Source: US State of New York Federal Reserve
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Source: US State of California
A former corrections officer from the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, was sentenced today for failing to intervene to stop other officers from assaulting an inmate, identified by the initials Q.B., on March 1, 2022. Q.B. died as a result of the officers’ assault. Ashley Toney, 25, was sentenced to 78 months in prison.
According to her plea agreement, then-Correctional Officer Toney acknowledged that she responded to a call for officer assistance after Q.B. tried to push past another correctional officer and leave his assigned pod. Toney and other officers restrained and handcuffed Q.B. and then escorted Q.B. to an interview room, where multiple officers struck and injured Q.B. while he was restrained, handcuffed and posed no threat to anyone, as punishment for attempting to leave his assigned pod. Toney admitted that she had an opportunity to intervene to stop other officers from assaulting Q.B. but chose not to make any reasonable effort to do so.
Toney pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Joseph R. Goodwin on Aug. 8, 2024.
“This former corrections officer violated her duty as a law enforcement officer, and the public trust,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “I thank our Civil Rights Division prosecutors and the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who saw these cases through appropriate sentencing.”
“The defendant’s inaction led to the death of a 37-year-old man, and afterwards she attempted to shield herself and fellow officers from being held accountable for his death,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia. “Through her criminal conduct, the defendant violated the public’s trust in the law enforcement system she swore to uphold. I commend the Civil Rights Division for their outstanding advocacy in this case.”
Six corrections officers were charged in this case. In November 2024, three of those defendants — Mark Holdren, Corey Snyder, and Johnathan Walters — each pleaded guilty in connection with the use of unreasonable force against Q.B., resulting in his death. In August 2024, Jacob Boothe pleaded guilty to failing to intervene to protect Q.B. from the officers’ assault. Sentencing hearings for Holdren, Snyder, Walters, and Toney are scheduled for July 9.
On Jan. 27, 2025, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict at trial for the sixth indicted defendant, Chad Lester, a former Lieutenant at the Southern Regional Jail, finding him guilty on three obstruction of justice charges for his role in conspiring to cover up the death of Q.B. On May 15, Judge Goodwin sentenced Lester to 210 months.
Prior to their respective indictments, former correctional officers Steven Nicholas Wimmer and Andrew Fleshman each pleaded guilty to conspiring to use unreasonable force against Burks. On May 8, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Frank W. Volk sentenced Wimmer to 108 months. Fleshman is scheduled for sentencing before Judge Volk on July 14.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia made the announcement.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office investigated the case.
Deputy Chief Christine M. Siscaretti and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
Source: United States Attorneys General 7
A former corrections officer from the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, was sentenced today for failing to intervene to stop other officers from assaulting an inmate, identified by the initials Q.B., on March 1, 2022. Q.B. died as a result of the officers’ assault. Ashley Toney, 25, was sentenced to 78 months in prison.
According to her plea agreement, then-Correctional Officer Toney acknowledged that she responded to a call for officer assistance after Q.B. tried to push past another correctional officer and leave his assigned pod. Toney and other officers restrained and handcuffed Q.B. and then escorted Q.B. to an interview room, where multiple officers struck and injured Q.B. while he was restrained, handcuffed and posed no threat to anyone, as punishment for attempting to leave his assigned pod. Toney admitted that she had an opportunity to intervene to stop other officers from assaulting Q.B. but chose not to make any reasonable effort to do so.
Toney pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Joseph R. Goodwin on Aug. 8, 2024.
“This former corrections officer violated her duty as a law enforcement officer, and the public trust,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “I thank our Civil Rights Division prosecutors and the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who saw these cases through appropriate sentencing.”
“The defendant’s inaction led to the death of a 37-year-old man, and afterwards she attempted to shield herself and fellow officers from being held accountable for his death,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia. “Through her criminal conduct, the defendant violated the public’s trust in the law enforcement system she swore to uphold. I commend the Civil Rights Division for their outstanding advocacy in this case.”
Six corrections officers were charged in this case. In November 2024, three of those defendants — Mark Holdren, Corey Snyder, and Johnathan Walters — each pleaded guilty in connection with the use of unreasonable force against Q.B., resulting in his death. In August 2024, Jacob Boothe pleaded guilty to failing to intervene to protect Q.B. from the officers’ assault. Sentencing hearings for Holdren, Snyder, Walters, and Toney are scheduled for July 9.
On Jan. 27, 2025, a federal jury returned a guilty verdict at trial for the sixth indicted defendant, Chad Lester, a former Lieutenant at the Southern Regional Jail, finding him guilty on three obstruction of justice charges for his role in conspiring to cover up the death of Q.B. On May 15, Judge Goodwin sentenced Lester to 210 months.
Prior to their respective indictments, former correctional officers Steven Nicholas Wimmer and Andrew Fleshman each pleaded guilty to conspiring to use unreasonable force against Burks. On May 8, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Frank W. Volk sentenced Wimmer to 108 months. Fleshman is scheduled for sentencing before Judge Volk on July 14.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa G. Johnston for the Southern District of West Virginia made the announcement.
The FBI Pittsburgh Field Office investigated the case.
Deputy Chief Christine M. Siscaretti and Trial Attorney Tenette Smith of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)
NEW YORK, June 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Monteverde & Associates PC (the “M&A Class Action Firm”), has recovered millions of dollars for shareholders and is recognized as a Top 50 Firm in the 2024 ISS Securities Class Action Services Report. We are headquartered at the Empire State Building in New York City and are investigating Know Labs, Inc. (NYSE: KNW) related to its sale to Goldeneye 1995 LLC. Under the terms of the agreement, the Buyer will acquire that number of shares of the Company’s common stock obtained by dividing (i) the sum of 1,000 Bitcoin and a cash sum to retire existing debt, redeem outstanding preferred equity and provide additional working capital, by (ii) the per share purchase price of $0.335.
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Source: Office of United States Attorneys
ST. PAUL, Minn. – A Redby man with an extensive criminal record, including two prior federal convictions, was sentenced to 112 months’ imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson.
“The pipeline of deadly drugs to Red Lake and Indian Country must end,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson. “Redby trafficked in poison, profiting from the addiction and misery of some of our most vulnerable. He will rightly spend nearly a decade in federal prison.”
“Fentanyl kills silently, claiming the lives of unsuspecting victims struggling with substance abuse,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “By introducing fentanyl and methamphetamine into the Red Lake community, Donnell preyed on the vulnerable to enrich himself. This sentence demonstrates that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue and bring to justice those who use drugs to exploit and attack communities.”
According to court documents, in September 2024, Bobby Lee Donnell bought approximately 454 grams of methamphetamine and approximately 100 grams of fentanyl from the Minneapolis area. Donnell then drove back toward the Red Lake Nation, where he intended to distribute the methamphetamine and fentanyl. Fortunately, a Minnesota State Trooper stopped Donnell’s vehicle in Morrison County for a traffic infraction, developed probable cause to search the vehicle, and discovered the methamphetamine, fentanyl, and a digital scale.
According to court documents, Donnell is a repeat offender with a long history of convictions in tribal, state, and federal court. At the time of this offense, Donnell was on supervised release for 2022 federal convictions of possessing obscene material with the intent to sell.
Donnell was sentenced in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric C. Tostrud to 112 months imprisonment and 5 years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute. This sentence includes a 12-month concurrent sentence for violating his federal supervised release.
This case is the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Minnesota State Patrol, and the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Campbell Warner prosecuted the case.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Defendant Believed to be First in the Nation to be Convicted After Trial on Sex Trafficking Murder Charge for the Fatal Shooting of a Rival Pimp in White Castle Parking Lot
Omari Scott, also known as “Prince” and “Sir Prince,” was convicted by a federal jury today of murder in the course of sex trafficking and the sex trafficking of Jane Doe 2. Prior to trial, on May 16, 2025, the defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of the indictment, charging him with promoting prostitution and sex trafficking of Jane Doe 1. The charges relate to Scott’s trafficking of women at an open-air sex market along a stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue in Brooklyn known as the “Penn Track.” As proven at trial, Scott orchestrated and participated in the May 1, 2023 murder of rival pimp, Cleveland Clay, after a dispute over the control of a trafficking victim. The verdict followed a two-week trial before United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto. Scott is the first defendant convicted of murder in the course of sex trafficking after a trial. When sentenced, Scott faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in prison and up to life in prison.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Christopher G. Raia, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD), announced the verdict.
“As proven at trial, the defendant is a murderer, sex trafficker, and abuser of women with no regard whatsoever for human life, who now faces punishment for his vicious crimes,” stated United States Attorney Nocella. “The Penn Track has been a blight for too long and my Office and our law enforcement partners are working diligently to prosecute violent sex traffickers who promote prostitution by exploiting vulnerable victims and endangering the entire community.”
“Not only did Omari Scott force women to perform sexual acts, but he murdered those who threatened to steal his twisted source of revenue,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Raia. “Scott’s callous actions reflect an apathetic sentiment of human life, treating his victims as property and using them to profit. May today’s conviction reflect the FBI’s unwavering commitment to dismantling sex trafficking networks which target vulnerable victims and incite violence in our city streets.”
“Omari Scott didn’t just profit from trafficking women along the Penn Track — he enforced that control through violence, including orchestrating the murder of a rival trafficker,” stated NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “Today’s conviction holds him accountable for his brutal crimes and makes clear that this kind of violent behavior has no place on our streets. I am grateful to the NYPD investigators, the FBI, and the prosecutors in this case for bringing him to justice and for their commitment to protecting the survivors of these horrific crimes.”
