime myself, I know what kind of physical, financial, and emotional toll the aftermath can be. I’ve spent much of my time in the State Senate fighting for crime survivors, and I’m proud New York is stepping up.”
State law requires OVS to use a competitive application process, which resulted in 261 applications from service providers across the State. Funding for these programs comes from the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund, and New York State’s General Fund. Grantees will receive $126.5 million annually from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2028, aligning with the federal fiscal year.
Victim assistance programs also help individuals file compensation claims with OVS for expenses directly related to the crime. This financial assistance administered by OVS provides a critical safety net, helping victims and their families with medical care, counseling, funeral and burial costs, and other expenses, and providing compensation for lost wages and support. New York is the only state in the nation with no cap on medical or counseling costs, allowing eligible individuals to receive support for as long as they need it.
While compensation eligibility depends on access to other resources, such as health insurance, the services provided by victim assistance programs are always free. OVS Resource Connect allows New Yorkers to easily search for programs based on their specific needs. Visit the Office of Victim Services’ website for more information and follow the agency on Facebook and Instagram.
overnor Kathy Hochul today announced a record investment of nearly $379.5 million in federal and State funding over three years to support programs and services for victims and survivors of crime and their families. This is the largest funding allocation ever administered by the State Office of Victim Services and is supported by $100 million in State funding secured by Governor Hochul to offset reductions in federal aid. OVS awarded grants to 230 nonprofit organizations, hospitals and government agencies to support victim assistance programs offering crisis counseling, therapy, emergency shelter, civil legal assistance, case management, advocacy and more across New York State. Available at no cost, these critical programs assist victims and survivors in the immediate aftermath of crime and for as long as they need help to heal and thrive.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe is my top priority, and I am committed to ensuring our law enforcement and community partners have the resources and tools necessary to prevent and solve crimes, but also ensure that victims and survivors have access to the support they need as well,” Governor Hochul said. “While the federal government slashes funding for community violence intervention and prevention programs and other crucial services, New York is delivering record-level funding to provide the vital support crime victims and their families need and rightfully deserve to recover, heal and thrive.”
The 230 entities receiving funding are the most that the State Office of Victim Services (OVS) has ever supported: The agency currently funds 219 unique grantees. Selected programs currently receiving funding will receive new grant awards and there are 25 newly funded recipients, allowing OVS to expand its reach and better serve individuals and communities that face barriers to accessing support due to language, age, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. Annual grant awards range from $72,000 to $4.3 million, with an average award of $506,000. Total grant funding to the State’s 10 regions and to programs that serve the entire State:
New York City: $47,612,645
Long Island: $9,848,136
Mid Hudson: $18,319,067
Capital Region: $10,164,000
North Country: $3,511,660
Mohawk Valley: $3,887,865
Central New York: $3,935,645
Southern Tier: $3,319,373
Finger Lakes: $14,944,456
Western New York: $6,423,364
Statewide: $4,529,368
Federal rules require OVS to prioritize funding for victims of child abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as underserved populations. Nearly half of the funding (49 percent) has been awarded programs supporting survivors of domestic violence; 22 percent to programs serving underserved communities; 15 percent to child abuse services; and 14 percent to sexual assault services. Additionally, OVS prioritized access to programs across the State’s 10 regions and closing service gaps for victims of gun violence, awarding more than $21 million to support programs assisting individuals, families and communities disproportionately affected by gun violence over the three-year grant cycle.
New York State Office of Victim Services Director Bea Hanson said, “This record-level funding will help ensure continued support for victims and survivors while improving access to services, especially in those communities most impacted by violence. We thank Governor Hochul for her unwavering commitment to ensuring that New York State remains a national leader in victim services.”
In addition to funding for victim assistance programs, the FY26 Enacted Budget includes other significant investments to better support victims and survivors, including creation of a Mass Violence Crisis Response Team; increasing reimbursement for victims of financial scams to $2,500, expanding benefits to those impacted by homicide and ensuring that all survivors of sexual assault receive a full course of anti-HIV medication. The Budget also continues the state’s work to strengthen support for survivors of gender-based violence by improving access to public assistance for survivors of gender-based violence, and codifying gender-based violence workplace policy that requires vendors doing business with New York State to affirm they have a gender-based violence workplace policy.
New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Executive Director Kelli Nicholas Owens said, “Now more than ever, New Yorkers need to know services and resources in our state are available and open to anyone who needs them. This record-setting investment allows us to continue supporting survivors and victims of all forms of violence in a way that ensures services are survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive. Thank you, Governor Hochul, for your steadfast commitment to victims and survivors across the state, no matter who they love, where they came from, or how they identify.”
Senator Charles Schumer said, “We must do all we can to support crime victims and their families with critical services, and I am proud to deliver hundreds of millions in federal funding to support this effort in every corner of New York State. Together with the State of New York we are sending an unequivocal message that we will not leave victims and survivors of crime behind. I’m grateful for Governor Hochul’s work putting these federal dollars to good use to support crime victims and their families and will continue to fight tooth and nail to ensure our communities have all the resources needed to keep New Yorkers safe.”
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand said, “It is critical that the victims and survivors of crime have access to the support programs and services they need to get back on their feet. This investment is an important step in the right direction, and I look forward to continuing to work with Governor Hochul to keep our communities safe while ensuring that victims and their families have the resources they need to recover.”
Representative Jerry Nadler said, “I’m proud that New York is stepping up with this critical investment to ensure that victims and survivors of crime across our state have the best possible services and supports. Robust and sustained funding for victim assistance programs is vital, which is why I led the fight in 2021 to pass the VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act, which prevents future cuts to victim services grants. I will continue fighting in Congress to increase federal funding for these lifesaving programs.”
