NewzIntel.com

Category: United States of America

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lummis Secures Win for Wyoming Gun Owners in One Big Beautiful Bill, Lifting Silencer & Short Barrel Rifle Taxes

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis

    July 2, 2025

    Washington, D.C. – Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) successfully secured the inclusion of a provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill eliminating taxes under the National Firearms Act for gun owners.

    “I’m pleased that my legislation to remove the Depression-era $200 tax on suppressors, as well as short-barreled rifles and shotguns, was included in the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill,” said Lummis. “This will allow more law-abiding Wyoming gun owners to protect their hearing while exercising their Constitutional rights. I will never stop fighting to cut taxes and ensure all Americans can fully enjoy their Second Amendment rights.”

    Background:

    • This provision eliminates the $200 Federal tax on the transfer of suppressors, short barreled rifles and short barreled shotguns under the National Firearms Act (26 U.S.C. 5811).
    • Senator Lummis introduced the Historical Firearms and Lawful Purpose Act in 2024, and is also a longtime sponsor of both the Hearing Protection Act and the SHORT Act.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Lummis Unveils Digital Asset Tax Legislation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wyoming Cynthia Lummis

    Washington, D.C.— U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) introduced comprehensive digital asset tax legislation that secures key victories for the digital asset industry and creates a level playing field for digital asset users across the country.

    “In order to maintain our competitive edge, we must change our tax code to embrace our digital economy, not burden digital asset users,” said Lummis. “This groundbreaking legislation is fully paid-for, cuts through the bureaucratic red tape and establishes common-sense rules that reflect how digital technologies function in the real world. We cannot allow our archaic tax policies to stifle American innovation, and my legislation ensures Americans can participate in the digital economy without inadvertent tax violations.”

    Senator Lummis said, “I welcome public comments on this legislation as we seek to get this package to the President’s desk.”

    BACKGROUND:

    Senator Lummis’ legislation addresses major digital asset taxation issues, including small transaction practicality (a $300 de minimis rule), ending the double taxation of digital asset miners and stakers, parity with other financial assets (digital asset lending, wash sales, mark-to-market tax treatment) and providing that charitable contributions do not require an appraisal. The legislation is estimated by the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation to generate approximately $600 million in net revenue during the 2025-2034 budget window.

    De Minimis Gain from Sale or Exchange of Digital Assets

    Similar to foreign exchange, it creates a new Section 139J providing a de minimis exclusion for digital asset gains or losses unless the sale or exchange is for:

    • Cash or cash equivalents (including payment stablecoins)
    • Property used in active trade or business
    • Property held for income production

    Limitations:

    • $300 threshold for both transaction value and total gain with $5,000 yearly total cap
    • Aggregation rule for related transactions
    • Inflation adjustment beginning 2026

    This provision recognizes the impracticality of tracking every small digital asset transaction, such as buying coffee with Bitcoin, which creates enormous compliance burdens for ordinary users. The $300 threshold strikes a reasonable balance between tax compliance and practical usability of digital assets as a medium of exchange.

    Tax Treatment of Digital Asset Lending Agreements

    Expands Section 1058 securities lending rules to include digital assets:

    • Digital asset lending agreements are generally not taxable events
    • Appropriate basis adjustments required
    • Income recognition rules for lenders
    • Includes fixed-term transfers in ordinary course of business

    This prevents the absurd result where temporarily lending digital assets would trigger immediate tax consequences, which would discourage legitimate lending markets and create artificial barriers to capital efficiency. The provision ensures digital assets receive the same sensible treatment as securities lending, which has operated successfully for decades without creating tax compliance nightmares.

    Loss from Wash Sales of Digital Assets

    Revises Section 1091 to cover “specified assets” (both securities and digital assets):

    • 30-day wash sale rule applies to digital assets
    •  Covers options, forward contracts, futures, and derivatives
    • Exceptions for dealers and business/hedging transactions
    • Basis adjustment rules for disallowed losses

    This closes an unfair loophole where digital asset investors could engage in tax-loss harvesting strategies unavailable to traditional securities investors, creating an artificial advantage that distorts investment decisions. The provision ensures tax neutrality between asset classes while maintaining appropriate exceptions for legitimate business activities.

    Mark-to-Market Election

    Creates new Section 475(g) allowing dealers and traders in digital assets to elect mark-to-market treatment:

    • Dealers: mandatory application like securities dealers
    • Traders: optional election like securities traders
    • Limited to actively traded digital assets

    This provides digital asset dealers and traders with the same tax treatment available to their securities and commodities counterparts, eliminating arbitrary discrimination based on asset type. The election allows for more accurate income recognition that matches the economic reality of trading businesses while maintaining consistency with existing tax policy.

    Digital Asset Mining and Staking

    Adds new Section 451(l) deferring income recognition:

    • Mining and staking income not recognized until sale/disposition of produced assets
    • Treated as ordinary income when recognized

    This aligns the taxation of mining and staking rewards with the actual realization of economic benefit, rather than forcing recognition based on volatile and often uncertain fair market values at the time of receipt. The approach prevents cash flow problems where taxpayers owe taxes on assets they haven’t sold and may not be able to liquidate easily.

    Charitable Contributions and Qualified Appraisals

    Exempts actively traded digital assets from qualified appraisal requirements for charitable

    contributions.

    This removes an unnecessary bureaucratic barrier that has discouraged charitable giving of digital assets, even though these assets often have readily determinable fair market values through active trading. The provision encourages philanthropy while recognizing that actively traded digital assets should be treated similarly to publicly traded securities for valuation purposes.

    Click here for full bill text.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Neguse, Raskin Lead 170+ Members of Congress in Amicus Brief, Arguing Trump Cannot Dismantle Department of Education

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren

    July 03, 2025

    The lawmakers argue that only Congress has authority to create, restructure, and abolish federal departments and agencies by constitutional mandate and through a long-established legal precedent. 

    The Department of Education is statutorily mandated and cannot be unilaterally abolished by the President.

    Text of Brief (PDF)

    Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), House Assistant Majority Leader Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Representatives Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.) and Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.), led 174 of their colleagues in submitting an amicus brief in NAACP v. US, arguing to the United States District Court District of Maryland that President Trump’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) violate separation of powers and lack constitutional authority.

    On March 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order instructing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps” to abolish ED. This came after the Trump Administration carried out a series of actions dismantling the Department, including mass firings of ED employees, the termination of contracts for congressionally authorized programs and activities, and the removal of crucial protections for student loan borrowers, while announcing plans to reorganize key ED functions into different departments.

    On March 24, 2025, a coalition of plaintiffs, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Maryland Council 3, and others, filed a lawsuit to halt the Trump Administration’s illegal efforts to dismantle ED. The lawsuit argues that dismantling a Congressionally created federal agency requires Congressional approval. 

    The lawmakers wrote: “Since the Department was created, presidents have taken different views of the Department and the role the federal government should play in education policy, but none has attempted what President Trump is attempting here: to unilaterally shutter the department… In short, the ‘President’s power, if any, to issue an order’ abolishing the Education Department ‘must stem either from an act of Congress or from the Constitution itself.’ Here, President Trump’s effort to unilaterally dismantle the Education Department defies the express will of Congress. Defendants lack the power to do what only Congress can do—restructure the federal government by shuttering a government department.”