As proven at trial, in April 2023, Scott learned that Jane Doe 2 was planning to leave his employ to work for Clay, who was also trafficking women on the Penn Track. Scott was captured on a recorded call bemoaning his loss, telling an associate, “I don’t got no hoes right now.” Scott further explained that Jane Doe 2 “chose on me,” a reference to leaving one pimp for another. On April 30, 2023, Scott found Jane Doe 2 on the Penn Track, grabbed her by the hair, dragged her in the street and threw her into his car. The next morning, Scott was captured on surveillance video engaged in a heated argument with Clay along the Penn Track. Scott recruited another sex trafficker, Michael Simmons, to murder Clay, which Simmons carried out by shooting Clay multiple times at point blank range in a White Castle parking lot on the Penn Track. Simmons then returned to Scott, who had been waiting for him in a nearby laundromat parking lot, to report that the job was done. Clay succumbed to his wounds several hours later. Simmons pleaded guilty in January 2025 to murder in the course of sex trafficking and sex trafficking of Jane Doe 2 and is awaiting sentencing.
The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Human Trafficking and Civil Rights Section. Assistant United States Attorneys Erin Reid, Anna Karamigios, and Miranda Gonzalez are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Eleanor Jaffe‑Pachuilo, and additional assistance from Victim Witness Coordinator Huda Abouchaer, Victim Witness Specialist Kristina Marius, and Paralegal Specialist Paul Padilla.
The Defendant:
OMARI SCOTT (also known as “Prince” and “Sir Prince”)
Age: 44
Brooklyn, New York
Defendant Who Previously Pleaded Guilty:
MICHAEL SIMMONS (also known as “Victory”)
Age: 41
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-158 (KAM)
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
MIAMI – On June 6, Robert Arturo De Los Angeles Mejia, 24, appeared in federal court today to face charges for his part in a wire fraud and money laundering scheme operating out of South Florida.
According to the information, Mejia and his co-conspirators defrauded a foreign buyer by deploying a business email compromise (BEC) scheme. Mejia and his co-conspirators intercepted email communications between the foreign buyer and a manufacturer engaged in a business transaction. The intercepted email impersonated the manufacturer’s legitimate email account and deceived the foreign buyer into transferring funds to fraudulent accounts.
Mejia laundered roughly $200,000 in fraud proceeds from the BEC scheme. To conceal the source and ownership of the funds, Mejia used a shell company and opened corporate bank accounts in the name of that company. Once the funds were deposited, Mejia quickly withdrew large sums of cash from multiple accounts and branches, often on the same day, to avoid detection and hinder recovery efforts.
The business transaction was backed by the U.S. Export-Import Bank (EXIM Bank), which is the official export credit agency of the United States. Its mission is to support American jobs by facilitating the export of goods and services from the United States.
U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Inspector General Parisa Salehi of the EXIM Bank, Office of Inspector General (OIG) Miami; and José R. Figueroa, acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami, made the announcement.
The case was investigated by EXIM Bank-OIG Miami and HSI Miami.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Altanese Phenelus is prosecuting the case and Marx Calderon is handling asset forfeiture.
An information is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-20198.
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Source: Office of United States Attorneys
St. Thomas, USVI – Acting U.S. Attorney Adam F. Sleeper announced today that Simon Peters, 42, of California, was sentenced on Friday, June 6, 2025, by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Robert A. Molloy to 8 months’ imprisonment, followed by 30 months of supervised release, for threatening to kill employees of the United States Postal Service (USPS). Peters pleaded guilty to one count of making threats against public officials on February 18, 2025.
“Threatening postal employees and other public officials will not be tolerated,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Sleeper. “Postal workers work tirelessly to serve our community and carry out their duties. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who threaten violence against our dedicated public servants.”
“The US Postal Inspection Service takes threats of violence to postal employees very seriously.” said Acting Inspector in Charge Bladismir Rojo of the USPIS Miami Division. “I’d like to thank the FBI, DEA, HSI, USMS, CBP and VIPD who provided assistance and resources to aid us during this investigation.”
According to court records, Peters called the Ottley Post Office on St. Thomas on January 27, 2024, and threatened to kill the carrier that services the Kirwan Terrace Housing Community for not delivering his packages, which contained marijuana. The threats included: “Make sure the fat boy know, we’re watching him and next time we’re going to kill him behind the building”; “We are definitely going to make a frigging example out here”; and “Any more packages from California go missing, you will see what happen to the co-workers dem … one by one.”
On January 29, 2024, Peters again called the Ottley Post Office and continued his threats. Peters stated he wanted to speak to the delivery driver for Kirwan Terrace. When asked why he wanted to speak with the driver, Peters stated, “To let the people know what’s going on in the Virgin Islands. We got people driving around looking for him, and you gon hear him get gun shots in his [expletive] ass.” He also stated, “I’ve been doing this for over 10 years now. I’m in California dealing with the Virgin Islands.”
As a result of the threats, the USPS management did not send any letter carriers to the Kirwan Terrace Housing Community for two days to ensure their safety. This temporarily disrupted mail delivery to that community. The USPS also brought in agents from other jurisdictions to escort letter carriers to
2
deliver the mail. Additionally, the USPS employed a private security company to provide additional security at the post offices.
The USPS tracked the phone calls to California where Peters was located. Peters was arrested and brought to the Virgin Islands for prosecution.
The investigation was conducted by the US Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from FBI, DEA, HSI, USMS, CBP and VIPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha L. Baker prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of the Virgin Islands.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
BOSTON – A Brazilian national residing in Somerville has been indicted by a federal grand jury for unlawfully reentering the United States after deportation.
Paulo Vinicius Cardozo Pereira, 43, is charged with one count of unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Cardozo Pereira was arrested by immigration authorities on May 10, 2025 and will appear in federal court in Boston on June 24, 2025.
According to the indictment, Cardozo Pereira was deported from the United States on July 25, 2014. It is alleged that sometime after his July 2014 removal, Cardozo Pereira illegally reentered the United States without permission.
The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to two years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed. 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 Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra W. Amrhein of the Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
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.
US Senate News:
Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski
06.09.25
Washington, DC – This week, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing to consider the nominations of Dr. Penny Schwinn to be Deputy Secretary of Education, Kimberly Richey to be Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the Department of Education (ED), Daniel Aronowitz to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), Department of Labor (DOL), and David Keeling to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), pressed the nominees on a number of Alaska priorities, including requirements to meaningfully engage with Tribal representatives on education policy, support for State-Tribal Education Compact Schools (STECs), the importance of clear regulations for Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP), and ensuring the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has the resources to support Alaska’s employees’ safety.
Click here to watch the Senator’s full line of questioning.
The full transcript of Murkowski’s questions during this week’s HELP hearing is below.
TRANSCRIPT
Murkowski: Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, for your willingness to serve.
I want to start with you, Dr. Schwin. As you know Alaska has the greatest number of Indian Tribes in any state. A lot of the focus now on what more we can be doing on the education front. Alaska Native leaders, and parents are really interested in doing more when it comes to self-determination over their children’s education.
In the last reauthorization of ESSA, I included language to require states and school districts to engage in meaningful consultation with tribal representatives. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen a lot of engagement as we had hoped since 2017, and it’s been across multiple administrations here. So, I would just like to put this to your attention. Recognizing that it is important to meet the requirements of meaningful consultation, whether it is in the Department of Education, or whether it is in Interior, it is across our government and so I put that in front of you here today.
Another issue that I’d like to bring to your attention, the State of Alaska is moving forward with a pilot program to create what we call STEC [State Tribal Education Compact] Schools. Secretary McMahon has met with some of the STEC school’s representatives. This would effectively, with this education compact with the tribes, would be public schools that are open to all students to offer culturally relevant educational models. I don’t know if you’ve been brought up to speed, if you’ve had any conversations on these, but we’re hoping that you would be able to effectively advocate for additional support as we move forward with these initiatives in Alaska.
Dr. Schawn: Thank you. I will go ahead and say that your staff gave me a little bit of information and gave me some information to follow up on, if I’m so confirmed. But I really look forward to working with your office on that and want to just congratulate you on what I think is a really innovative program and look forward to seeing more about it.
Murkowski: Well, feel like we need to be innovative because the status quo has not helped our Native students. When our Native students did not do well, Alaskan students writ large do not do well. So, we want to be doing more in this area.
Let me turn to you, Mr. Aronowitz. You’re probably very familiar with the angst that’s been expressed by some about the need for a single clear regulatory definition of good-faith effort for valuing ESOP stock. The concern is that instead of having a clear definition that’s spelled out in regulation, ESOPs have been operating under this kind of patchwork of litigation and investigation. There’s also been some concern that the department has taken excessive enforcement actions against ESOPs. Can you speak very briefly to your views on these?
Mr. Aronowitz: I believe that Congress wants ESOPs, and everybody’s for ESOPs except the Department of Labor the last 20 years, and I will end the war on ESOPs. I think it’s the best way for employees to get an additional benefit, and ownership in an American company. The valuation companies have all been sued by the Department of Labor, that can’t be right that every single one of them are doing it wrong. What the department is doing is nitpicking the professional judgment of the valuation professionals. I’m going to put an end to that, because I think unless there is a clear conflict of interest, then the valuation is appropriate, when done by an independent valuation firm.
Murkowski: Well, there are so many in my state where the ESOP is really looked at and valued as that commitment to not only business, but employee security as well. So, thank you for that.