State Senator Julia Salazar said, “As Chair of the Committee on Crime Victims, Crime and Correction, I commend the Governor’s and the State’s record level investment of nearly $379.5 million in support of no-cost services for survivors of crime and their families. More than $47 million of that funding will be earmarked for New York City alone. As a survivor of crime myself, I know what kind of physical, financial, and emotional toll the aftermath can be. I’ve spent much of my time in the State Senate fighting for crime survivors, and I’m proud New York is stepping up.”
State law requires OVS to use a competitive application process, which resulted in 261 applications from service providers across the State. Funding for these programs comes from the federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) Crime Victims Fund, and New York State’s General Fund. Grantees will receive $126.5 million annually from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2028, aligning with the federal fiscal year.
Victim assistance programs also help individuals file compensation claims with OVS for expenses directly related to the crime. This financial assistance administered by OVS provides a critical safety net, helping victims and their families with medical care, counseling, funeral and burial costs, and other expenses, and providing compensation for lost wages and support. New York is the only state in the nation with no cap on medical or counseling costs, allowing eligible individuals to receive support for as long as they need it.
While compensation eligibility depends on access to other resources, such as health insurance, the services provided by victim assistance programs are always free. OVS Resource Connect allows New Yorkers to easily search for programs based on their specific needs. Visit the Office of Victim Services’ website for more information and follow the agency on Facebook and Instagram.
Stantec Inc. (Stantec) a provider of environmental development and engineering services, with its primary headquarters in Alberta, Canada, along with Cardno Consulting LLC (Cardno), a separate company that Stantec acquired in 2021, have agreed to pay $4 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting or causing the submission of applications to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Brownfields Assessment Grants that falsely certified compliance with federal procurement regulations.
“Applicants for federal grant funds must comply with applicable procurement requirements” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will hold accountable those who undermine the integrity of the federal grant process by falsely certifying compliance with regulations that are designed to prevent unfair competitive advantage.”
“The EPA’s Brownfields Grant Program aims to help communities around the country transform contaminated sites into community assets,” said Acting EPA Inspector General Nicole Murley. “Fair competition is critical to the integrity of this program, and the EPA Office of Inspector General will vigorously pursue allegations of false certifications to protect both the program and the taxpayer dollars that fund it.”
The EPA Brownfields Grant Program provides grants and technical assistance to cities, towns, and other municipalities to assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse contaminated properties. The settlement relates to Assessment Grants the EPA awarded from 2014 to 2022. Applicants for EPA Brownfields grants must certify compliance with a requirement that “contractors that develop or draft specifications, requirements, statements of work, or invitations for bids must be excluded from competing on those procurements.”
The United States alleged that, from 2014-2022, Stantec, through its subsidiary Stantec Consulting Services Inc., and Cardno drafted or assisted in the drafting of the requests for proposals and statements of work associated with applications for EPA Brownfields Assessment Grants, and then competed for and won the work for which they had drafted the specifications. The United States alleged that this conduct violated the above requirement and that Stantec and Cardno falsely certified, or caused the communities applying for the grants to certify, that they had complied with it.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the EPA’s Office of Inspector General.
The matter was investigated by Trial Attorney Robin Overby of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and Special Agent Brian Scriver of the EPA’s Office of Inspector General.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Stantec Inc. (Stantec) a provider of environmental development and engineering services, with its primary headquarters in Alberta, Canada, along with Cardno Consulting LLC (Cardno), a separate company that Stantec acquired in 2021, have agreed to pay $4 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting or causing the submission of applications to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Brownfields Assessment Grants that falsely certified compliance with federal procurement regulations.
“Applicants for federal grant funds must comply with applicable procurement requirements” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will hold accountable those who undermine the integrity of the federal grant process by falsely certifying compliance with regulations that are designed to prevent unfair competitive advantage.”
“The EPA’s Brownfields Grant Program aims to help communities around the country transform contaminated sites into community assets,” said Acting EPA Inspector General Nicole Murley. “Fair competition is critical to the integrity of this program, and the EPA Office of Inspector General will vigorously pursue allegations of false certifications to protect both the program and the taxpayer dollars that fund it.”
The EPA Brownfields Grant Program provides grants and technical assistance to cities, towns, and other municipalities to assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse contaminated properties. The settlement relates to Assessment Grants the EPA awarded from 2014 to 2022. Applicants for EPA Brownfields grants must certify compliance with a requirement that “contractors that develop or draft specifications, requirements, statements of work, or invitations for bids must be excluded from competing on those procurements.”
The United States alleged that, from 2014-2022, Stantec, through its subsidiary Stantec Consulting Services Inc., and Cardno drafted or assisted in the drafting of the requests for proposals and statements of work associated with applications for EPA Brownfields Assessment Grants, and then competed for and won the work for which they had drafted the specifications. The United States alleged that this conduct violated the above requirement and that Stantec and Cardno falsely certified, or caused the communities applying for the grants to certify, that they had complied with it.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the EPA’s Office of Inspector General.
The matter was investigated by Trial Attorney Robin Overby of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and Special Agent Brian Scriver of the EPA’s Office of Inspector General.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Stantec Inc. (Stantec) a provider of environmental development and engineering services, with its primary headquarters in Alberta, Canada, along with Cardno Consulting LLC (Cardno), a separate company that Stantec acquired in 2021, have agreed to pay $4 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting or causing the submission of applications to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Brownfields Assessment Grants that falsely certified compliance with federal procurement regulations.
“Applicants for federal grant funds must comply with applicable procurement requirements” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will hold accountable those who undermine the integrity of the federal grant process by falsely certifying compliance with regulations that are designed to prevent unfair competitive advantage.”