    In addition to Leader Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senator Warren, the brief was signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

    The brief was signed by Speaker Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Representatives Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), Donald S. Beyer Jr. (D-Va.), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-Ga.), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Or.), Shontel Brown (D-Ohio), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Salus O. Carbajal (D-Calif.), André Carson (D-Ind.), Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-La.), Ed Case (D-Haw.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Yvette Clark (D-N.Y.), Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-Mo.), James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Herbert C. Conaway, Jr. (D-N.J.), J.Luis Correa (D-Calif.), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Tex.), Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), Madeline Dean (D-Pa.), Diana DeGette, (D-Colo.), Suzan K. DelBene (D-Wash.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), Maxine Dexter (D-Or.), Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Tex.), Sarah Elfreth (D-M.d.), Veronica Escobar (D-Tex.), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Cleo Fields (D-La.), Shomari Figures (D-Ala.), Lizzie Fletcher (D-Tex.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (D-Fla.), John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-Ill.), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Tex.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.), Pablo José Hernández (D-Puerto Rico), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Steny H. Hoyer (D-M.d.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Glenn F. Ivey (D-M.d.), Jonathan L.Jackson (D-Ill.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-Ga.), Julie Johnson (D-Tex.), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif), William Keating (D-Mass.), Robin L. Kelly (D-Ill.), Timothy M. Kennedy (D-N.Y.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), John B. Larson (D-Colo.), George Latimer (D-N.Y.), Summer L. Lee (D-Pa.), Susie Lee (D-Nev.), Teresa Leger Fernández (N.M.), Mike Levin (D-Calif.), Sam T. Liccardo (D-Calif.), Ted W. Lieu (D-Calif.), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.), Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), John W. Mannion (D-N.Y.), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), April McClain Delaney (D-M.d.), Jennifer L. McClellan (D-Va.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.), James P. McGovern (D-Mass.), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Robert J. Menendez (D-N.J.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Joseph D. Morelle (D-N.Y.), Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Frank J. Mrvan (D-Ind.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Scott H. Peters (D-Calif.), Brittany Petterson (D-Colo.), Chellie Pingree (D-Me.), Nellie Pou (D-N.J.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Delia C.Ramirez (D-Ill.), Emily Randall (D-Wash.), Deborah K. Ross (D-N.C.), Andrea Salinas (D-Or.), Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Eric Sorenson (D-Ill.), Melanie A  Stansbury (D-N.M.), Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Bennie G.Thompson (D-Miss.), Mike Thompson (D-Cal.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Norma J. Torres (D-Calif.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Derek T. Tran (D-Calif.), Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.), Juan Vargas (D-Calif), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Maxine Walters (D-Calif.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), Frederica S.Wilson (D-Fla.).

    Senator Warren launched the Save Our Schools campaign in a coordinated effort to fight back against President Trump’s attempts to abolish the Department of Education:

    • On June 10, 2025, Senator Warren met with Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and delivered over 1,000 letters to McMahon that the senator had received from people in all 50 states who were worried about the Secretary’s efforts to dismantle ED.
    • On June 9, 2025, Senator Warren led her colleagues in pushing the Acting Inspector General of ED to open an investigation into new information obtained by her office revealing that DOGE may have gained access to two FSA internal systems, in addition to sensitive borrower data.
    • On May 20, 2025, Senator Warren and 27 other senators pushed for full funding for the Office of Federal Student Aid.
    • On May 20, 2025, Senator Warren and 27 other senators pushed for full funding to the Office of Federal Student Aid.
    • On May 14, 2025, Senator Warren led a Senate forum entitled “Stealing the American Dream: How Trump and Republicans Are Raising Education Costs for Families,” highlighting the consequences of Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless dismantling of the Department of Education (ED) and President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” for working- and middle-class students and borrowers.
    • On May 13, 2025, Senator Warren agreed to meet with Education Secretary Linda McMahon and promised to bring questions and stories from Americans across the country to highlight how the Trump administration’s attacks on education are hurting American families.
    • On May 6, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren highlighted the consequences of President Trump and Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless dismantling of the Department of Education for American families in a Senate forum.
    • On April 24, 2025, Senator Warren launched a new investigation into the harms of President Trump’s attacks on the Department of Education, seeking information on the impact of the Trump administration’s actions from the members of twelve leading organizations representing schools, parents, teachers, students, borrowers, and researchers.
    • On April 10, 2025, following a request led by Senator Warren, the Department of Education’s Acting Inspector General agreed to open an investigation into the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
    • On April 2, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Mazie Hirono, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Department of Government Efficiency’s proposed plan to replace the Department of Education’s federal student aid call centers with generative artificial intelligence chatbots.
    • On April 2, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren launched the Save Our Schools campaign to fight back against the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) and highlight the consequences for every student and public school in America.
    • On March 27, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a letter to Acting Department of Education Inspector General (IG) René Rocque requesting that the IG conduct an investigation of the Trump Administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
    • On March 20, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders led a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Trump Administration’s decision to slash the capacity of Federal Student Aid to handle student aid complaints.
    • On February 24, 2025, in a response to Senator Warren, Secretary McMahon gave her first public admission that she “wholeheartedly” agreed with Trump’s plans to abolish the Department of Education.
    • On February 11, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim sent Linda McMahon, Secretary-Designate for the U.S. Department of Education, a 12-page letter with 65 questions on McMahon’s policy views in advance of her nomination hearing.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: V. Putin plans to hold a telephone conversation with D. Trump on July 3

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Moscow, July 3 (Xinhua) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said he plans to hold a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday.

    “Today I will talk with the President of the United States,” said V. Putin during his visit to the exhibition of the competition of growing Russian brands at the national center “Russia” as part of the forum “Strong ideas for a new time” taking place in Moscow.

    The 5th forum “Strong Ideas for a New Time”, organized by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the state corporation VEB.RF, is being held at the national center “Russia” on July 2 and 3. The goal of the forum is to find and support promising projects and proposals. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI Russia: V. Putin plans to hold a telephone conversation with D. Trump on July 3

    Translation. Region: Russian Federal

    Source: People’s Republic of China in Russian – People’s Republic of China in Russian –

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    Moscow, July 3 (Xinhua) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said he plans to hold a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday.

    “Today I will talk with the President of the United States,” said V. Putin during his visit to the exhibition of the competition of growing Russian brands at the national center “Russia” as part of the forum “Strong ideas for a new time” taking place in Moscow.

    The 5th forum “Strong Ideas for a New Time”, organized by the Agency for Strategic Initiatives and the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the state corporation VEB.RF, is being held at the national center “Russia” on July 2 and 3. The goal of the forum is to find and support promising projects and proposals. –0–

    MIL OSI Russia News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Frost, Jayapal Introduce Legislation to Decriminalize Homelessness, The Housing Not Handcuffs Act

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Maxwell Frost Florida (10th District)

    June 26, 2025

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Maxwell Frost (FL-10) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) have introduced legislation on the one-year anniversary of the disastrous City of Grants Pass v. Johnson Supreme Court decision, which allows cities to criminalize homelessness. The Housing Not Handcuffs Act aims to prohibit the criminalization of homeless persons on public lands when there is nowhere else to go. 

    “Since the Grants Pass decision, cities across the country have passed over 200 bills to criminalize homelessness, including in my own district. These policies don’t solve homelessness instead they dehumanize our unhoused, saddle them with criminal records, and make it even harder for them to find stable housing. It’s a vicious cycle that the Housing Not Handcuffs Act seeks to end,” said Rep. Maxwell Frost. “At a time when the cost of living is at an all-time high and Trump’s Big Ugly Bill will only help the rich get richer and the working poor get poorer— we’re fighting to make sure everyone has access to safe, decent, and affordable housing, not handcuffs.”

    “Every single person in the richest country in the world should be able to have a roof over their head and a safe place to sleep, it’s that simple,” said Rep. Jayapal. “There is nowhere in this country where you can pay rent on a minimum wage salary. By criminalizing aspects of homelessness, cities and states across this country are only creating greater barriers for people to access housing — something that is already far too scarce. Fining people who already can’t afford to live makes no sense and will only result in longer-term homelessness.”

    In 2024, homelessness increased by 18 percent nationwide, with a record high of 771,480 people experiencing homelessness. At the same time, there is a nationwide shortage of 200,000 shelter beds and a shortage of 7.1 million affordable and available rental homes. 

    Since the Grants Pass ruling, over 260 anti-homeless laws have been passed by cities and states. Criminalizing homelessness creates greater barriers to accessing housing. Typically, these punishments come with fines, which create further financial strain on people who can already not afford the basics, and may create a criminal record, making it more difficult to get a job or apply for housing. 

    The Housing Not Handcuffs Act will ensure that people who are homeless cannot be criminally or civilly punished for:

    • Living on federal lands unless safe, decent, accessible shelter is available;

    • Asking for or sharing food, water, money, or other donations in public places;

    • Praying, meditating, or practicing religion in public spaces;

    • Occupying a lawfully parked motor vehicle;

    • Storing their possessions and enjoying privacy in their personal property to the same degree as property in a private dwelling.