Mr. Keeling, OSHA has traditionally relied on NIOSH data and recommendations for many of the workplace safety standards. I come from a state where we, unfortunately, have a high incidence of accidents on the workforce. The commercial fishing industry has been tagged as one of the most dangerous occupations in the country. We have significant and severe wildfires every year, so we worry about health and safety risks to our firefighters. We have seen the administration moving forward with some pretty significant cuts to NIOSH, and I’m concerned that this is going to hamper some of the vital research that’s out there. So, I don’t know if you can speak to whether we have a plan on how we fill the data and information gap if NIOSH is unable to produce what we need in terms of timely data and recommendations, as you work to inform rule making.
Mr. Keeling: Yes, Senator. Thank you for the question.
There is a gap if you will, if NIOSH doesn’t exist, right? But there are ways through that, I think. Use of private entities to fill some of those gaps. Obviously, I’m not in place, I have not spoken to anyone on the career side from OSHA on that point, and NIOSH doesn’t directly report to the Department of Labor, so, there’s a little bit of a difference there, a separation there, as well. I will have questions as well, if I’m lucky enough to be confirmed, about how we do that. But I think there are paths through. I think through using the professional groups that are out there, and by using some private resources, there are ways to fill the gap. Not necessarily easily, but there are ways.
Murkowski: Right. we don’t want to see those gaps. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Source: US State of North Dakota
Defendant Allegedly Laundered More Than $500M Through the U.S. Financial System, Including by Facilitating Transactions with Sanctioned Russian Banks
A 22-count indictment was unsealed today charging Iurii Gugnin, also known as Iurii Mashukov and George Goognin, 38, a resident of New York and citizen of Russia, with various offenses related to using his cryptocurrency company Evita to funnel more than $500 million of overseas payments through U.S. banks and cryptocurrency exchanges while hiding the source and purpose of the transactions.
According to court documents, Gugnin is charged with wire and bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, failing to implement an effective anti-money laundering compliance program, failing to file suspicious activity reports, money laundering, and related conspiracy charges. Gugnin was arrested and arraigned today in New York.
“The defendant is charged with turning a cryptocurrency company into a covert pipeline for dirty money, moving over half a billion dollars through the U.S. financial system to aid sanctioned Russian banks and help Russian end-users acquire sensitive U.S. technology,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “The Department of Justice will not hesitate to bring to justice those who imperil our national security by enabling our foreign adversaries to sidestep sanctions and export controls.”
“As alleged, Gugnin came to the United States and set up a money laundering operation under the guise of a cryptocurrency start-up, which he then used to evade sanctions and export controls and defraud U.S. financial institutions,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Today’s arrest demonstrates that this Office will vigorously prosecute those who abuse the U.S. financial system in furtherance of criminal activity, particularly when it undermines national security.”
“Gugnin’s cryptocurrency company allegedly served as a front to launder hundreds of millions of dollars for sanctioned Russian entities and to obtain export-controlled technology for the Russian government,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “Let this serve notice that using cryptocurrency to hide illegal conduct will not prevent the FBI and our partners from holding you accountable.”
As alleged in the indictment, Gugnin is the founder, President, Treasurer, and Compliance Officer of U.S-based Evita Investments Inc. (Evita Investments) and Evita Pay Inc. (Evita Pay) (collectively, Evita). Gugnin used both companies to enable foreign customers — many of whom held funds at sanctioned Russian banks — to provide him with cryptocurrency, which he then laundered through cryptocurrency wallets and U.S. bank accounts. Gugnin ultimately converted the funds into U.S. dollars or other fiat currencies and then made payments through bank accounts in Manhattan on behalf of his foreign customers. In the process, the sources of the funds were obscured, disguising the audit trail and hiding the true counterparties to the transactions. Between June 2023 and January 2025, Gugnin used Evita to facilitate the movement of approximately $530 million through the U.S. financial system, most of which he received in the form of a cryptocurrency stablecoin known as Tether, or “USDT.”
To effectuate the scheme, Gugnin defrauded various banks and cryptocurrency exchanges through which he converted funds and made wire transfers. Gugnin repeatedly lied to these banks and exchanges, telling them that Evita did not conduct business with entities in Russia and did not deal with sanctioned entities. In fact, many of Gugnin’s customers were located in Russia, and he facilitated payments in funds held at sanctioned Russian banks, including PJSC Sberbank, PJSC Sovcombank, PJSC VTB Bank, and JSC Tinkoff Bank. Gugnin maintained personal accounts at two sanctioned Russian banks, JSC Alfa-Bank and PJSC Sberbank, with which he transacted while residing in the United States. Gugnin also facilitated payments by foreign customers to procure sensitive electronics, including an export-controlled server designed by a U.S. technology company, and laundered funds from a Moscow-based supplier to purchase parts for Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear technology company. To conceal his activities, Gugnin regularly obfuscated invoices by digitally “whiting out” the names and addresses of his Russian customers.
Gugnin also failed to implement Evita’s own purported anti-money laundering program and failed to file suspicious activity reports, as required under the Bank Secrecy Act. Although Gugnin represented to banks and cryptocurrency exchanges that Evita followed rigorous anti-money laundering and know-your-customer requirements, in practice he flouted those requirements, as well as the requirement to file reports of suspicious activities with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Gugnin ultimately registered Evita Pay as a money transmitter with FinCEN and the state of Florida but did so by making materially false statements to the state of Florida about Evita Pay’s business. Gugnin used that fraudulently obtained state license to induce a cryptocurrency exchange to process transactions on his behalf.
In the course of his scheme, Gugnin conducted web searches that confirmed his awareness that he was breaking the law, including searches for “how to know if there is an investigation against you”; “evita investments inc. criminal records search”; “Iurii Gugnin criminal records”; “money laundering penalties US”; and “penalties for sanctions violations EU luxury goods.” He also visited website pages titled, respectively “am I being investigated?”; “signs you may be under criminal investigation”; and “what are the best ways to find out if you’re being investigated and what can someone do when they think they might be under investigation.”
If convicted, Gugnin faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count of bank fraud; a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the wire fraud, IEEPA, money laundering, and related conspiracy counts; a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for failure to implement an effective anti-money laundering program and failure to file suspicious activity reports; and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Skurnik for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Dallas Kaplan of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Mantell for the Eastern District of New York’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters.
Today’s actions were coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: US FBI
Defendant supplied thousands of counterfeit “Adderall” pills containing methamphetamine to Asian Boyz gang
BOSTON – A Lowell man was sentenced on June 4, 2025 in federal court in Boston for conspiring with gang members to traffic methamphetamine pills made to look like the legitimate pharmaceutical product, Adderall.
Brian Gingras, a/k/a “Cheech,” 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to nine years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release. In January 2025, Gingras pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine.
Gingras was a drug supplier in an extensive distribution network involving Asian Boyz gang member, Bill Phim, a/k/a “Bonez.” Between May 2022 and September 2022, Gingras delivered over 5,000 counterfeit Adderall pills – which were referred to as “Ads,” “Addies,” or simply, “A’s” – to Phim on numerous occasions. Phim then sold the pills to an undercover federal agent for more than $18,000. Chemical testing confirmed that the pills contained a dangerous compound of methamphetamine and caffeine.
During a search of Gingras’ residence, hundreds of additional counterfeit “Adderall” pills as well as counterfeit “Xanax” pills and a pill press were discovered. The search also revealed that Gingras maintained a storage unit where he kept a loaded firearm and over 30 kilograms of counterfeit “Adderall” pills made with caffeine only, bags of suspected marijuana as well as boxes of THC extract and edible products.
Phim was sentenced by Judge Gorton in May 2025 to 10 years in prison.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Kimberly Milka, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Superintendent Gregory C. Hudon of the Lowell Police Department made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; and the Billerica, Haverhill, North Andover and Salem Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred M. Wyshak, III of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/PSN.
This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
Source: United States Department of Justice
Defendant Allegedly Laundered More Than $500M Through the U.S. Financial System, Including by Facilitating Transactions with Sanctioned Russian Banks
A 22-count indictment was unsealed today charging Iurii Gugnin, also known as Iurii Mashukov and George Goognin, 38, a resident of New York and citizen of Russia, with various offenses related to using his cryptocurrency company Evita to funnel more than $500 million of overseas payments through U.S. banks and cryptocurrency exchanges while hiding the source and purpose of the transactions.
According to court documents, Gugnin is charged with wire and bank fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), operating an unlicensed money transmitting business, failing to implement an effective anti-money laundering compliance program, failing to file suspicious activity reports, money laundering, and related conspiracy charges. Gugnin was arrested and arraigned today in New York.
“The defendant is charged with turning a cryptocurrency company into a covert pipeline for dirty money, moving over half a billion dollars through the U.S. financial system to aid sanctioned Russian banks and help Russian end-users acquire sensitive U.S. technology,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “The Department of Justice will not hesitate to bring to justice those who imperil our national security by enabling our foreign adversaries to sidestep sanctions and export controls.”
“As alleged, Gugnin came to the United States and set up a money laundering operation under the guise of a cryptocurrency start-up, which he then used to evade sanctions and export controls and defraud U.S. financial institutions,” said U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. for the Eastern District of New York. “Today’s arrest demonstrates that this Office will vigorously prosecute those who abuse the U.S. financial system in furtherance of criminal activity, particularly when it undermines national security.”