“The EPA’s Brownfields Grant Program aims to help communities around the country transform contaminated sites into community assets,” said Acting EPA Inspector General Nicole Murley. “Fair competition is critical to the integrity of this program, and the EPA Office of Inspector General will vigorously pursue allegations of false certifications to protect both the program and the taxpayer dollars that fund it.”
The EPA Brownfields Grant Program provides grants and technical assistance to cities, towns, and other municipalities to assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse contaminated properties. The settlement relates to Assessment Grants the EPA awarded from 2014 to 2022. Applicants for EPA Brownfields grants must certify compliance with a requirement that “contractors that develop or draft specifications, requirements, statements of work, or invitations for bids must be excluded from competing on those procurements.”
The United States alleged that, from 2014-2022, Stantec, through its subsidiary Stantec Consulting Services Inc., and Cardno drafted or assisted in the drafting of the requests for proposals and statements of work associated with applications for EPA Brownfields Assessment Grants, and then competed for and won the work for which they had drafted the specifications. The United States alleged that this conduct violated the above requirement and that Stantec and Cardno falsely certified, or caused the communities applying for the grants to certify, that they had complied with it.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the EPA’s Office of Inspector General.
The matter was investigated by Trial Attorney Robin Overby of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and Special Agent Brian Scriver of the EPA’s Office of Inspector General.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Stantec Inc. (Stantec) a provider of environmental development and engineering services, with its primary headquarters in Alberta, Canada, along with Cardno Consulting LLC (Cardno), a separate company that Stantec acquired in 2021, have agreed to pay $4 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting or causing the submission of applications to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Brownfields Assessment Grants that falsely certified compliance with federal procurement regulations.
“Applicants for federal grant funds must comply with applicable procurement requirements” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will hold accountable those who undermine the integrity of the federal grant process by falsely certifying compliance with regulations that are designed to prevent unfair competitive advantage.”
“The EPA’s Brownfields Grant Program aims to help communities around the country transform contaminated sites into community assets,” said Acting EPA Inspector General Nicole Murley. “Fair competition is critical to the integrity of this program, and the EPA Office of Inspector General will vigorously pursue allegations of false certifications to protect both the program and the taxpayer dollars that fund it.”
The EPA Brownfields Grant Program provides grants and technical assistance to cities, towns, and other municipalities to assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse contaminated properties. The settlement relates to Assessment Grants the EPA awarded from 2014 to 2022. Applicants for EPA Brownfields grants must certify compliance with a requirement that “contractors that develop or draft specifications, requirements, statements of work, or invitations for bids must be excluded from competing on those procurements.”
The United States alleged that, from 2014-2022, Stantec, through its subsidiary Stantec Consulting Services Inc., and Cardno drafted or assisted in the drafting of the requests for proposals and statements of work associated with applications for EPA Brownfields Assessment Grants, and then competed for and won the work for which they had drafted the specifications. The United States alleged that this conduct violated the above requirement and that Stantec and Cardno falsely certified, or caused the communities applying for the grants to certify, that they had complied with it.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the EPA’s Office of Inspector General.
The matter was investigated by Trial Attorney Robin Overby of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section) and Special Agent Brian Scriver of the EPA’s Office of Inspector General.
The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Wheeling, WV – Late this morning, members of the U.S. Marshals led Mountain State Fugitive Task Force arrested wanted fugitive Devin Roberts, 42. Roberts was wanted by the Cleveland Division of Police for murder as well as by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department for probation violations.
On June 16, 2025, Cleveland Police responded to gunshots in the area of Parkgate Ave. and East 105th St. When officers arrived, they received information that one victim had been shot and that the suspect was possibly located in a home nearby. The victim of the shooting, De’Ante Kidd, 34, was found deceased on the porch of a home on Parkgate Ave. Cleveland SWAT responded to a second location where they believed the suspect to be. At the time the suspect, Devin Roberts, was not located. A warrant was issued for Roberts’ arrest and the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) began searching for him.
As members of the NOVFTF began searching for Roberts, they believed that he had fled the Cleveland area after the crime. Today, information was provided to the U.S. Marshals in Wheeling, West Virginia that Roberts may be hiding in their area. The task force was able to locate Roberts in Brilliant, Ohio. He was arrested without incident during a traffic stop in the area of 1400 3rd St. Roberts will remain in custody until he can be extradited back to Cleveland for the charges against him.
U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott stated, “This suspect has brought violence and fear to the Cleveland community, we are thankful for the dedicated work of the Detectives in the Cleveland homicide unit as well as the quick actions by members of our task force and in West Virginia. The suspect is behind bars and the communities are safer.”
Anyone with information concerning a wanted fugitive can contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED (1-866-492-6833), or you can submit a web tip. Reward money is available, and tipsters may remain anonymous. Follow the U.S. Marshals on Twitter @USMSCleveland.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force – Cleveland Division is composed of the following federal, state and local agencies: U.S. Marshals Service, Cleveland Police Department, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Police Department, Euclid Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Independence Police Department, Parma Police Department, Aurora Police Department, Solon Police Department, Cleveland RTA Police Department, Westlake Police Department, Bedford Police Department, Middleburg Heights Police Department, Newburgh Heights Police Department and the Metrohealth Police Department.
Wheeling, WV – Late this morning, members of the U.S. Marshals led Mountain State Fugitive Task Force arrested wanted fugitive Devin Roberts, 42. Roberts was wanted by the Cleveland Division of Police for murder as well as by the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department for probation violations.