    The legislation is sponsored by Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Sylvia Garcia (TX-29), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Jr (GA-04), Summer Lee (PA-12), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), and Nydia M. Velázquez (NY-07).

    It is also endorsed by A Way Home America; American Civil Liberties Union; Catalyst Montana; Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund; Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO); Equal Justice Under Law ; Fines & Fees Justice Center; Fund for Empowerment; Funders Together to End Homelessness; Health Students Taking Action Together (H-STAT); Homeless Action Center; Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky; Homeless Rights Advocacy Project; Hygiene4All; Invisible People; Justice in Aging; Juvenile Law Center; Kairos Center for Religions, Rights and Social Justice; Law Enforcement Action Partnership; Legal Action Center; Mid-Willamette Valley Community Action Agency; Miriam’s Kitchen; Mountain State Justice, Inc.; National Alliance to End Homelessness; National Coalition for the Homeless; National Harm Reduction Coalition; National Health Care for the Homeless Council; National HIV/AIDS Housing Coalition; National Homelessness Law Center, National Housing Law Project; National Low Income Housing Coalition; National Network to End Domestic Violence; National Vehicle Residency Collective ; One Love World ; Open Table Nashville ; People’s Action; Prison Policy Initiative; RESULTS Educational Fund; Sexual Violence Law Center; Southern Poverty Law Center; Street Books; Street Democracy; University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic; VOCAL-TX; Voice of the Experienced; Voters Organized to Educate; Western Regional Advocacy Project.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Neal Statement on the Passing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

    Neal Statement on the Passing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym

    Washington, D.C., July 2, 2025

    Congressman Richard E. Neal released the following statement on the passing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a Granby-native, graduate of Pope Francis Preparatory School, and student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

    “I was heartbroken to hear of the tragic shooting that took the life of Granby-native Eric Tarpinian-Jachym. A rising senior at UMass Amherst, Eric was in D.C. interning on Capitol Hill, pursuing his passion for public service. As a lecturer at UMass, I know firsthand the caliber of students who walk through those doors. Eric embodied what it means to be part of a community committed to learning, growth, and civic engagement.

    “Any parent will tell you there is no greater pain than the pain of losing as a child. As a father, my thoughts and prayers are with Eric’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Neal Statement on the Passing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

    Neal Statement on the Passing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym

    Washington, D.C., July 2, 2025

    Congressman Richard E. Neal released the following statement on the passing of Eric Tarpinian-Jachym, a Granby-native, graduate of Pope Francis Preparatory School, and student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

    “I was heartbroken to hear of the tragic shooting that took the life of Granby-native Eric Tarpinian-Jachym. A rising senior at UMass Amherst, Eric was in D.C. interning on Capitol Hill, pursuing his passion for public service. As a lecturer at UMass, I know firsthand the caliber of students who walk through those doors. Eric embodied what it means to be part of a community committed to learning, growth, and civic engagement.

    “Any parent will tell you there is no greater pain than the pain of losing as a child. As a father, my thoughts and prayers are with Eric’s family and loved ones during this difficult time.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: At 4 AM, Neal Leads Floor Debate with a Reality Check for the GOP

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Richard Neal (D-MA)

    (As delivered)

    WATCH HERE

    Thank you. Mr. Speaker. I yield myself two minutes. So we might have visited a lot of places, tonight or this morning,  I should say, why don’t we visit reality? 

    Here’s the reality because we’re going to talk about facts for the next 15 minutes on our side. One thing you can understand very clearly the Republicans in the House surrendered to the Republican to the Senate and once again when the going got tough both institutions surrendered to the president. 

    This bill became worse along the way when it was already a pretty bad product. 

    In terms of expertise, Republicans said let’s reject what the Congressional Budget Office says. Let’s reject what the Joint Committee on Taxation might have to say and of course, when the going gets tough, let’s blame the Federal Reserve Board because of interest rates. 

    Under this bill, here’s a fact, Mr. Speaker, if you made a million dollars last year you’re gonna make a plus of $96,000 in the next tax filing season. That’s a fact, but here’s the real fact in the scam that’s being presented to the American people with this legislation. If you made under $50,000 last year, you’re gonna get 68 cents a day in terms of your tax relief. The Senate was too generous. They were at 73 percent. So, the House wanted to go back to on the Republican side, 68 cents. 

    Here’s the real kicker for a party that has preached fiscal rectitude that I’ve listened to it all my years here. All my years here, voting for the balanced budget amendment, taking up all of these pursuits in terms of fiscal rectitude, they’re borrowing $5 trillion additional dollars to pay for a tax cut for the wealthiest amongst us. $5 trillion is being added to the debt. 

    I call attention to that because they’re taking away health insurance from poor people, hospitals are going to suffer, Medicare is going to be cut, the Child Tax Credit will leave out the poorest, and seniors are threatened with much of the necessities of everyday life. SNAP, Medicaid, Medicare, and the ACA are all about to be gutted in the name of a tax cut for the wealthiest amongst us.”

    WATCH HERE

    “I can’t wait with the Republican Party to meet that waitress who’s making $32 ,000 a year and tell her in this tax bill the Republican Party just gave her 68 cents more a day ’cause that’s the reality of what this tax bill is about. 

    But we can also say in the next breath, if you made a million dollars last year, you’re gonna get $96,000. This is a fact -free argument. 

    They’re making this argument out that the person at the bottom is gonna do well in contrast to the person at the top. There’s simply no factual basis to that. 

    And by the way, the party of fiscal rectitude, they’re borrowing $5 trillion to pay for a tax cut for the wealthiest amongst us.”

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: National Impact for CT AHEC and its Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars from UConn Health

    Source: US State of Connecticut

    “I was amazed to see just how large of an organization AHEC really is,” said Max Marks, UConn School of Dental Medicine student and Urban Service Track/AHEC (UST/AHEC) scholar alum. Marks was one of four UST/AHEC alumni who attended the recent biennial AHEC (Area Health Education Centers) conference in Lexington, Kentucky. The theme of the conference was Racing Toward Health Workforce Solutions. “I could see that all the people at the conference shared a common goal of improving health in their communities, in addition to training the health care providers of tomorrow.”

    The National AHEC Organization (NAO) represents a network of more than 300 AHEC program offices and centers that serve over 85% of United States counties. Connecticut’s AHEC office is located at UConn Health in Farmington. AHEC’s mission is to enhance access to quality health care, particularly primary and preventive care, by improving the supply and distribution of health care professionals.

    Director of the Connecticut AHEC, Petra Clark-Dufner traveled with the UST/AHEC scholar alums from UConn’s medical and dental school to the national AHEC conference (CT AHEC Photo).

    The two-year Urban Service Track/AHEC Scholars (UST/AHEC) program is one of the key initiatives of the UConn Health-based AHEC program. UST/AHEC scholars include students from UConn Schools of Pharmacy, Nursing, Medicine, Dental Medicine, Social Work and Quinnipiac University’s Physician Assistant program.

    UConn medical student and UST/AHEC scholar alum, Julia Levin, also attended the conference and appreciates the opportunities extended to her as part of UST/AHEC.  “UST/AHEC prepares future health care professionals to practice medicine beyond the confines of textbooks and lecture halls—by connecting them with their communities and equipping them with the skills, perspective, and compassion needed to become truly effective, empathetic clinicians,” said Levin.

    The director of the Connecticut AHEC, Petra Clark-Dufner, says that “through the Urban Service Track, AHEC Scholars learn with, from and about each other.  In addition to expanding their clinical/patient care toolkit, Scholars learn and apply leadership and communication skills.”

    Student panel at the national AHEC conference (Photo Credit: Abell Media).

    The two UConn UST/AHEC alum that were on stage at the conference were medical student Renee Taylor and dental medicine student Evan Perlroth. They participated in the conference’s student plenary panel entitled “In full stride: Students leading workforce transformation.” Perlroth said that “attending my first national conference and speaking on a panel during a plenary session was a unique experience. It was empowering to share my perspective as an AHEC scholar in front of leaders and other professionals nationally.”