“Gugnin’s cryptocurrency company allegedly served as a front to launder hundreds of millions of dollars for sanctioned Russian entities and to obtain export-controlled technology for the Russian government,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “Let this serve notice that using cryptocurrency to hide illegal conduct will not prevent the FBI and our partners from holding you accountable.”
As alleged in the indictment, Gugnin is the founder, President, Treasurer, and Compliance Officer of U.S-based Evita Investments Inc. (Evita Investments) and Evita Pay Inc. (Evita Pay) (collectively, Evita). Gugnin used both companies to enable foreign customers — many of whom held funds at sanctioned Russian banks — to provide him with cryptocurrency, which he then laundered through cryptocurrency wallets and U.S. bank accounts. Gugnin ultimately converted the funds into U.S. dollars or other fiat currencies and then made payments through bank accounts in Manhattan on behalf of his foreign customers. In the process, the sources of the funds were obscured, disguising the audit trail and hiding the true counterparties to the transactions. Between June 2023 and January 2025, Gugnin used Evita to facilitate the movement of approximately $530 million through the U.S. financial system, most of which he received in the form of a cryptocurrency stablecoin known as Tether, or “USDT.”
To effectuate the scheme, Gugnin defrauded various banks and cryptocurrency exchanges through which he converted funds and made wire transfers. Gugnin repeatedly lied to these banks and exchanges, telling them that Evita did not conduct business with entities in Russia and did not deal with sanctioned entities. In fact, many of Gugnin’s customers were located in Russia, and he facilitated payments in funds held at sanctioned Russian banks, including PJSC Sberbank, PJSC Sovcombank, PJSC VTB Bank, and JSC Tinkoff Bank. Gugnin maintained personal accounts at two sanctioned Russian banks, JSC Alfa-Bank and PJSC Sberbank, with which he transacted while residing in the United States. Gugnin also facilitated payments by foreign customers to procure sensitive electronics, including an export-controlled server designed by a U.S. technology company, and laundered funds from a Moscow-based supplier to purchase parts for Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear technology company. To conceal his activities, Gugnin regularly obfuscated invoices by digitally “whiting out” the names and addresses of his Russian customers.
Gugnin also failed to implement Evita’s own purported anti-money laundering program and failed to file suspicious activity reports, as required under the Bank Secrecy Act. Although Gugnin represented to banks and cryptocurrency exchanges that Evita followed rigorous anti-money laundering and know-your-customer requirements, in practice he flouted those requirements, as well as the requirement to file reports of suspicious activities with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Gugnin ultimately registered Evita Pay as a money transmitter with FinCEN and the state of Florida but did so by making materially false statements to the state of Florida about Evita Pay’s business. Gugnin used that fraudulently obtained state license to induce a cryptocurrency exchange to process transactions on his behalf.
In the course of his scheme, Gugnin conducted web searches that confirmed his awareness that he was breaking the law, including searches for “how to know if there is an investigation against you”; “evita investments inc. criminal records search”; “Iurii Gugnin criminal records”; “money laundering penalties US”; and “penalties for sanctions violations EU luxury goods.” He also visited website pages titled, respectively “am I being investigated?”; “signs you may be under criminal investigation”; and “what are the best ways to find out if you’re being investigated and what can someone do when they think they might be under investigation.”
If convicted, Gugnin faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for each count of bank fraud; a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the wire fraud, IEEPA, money laundering, and related conspiracy counts; a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for failure to implement an effective anti-money laundering program and failure to file suspicious activity reports; and a maximum penalty of five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and operating an unlicensed money transmitting business.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Skurnik for the Eastern District of New York and Trial Attorney Dallas Kaplan of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Mantell for the Eastern District of New York’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters.
Today’s actions were coordinated through the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains, and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation-states.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
DALLAS — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement led a Department of Homeland Security effort of returning 122 illegal aliens to the Peoples Republic of China June 3. The flight manifest included 96 males and 26 females with final orders for removal coming from ICE detention facilities across the country. Ages ranged from 19 to 68.
“Through our interagency partnerships and coordination across ICE field offices, we have successfully removed these individuals, many who were convicted of egregious crimes,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas acting Field Office Director Josh Johnson. “This operation not only enhances the public safety of our communities across the U.S. but also strengthens national security. “Our colleagues at ICE come to work every day to identify, arrest and remove illegal aliens who attempt to circumvent our nation’s immigrations laws.”
As part of its routine operations, ICE arrests aliens who commit crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws. All aliens in violation of U.S. immigration law may be subject to arrest, detention and, if found removable by final order, removal from the United States, regardless of nationality.
Those aboard the flight included illegal aliens convicted of murder/homicide, lewd/lascivious acts with a minor, human smuggling, rape, and drug trafficking.
Notable removals include:
Members of the public with information can report crimes or suspicious activity by dialing the ICE Tip Line at 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing ICE’s online tip form.
Learn more about ICE Dallas’ mission to increase public safety in our North Texas and Oklahoma communities on X at @ERODallas.
Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency
Headline: Types of Disaster Assistance Available
Types of Disaster Assistance Available
AUSTIN – A major presidential disaster declaration was approved after the severe storms and flooding that occurred March 26-28, 2025, in Texas
It authorizes FEMA to provide assistance in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties
Disaster assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help residents and business owners recover from the impacts of the disaster
FEMA’s Individual Assistance program directly helps disaster survivors with uninsured or underinsured basic critical needs such as returning a home to a safe, sanitary, functional and accessible environment during their recovery from a disaster
Under Individual Assistance, FEMA provides several types of financial and direct assistance to eligible individuals and families
These may include, but are not limited to:Housing AssistanceRental Assistance to rent alternate housing while an applicant is displaced from a disaster-damaged primary residence
Rental Assistance and Continued Temporary Housing Assistance may be used to rent a house, apartment, manufactured home, recreational vehicle, or efficiency unit at a hotel or motel while your damaged residence is being repaired
Lodging Expense Reimbursement for hotels, motels or other short-term lodging while an applicant is displaced from a disaster-damaged primary residence
Home Repair Assistance to help restore an owner-occupied, disaster-damaged primary residence to safe and sanitary condition
Replacement Assistance to help homeowners replace an owner-occupied primary residence when it is destroyed by a disaster
Other Needs AssistanceDisplacement: Helps with housing needs if you cannot return to your home because of the disaster
Serious Needs Assistance: An upfront, flexible “per household” payment for essential items such as food, water, baby formula, breast-feeding supplies, medicine and other serious disaster-related needs
Note: This is not a reimbursement for loss of power or replacing food
It is intended for emergency needs only
Childcare: Assistance for childcare expenses or an increase in childcare expenses caused by a disaster
Medical/Dental: Assistance to help cover expenses related to disaster-caused injuries or illnesses
Personal Property: Helps repair or replace appliances, room furnishings, and a personal or family computer damaged in the disaster
Transportation: Assistance to repair or replace a vehicle damaged by the disaster when you don’t have another vehicle to use
Miscellaneous Items: Assistance that may help pay for specific items that were purchased or rented after the disaster to help you recover
For example, a chainsaw to help clear fallen trees that prevent safe access to your home
Moving and Storage: Assistance moving and storing personal property from your home to prevent additional damage, usually while making repairs to your home or moving to a new place due to the disaster
Learn more about FEMA’s Individual Assistance program at fema
gov/assistance/individual
Disaster assistance to Texas for the March 26-28 severe storms and flooding includes:$34
2 million in FEMA awards to 6,541 individuals and households, including nearly $58,000 for rental of temporary housing and basic repair of damaged dwellings$2
4 million in U
S
Small Business Administration disaster loansTo meet survivors where they are, FEMA, SBA and the State of Texas are operating seven Disaster Recovery Centers in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties
More than 3,400 people have visited these centers
Survivors in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties may apply for federal assistance if they had damage in the March 26-28 storms
The deadline to apply is July 22, 2025
There are several ways to apply
Visit a Disaster Recovery Center
To find a center close to you, go online to: DRC Locator, or text DRC along with your Zip Code to 43362 (Ex: DRC 78552)
Go to DisasterAssistance
gov; download the FEMA App for mobile devices; or call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 between 6 a
m
and 10 p
m
CT
Help is available in most languages
If you use a relay service, captioned telephone or other service, you can give FEMA your number for that service
For an accessible video on how to apply for assistance, go to Three Ways to Register for FEMA Disaster Assistance – YouTubeFor more information, visit fema
gov/disaster/4871
Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x
com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook
com/FEMARegion6/
toan
nguyen
Mon, 06/09/2025 – 18:16
Source: NASA
On May 19, 2025, Landsat 9 captured this image of the Serra de Caldas in the state of Goiás, Brazil. The oval plateau is covered by a biologically rich savanna and grassland ecosystem called Cerrado. The Cerrado covers about one-fifth of Brazil’s land area and represents the second-largest biome in South America behind the Amazon. These lands are home to thousands of plant, bird, reptile, and mammal species, many of which are found nowhere else on the planet.
Learn more about this area sometimes referred to as the “cradle of waters.”
Text credit: Lindsey Doermann
Image credit: NASA/Wanmei Liang; Landsat data: USGS
Source: NASA
Introduction
Tropical cyclones represent a danger to life, property, and the economies of communities. Researchers who study tropical cyclones have focused on remote observations using space-based platforms to image these storms, inform forecasts, better predict landfall, and improve understanding of storm dynamics and precipitation evolution – see Figure 1.