On June 16, 2025, Cleveland Police responded to gunshots in the area of Parkgate Ave. and East 105th St. When officers arrived, they received information that one victim had been shot and that the suspect was possibly located in a home nearby. The victim of the shooting, De’Ante Kidd, 34, was found deceased on the porch of a home on Parkgate Ave. Cleveland SWAT responded to a second location where they believed the suspect to be. At the time the suspect, Devin Roberts, was not located. A warrant was issued for Roberts’ arrest and the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF) began searching for him.
As members of the NOVFTF began searching for Roberts, they believed that he had fled the Cleveland area after the crime. Today, information was provided to the U.S. Marshals in Wheeling, West Virginia that Roberts may be hiding in their area. The task force was able to locate Roberts in Brilliant, Ohio. He was arrested without incident during a traffic stop in the area of 1400 3rd St. Roberts will remain in custody until he can be extradited back to Cleveland for the charges against him.
U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott stated, “This suspect has brought violence and fear to the Cleveland community, we are thankful for the dedicated work of the Detectives in the Cleveland homicide unit as well as the quick actions by members of our task force and in West Virginia. The suspect is behind bars and the communities are safer.”
Anyone with information concerning a wanted fugitive can contact the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force at 1-866-4WANTED (1-866-492-6833), or you can submit a web tip. Reward money is available, and tipsters may remain anonymous. Follow the U.S. Marshals on Twitter @USMSCleveland.
The Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force – Cleveland Division is composed of the following federal, state and local agencies: U.S. Marshals Service, Cleveland Police Department, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority Police Department, Euclid Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole Authority, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Independence Police Department, Parma Police Department, Aurora Police Department, Solon Police Department, Cleveland RTA Police Department, Westlake Police Department, Bedford Police Department, Middleburg Heights Police Department, Newburgh Heights Police Department and the Metrohealth Police Department.
Just as birthdays are traditionally marked with celebration and some reflection, South Africa’s Constitutional Court recently blew out the candles in celebration of its 30th birthday, having continued to make a positive impact on society.
Few of us can envision a democratic South Africa minus the apex court that was birthed by our country’s world-famous Constitution.
In the most basic form of our understanding of the court, most of us have come to associate the court with the human rights contained in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution. That loose definition is not too far off the bat. As the highest court in the land on constitutional matters, it deals exclusively with matters that raise questions about the application or interpretation of the Constitution.
Given our painful history where torture and the real threat of death were the order of the day for the majority, South Africans care a lot about their human rights and that of others.
The court is an integral part of South African life, traversing even to the core of matters of life and death. In its S v Makwanyane (1995) landmark case on the constitutionality of the death penalty, which was a feature of the apartheid regime, the court ruled that the death penalty was unconstitutional as it violated the right to life as enshrined in Section 11 of the Bill of Rights.
That seminal ruling was proof that the law which was previously used to oppress non-whites in the apartheid era, could and did work in favour of South Africa’s people in all their diversity.
It was a needed and powerful ruling that spoke to the sacredness of life.
While that ruling of the court was made many years ago, its impact and effectiveness has continued to echo through the various stages democratic South Africa has gone through. Even when citizens and political formations, among others, called for a referendum to bring back the death penalty, government though the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services responded by stating that the Constitution strives “to eradicate the injustices of the past, to protect us from our own whims and to advance the rule of law and to guarantee equality before the law.”
Section 74 of the Constitution states that the founding provisions in section 1 of the Constitution may only be amended by a bill passed by the National Assembly with a supporting vote of at least 75% of its members and a supporting vote of at least 6 provinces in the National Council of Provinces. Government said that any decision of the return or otherwise of the death penalty could not be legally done via a referendum.
And while one may say that the public outcry expressed by society back in 2019 over not only the brutal murder of student Uyinene Mrwetyana, but the overall levels of violent crimes committed against women and children necessitated the referendum, the supreme nature of the Constitution as the law of the republic has remained.
This is seen in how government responded to the matter while also highlighting that conduct that is inconsistent with the Constitution is invalid and that obligations imposed by it must be fulfilled.
This was also evidenced by the August v Electoral Commission (1999) case which sought to confirm the right of prisoners to vote and subsequently, since 1999 the Electoral Commission and the Department of Correctional Services has worked to provide voter registration and voting opportunities for inmates in line with the Constitutional right extended to prisoners to vote.
These judgements and others that followed, including the Government of the RSA v Grootboom (2000) case on the right to housing, which President Cyril Ramaphosa referred to at a ceremony celebrating the 30th anniversary of the court, show that the work of the court does not favour one particular sect of society, but champions the validity and integrity of the Constitution instead.
These judgements have not only educated the public on the Constitution but have also strengthened the country’s law-making capabilities while also strengthening South Africa’s democracy.
As we reflect on the body of work that the Concourt has produced over the years, what remains is that while the faces of government administrations have changed, the court and indeed other courts around the country have and continue to maintain their sacrosanct independence.
And while the court has had to force the hand of government to implement rights contained in the Bill of Rights such as the right to housing in the Grootboom matter in which the applicant Irene Grootboom died without a decent house is something that government must still work on.
In his commentary on the matter, President Ramaphosa said that deepening respect for constitutionalism across all sectors must start with the state and that Grootboom’s death without her dream having been realised, “will forever remain a blight on our democracy.”
And while the Constitution is the supreme law of the land, with the Constitutional Court as the highest court in the land on constitutional matters, our democracy makes provision for the amending of the Constitution where necessary.
Recently, Parliament’s Joint Constitutional Review Committee concluded deliberations on the feasibility of amending the Constitution, following up on legacy submissions inherited from the previous Parliament.
In the sixth Parliament, the submissions were subjected to public hearings with the committee having considered 10 legal opinions.