    Barbara O’Neill, UConn School of Nursing UST/AHEC coordinator, adds that the NAO student panel is just one of many examples of how the UST/AHEC program provides a platform for interprofessional collaborative practice and educates students and professionals nationally. “It is important to be reminded that every member of the health care team is valuable, including the health professions student in training,” says O’Neill.

    Perlroth sums up the benefits of the program well. “UST/AHEC has opened my eyes to a whole different side of health care that I was unaware of previously.  Without it, I would not be the health care student and future clinician I am today.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News in Brief: Cope Angel 2025: US, Japan sharpen search, rescue skills

    Source: United States Airforce

    U.S. Air Force Airmen, assigned to the 33rd and 31st Rescue Squadrons, partnered with Japan Air Self-Defense Force members from the Naha Air Rescue Squadron for exercise Cope Angel 25-1 at Kadena and Naha Air Bases.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SBA Relief Still Available to Oklahoma Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Residents Affected by May Storms

    Source: United States Small Business Administration

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is reminding eligible small businesses, nonprofits, and residents in Oklahoma of the Aug. 5 deadline to apply for low interest federal disaster loans to offset physical damage caused by severe storms, tornadoes, straight-line winds and flooding occurring May 19.

    The disaster declaration covers the Oklahoma counties of Atoka, Coal, Haskell, Hughes, Latimer, McIntosh, Pittsburg and Pushmataha.

    Small businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply for business physical disaster loans and may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster-damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory, and other business assets.

    Homeowners and renters are eligible to apply for home and personal property loans and may borrow up to $100,000 to replace or repair personal property, such as clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Homeowners may apply for up to $500,000 to replace or repair their primary residence.

    Applicants may also be eligible for a loan increase of up to 20% of their physical damage, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements include strengthening structures to protect against high wind damage, upgrading to wind rated garage doors, and installing a safe room or storm shelter to help protect property and occupants from future damage.

    “One distinct advantage of SBA’s disaster loan program is the opportunity to fund upgrades reducing the risk of future storm damage,” said Chris Stallings, associate administrator of the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “I encourage businesses and homeowners to work with contractors and mitigation professionals to improve their storm readiness while taking advantage of SBA’s physical damage loans.”

    SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program is available to eligible small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, nurseries and private nonprofit (PNP) organizations impacted by financial losses directly related to this disaster. The SBA is unable to provide disaster loans to agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers, except for aquaculture enterprises.

    Interest rates can be as low as 4% for small businesses, 3.62% for PNPs, and 2.81% for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Interest does not begin to accrue, and payments are not due until 12 months from the date of the first loan disbursement. The SBA sets loan amounts and terms, based on each applicant’s financial condition.

    To apply online, visit sba.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

    The deadline to return physical damage applications is Aug. 5.

    ###

    About the U.S. Small Business Administration

    The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow, expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CSO highlights increased demand for union Boilermakers

    Source: US International Brotherhood of Boilermakers

    Our great country was built on the backs of our highly skilled union workers, union skill, union pride and union craftsmanship.

    Captain Edward Bartlett, CEO and Founder, Bartlett Maritime Corporation

    Ron Traxler, Executive Director of the National Association of Construction Boilermaker Employers, shares results from NACBE’s annual safety index.

       View Photo Gallery (6 photos)

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: CSO highlights increased demand for union Boilermakers

    Source: US International Brotherhood of Boilermakers

    Our great country was built on the backs of our highly skilled union workers, union skill, union pride and union craftsmanship.

    Captain Edward Bartlett, CEO and Founder, Bartlett Maritime Corporation

    Ron Traxler, Executive Director of the National Association of Construction Boilermaker Employers, shares results from NACBE’s annual safety index.

       View Photo Gallery (6 photos)

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Governor Stein Takes Action on 12 Bills

    Source: US State of North Carolina

    Headline: Governor Stein Takes Action on 12 Bills

    Governor Stein Takes Action on 12 Bills
    lsaito

    Raleigh, NC

    Today Governor Stein signed eight bills into law and vetoed four bills.  

    Governor Stein made the following statement on his vetoes of Senate Bill 558, Senate Bill 227, House Bill 171, and House Bill 805:  

    “At a time when teachers, law enforcement, and state employees need pay raises and people need shorter lines at the DMV, the legislature failed to pass a budget and, instead, wants to distract us by stoking culture wars that further divide us. These mean-spirited bills would marginalize vulnerable people and also undermine the quality of public services and public education. Therefore, I am vetoing them. I stand ready to work with the legislature when it gets serious about protecting people and addressing North Carolinians’ pressing concerns.” 

    Governor Stein made the following statement on signing Senate Bill 600:  

    “This bill enables people to sign up to be organ donors while doing tax returns and keeps patients safe from toxic chemicals. It also helps schools recruit and retain school nurses and gives schools more tools to quickly treat children with severe allergies.” 

    Governor Stein also signed the following bills into law: 

    • House Bill 763
    • Senate Bill 442
    • House Bill 357
    • Senate Bill 125 
    • Senate Bill 655  
    • Senate Bill 307 
    • Senate Bill 133 
    Jul 3, 2025

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ahead of Holiday weekend, Californians see lowest prices at the pump in 3 years

    Source: US State of California Governor

    Jul 3, 2025

    SACRAMENTO – Ahead of an expected record-breaking holiday weekend for travel, Californians are seeing the lowest prices at the pump in years. This comes after Governor Gavin Newsom has taken repeated actions to increase transparency on Big Oil’s balance sheets — putting people over record profits — and another that will give the state more tools to require petroleum refiners backfill supplies and plan ahead for maintenance, helping keep supply and demand more stable.

    Additionally, Republicans spent the last 6+ months fearmongering about a supposed “65 cent jump” in price at the pump on July 1, which DID NOT happen. In fact, prices at the pump have gone down leading up to, on, and after July 1, 2025 — the opposite of what Big Oil Republicans claimed would happen.

    Press releases, Recent news

    Recent news

    Jul 2, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – As House Republicans vote on the measure as soon as tonight, President Trump’s “big beautiful” national debt-adding bill is a massive tax break for the wealthiest Americans, at the cost of programs and services used by everyday families. It gives tax…

    Jul 2, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced the following appointments: Tamie McGowen, of Folsom, has been appointed Senior Advisor for Strategy and Operations for the California State Transportation Agency. McGowen has been Deputy Secretary of…

    Jul 2, 2025

    News SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement regarding the death of California Highway Patrol Officer Miguel Cano:“Officer Miguel Cano dedicated his life to serving our communities, and his passing is a heartbreaking loss for the state and…

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI-DOD Program Enlists, Equips International Partners to Help Crush Cartel Violence

    Source: US FBI

    The FBI and our interagency partners have been long-committed to using vetted teams to stay ahead of the TOC threat. 

    The Bureau created its first two TOC-West vetted teams in Colombia and the Dominican Republic more than 10 years ago. Our partners at the Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have their own versions of vetted teams, too.  

    Eric Geressy, a U.S. Army veteran and current senior Defense Department civilian official who has conducted training exercises with vetted teams for years, called TOC-West’s iteration “a finishing force” in the U.S. government’s pursuit of some of the worst offenders. 

    “For DOD, like the FBI and all interagency partners, we see the joint training efforts as critical to everyone’s success and survival—it needs to be hard and realistic, so we’re all ready to go whenever we’re called on,” Geressy said. “Training and working together is how we can best protect the people of the United States and all our partner nations.” 

    The FBI trains its TOC-West vetted teams as much as possible because it is critical to their safety and our shared success.  

    Vetted team training exercises—hosted on the ground in partner countries and conducted in Spanish by bilingual instructors—educate our international law enforcement partners on how the FBI approaches investigations and conducts related activity. Trainings also review critical skillsets that can save their lives when they’re on the job. 

    Medical care under fire is a prominent part of the training. The U.S. Department of Defense developed the training based on lessons learned from combat, Mike explained, and the Bureau and other federal law enforcement have adopted it. This training aims to empower vetted teams to keep injured individuals alive until they can be treated by a doctor or at a hospital. And, Mike recalled from his FBI Academy training, the quicker someone can get an injured person to a trauma center, the more likely they are to survive. 