The tropical cyclone community has leveraged data from Earth observing platforms for more than 30 years. These data have been retrieved from numerous instruments including: the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES)–Series R satellites; the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager (TMI); the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI); the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) on the Defense Meteorological Satellite (DSMP) satellites; the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E) on Aqua; AMSR2 on the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Global Change Observation Mission–Water (GCOM-W) mission; the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) on Aqua and the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) on the NASA–NOAA Suomi National Polar-Orbiting Partnership (Suomi NPP), NOAA-20, and NOAA-21; the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua Platform; and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on Suomi NPP, as well as on the first two Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) missions (i.e., NOAA-20 and NOAA-21).
Despite having decades of data at their disposal, scientists lack data from instruments placed in low-inclination orbits that provide more frequent views within tropical regions. This limitation is especially pronounced in the tropical and subtropical latitudes, which is where tropical storms develop and intensify.
The NASA Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats (TROPICS) grew from the Precipitation and All-weather Temperature and Humidity (PATH) to address a need for obtaining three-dimensional (3D) temperature and humidity measurements as well as precipitation with a temporal revisit rate of one hour or better – see Figure 2. TROPICS uses multiple small satellites flying in a carefully engineered formation to obtain rapid revisits of measurements of precipitation structure within the storms, as well as temperature and humidity profiles, both within and outside of the storms, including the intensity of the upper-level warm core. In addition, the instruments provide a median revisit time of about one hour. The data gathered also informs changes in storm track and intensity and provides data to improve weather prediction models.
The imagery is focused on inner storm structure (near 91 and 205 GHz), temperature soundings (near 118 GHz), and moisture soundings (near 183 GHz). Spatial resolution at nadir is approximately 24 km (16.8 mi) for temperature and 17 km (10.6 mi) for moisture and precipitation, covering a swath of approximately 2000 km (1243 mi) in width. Researchers can use TROPICS data to create hundreds of high-resolution images of tropical cyclones throughout their lifecycle.
This article provides an overview of the two years of successful science operations of TROPICS, with a focus on the suite of geophysical Level-2 (L2) products (e.g., atmospheric vertical temperature and moisture profiles, instantaneous surface rain rate, and tropical cyclone intensity) and the science investigations resulting from these measurements. The complete article, available in the Proceedings Of The IEEE: Special Issue On Satellite Remote Sensing Of The Earth, provides more comprehensive details of the results.
From Pathfinder to Constellation
A single TROPICS satellite was launched as a Pathfinder vehicle on June 30, 2021, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare into a Sun-synchronous polar orbit. TROPICS was originally conceived as a six-satellite constellation, with two satellites launched into each of three low-inclination orbits. Regrettably, the first launch, on June 22, 2022 aboard an Astra Rocket 3.3, failed to reach orbit. While unfortunate, the mission could still proceed with four satellites and meet its baseline revisit rate requirement (with no margin), with the silver lining of an extra year of data gathered from TROPICS Pathfinder that allowed the tropical cyclone research community to prepare and test communications systems and data processing algorithms before the launch of the four remaining constellation satellites. These satellites were deployed on two separate launches – May 8, 2023 and May 26, 2023 aboard a Rocket Lab launch vehicle. The early testing accelerated calibration and validation for the constellation.
Collecting Data Critical to Understanding Tropical Cyclones
Tropical cyclone investigations require rapid quantitative observations to create 2D storm structure information. The four radiance data products in the TROPICS constellation [i.e., antenna temperature (L1a), brightness temperature (L1b), unified brightness temperature, and regularized scan pattern and limb-adjusted brightness temperature (L1c)] penetrate below the cloud top to gather data at greater frequency for a lower cost than current operational systems. The constellation data has been used to evaluate the development of the warm core and evolution of the ice water path within storms – two indicators of storm formation and subsequent changes in intensity.
The upper-level warm core is key to tropical cyclone development and intensification. Precipitation may instigate rapid intensification through convective bursts that are characterized by expanding cold cloud tops, increasing ice scattering, lightning, and towers of intense rain and ice water that are indicative of strong updrafts. TROPICS frequencies provide a wealth of information on scattering by precipitation-sized ice particles in the eyewall and rainbands that will allow for researchers to track the macrostructure of convective bursts in tropical cyclones across the globe. In addition, TROPICS data helps clarify how variations in environmental humidity around tropical cyclones affect storm structure and intensification.
Upper-level Warm Core
Analysis of the upper-level warm core of a tropical cyclone reveals valuable information about the storm’s development. The tropical cyclone community is using data from TROPICS to understand the processes that lead to precipitating ice structure and the role it plays in intensification – see Figure 3. While the warm core has been studied for decades, TROPICS provides a new opportunity to get high-revisit rate estimates of the atmospheric vertical temperature profile. By pairing the temperature profile with the atmospheric vertical moisture profile, researchers can define the relative humidity in the lower-to-middle troposphere, which is critical to understanding the impact of dry environmental air on storm evolution and structure.
Ice Water Path and Precipitation
Another variable that helps to provide insight into the development of tropical cyclones is the ice water path, which details the total mass of ice present in a vertical column of the atmosphere and is therefore useful for characterizing the structure and intensity of these storms. Increasing ice water path can reflect strengthening convection within a storm and thereby be an indicator of likely intensification – see Figure 4. TROPICS is the first spaceborne sensor equipped with a 205-GHz channel that, along with the traditional 89, 118, and 183 GHz channels, is more sensitive to detecting precipitation-sized ice particles. In addition, the TROPICS Precipitation Retrieval and Profiling Scheme (PRPS) provides an estimate of precipitation. This scheme is based solely on the satellite radiances linked to precipitation rates, which can be used to generate products across time scales, from near-real-time to climatological scales.
Collaborations and TROPICS Data in Action
To evaluate and enhance the data gathered by TROPICS, the TROPICS application team enlisted the assistance of operational weather forecasters that formed the TROPICS Early Adopters program. In 2018, the program connected the application team to stakeholders interested in using TROPICS data for research, forecasting, and decision making. This collaboration improved approaches to diagnose and predict tropical cyclones. For example, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) found that the new TROPICS channel at 204.8 GHz offered the best approach to capture convective storm structure, followed by the more traditionally used 91-GHz channel. In addition, the U.S. Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) has been using TROPICS data to center-fix tropical cyclones and identify cloud formations. In particular, the JTWC team found that the 91-GHz channel was most useful for identifying cloud structure. Both NHC and JTWC found the TROPICS high revisit rate to be beneficial.
In 2024, the TROPICS applications team developed the TROPICS Satellite Validation Module as part of the NOAA Hurricane Research Division’s annual Advancing the Prediction of Hurricanes Experiment (APHEX). The module coordinated data collection from NOAA’s Hurricane Hunter aircraft beneath TROPICS satellite overpasses to provide data to calibrate and validate TROPICS temperature, moisture, and precipitation measurements. Using this approach, the Hurricane Hunter team tracked Hurricane Ernesto over the central North Atlantic on August 15 and 16, 2024 and used the data to characterize the environment of Ernesto’s rain bands – see Figure 5.
In addition, the team used TROPICS observations in combination with GPM constellation precipitation estimates to characterize the lifecycle of Hurricane Franklin, which formed on August 19, 2023 and underwent a period of rapid intensification about eight days later. Intensification of the storm, in particular the period of rapid intensification (45 knot increase in maximum winds in 24 hours), occurred in association with a decrease in environmental vertical wind shear, a contraction of the radius of maximum precipitation, and an increase in the precipitation rate. Intensification ended with the formation of secondary rainbands and an outward shift in the radius of maximum precipitation.
Conclusion
TROPICS data offer the potential for improving forecasts from numerical weather prediction models and operational forecasts using its high spatial resolution and high revisit rates that enable enhanced characterization of tropical cyclones globally. To date, the TROPICS mission has produced a high-quality aggregate data record spanning 10 billion observations and 10 satellite years, using relatively low-cost microwave sounder constellations. All L1 (i.e., radiances) and L2 (i.e., geophysical products) data products and Algorithm Theoretical Basis Documents are available to the general public through the Goddard Earth Sciences Data and Information Services Center (GES DISC). The GES DISC data discussed in this article include L1 and L2 products for TROPICS-1, TROPICS-3, TROPICS-5, and TROPICS-6.
TROPICS data has aided hurricane track forecasting for multiple storms as forecasters have used the data at multiple operational tropical cyclone forecast centers. Data gathered by TROPICS will soon be complemented by multiple commercial constellations that are coming online to improve the revisit rate and performance.
William Blackwell MIT Lincoln Laboratorywjb@ll.mit.edu
Scott BraunNASA GSFC, TROPICS Project Scientistscott.a.braun@nasa.gov
Stacy KishEarth Observer StaffEarthspin.science@gmail.com
Source: NASA
Consisting of 99% air, aerogel is the world’s lightest solid. This unique material has found purpose in several forms — from NASA missions to high fashion.
Driven by the desire to create a 3D cloud, Greek artist, Ioannis Michaloudis, learned to use aerogel as an artistic medium. His journey spanning more than 25 years took him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge; Shivaji University in Maharashtra, India, and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
A researcher at MIT introduced Michaloudis to aerogel after hearing of his cloud-making ambition, and he was immediately intrigued. Aerogel is made by combining a polymer with a solvent to create a gel and flash-drying it under pressure, leaving a solid filled with microscopic pores.