These opinions provided by the Parliamentary Legal Services, informed the committee’s assessment of various proposals for constitutional amendment.
The actual amendment to the Constitution can only be considered through a resolution passed by both Houses of Parliament.
The court is not merely a building, but a breathing, living element of a present and future South Africa, warts and all. May it continue to live long into the future. –SAnews.gov.za
Neo Semono is the Features Editor atwww.SAnews.gov.za, in the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS)
NEWARK, N.J. –U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Newark and multiple federal, state and local partners made 18 arrests of alleged co-conspirators for roles in a drug trafficking organization July 1 in Newark, New Jersey.
The arrests are a result of a 14-month HSI Newark investigation with the Newark Police Department and the U.S. District Attorney for the District of New Jersey.
“In addition to the 18 arrests, HSI’s investigation led to federal charges filed against 24 individuals and we executed seven federal search warrants in and around Essex County, New Jersey,” said HSI Newark Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel during a press conference following the operation. “Law enforcement partnership and teamwork were essential in our success. I am proud to say these alleged conspirators operating the sale of narcotics primarily from the Bradley Court Public Housing Complex have been stopped thanks to thousands of hours of police work. The livelihood of the tenants throughout 10 three-story apartment buildings who have been plagued by this dangerous enterprise for far too long can now feel a sense of safety and security.”
On July 2, two additional defendants were arrested. Four remain at large.
HSI Newark’s investigation uncovered a complex criminal enterprise with ties to transnational organized crime, that distributed more than 400 grams of fentanyl and a kilo of heroin. During the takedown operation, approximately $113,000 dollars in bulk cash/drug proceeds, illicit firearms, ammunition, narcotics, including 28 bricks of fentanyl and heroin, and vehicles were seized.
According to the investigation, the defendants are members or associates of Sex, Money, Murder—a Blood affiliated criminal street gang that controls the drug trade in Bradley Court Housing Complex located near North Munn Avenue and Tremont Avenue in Newark. The enterprise is also known as Munn Block, M-Blok, and Tombstone Gang. Munn Block are closely aligned with another Blood affiliated gang known as Voorhees, who operate around Voorhees Street—members and associates of the enterprise refer to the collective union as “MunnHees”.
“It is critical for the public to understand that these individuals engaged in the most dangerous of action, were armed and were involved in shootings,” said Patel. “They peddled narcotics to include fentanyl, heroin, and crack cocaine, all while risking the lives of those around them for power and money. Surveillance, undercover activity and electronic monitoring were just some of the necessary steps needed to bring these individuals to justice.”
For over a year, law enforcement conducted extensive surveillance of the area, conducted numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, seized narcotics through enforcement action, and analyzed telephone records, all of which demonstrated extensive interactions between and among the charged defendants. Members and associates of the enterprise are known to use social media on a variety of platforms and mobile applications, including Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter), Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp to conduct the business of the enterprise, communicate with one another, promote the Enterprise through sharing photographs and videos, and further the enterprise’s goals. Specifically, the enterprise uses the release and promotion of drill rap songs and music videos on social media to intimidate rival gang members, witnesses, and other members of the community, and to promote the enterprise.
“For far too long, the Bloods have overtaken the Bradley Court Housing Complex — turning its courtyards and residential buildings into a hub for pumping deadly fentanyl into the city of Newark, while endangering the lives of the citizens who call this community home.” said U.S. Attorney Alina Habba. “This poison has ripped families apart and stolen countless lives. That stops today. These arrests affirm my office’s commitment to taking guns and drugs off the streets and serves as a clear warning to anyone who considers engaging in violent activity. The defendants in this case, as in all criminal cases, are presumed innocent unless, and until proven guilty. However, everyone should understand that if you spread this poison or engage in this violent activity, we will use every resource necessary to find you, dismantle your operation, and prosecute you.”
Other agencies who supported HSI Newark’s investigation and operations included U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service, Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, the New Jersey State Police, Newark Police Department, East Orange Police Department and the Newark Housing Authority Security Department.
The following Essex County residents were each charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, heroin and cocaine:
Shamon Freshley aka Hitta, 26.
Orlando Pizzaro aka Lando, 26.
Zakir Jefferson aka Gu, aka Tank 26.
Quayyon Johnson aka Weeze, 22.
Melvin Faines, aka Spaz, 34.
Afrika Islam, aka Sexx, 29.
Shaheem Webb, aka YC, 23.
Eustace Weeks, aka Juxx, 26.
Ali Baker, aka Surf, 34.
Jose Ward aka Hec, 22.
Brandon Sneed aka Pops, 31.
Eric Banks aka Lil Maneskii, 19.
Tauheed Carney aka Bmunn, 21.
Tykee Stokes aka Big, 32.
Shafeek Barker aka Sha, 28.
Ibn Perry aka Loop, 38.
Alvin Jones aka Lucky, 41.
Kirk Mansook aka Crow, 39.
Tyjanique Green aka Ski, 24.
Jubar Hughes aka Dudu, 27.
Daisean Williams aka Khaos, 22.
Jason Wardlaw aka Jayr, 30.
Rana James aka Pooh, 28.
Sebastian Pierrecent aka Sosa, 21, Quayyan Johnson, and Tauheed Carney are also each charged with possession of a machine gun. In addition, Pierrecent is charged with possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon.
Pierrecent, Johnson, and Carney, are also charged with possession of a machine gun that was used in the June 17 shooting in rival gang territory near Mapes Avenue in Newark.
The defendants charged in the drug conspiracy face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, with potential penalty of life in prison, and a $10 million fine. Pierrecent, Johnson, and Carney each face up to 10 years in prison for possession of the machinegun. Pierrecent faces up to 15 years in prison for possession of firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon.