    For this reason, he added, every vetted team member receives a medical kit—the kind of resource that our international law enforcement partners might not otherwise have access to. “This helps everybody have the best chance possible to go home alive,” he said. 

    The training exercises also cover the basics of firearms safety, marksmanship, and building good instincts to make split-second decisions wisely—such as how to react if someone unexpectedly draws a gun and starts shooting at you. “We make it individualized and vary the training by country and to make sure we’re hitting the right training points” for each team’s needs, Mike said of this portion of the training. 

    Additionally, vetted team members learn basic hand-to-hand combat skills—both to help them defend themselves without the use of a weapon and to empower them to more easily apprehend individuals who might resist arrest—and how to respond to attacks on vehicles they might be riding in.  

    The instruction at these international training exercises is a team effort between Bureau personnel and U.S. Special Operations Command troops from the U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group.  

    “We’ve been very appreciative and grateful for the opportunity to work with U.S. Southern Command and the Department of Defense,” Mike said. “They do annual joint training internationally—one training in Central America, one in the Caribbean, and another one in South America. And so, we’ve partnered up with them since 2023 to bring our vetted teams and instructors to their exercises to cross-train our teams with other teams; to work with the 7th Special Forces Group; and to do firearms, tactics, and medical care together.” 

    The Bureau aims to hold two or three of its own international trainings every year, with support from FBI’s International Operations Division and the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. These trainings cover the same ground as our bilateral trainings with DOD. 

    And for the past two years, the Bureau has brought TOC-West vetted-team partners to the United States for a collective training opportunity at Quantico, Virginia, known as the Basic Investigator Course. The TOC-West Operations Unit hopes to continue this training annually.  

    “It’s important for interoperability that the training we provide is the same for everybody because we don’t know when we’re all going to be working together,” he said. 

    The need for this kind of interoperability training was underscored by real-life tragedy when a member of the TOC-West vetted team in the Dominican Republic was killed in the line of duty while responding to an attempted robbery alongside FBI agents. He died while working to defend them and other civilians, Mike recalled. More recently, in 2024, two members of the Bureau’s vetted team in Colombia were ambushed, with one officer killed and the other wounded. Last month, representatives of IOD and CID presented the fallen officer’s family with the FBI Medal of Valor. 

    “It’s not just for camaraderie,” he said. “We don’t know when we’re all going to find ourselves in the same fight at the same time.” 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tucson Man Arrested for Selling Devices to Convert Glocks into Automatic Firearms

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    TUCSON, Ariz. – Damien Jax Schaffer, 45, of Tucson, was arrested on June 24, 2025, by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) special agents, and charged by criminal complaint for Engaging in the Business of Dealing in Firearms without a License and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm. Schaffer appeared in court today for his initial appearance.

    According to the complaint, from May 8, 2025, through June 24, 2025, ATF monitored Schaffer and learned that he had manufactured and sold 15 illegal machinegun conversion devices. These devices are used to allow semi-automatic firearms, like Glocks, to expel more than one projectile with a single press of the trigger, effectively converting a semi-automatic firearm into a machinegun.

    Machinegun conversion devices are required to be registered with ATF in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. After learning of Schaffer’s activities, ATF agents queried that record and determined that his devices were not registered to anyone. Agents also learned that Schaffer does not possess a federal license to sell firearms.

    This case was 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).

    A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    ATF is conducting the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson is handling the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:          25-MJ-09160
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-109_Schaffer

    # # #

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

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Montgomery Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of a Machinegun

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    MONTGOMERY, Ala. – A Montgomery County man has been sentenced for illegally possessing a Glock switch, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.

    Middle District of Alabama U.S. District Court Judge Myron H. Thompson sentenced Da’Quarious Lamarion Dudley, 21, of Montgomery, Alabama, to 20 months in prison.  In March, Dudley pleaded guilty to illegal possession of a machinegun.

    According to court documents, on February 9, 2024, officers with the Montgomery Police Department were alerted to a sighting of a stolen Mercedes Benz. Officers responded to the area and caught up with Dudley, the driver of the stolen vehicle.  Dudley attempted to make a U-turn.  Another officer blocked Dudley, preventing him from driving further. Dudley got out of the vehicle and fled on foot.  During the chase, he grabbed a firearm in his waistband and threw it. Officers recovered a Glock 17 9mm pistol that had been converted to a machinegun using a machinegun conversion device, commonly referred to as a “Glock switch.” A search warrant of Dudley’s Facebook page revealed that he was regularly in possession of “switches” and even agreed to procure switches for other individuals in the Montgomery area.

    ATF Nashville Division investigated the case along with the Montgomery Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Keown, Sr. prosecuted the case.  

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: South Bend Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Prison

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    SOUTH BEND – Yesterday, James E. Burch II, 38 years old, of South Bend, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cristal C. Brisco after pleading guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.

    Burch was sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by 2 years of supervised release.

    According to documents in the case, in August 2024, police were summoned to a residence where Burch was both seen and photographed pointing a .357 caliber revolver. When police arrived, they located the firearm and arrested Burch.  Burch’s criminal history includes three prior felony conviction, any one of which prohibit him from possessing the firearm in this case.  

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with the assistance of the South Bend Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joel Gabrielse.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: D Street Gang Associate Arrested for Selling Firearm and Fentanyl to Undercover Law Enforcement

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    BOSTON – An associate of the D Street Projects gang in the South Boston area has been arrested and charged for allegedly selling a firearm and fentanyl to an undercover law enforcement agent. 

    Junior Martinez-Perello, 25, was charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl. Martinez-Perello was arrested this morning and, following an initial appearance in federal court in Worcester, was ordered detained pending trial. 

    According to the charging documents, Martinez-Perello communicated with undercover law enforcement about selling 100 grams of fentanyl and a firearm. It is alleged that Martinez-Perello agreed to meet on May 30, 2025 in Boston for the drug and gun deal. On that date, Martinez-Perello allegedly informed the undercover agent that he would always have firearms available and not to be concerned about purchasing firearms from him, and that he would be able to obtain and distribute half-kilogram quantities of fentanyl in the near future.

    It is further alleged that, during the controlled purchase, Martinez-Perello explained how the safety feature worked on the firearm. At one point, Martinez-Perello allegedly pointed the loaded firearm towards the ground, manipulated the firearm in a fashion that was consistent with rendering the firearm safe and attempting to remove the live ammunition from the firearm. During this process, Martinez-Perello disengaged the safety mechanism on the firearm and fired one round into the floor.

    The charge of possession with intent to distribute, and distribution of, fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Dawley of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

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

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Lynn Men Indicted for Drug Trafficking and Firearm Charges

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    One defendant has prior convictions of drug distribution and assault with intent to murder

    BOSTON – Two Lynn men have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on drug trafficking and firearm offenses. 

    Lexus Perez, 30, and Denys Gonzalez Hernandez, 32, were indicted on charges of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and methamphetamine. The defendants are also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Perez is separately charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The defendants were previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint in March 2025. 

    According to the charging documents, during a February 2025 search of Perez and Gonzalez Hernandez’s shared apartment in Lynn, it is alleged that two loaded firearms, 465 grams of fentanyl, 34 grams of cocaine base (commonly known as crack cocaine) and 21 grams of methamphetamine were seized. Following the search, Gonzalez Hernandez was located outside the apartment and taken into custody. During a search of his person, 16 baggies of cocaine and two baggies of fentanyl were allegedly located in Gonzalez Hernandez’s sock. 

    Several days later, Perez was located in a hotel room in Saugus. It is alleged that when law enforcement knocked on the hotel room to execute a search warrant, the sound of a toilet flushing could be heard. He was immediately taken into custody. 

    Before these charges, Perez had been convicted in state court for drug distribution and armed assault with intent to murder resulting in state prison sentences.  

    The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime supervised release and a fine of $5 million. Perez is subject to enhanced sentencing due to his prior criminal history. Perez faces at least 25 years and up to life in prison, at least 10 years and up to a lifetime supervised release and a fine of $20 million. The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking carries a sentence of at least five years consecutive to any other term of imprisonment. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; and Christopher P. Reddy, Chief of the Lynn Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.  