Scientists at JPL chose aerogel in the mid-1990s to enable the Stardust mission, with the idea that a porous surface could capture particles while flying on a probe behind a comet. Aerogel worked in lab tests, but it was difficult to manufacture consistently and needed to be made space-worthy. NASA JPL hired materials scientist Steve Jones to develop a flight-ready aerogel, and he eventually got funding for an aerogel lab.
The Stardust mission succeeded, and when Michaloudis heard of it, he reached out to JPL, where Jones invited him to the lab. Now retired, Jones recalled, “I went through the primer on aerogel with him, the different kinds you could make and their different properties.” The size of Jones’ reactor, enabling it to make large objects, impressed Michaloudis. With tips on how to safely operate a large reactor, he outfitted his own lab with one.
In India, Michaloudis learned recipes for aerogels that can be molded into large objects and don’t crack or shrink during drying. His continued work with aerogels has created an extensive art portfolio.
Michaloudis has had more than a dozen solo exhibitions. All his artwork involves aerogel, drawing attention with its unusual qualities. An ethereal, translucent blue, it casts an orange shadow and can withstand molten metals. In 2020, Michaloudis created a quartz-encapsulated aerogel pendant for the centerpiece of that year’s collection from French jewelry house Boucheron. Michaloudis also captured the fashion and design world’s attention with a handbag made of aerogel, unveiled at Coperni’s 2024 fall collection debut.
NASA was a crucial step along the way. “I am what I am, and we made what we made thanks to the Stardust project,” said Michaloudis.
Source: NASA
Video Producer – Goddard Space Flight Center
What sparked your interest in video production, and what drew you to NASA?
Ever since I saw “Star Wars” at nine years old, I knew I wanted to make movies. I would make little stop action videos with my action figures.
How did you land this role at NASA, and what do your duties entail?
I was working with a company in New York for about eight years, producing a daily live interactive show on Facebook. I’ve always been obsessed with NASA, so when I saw the job opportunity I knew I had to take a shot. To this day I still can’t believe how lucky I am to work here. I’ve been working with the Hubble mission for the past five years, but I’ve begun to work on other missions like the James Webb Space Telescope, MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN), Osiris-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer), and the incredible Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.
How has your style evolved over time?
My previous job was very steeped in “internet culture,” so it was a lot more fast-paced and crazy style videos. The main goal was to get the audience to watch past the ad break. With NASA I’ve been able to slow down my videos a bit more and focus more on quality and explaining the science result.
What guides your process when you start a new assignment?
Let me be clear, I feel that all astro science is super cool and interesting. However, some of it is less interesting to the general public. Therefore, the first thing I think about when approaching a potential new story is by asking the question: “Would a fifth grader think this story is awesome?” Black holes, giant explosions, stars dying…if the story is there then the imagery will be there too.
What’s been your favorite project so far?
A few years back, Hubble just celebrated the 30th anniversary of the first servicing mission, (the one that corrected the mirror flaw). I got to interview some of the biggest Hubble legends of all time and created a seven-part series from the perspectives of all of these genius engineers, scientists, and even astronauts. I was super proud of how all those videos came out.
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Do you have any major goals you hope to achieve or projects you’d like to tackle someday?
I’d love to do a full-length movie following a project from its conception to its deactivation. Obviously, this is rather hard to do and will take years, potentially decades, but there are a few projects that are on the “ground floor” at the moment, so I’d love to just check in with them every year or so.
How has your work influenced your understanding or appreciation of space science and technology?
I’ve been absolutely obsessed with all things NASA since around third grade, so I’ve always loved space science and technology. However, I had no idea how much the technology of space telescopes has led to incredible advances in Earth technologies. From Olympic speed skating to breast cancer research or saving whale sharks, there’s just such a huge return on investment with NASA research.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
The incredibly talented and creative people I work with always make me strive to make better videos.
What hobbies fill your time outside of work?
I’ve gotten really into running and CrossFit since Covid. I also direct plays from time to time at a local theatre near my house.
What advice do you have for others who are interested in doing similar work?
Always look for ways to add to your creative skillset. There are a lot of amazing training options available online, and there’s always something new you can do to make yourself even better than you are today.
By Ashley BalzerNASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency
Headline: FEMA Home Inspections Underway for Oklahoma Wildfire Survivors
FEMA Home Inspections Underway for Oklahoma Wildfire Survivors
OKLAHOMA CITY – After Oklahoma residents apply for FEMA assistance for the March wildfires, a home inspection may be necessary to help determine whether the home is safe, sanitary and livable, or to confirm its present condition
FEMA recognizes that many survivors of the March wildfires suffered significant or total loss of property
The FEMA inspection process requires in-person verification of the applicant, co-applicant or someone authorized to speak on their behalf, as well as the address of the damaged dwelling
Providing photographs or video of the damaged property before and after the disaster can help the inspector to accurately assess the extent of the damage
FEMA inspectors do not make any decisions about eligibility for assistance
Information gathered during the inspection is only one of several criteria FEMA uses to determine if applicants are eligible for federal assistance
If the home is standing, the housing inspector will consider:The structural soundness of the home, both inside and outside
Whether the electrical, gas, heat, plumbing and sewer/septic systems are in working order
Whether the home is safe to access and can be entered and exited safely
If the home is not standing, the housing inspector will:Verify the current state of the property to accurately assess the extent of the damage
All FEMA representatives have official identification
Housing inspectors will make an appointment with the applicant before the visit
They will already have the applicant’s FEMA application number
They carry photo identification and will show it to the applicant
For security reasons, federal identification may not be photographed
Inspectors will never ask for, or accept, money
Their service is free
FEMA inspectors will call or text applicants to arrange to meet at the home
They will leave messages and/or texts at the phone number listed on the FEMA application
These communications may come from unfamiliar phone numbers so it is important that applicants respond to ensure their applications continue to move forward
A typical home inspection takes about 45 minutes to complete
After the inspection, applicants should allow seven to 10 days for processing
If they have questions about the status of their application, they can call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362
To learn more about FEMA home inspections and how to identify an inspector, visit FEMA Home Inspections
For the latest information about Oklahoma’s recovery, visit fema
gov/disaster/4866
Follow FEMA Region 6 on social media at x
com/FEMARegion6 and at facebook
com/FEMARegion6/
thomas
wise
Mon, 06/09/2025 – 14:00
Source: US Federal Emergency Management Agency
Headline: INITIAL PUBLIC NOTICE SAN JOAQUIN COUNTYWIDE BACKUP GENERATORS AND PUMPS
INITIAL PUBLIC NOTICE SAN JOAQUIN COUNTYWIDE BACKUP GENERATORS AND PUMPS
INITIAL PUBLIC NOTICE SAN JOAQUIN COUNTYWIDE BACKUP GENERATORS AND PUMPS SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY, CALIFORNIALPDM-PJ-09-CA-2024-001The U
S
Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) intends to provide federal financial assistance under the Legislative Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program to San Joaquin County in San Joaquin County, California, to improve water and storm drainage system reliability and resiliency against power outages during storm and flood events
The proposed action would mitigate impacts from flood hazards by installing five emergency backup generators and upgrading one pump at existing pump stations
Pursuant to Executive Order 11988 (Floodplain Management) and FEMA’s implementing regulations at Title 44 of the Code of Federal Regulations Part 9, FEMA hereby provides interested parties with a notice of its intent to carry out an action affecting a floodplain
The purpose of the proposed action is to reduce flood hazards
The proposed action would occur at five pump station locations and consists of installing a new gas generator and upgrading the existing pump at one location, replacing an existing generator with a new gas generator at another location, and installing new gas generators at three other locations
The generators would be installed with new gas connections, automatic transfer switches, and electrical connections with new electrical service
The proposed generators would be placed on concrete pads
Services would feed from the public right-of-way to each site with new gas meters installed prior to connection of each generator
The proposed pump improvements would discharge flows to Fourteen Mile Slough which is in the 100-year floodplain as depicted on the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM), Map Number 06077C0455F, effective date October 16, 2009
The FIRM shows that Fourteen Mile Slough lies within Zone AE, an area that has a 1-percent probability of flooding every year and where predicted floodwater elevations have been established
Additional information about FEMA’s proposed action, including maps showing the potential impacts on floodplains, may be obtained by writing the FEMA Region 9 Environmental Officer at FEMA, 1111 Broadway, Suite 1200, Oakland, California 94607, or fema-rix-ehp-documents@fema
dhs
gov
All requests should be received within 15 days after publication of this notice
eileen
chao
Mon, 06/09/2025 – 16:04
Source: Washington State News 2
EATONVILLE – Travelers who use State Route 161 between Graham and Eatonville will see temporary changes to the roadway this summer.
The work is part of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s efforts to remove barriers to fish under state highways. Crews will remove two culverts just north of 280th Street East in Pierce County. The culverts carry tributaries to South Creek.
Starting Monday, June 23, crews will begin clearing vegetation before building a temporary single-lane bypass road to keep traffic moving during construction. Temporary traffic signals will alternate travelers through the work zone around the clock. The speed limit on SR 161 between mileposts 14.5 and 15.2 will be lowered from 55 mph to 25 mph.
At the traffic signal, a push button will allow for longer travel time between signals for bicyclists.
The existing culverts are a barrier to fish. The construction will open potential habitat for coho, steelhead and resident trout in South Creek’s tributary.
Crews will replace the blocking culverts with a large box culvert that is fish friendly. Workers will rebuild the stream to improve fish habitat. The larger structure will also allow wildlife to pass under the roadway.
Major construction is expected to finish in fall 2025.
Travelers can receive email updates about these projects and other major roadwork on state highways in Pierce County. Real-time information is available on the WSDOT app and Travel Center Map.