BEAUMONT, Texas – A federal inmate has been charged with violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
John Robert Bond, 55, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with making threats against a federal official.
The indictment alleges that on May 25, 2025, Bond, a federal inmate housed with the Bureau of Prisons in Beaumont, threatened to assault and murder the Federal Bureau of Prisons Camp Administrator.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
If convicted, Bond faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John B. Ross.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
BEAUMONT, Texas – A federal inmate has been charged with violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Juan Arturo Mendoza, 32, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with assault, resisting or impeding a federal correctional officer.
The indictment alleges that on November 13, 2024, Mendoza, a federal inmate housed with the Bureau of Prisons in Beaumont, had a physical altercation with two corrections officers resulting in bodily injuries to the officers.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
If convicted, Mendoza faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
This case is being investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell James.
A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Spokane, Washington – Acting United States Attorney Richard R. Barker announced that Jered Shay Picard, age 35, of Nespelem, Washington, was sentenced after pleading guilty to Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian Country and Attempted Witness Tampering. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Picard to 48 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, on December 13, 2024, Picard got into a fight with the victim, his intimate partner. The victim locked herself inside a pickup truck to get away from Picard. Picard then pointed a rifle at the victim’s face before firing a shot into the sky. When the victim tried to start the truck and escape, Picard shot out the front driver side tire so she could not leave. The victim recorded the incident on video.
The next morning, the Colville Tribal Police Department located and arrested Picard and booked him into jail.
During several jail telephone calls with the victim, Picard told her to tell investigators she did not want to press charges, avoid meeting with the FBI, delete the video of the incident, and tell investigators she and Picard were drunk at the time of the incident. Picard also implied the victim should not show up to court if the case was federally prosecuted.
“Mr. Picard’s actions were both life-threatening and deeply disturbing,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard R. Barker. “He used a firearm to terrorize his intimate partner and then attempted to manipulate her into obstructing justice. This sentence reflects the grave danger posed by armed domestic abusers—not only to their current victims, but to future partners and to the integrity of the justice system itself.”
“Mr. Picard’s violent and intimidating actions were inexcusable, continuing in an aggressive and dangerous pursuit even when his victim tried to flee in a vehicle. He then compounded his crimes by continuing to intimidate the victim in a brazen attempt to avoid accountability for his actions,” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “I hope this sentence provides the first steps to closure and reinforces our commitment to combatting violent crime in all its forms. Along with our partners, the FBI is dedicated to making our state’s tribal lands a safer place.”
Data shows that offenders with domestic violence in their past pose a high risk of homicide. In fact, domestic violence abusers with a gun in the home are five times more likely to kill their partners, and in addition to their lethality, firearms are used by abusers to inflict fear, intimidation, and coercive control. Additionally, when a violent intimate partner has access to a firearm, nonfatal abuse may increase in severity, even when firearms are not directly used in a violent incident.
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Colville Tribal Police Department. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Michael L. Vander Giessen.
Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News
ALMATY, July 7 (Xinhua) — An underground drug lab has been shut down in a suburb of Karasai district in Kazakhstan’s Almaty region, Kazinform news agency reported on Monday.
The criminal scheme for the production and distribution of synthetic drugs was organized by two citizens from a neighboring state.
According to Daniyar Meirkhan, Acting Chairman of the Committee for Combating Drug Crime of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan, during operational activities, more than 11 kg of the synthetic drug mephedrone were seized from illegal circulation, thereby preventing about 35 thousand single doses worth 1.6 million US dollars from entering the market. –0–
Please note: This information is raw content obtained directly from the source of the information. It is an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.
The afterlife is not typically associated with aggressive pets and insatiable worms. But these are exactly the creatures that appeared to an unnamed woman recluse living in Winchester, England, over the course of three nights in the summer of 1422. The woman was an anchoress. That means she had chosen – and subsequently vowed – to live in solitary confinement within a small cell attached to a church for the rest of her life.
The recluse wrote a vivid account of her vision and sent it to her confessor and a circle of influential churchmen. Her letter, known today as A Revelation of Purgatory, makes her one of the earliest known women writers in the English language.
Despite deserving this accolade, the Winchester recluse did not appear alongside her more famous contemporaries or near contemporaries, Julian of Norwich (1342 – after 1416) and Margery Kempe (circa 1373 – after 1438), in the British Library’s hugely successful recent exhibition, Medieval Women: In Their Own Words. One likely reason for this is that the manuscript copy of the full account of the vision was not available for display at the time. That situation has now changed.
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The British Library has just announced the purchase of five medieval manuscripts from Longleat House in Wiltshire. One of these manuscripts contains the complete surviving version of the recluse’s letter, which, although referred to in an incomplete version elsewhere as “a revelation recently shown to a holy woman”, is untitled in this particular manuscript. This may be another reason for this woman’s writing having been overlooked until very recently. This exciting purchase will hopefully now give the Winchester recluse and her writing the attention they deserve.
Angels feeding souls through a purgatorial furnace in the 15th century manuscript Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. Wikimedia Commons
In her vivid, technicolor visions, the recluse watched a dead friend, a nun named Margaret, ushered to the forefront of purgatory by a cat and dog that she had adored and pampered when she was alive.
Transformed into vicious satanic minions, Margaret’s former pets joined the many devils responsible for doling out her punishments. They tore endlessly at her flesh and bit and scratched her relentlessly. They did so to remind her that, as a nun, she had broken her vows by keeping them as her companions in her nunnery and by devoting too much love and attention to them.
In Margaret’s heart, too, a voracious little worm had taken up residence – a so-called “worm of conscience” – that was intent on consuming her from the inside out as part of her torment.