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

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Lynn Men Indicted for Drug Trafficking and Firearm Charges

    Source: United States Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

    One defendant has prior convictions of drug distribution and assault with intent to murder

    BOSTON – Two Lynn men have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston on drug trafficking and firearm offenses. 

    Lexus Perez, 30, and Denys Gonzalez Hernandez, 32, were indicted on charges of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and methamphetamine. The defendants are also charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Perez is separately charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition. The defendants were previously arrested and charged by criminal complaint in March 2025. 

    According to the charging documents, during a February 2025 search of Perez and Gonzalez Hernandez’s shared apartment in Lynn, it is alleged that two loaded firearms, 465 grams of fentanyl, 34 grams of cocaine base (commonly known as crack cocaine) and 21 grams of methamphetamine were seized. Following the search, Gonzalez Hernandez was located outside the apartment and taken into custody. During a search of his person, 16 baggies of cocaine and two baggies of fentanyl were allegedly located in Gonzalez Hernandez’s sock. 

    Several days later, Perez was located in a hotel room in Saugus. It is alleged that when law enforcement knocked on the hotel room to execute a search warrant, the sound of a toilet flushing could be heard. He was immediately taken into custody. 

    Before these charges, Perez had been convicted in state court for drug distribution and armed assault with intent to murder resulting in state prison sentences.  

    The charge of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, 28 grams or more of cocaine base, and methamphetamine provides for a sentence of at least 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime supervised release and a fine of $5 million. Perez is subject to enhanced sentencing due to his prior criminal history. Perez faces at least 25 years and up to life in prison, at least 10 years and up to a lifetime supervised release and a fine of $20 million. The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking carries a sentence of at least five years consecutive to any other term of imprisonment. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition provides for a sentence of up to 15 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; and Christopher P. Reddy, Chief of the Lynn Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip C. Cheng of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.  

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

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bensalem Woman Charged in Home Care Fraud Kickback Scheme That Caused Loss to Medicaid of Nearly $1.1 Million

    Source: US FBI

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced criminal charges today against a Bucks County woman in connection with the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.

    Hemal Patel, 59, of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, has been charged by information with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, in connection with a home care fraud scheme, where Patel is alleged to have received kickbacks to refer home care patients to home care agencies. Patel and others devised a scheme to fraudulently bill Medicaid for home care services that were never provided, resulting in a loss to Medicaid of approximately $1,069,384.38.

    As alleged in the information, Patel forged doctor signatures on forms required to certify individuals as eligible for home care services, and unlawfully used individuals’ personally identifiable information without their knowledge to enroll them for home care services they were not entitled to while those individuals were living out of the country.

    The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alisa Shver.

    The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Metcalf are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that involved the submission of over $14.6 billion in intended loss and over 15 million pills of illegally diverted controlled substances. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets. The United States has seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, and other assets, in connection with the takedown.

    “Health care fraud hurts us all, heightening the cost of services and threatening their availability to people in need,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “My office will continue to target fraud, waste, and abuse within our federal health care programs and ensure that individuals stealing taxpayers’ money answer for their crimes.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Philadelphia Man Who Bypassed Airport Security Checkpoint and Unlawfully Boarded a Flight Sentenced

    Source: US FBI

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Jonathan “Jon” Beaulieu, 32, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States Magistrate Judge Elizabeth Hey to one year of probation and restitution in the amount of $59,143 for entering an airport area in violation of security requirements.

    Beaulieu was charged by information in January of this year and pleaded guilty in February.

    As detailed in court filings and statements in court, on June 26, 2024, at approximately 12:12 a.m., witness J.M. was working as a security guard at Philadelphia International Airport. She was assigned to the Terminal C exit lane to prevent unauthorized people from entering what’s known as the airport’s “sterile area” – the terminals beyond the TSA security checkpoint.

    At that time, the defendant approached the exit lane and stated that he left his phone in the airport and needed to retrieve it. J.M. called police dispatch and told them that Beaulieu was trying to get into the airport to get his phone. After the dispatcher informed the witness that the police couldn’t look for Beaulieu’s phone, he started to walk past the witness into the airport. The witness repeatedly told Beaulieu that he could not enter the airport.

    Beaulieu then dropped a $50 bill onto the witness’s desk and asked her if that would get him into the airport. J.M. left the bill on the desk and again told Beaulieu that he could not enter the airport’s sterile area. She called the police again and informed dispatch that Beaulieu was now attempting to go around her and into the airport.

    After a few minutes of arguing with the witness, Beaulieu walked around her, entered the airport’s sterile area, and walked away. J.M. called the police, informed dispatch that there was a security breach, and described Beaulieu. The flash information was broadcast over police radio and officers started searching the terminals.

    Airport security personnel checking the facility’s cameras saw that Beaulieu had boarded a plane at Gate A-20. Upon responding to the gate, Philadelphia police found that the plane doors were closed and the plane was preparing for departure. The captain of the plane was then informed that there was a passenger aboard who had bypassed security, and the plane returned to the gate. All passengers were removed and Beaulieu was located and arrested. Due to the boarding of an unscreened passenger, the entire plane had to be searched, resulting in the flight’s cancellation. American Airlines reported that the cost of the flight cancellation was $59,143.

    The case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everett Witherell.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Grand Jury in Louisville Returns Four Indictments Charging 22 Defendants with Drug Trafficking, Firearms, and Money Laundering Offenses

    Source: US FBI

    Louisville, KY – On May 6, 2025, a federal grand jury in Louisville charged a total of 20 defendants from across Kentucky and California in 3 separate indictments involving methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking offenses and firearms offenses. On May 21, 2025, a federal grand jury charged 4 defendants, 2 of whom were previously charged, in an indictment involving methamphetamine and fentanyl trafficking and money laundering offenses. The indictments charging all 22 defendants were the result of a lengthy investigation conducted by multiple law enforcement agencies.

    U.S. Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky, Acting Special Agent in Charge Olivia Olson of the FBI Louisville Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of the Homeland Security Investigations Nashville, Special Agent in Charge John Nokes of the ATF Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the DEA Louisville Field Division, Special Agent in Charge Karen Wingerd of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, Cincinnati Field Office, U.S. Postal Inspector in Charge Lesley Allison of the Pittsburgh Division, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Chicago Director of Field Operations Lafonda Sutton-Burke, Commissioner Phillip Burnett, Jr. of the Kentucky State Police, and Chief Paul Humphrey of the Louisville Metro Police Department made the announcement.  

    The following 9 defendants were charged in the first indictment on May 6, 2025:

    • James Havlicheck, 34, of California
    • Rodney Hollie, 38, of California
    • Joseph Nguyen, 38, of California
    • Minh Ngo, 40, of California
    • Kevin Nguyen, 30, of California
    • Johnathan Nguyen, 35, of California
    • Ordell Smith, Jr., 38, of Louisville
    • Vanray O’Neal, 38, of Louisville
    • Darren Render, 33, of Louisville 

    According to the first indictment, Havlicheck, Hollie, Joseph Nguyen, Ngo, Kevin Nguyen, and Johnathan Nguyen were charged with conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a methamphetamine for a conspiracy beginning as early as April 2024 and continuing through July 19, 2024. Havlicheck and Ngo were also charged with one count of distribution of methamphetamine 50 grams or more.

    Smith, Jr. was charged with four counts of distribution of methamphetamine 50 grams or more. 

    O’Neal was charged with three counts of distribution of methamphetamine 50 grams or more and two counts of firearms trafficking.

    Render was charged with four counts of firearms trafficking, four counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, three counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of distribution of heroin, and two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Render was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offense.

    On April 2, 2020, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Render was convicted of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person.

    If convicted, Havlicheck, Hollie, Joseph Nguyen, Ngo, Kevin Nguyen, Johnathan Nguyen, Smith, Jr., and O’Neal face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. Render faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison. All the defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. 