Source: Washington State News 2
PUYALLUP – Construction work on a new stage of the State Route 167 Completion Project in Pierce County will begin picking up steam in summer 2025. To help people in the Puyallup, Edgewood, Sumner and Milton areas understand how construction will affect them, the Washington State Department of Transportation is launching an online open house on Monday, June 9.
People who visit the online open house will learn more about the project, which builds a portion of a new expressway between SR 410 and North Meridian Avenue in Puyallup. It also includes a new interchange at North Meridian Avenue, two new bridges, a section of the spuyaləpabš Trail, and ramp and surface street improvements. The online open house outlines the phases of construction and what people can expect if they live, work or travel through the area.
When: Monday, June 9 – Saturday, Aug. 9
Where: engage.wsdot.wa.gov/sr-167-completion-project/
Details: The online open house will be available in Spanish, Russian, Korean and Tagalog. Visitors also can leave comments or ask questions.
The SR 167 Completion Project builds 6 miles of new tolled highway between Puyallup and the Port of Tacoma. The new expressway will be built in stages. The first stage of work completed the new Wapato Way East bridge and SR 99 roundabout in Fife. The second stage builds the expressway between I-5 and the Port of Tacoma. It’s scheduled to open in 2026. Work on the third stage between SR 161/North Meridian Avenue and SR 410 began in 2025. Construction of the last stage between North Meridian Avenue and I-5 will begin in 2026. The entire project is planned for completion by 2030.
Photos of construction work are available on the project’s Flickr page. A 3D video tour is also available on WSDOT’s YouTube page.
The SR 167 Completion Project is part of WSDOT’s Puget Sound Gateway Program, which also includes the SR 509 Completion Project in south King County. Together, the two completion projects finish critical missing links in Washington’s highway and freight network.
Source: US State of California Governor
What you need to know: Standing up for state sovereignty throughout the nation, California Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta are suing the Trump administration for its illegal takeover of the California National Guard (CalGuard).
LOS ANGELES – Following President Trump’s call to arrest Governor Gavin Newsom, the Governor and Attorney General Rob Bonta today are filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration to end the illegal and unnecessary takeover of a CalGuard unit, which has needlessly escalated chaos and violence in the Los Angeles region. The lawsuit, which names President Trump, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and the Department of Defense, outlines why the takeover violates the U.S. Constitution and exceeds the President’s Title 10 authority, not only because the takeover occurred without the consent or input of the Governor, as federal law requires, but also because it was unwarranted.
“Donald Trump is creating fear and terror by failing to adhere to the U.S. Constitution and overstepping his authority. This is a manufactured crisis to allow him to take over a state militia, damaging the very foundation of our republic. Every governor, red or blue, should reject this outrageous overreach. This is beyond incompetence — this is him intentionally causing chaos, terrorizing communities, and endangering the principles of our great democracy. It is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism. We will not let this stand.”
Governor Gavin Newsom
“President Trump’s order calling federalized National Guard troops into Los Angeles – over the objections of the Governor and local law enforcement – is unnecessary and counterproductive. It’s also deeply unfair to the members of the National Guard who are hard at work every day protecting our state, preparing for and responding to emergencies, and training so that, if called, they can fight our nation’s wars,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Let me be clear: There is no invasion. There is no rebellion. The President is trying to manufacture chaos and crisis on the ground for his own political ends. Federalizing the California National Guard is an abuse of the President’s authority under the law– and not one we take lightly. We’re asking a court to put a stop to the unlawful, unprecedented order.”
Under the California Constitution, Governor Newsom is the Commander-in-Chief of the California National Guard. In the lawsuit, Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta explain that the federal government has overstepped its legal authority and bypassed the Governor’s approval to take over a unit of CalGuard, in a situation where federal government intervention was not needed and did not meet the necessary criteria for federalization. The unrest in Los Angeles is nowhere close to rising to the level of a “rebellion” beyond the capacity of local and state authorities to control, nor is it different in kind from other similar situations in recent years that were brought under control by local authorities with no need for military intervention. The Department of Defense’s mobilization order also failed to comply with President Trump’s own direction to coordinate with the Governor and the National Guard.
On Friday, June 6, 2025, the federal government, through Immigration and Customs Enforcement, began conducting widespread operations throughout Los Angeles without providing notification to local law enforcement. During the course of these operations, ICE officers took actions that inflamed tensions, including the arrest and detainment of children, and military-style operations that sparked panic in the community. The Department of Homeland Security reported that its enforcement activities on June 6 resulted in the arrest of 44 individuals, two of whom appear to have been minors. Only five of those arrested reportedly had any criminal history.
In response, community members began protesting to express opposition to these violent tactics, the President’s heavy-handed, violent immigration agenda, and the arrest of innocent people, and to express solidarity with and concern for the individuals and families most directly impacted by the enforcement actions taking place in their community. Protests continued for two more days, and although some violent and illegal incidents were reported — leading to justified arrests by state and local authorities — these protests were largely nonviolent and involved citizens exercising their First Amendment right to protest. At no point did these protests necessitate federal intervention, and local and state law enforcement remained in control of the situation. Local law enforcement, despite no communication or advanced notice from the federal government, responded quickly and did not request federal assistance.
Soon after protests began, on June 7, President Trump issued a memorandum entitled “Department of Defense Security for the Protection of Department of Homeland Security Functions,” purporting to authorize the Department of Defense to call up 2,000 National Guard personnel into federal service for a period of 60 days, and declaring a “rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States” and directing the Secretary of Defense to coordinate with state governors and the National Guard to commandeer state militias. This order was not specific to California and suggests that the President could assume control of any state militia.
President Trump then began posting to social media that the protests in California were out of control and that the federal government had taken over the California National Guard — further inflaming fear in the community, inciting fear and violence, and endangering state sovereignty. Notably, by the time the National Guard arrived on Sunday morning, the protests had dissipated thanks to local law enforcement, and the streets were quiet. The President’s Actions and the military presence inflamed the very protest and violence it was supposedly meant to suppress.
President Trump’s unprecedented order attempts to usurp state authority and resources via 10 U.S.C. § 12406, a statute that has been invoked on its own only once before in modern history and for highly unusual circumstances — when President Richard Nixon called upon the National Guard to deliver the mail during the 1970 Postal Service Strike. This is also the first time since 1965 — when President Johnson sent troops to Alabama to protect civil rights demonstrators — that a president has activated a state’s National Guard without a request from the state’s governor.
And as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem previously said, federalization of the National Guard “would be a direct attack on states’ rights.”
Today, Governor Newsom and Attorney General Bonta stand up for all states’ authority through this lawsuit. The lawsuit asks the court to end the federal government’s gross overstep of authority and require President Trump and Secretary Hegseth to follow the appropriate legal steps to take over any state militia, including an order issued through the Governor.
The lawsuit also explains that:
Donald Trump: In a Townhall with ABC in 2020, Trump said he couldn’t move the National Guard into Democratic-run cities without the Governor’s approval. See here and here for the full transcript.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Mr. President, you promised four years ago at the Republican Convention, I’m going to restore law and order.
TRUMP: And I have, except in Democrat run cities. Look, we have laws. We have to go by the laws. We can’t move in the National Guard. I can call insurrection but there’s no reason to ever do that, even in a Portland case.
We can’t call in the National Guard unless we’re requested by a governor. If a governor or a mayor is a Democrat and they — like in Portland, we call them constantly. I just spoke to the governor yesterday because we’re giving them relief on the fires. We’re giving them a — an emergency declaration.
Kristy Noem:
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SANTA ANA, California – A former politician who served on the Orange County Board of Supervisors was sentenced today to 60 months in federal prison for accepting more than $550,000 in bribes for directing and voting in favor of more than $10 million in COVID-19 pandemic relief funds to a charity affiliated with one of his daughters.
Andrew Hoang Do, 62, of Santa Ana, was sentenced by United States District Judge James V. Selna, who scheduled a restitution hearing for August 11.
Do pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds.
“Elected officials have a sworn duty to put their constituents’ interests ahead of their own,” said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “Public money intended to assist aging and ailing pandemic victims instead filled the coffers of Do, his family, and insiders. I commend our prosecutors and law enforcement partners for their work on this important case and for helping to remove a corrupt politician from his seat of power.”
“As a county supervisor, Andrew Do transformed the County of Orange into an ATM available to his insiders, his loved ones, and himself, withdrawing millions of dollars to buy houses, lavish dinners, and expensive wine while the elderly, the sick, and the vulnerable who depended on Andrew Do were left to fend for themselves,” said Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer. “We, along with our federal partners, are continuing to peel back the layers of conspiracy to hold every thief accountable and return those stolen monies to the communities to which they belonged.”
“Mr. Do abused his powerful position as a county supervisor to profit personally at the expense of individuals in need, as well as the residents of Orange County, who deserve honest leadership,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI will continue to pursue corrupt public officials whose actions erode trust in government.”
From February 2015 until his resignation in October 2024, Do was one of five supervisors on the Orange County Board of Supervisors, which is responsible for the county’s $9 billion annual budget. As supervisor for the First District, Do represented the cities of Cypress, Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, La Palma, Los Alamitos, Midway City, Rossmoor, Seal Beach, and Westminster.
Beginning in 2020, in exchange for more than $550,000 in bribes, Do voted in favor of and directed millions of dollars in COVID-related funds to the Viet America Society (VAS), a charity affiliated with his daughter. Do directed and worked together with other county employees to approve contracts with – and payments to – VAS. Do further admitted he acted corruptly and abused his position of trust as a county supervisor.