So deeply troubling was this vision of her friend’s suffering that the Winchester recluse immediately summoned her young maid, and the two women started to pray for the nun’s soul. On the very next day the recluse decided there was nothing for it but to document her visions of Margaret’s fate. She not only detailed all she had seen, but also stipulated which prayers, and how many, should be said on behalf of poor Margaret to deliver her from her suffering and help her reach the gates of heaven.
The recluse’s letter is very specific about the date of these visions: they took place on St Lawrence’s day, August 10 1322, which fell on a Sunday that year. There was – and still is – a small church dedicated to this saint very close to the cathedral in Winchester (the so-called Mother Church of Winchester).
As an anchoress, the author would almost certainly have occupied a cell attached to a church somewhere in Winchester. This would also have allowed her the time and the space for contemplation, study and writing.
As has been argued in a recent blog and podcast for the University of Surrey’s Mapping Medieval Women Writers project, it is quite possible that the Church of St Lawrence was the location of her cell, where she experienced her visions, and where she wrote down her account of them.
This manuscript now permanently joins an unparalleled collection of medieval women’s writing in England held in the British Library. It includes not only The Book of Margery Kempe, manuscripts of both the short and long texts of Julian of Norwich’s Revelations, but also the Lais and Fables of Marie de France, the Boke of Saints Albans attributed to Juliana Berners, and the letters of the 15th-century Norfolk gentlewoman Margaret Paston and other female family members.
As such, the work of this unnamed Winchester anchoress now takes up its rightful place alongside the writing of her hitherto better-known literary sisters.
Diane Watt has received funding from the AHRC, British Academy and Leverhulme Trust.
Liz Herbert McAvoy received funding for an associated project from the Leverhulme Trust.
Amy Louise Morgan does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
(COLUMBIA, S.C.) –South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of James Devan Martin, 34, of Lexington, S.C., on three charges connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department made the arrest.
Investigators state Martin solicited and engaged in criminal sexual conduct with a minor and sent sexually explicit images to a minor.
Martin was arrested on June 26, 2025. He is charged with one count of criminal solicitation of a minor (§16-15-342), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment; one count of criminal sexual conduct with a minor (§16-3-655); and one count of dissemination of obscene material to a person under the age of eighteen (§16-15-345), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.
This case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.
Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.
(COLUMBIA, S.C.) –South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced the arrest of Alfred Peake, Jr., 50, of Elgin, S.C., on one charge connected to the sexual exploitation of a minor. Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force investigators with the Attorney General’s Office made the arrest. Investigators with the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Secret Service, South Carolina Department of Corrections, and Camden Police Department, all also members of the state’s ICAC Task Force, assisted with this investigation.
Investigators received a CyberTipline report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which led them to Peake.Investigators state Peake distributed files of child sexual abuse material.
Peake was arrested on July 1, 2025. He is charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a minor, second degree (§16-15-405), a felony offense punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment.
The case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office.
Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.
* Child sexual abuse material, or CSAM, is a more accurate reflection of the material involved in these heinous and abusive crimes. “Pornography” can imply the child was a consenting participant. Globally, the term child pornography is being replaced by CSAM for this reason.
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia · July 7, 2025 · Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)
The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, will attend and speak at a special celebration to mark a major milestone in the growth of Mil-Aero Electronics, a female-owned Indigenous business in the Aerospace and Defence sector.
Date: July 8, 2025
Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: 81 Mount Hope Ave. Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
Dundee City Council Leader Cllr Mark Flynn has expressed his heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Dr Fortune Gomo following the recent news of her death in the city.
Council Leader Cllr Mark Flynn said: “On behalf of the city, I want to extend my deepest sympathies to Dr Gomo’s family, friends and everyone who knew her.
“This is a deeply sad time for the community and our thoughts are with everyone affected.
“I want to voice my support for the community at this difficult time and echo the appeal made by Police Scotland for anyone with any information that might assist in their investigation to come forward.”
Police Scotland have appealed for anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed the incident or has information that may assist them to contact 101 quoting incident number 2283 of 5th July 2025.
Information can also be given through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced that Christopher Green, 39, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to a total of 35 ½ years in prison for conspiracy in violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), violent crime in aid of racketeering (VICAR) kidnapping, first degree murder while armed (with aggravating circumstances), attempted robbery while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, and firearms offenses, in connection with a series of violent crimes he committed in early 2017. The prosecution had asked the judge to impose a sentence of 60 years.
In addition to the 426-month prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss ordered that the defendant also serve five years of supervised release.
The sentencing today follows a 12-day re-trial, earlier this year, in which a federal jury found Green, aka “Twin,” guilty of RICO conspiracy and VICAR kidnapping.
At his initial trial in 2021, Green was found guilty of the murder, assault and attempted robbery offenses. However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict on the RICO conspiracy and VICAR charges, which led to the recent trial and convictions.
Green was sentenced today with respect to the charges he was convicted of in both trials.
According to the government’s evidence, Green was a core member of a criminal organization that operated in the District of Columbia, Prince George’s County, Maryland, and elsewhere, primarily making money through a series of armed robberies. Green’s actions in Southeast Washington, D.C., on April 9, 2017, led to the death of 25-year-old Zaan Scott. Mr. Scott, a swim coach at the Eastern Market pool, was on his way home when Green attempted to rob him at gunpoint. Mr. Scott died on May 17, 2017, of a blood clot that the medical examiner determined was a result of the shooting. Green was also found guilty at the initial trial of firing gunshots at another victim on February 23, 2017.