    The following 9 defendants were charged in the second indictment on May 6, 2025:

    • Antonio Taylor, 39, of Louisville
    • Terry Matthews, 44, of Louisville
    • Dylan Bradley, 21, of Louisville
    • Demetrius Brown, 42, of Louisville
    • Dominic McCray, 30, of Louisville
    • Joshua James, 42, of Louisville
    • Gregory Jackson, 34, of Louisville
    • Thai Quoc Tran, 24, of Louisville
    • Devon Wilson, 43, of Louisville 

    According to the second indictment, Taylor, Matthews, Bradley, Brown, McCray, James, and Jackson were charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl for a conspiracy beginning as early as August 21, 2024, and continuing through October 23, 2024.

    Taylor was also charged with one count of distribution of 400 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture, eight counts of distribution of 40 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Taylor was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.

    On or about May 21, 2018, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Taylor was convicted of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and trafficking in a controlled substance first degree unspecified less than ten dosage units (two counts).

    Matthews was also charged with one count of distribution of 400 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture, three counts of distribution of 40 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture, two counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count firearms trafficking, one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, and one count of distribution of a controlled substance. Matthews was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offense.

    On March 9, 2018, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Matthews was convicted of flagrant non-support.

    Bradley was also charged with three counts of distribution of 40 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture, one count of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    Brown was also charged with one count of distribution of 40 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture, one count of distribution of a fentanyl mixture, and one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Brown was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.

    On or about July 17, 2017, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Brown was convicted of assault in the second degree, criminal mischief in the first degree, receiving stolen firearm, and wanton endangerment in the first degree.

    McCray was also charged with one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.

    James was also charged with one count of distribution of 40 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture.

    Jackson was also charged with one count of distribution of 40 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture.

    Tran was also charged with one count of distribution of 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

    Wilson was also charged with one count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. Wilson was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.

    On July 16, 2024, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Wilson was convicted of flagrant non-support.

    On January 9, 2017, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Wilson was convicted of trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree, schedule I heroin less than two grams.

    If convicted, Taylor, Matthews, Bradley, Brown, James, Jackson, and Tran face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. McCray faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. Wilson faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Matthews and McCray have not been federally arrested and are not yet before the Court.

    The following 2 defendants were charged in the third indictment on May 6, 2025:

    • Mark Foster, Jr., 33, of Louisville
    • Devante Rice, 30, of Louisville

    Foster was charged with two counts of distribution of controlled substances, nine counts of distribution of fentanyl, ten counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, seven counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, one count of illegal possession of a machine gun, and one count of firearms trafficking. Foster was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.

    On or about March 30, 2018, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Foster was convicted of receiving stolen property (firearm) and illegal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree, heroin.   

    On or about June 15, 2021, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Foster was convicted of complicity to trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree, opioids, complicity to trafficking in a controlled substance in the first degree, methamphetamine, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, and tampering with physical evidence.

    Rice was charged with eleven counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, one count of firearms trafficking, and two counts of possession of an unregistered firearm. Rice was prohibited from possessing a firearm because he had previously been convicted of the following felony offenses.

    On January 10, 2014, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Rice was convicted of burglary in the second degree and receiving stolen property over $500.

    On April 30, 2019, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Rice was convicted of possession of a handgun by a convicted felon.

    On August 8, 2023, in Jefferson Circuit Court, Rice was convicted of complicity to possession of a handgun by a convicted felon, theft by unlawful taking – firearm (two counts), and theft by unlawful taking over $500 but under $10,000.

    If convicted, Foster faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 70 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. Rice faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison on each count of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and the single count of firearms trafficking and a 10-year maximum sentence for the two counts of possession of an unregistered firearm. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. 

    The following 4 defendants were charged in the fourth indictment on May 21, 2025:

    • Antonio Taylor
    • Joshua James
    • Celotia Evans, 39, of Louisville
    • Jaremei Hinkle, 24, of Louisville

    According to the fourth indictment, Taylor, James, Evans, and Hinkle were charged with one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl for a conspiracy beginning as early as June 2024 and continuing through July 11, 2024. 

    Hinkle was also charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute of 400 grams or more of a fentanyl mixture.

    James was also charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a methamphetamine mixture.

    Taylor is also charged with engaging in monetary transactions derived from specific unlawful activities and laundering of a money instrument during his purchase of a vehicle.

    If convicted, Taylor, James, Evans, and Hinkle face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. All the defendants face a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    Evans and Hinkle have not been federally arrested and are not yet before the Court.

    The cases are being investigated by the FBI, HSI, ATF, DEA, IRS-CI, CBP, USPIS, KSP, and LMPD. 

    These cases were investigated and prosecuted by the Kentucky Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America. HSTFs, which were established by President Trump in Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion, are joint operations led by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. Operation Take Back America is a nationwide federal 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).

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

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Five Individuals Charged as Part of Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown

    Source: US FBI

    Louisville, KY – Today, United States Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner of the Western District of Kentucky announced criminal charges against five defendants in connection with alleged schemes to defraud Medicaid and divert controlled substances. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The charges stem from conspiracy to illegally use a DEA registration number issued to another, conspiracy to obtain a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, or subterfuge, health care fraud, theft of medical products, tampering with consumer products, obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or deceit, and burglary involving controlled substances.

    “Health care providers must be trusted to appropriately prescribe highly-addictive medications only to those in need. Doing otherwise only exacerbates the opioid epidemic that has ravaged our Commonwealth and destroyed families,” said U.S. Attorney Bumgarner. “As alleged in each of the charging documents, these defendants breached that trust and illegally diverted controlled substances. While these defendants are professionally obligated to help communities, the charging documents allege that they have unfortunately done the opposite. They will be held to account.”

    “This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.”

    The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Bumgarner are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that involved the submission of over $14.6 billion in alleged false billings and over 15 million pills of illegally diverted controlled substances. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled to line their own pockets. The United States has seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, and other assets in connection with the takedown. 

    The following individuals were charged in the Western District of Kentucky: 

    Ashley Barnett, 41, of Louisville, Kentucky, Laura Webb, 37, of Springfield, Kentucky, and Rachel Goldstein, 43, of Jeffersonville, Indiana, were charged by information. According to the information, Barnett and Webb, both doctors of veterinary medicine, were charged in a conspiracy to illegally use a DEA registration number issued to another. In addition, Barnett and Goldstein were charged with conspiracy to obtain a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, forgery, deception, or subterfuge. As part of the conspiracy, Barnett, Goldstein, and others conspired to issue prescriptions for over 25,000 Schedule II controlled substances, such as oxycodone and hydrocodone, in the names of various canines, including some deceased and fictitious canines, when in reality, Barnett and Goldstein were the recipients of the controlled substances. Barnett was also charged with theft of medical products for taking and concealing buprenorphine from her employer prior to the controlled substances being made available for retail purchase by a consumer. Finally, Barnett and Goldstein were charged with health care fraud in connection with a scheme whereby Barnett requested Goldstein fill Goldstein’s dextroamphetamine prescription, a Schedule II controlled substance, and provide it to Barnett. Goldstein caused the submission of the claim for the dextroamphetamine prescription to Medicaid. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Ansari of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky.

    Kristina Coomer, 43, of Louisville, Kentucky, was charged by information with theft of medical products. According to the information, Coomer, an employee of a retail pharmacy in the supply chain for oxycodone, took, carried away, and concealed oxycodone from the pharmacy, prior to the controlled substances being made available for retail purchase by a consumer. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Ansari of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky.       

    Matthew Ryan Elkins, 40, of Crestwood, Kentucky, was charged by indictment with tampering with consumer products, obtaining a controlled substance by fraud or deceit, and burglary involving controlled substances. According to the indictment, Elkins, an advanced practice registered nurse-certified registered nurse anesthetist, tampered with one pre-filled, capped syringe containing fentanyl citrate and bupivacaine, prescribed to a patient by removing a portion of the listed ingredients and replaced it with another liquid. Elkins was also charged with obtaining and attempting to obtain three injectable vials containing a quantity of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance, by misrepresentation, deception, and subterfuge. Finally, Elkins was charged with burglary involving controlled substances when he entered a business registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration with the intent to steal any material and compound containing any quantity of a controlled substance. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin McKenzie of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky.