In the recent re-trial, the evidence established that Green and a co-conspirator committed a series of violent acts and were working as an “enterprise” to enrich themselves. The VICAR kidnapping conviction in the re-trial involved an incident on April 8, 2017, in which Green and a co-conspirator confronted a young man at gunpoint as the man was getting out of his car in a convenience store parking lot. Green ordered the victim back into the car and robbed him of his ATM card. He then forced the victim to drive to a nearby apartment complex, where he forced him to take off his clothes, and then robbed him of his sneakers and other belongings.
Joining in the announcement were Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
This case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Prince George’s County Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nihar R. Mohanty of the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Liebman of the Superior Court Division Homicide Section.
WASHINGTON – Robert Varez Williams, 28, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 48 months in federal prison for being a previously convicted felon in possession of a loaded Glock 23, a semiautomatic pistol fitted with an extended capacity magazine, while he was on supervised release for a prior violent firearm offense, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Williams pleaded guilty March 25 before the Honorable Dabney L. Friedrich to being a felon in unlawful possession of a firearm. In addition to the 48-month prison term, Judge Friedrich ordered Williams to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on Jan. 10, 2024, officers from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Robbery Suppression Unit were on patrol when they spotted Williams driving erratically in a silver Volkswagen. Williams fled as the officers attempted a traffic stop. A short while later the officers located the VW on the 900 block of R Street, NW. Williams jumped out of the car and sprinted away on foot. An officer caught Williams in an alley off R Street.
Another officer who remained with the car, saw a gun on the front driver’s seat where Williams had been sitting. Police later identified the firearm as a Glock, Model 23, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol loaded with 21 rounds of ammunition. An additional officer pulled a passenger from the car as another conducted a search of the vehicle. That officer found a second Glock pistol outfitted with a machine gun conversion device, under a coat on the front passenger seat, 44 pills that tested positive for MDMA, suspected PCP in a vial, additional rounds of ammunition, and a bottle of alcohol on the car’s center consol.
At the time he was arrested in this case, Williams was on supervised release in the District for attempted assault with a deadly weapon and an unlawful possession of a firearm.
This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the FBI Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Haley M. Pennington of the District of Columbia.
Investigators recovered a Glock 23, .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, loaded with 21 rounds, from Williams’ car.
An officer found a second Glock pistol outfitted with a machine gun conversion in Williams’ Volkswagen under a coat.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announced that Zimarie Bryant, 20, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 30 months in federal prison in connection with marijuana trafficking and illegally possessing a machine gun.
Bryant, an aspiring rapper aka “Cruddy Marie,” pleaded guilty on March 13, 2025, to one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and to one count of unlawful possession of a machine gun. In addition to the 30-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson ordered Bryant to serve three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on Aug. 31, 2023, FBI agents went to an apartment in the 3600 Block of Jay Street, NE, to execute a federal arrest warrant. Agents knocked on the door but did not gain entry for more than 20 minutes. Agents obtained a search warrant and recovered numerous firearms, including a 9mm Glock 45 that had been modified with a switch to make it a functionally fully automatic machine gun.
Agents also recovered about 12 pounds of marijuana, ammunition, and a firearm magazine. As part of this plea, Bryant acknowledged that he possessed the marijuana with the intent to distribute it, that he possessed the machine gun in connection with that possession with intent to distribute, and that he knew the firearm was a machine gun.
While Bryant was released from the apartment, messages from his Instagram account from around the time of the search acknowledge his presence at the scene. On Aug. 31, 2023, Bryant sent an Instagram message to another user saying, “I was just locked up and got picked up by the fbi.” In a separate conversation that day, another Instagram user asked him, “Ever found some thunder 1” “? *”, which refers to marijuana. Bryant responded, “I had some but fbi ran in our spot and took everything”.
On May 30, 2024, Bryant was arrested at an apartment in Southeast Washington, D.C. Law enforcement recovered a disassembled Glock 19 handgun, two 9mm magazines with 15 rounds each, a black scale, and two additional 9mm rounds. When Bryant was shown his arrest warrant during booking, he denied having a machine gun but did admit he had a Glock 19.
Bryant has a history of using and possessing firearms unlawfully. On June 30, 2023, he posted a video on Instagram showing him possessing what appears to be the same firearm involved in this case.
Joining in the announcement were Assistant Director in Chief Steven J. Jensen of the FBI Washington Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Washington Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office, the DEA, and MPD. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Solomon Eppel.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro announces that James E. Coleman, 29, of the District of Columbia, was sentenced today to 30 years in prison for trafficking a 14-year-old victim from Virginia in 2020 for commercial sex with strangers, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Coleman pleaded guilty on May 17, 2022, to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a child, to production of child pornography, and to first-degree child sexual abuse. In addition to the 360-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Randolph D. Moss ordered Coleman to serve 15 years of supervised release, to register as a sex offender and to pay $25,000 in restitution to the victim.
According to court documents, Coleman worked with a co-conspirator with the goal of trafficking the victim for commercial sex and knew that the victim was a minor. Beginning on June 30, 2020, Coleman took sexually explicit photographs and videos of the victim to market her on websites advertising commercial sex services.
Coleman gave the victim directions regarding how much to charge for sexual services, with specific monetary amounts for increments of time she spent with the commercial sex customers. Coleman then pocketed the payments for sexual services the victim provided. He told the victim to tell commercial sex clients she was 21 years old, if she was asked.
Coleman also used his cell phone to record a video of himself engaging in sex acts with the victim.
In July of 2020 Coleman ordered the victim to give him money. When she refused, he beat her with a broomstick, assaulted her with a knife, cut off her clothing, and left her nude in the hallway of his building.
Coleman was arrested by U.S. Marshals on Oct. 22, 2020, and has been held without bond since.
This case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caroline Burrell, Meredith Mayer-Dempsey, and Angela Buckner.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