    Nationwide, cases are being prosecuted by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the Western and Eastern Districts of Kentucky, the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Columbia, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Middle District of Georgia, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Maine, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Western District of Michigan, Northern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nevada, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Western District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, District of North Dakota, Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, District of South Carolina, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Washington, and Northern District of West Virginia; and State Attorneys General’s Offices for California, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. The Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team used cutting-edge data analytics to identify and support the investigations that led to these charges.

    The Western District of Kentucky, in particular, worked with the following law enforcement organizations to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the enforcement period: the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, the Kentucky State Police, the Louisville Metro Police Department, and the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services Office of Inspector General.

    Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website: https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/2025-national-health-care-fraud-takedown. 

    A complaint, information, or indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.   

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 324 Defendants Charged in Fraud Scheme Totaling Over $14.6 Billion

    Source: US FBI

    As a part of the largest Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action in Department of Justice History, The Eastern District of Louisiana Strike Force Announces Charges Against Four Individuals.

    Today, Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced criminal charges against four defendants in connection with alleged schemes to defraud Medicare and other government programs. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.

    “The charges announced yesterday reinforce the combined missions of the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and our law enforcement partners, to aggressively, and relentlessly, pursue those perpetrators who attempt to victimize our nation’s citizens,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson. “Our office, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to investigate and prosecute perpetrators of fraud, and seek justice for those impacted by Health Care Fraud schemes.”

    “This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.”

    The charges announced today by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes that involved the submission of over $14.6 billion in alleged false billings and over 15 million pills of illegally diverted controlled substances. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled, to line their own pockets. The  Government, in connection with the 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown,  seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, and other assets.

    The following individuals were charged in the Eastern District of Louisiana:

    • Leland Roberts, 46, of Tifton, Georgia, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare for over $30 million for medically unnecessary genetic testing, and to pay and receive kickbacks. As alleged in the indictment, Roberts, co-owner, chief executive officer of, and (later) consultant to Luminus Diagnostics, a diagnostic laboratory located in Tifton, Georgia, conspired with others to procure orders for genetic testing in exchange for kickbacks, including orders acquired through purported telemedicine. To ensure the false and fraudulent claims would be paid, Roberts and his co-conspirators allegedly designed the genetic testing order forms to be “dummy proof”—with prepopulated diagnosis codes and check-the-box panels—and frequently billed the tests through another laboratory where co-conspirators thought the claims were more likely to be approved, which they concealed via a sham contract. Roberts and his co-conspirators caused the submission of over $30 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for genetic testing, and Medicare paid approximately $4.4 million based on those claims. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas D. Moses of the Eastern District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Kelly Z. Walters of the Gulf Coast Strike Force.
    • Dr. Marion Lee, 61, of Cordelle, Georgia, was charged by information with conspiracy to defraud the United States in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare approximately $24 million for medically unnecessary genetic testing, and to pay and receive kickbacks. As alleged in the information, Dr. Lee, co-owner of and medical advisor to Luminus Diagnostics, a diagnostic laboratory located in Tifton, Georgia, conspired with others to procure orders for genetic testing in exchange for kickbacks, including orders acquired through purported telemedicine. To ensure the false and fraudulent claims would be paid, Lee and his co-conspirators allegedly designed the genetic testing order forms to be “dummy proof”—with prepopulated diagnosis codes and check-the-box panels—and frequently billed the tests through another laboratory where co-conspirators thought the claims were more likely to be approved, which they concealed via a sham contract, among other deceptive means. Dr. Lee and his co-conspirators caused the submission of over $24 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for genetic testing, and Medicare paid approximately $4 million based on those claims. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas D. Moses of the Eastern District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Kelly Z. Walters of the Gulf Coast Strike Force.
    • Steven D. Peyroux, 56, of Canton, Georgia, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and two counts of health care fraud in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare approximately $12.1 million for over-the-counter (“OTC”) COVID-19 tests that were not requested and ineligible for reimbursement. As alleged in the indictment, Peyroux, a chiropractor and purported health care consultant, conspired with others to pay kickbacks in exchange for Medicare beneficiary information nationwide, including names, Medicare identification numbers, and clearly fabricated recordings of individuals posing as beneficiaries and requesting OTC COVID-19 tests, which they used to bill Medicare for OTC COVID-19 tests that were not requested. In an attempt to avoid Medicare scrutiny, the indictment alleged that Peyroux and co-conspirators solicited multiple providers to join the scheme, who they directed to enter into sham agreements and make false statements in response to Medicare audits, to conceal the misconduct. Peyroux and his co-conspirators caused the submission of approximately $12.1 million in false and fraudulent claims, of which Medicare paid approximately $11 million. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas D. Moses of the Eastern District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Kelly Z. Walters of the Gulf Coast Strike Force.
    • Zoe Francis, 46, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was charged by information with theft concerning programs receiving federal funds in connection with her role in embezzling funds from the Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies (“IWES”), a non-profit organization based in New Orleans that received grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other federal funds. As alleged in the information, Francis, as the chief operating officer of IWES, embezzled the funds for the benefit of herself and family members, including unauthorized expenditures for personal events and Amazon purchases. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas D. Moses of the Eastern District of Louisiana and Trial Attorney Gary A. Crosby II of the Gulf Coast Strike Force.

    “The scale of this Takedown is unprecedented, and so is the harm we’re confronting. Individuals who attempt to steal from the federal health care system and put vulnerable patients at risk will be held accountable,” said HHS-OIG Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins. “Our agents at HHS-OIG work relentlessly to detect, investigate, and dismantle these fraud schemes. We are proud to stand with our law enforcement partners in protecting taxpayer dollars and safeguarding patient care.”

    “Stealing from the patients who rely on our government to provide healthcare is despicable,” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI New Orleans Field Office. “The FBI will continue working side by side with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana to bring these individuals to justice for their actions.”

    The Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Columbia, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle, District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Middle, District of Georgia, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Maine, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Northern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nevada, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Western District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, District of North Dakota, Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, District of South Carolina, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Washington, and Northern District of West Virginia; and State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are prosecuting the cases in the National Health Care Fraud Takedown, with assistance from the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team.

    Descriptions of each EDLA case and others involved in yesterday’s enforcement action are available at website.

    The Eastern District of Louisiana, in particular, worked with the Department’s Criminal Division and the following law enforcement organizations to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the enforcement period: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the United States Secret Service; and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

    An information or indictment is merely an allegation.

    All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Kansas City Man Sentenced to 210 Months for Producing Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri man was sentenced in federal court yesterday for engaging in illicit sex to produce child pornography with a 13-year-old minor victim.

    Talib Bwana Muhammad, 27, was sentenced to 210 months imprisonment by U.S. District Judge D. Gregory Kays for one count of producing child pornography.

    Muhammad previously pled guilty to the count of producing child pornography on Jan. 3, 2025. According to the written plea agreement, Muhammad produced child pornography with the minor victim in June 2023, after meeting the child victim on a social media application.  Muhammad communicated online with the minor victim and purchased an airline ticket for the child to fly from Texas to Kansas City, Missouri to meet and engage in sexual activity.  However, when the minor victim was unable to leave home, Muhammad drove to Texas from Missouri to pick them up.

    Law enforcement officials were notified when the child victim was missing, and an Amber Alert was issued. Investigators traced her to Muhammad’s residence in the Western District of Missouri.

    Muhammad engaged in sexual contact with the minor victim, and video recorded and photographed the sexual activity with a cell phone.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen A. Brackett.  It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the Hitchcock, Texas, Police Department, and the Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department.

    Muhammad will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison and will be subject to federal and state sex offender registration requirements, which may apply throughout his life.

     

     

    Project Safe Childhood

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Child Pornography Distribution Results in Prison Term

    Source: US FBI

    A man who distributed child pornography was sentenced June 30, 2025, to nine years in federal prison.

    Christopher Charles Smith, age 34, from Asbury, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 3, 2025, guilty plea to distributing child pornography.

    At the guilty plea, Smith admitted he used a messaging service to communicate with others and trade child pornography.  In October of 2022, Smith distributed three videos of child pornography to an undercover law enforcement officer.

    Smith was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Smith was sentenced to 108 months’ imprisonment and an 8-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

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

    Smith is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick J. Reinert and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  

    Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

    The case file number is 24-CR-1011.

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