Shortly after receiving the COVID-related public funds from the county government – funds that were intended to provide meals to the elderly and disabled – VAS from April 2021 to February 2024 paid a business identified in court documents as “Company #1” $100,000 or more per month, which totaled approximately $3,804,000. In September 2021, VAS increased its payments to Company #1 from $100,000 to $108,000 per month. Company #1 then began paying Rhiannon Do – Do’s daughter – $8,000 per month, totaling by February 2024 approximately $224,000.
In addition to the $8,000 monthly payments that Company #1 had made to Do’s daughter, in July 2023, Company #1 also transferred a total of $381,500 from the funds it had received from VAS to an escrow company. In July 2023, Do’s daughter used the escrow account funds to purchase a home, in her name, in Tustin for $1,035,000. As part of that transaction, a mortgage for more than $600,000 was obtained by a loan application that contained false information and with fabricated documents. Do’s daughter has admitted in court documents that her conduct was criminal and violated federal and state law.
The $381,500 from Company #1 that his daughter used to purchase the Tustin house in 2023 was a disguised bribe to Do. An additional $100,000 in payments sent to his other daughter, including three $25,000 checks from Company #2 – an air conditioning company that had been paid by VAS – also were bribes to Do.
Some of the bribe funds that had been funneled to his daughters were spent for his direct benefit. For example, during 2022, a total of $14,849 of funds that had been funneled to Do’s daughters was used to make property tax payments for properties in Orange County owned by Do and his wife. Approximately $15,000 was used to pay for one of Do’s credit card bills.
Do knew that VAS was not providing all the meals for which the county had paid VAS. Instead, much of the funds were used for the benefit of insiders, including to buy real estate in the name of both Do’s daughter and Company #1, bribe payments to both of Do’s daughters, payments to other conspirators, payments to other companies affiliated with VAS’s listed officers, and through hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash withdrawals.
Do forfeited assets connected to the bribery scheme, including the Tustin property his daughter purchased in 2023. As part of his daughter’s related diversion agreement, she forfeited the Tustin property. The plea agreement requires Do to pay full restitution by paying back the bribe money he and his daughters received. In August 2024, the government seized more than $2.4 million from VAS’s and Company #1’s bank accounts.
Do resigned from the Orange County Board of Supervisors as part of a related agreement with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office (OCDA). He also agreed to forfeit any pension credit for the time where he participated in the bribery conspiracy.
The FBI; the Orange County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation; the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Office of the Inspector General; IRS Criminal Investigation; and the United States Department of Education Office of the Inspector General investigated this matter.
This matter is being jointly prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office and OCDA. The prosecution is being led by Assistant United States Attorneys Nandor F.R. Kiss, Rosalind Wang, and Tara Vavere of the United States Attorney’s Office and Senior Deputy District Attorney Avery T. Harrison and Deputy District Attorney Anthony J. Schlehner of the OCDA.
Any member of the public who has information related to this or any other public corruption matter in Orange County is encouraged to send information to the FBI’s email tip line at https://tips.fbi.gov and/or to contact the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office at (310) 477-6565.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Acting United States Attorney Ellison C. Travis announced that U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced Blake Joseph Steiner, age 37, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to 86 months in federal prison following his conviction for distribution of child pornography. The Court further sentenced Steiner to serve five years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and ordered him to complete sex offender treatment and register as a sex offender upon his release.
According to admissions made during his plea, Steiner initiated a conversation on a mobile application group chat with an undercover agent (“UCA”). Steiner hoped to gain access to a group that was dedicated to sharing and trading child pornography. To gain access, Steiner first sent the UCA a video of himself and the date to verify his identity. In another effort to gain access to what he thought was an online child pornography group, Steiner sent a video of a girl under 12 years old being raped by an adult male. Steiner further admitted to the UCA that he managed another child pornography group online and that he engaged in hands-on conduct involving a minor.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, and the Louisiana State Police and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward H. Warner, who also serves as Deputy Criminal Chief.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on June 6, 2025, Van Hoa Phung, 49, and Reason Phung, 18, both citizens of Canada, pleaded guilty to criminal complaints charging them, respectively, with illegally entering the United States at a time or place other than designated for entering the country by immigration authorities, and illegally entering the United States by making willfully false statements.
According to court records, on June 5, 2025, at approximately 2:35 p.m., the United States Border Patrol observed a man walking south and crossing the United States-Canada international border near the Haskell Free Library in Derby Line, Vermont. The Haskell Free Library and its vicinity do not constitute a time or place as designated by immigration officers to lawfully enter the United States.
After entering the U.S., the man, who was wearing a red shirt with shorts, entered the passenger side of a Red Tesla motor vehicle. Border Patrol agents stopped the vehicle in a parking lot in Derby, Vermont and identified the driver as Reason Phung, and the passenger as Van Hoa Phung, Reason Phung’s father. Van Hoa Phung was wearing a red shirt with shorts consistent with the description of the individual who illegally crossed the border.
During the vehicle stop, Border Patrol determined that the Red Tesla previously crossed through a legal port of entry in Derby, Vermont. At the time the vehicle entered, Reason Phung was the only occupant.
Reason Phung admitted that he travelled to the border where he dropped off his father, Van Hoa Phung, at the Haskell Free Library in Derby Line, Vermont. Thereafter, Reason Phung entered through the port of entry, and then picked his father up in the U.S. after Van Hoa Phung illegally crossed the border in the vicinity of the library. Reason Phung intended to transport his father to an airport and then return to Canada.
When he entered through the Port of Entry earlier, Reason Phung stated his purpose in entering the United States was to visit his grandparents. Because his real purpose was to pick up and transport his father and then return to Canada, that statement was false.
Van Hoa Phung and Reason Phung had their initial court appearances before United States Magistrate Judge Kevin J. Doyle on June 6, 2025, where they each pleaded guilty, and both received time-served sentences.
Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the United States Border Patrol and United States Customs and Border Protection.
The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Stendig. Van Hoa Phung is represented by Federal Public Defender Michael Desautels. Reason Phung is represented by Robert Behrens, Esq.
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).
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of a superseding indictment charging Lee Hughes (45, Pinellas Park) with attempted transmission of harmful material to a minor, attempted enticement or coercion of a minor, and receipt and possession of child sexual abuse material. If convicted on all counts, Hughes faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison.
According to the indictment and court documents, Hughes communicated with an undercover officer in an attempt to engage in sexual intercourse with the undercover officer’s purported nine-year-old daughter. Throughout their communications, Hughes sent the undercover officer approximately 10 explicit photos and/or videos of himself, with the request they be shown to the purported child. On May 1, 2025, Hughes traveled to an agreed-upon location to engage in sexual intercourse with the purported nine-year-old girl and was arrested. Law enforcement searched Hughes’s cellphone and discovered he had received and possessed child sexual abuse material.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail K. King.
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
RALEIGH, N.C. – A Wilson man was sentenced Friday to seven years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for illegally possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony. Joshua Elijah Strickland, 22, pled guilty to the charge on March 11, 2025.
According to court documents and other information presented in court, Strickland was arrested last July when the Wilson Police Department searched a house where Strickland and other gang members stored guns and drugs. That search came on the heels of a June 26, 2024, incident in which multiple men were spotted retreating to the gang house after firing 11 rounds into another occupied house just a few blocks away. The June 26 shooting was part of a spike in gang violence last summer, when Wilson saw at least 12 gang-related shootings occur in less than one month. Strickland has several prior felony convictions, including possession of a stolen firearm and maintaining a place for the use, storage, or sale of a controlled substance.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Raleigh-Durham Safe Streets Task Force and the Wilson Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Phil Aubart and Chris Cogburn prosecuted the case.
Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 4:24-CR-305.
###
Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Luis Ruben Martinez Calderon (26, Kissimmee) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Martinez Calderon is the final defendant to plead guilty in this case.
|
Name |
Date of Plea |
Charges |
Maximum Penalties |
|
Luis Ruben Martinez Calderon (26, Kissimmee) |
June 5, 2025 | Drug conspiracy | Minimum 5 years, up to 40 years in federal prison |
|
Quamain Alique Barber (34, Kissimmee) |
April 30, 2025 |
Drug conspiracy Possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking |
Minimum 5 years, up to 40 years in federal prison Minimum 5 years, up to life in federal prison to run consecutive |
|
Bernardo Antonio Brea (31, Kissimmee) |
April 22, 2025 |
Drug conspiracy Possession of firearm by convicted felon |
20 years in federal prison 15 years in federal prison |
| Aisha Nicolle Sanchez (25, Kissimmee) | May 20, 2025 | Drug conspiracy | Minimum 5 years, up to 40 years in federal prison |
| Evelyn Calderon (57, Kissimmee) | May 13, 2025 | Drug conspiracy | Minimum 5 years, up to 40 years in federal prison |
According to the plea agreements filed in the case, Martinez Calderon regularly supplied retail dealers such as Barber from his apartment in Kissimmee, where he lived with his girlfriend, Sanchez. In January 2025, Barber sold cocaine to an undercover officer, and immediately drove to Martinez Calderon to be resupplied.
The investigation also revealed that Martinez Calderon supplied Barber with cocaine that Martinez Calderon stored with his mother, Evelyn Calderon, who resupplied him when needed. Sanchez helped to recover a suitcase with at least two kilograms of cocaine from the mother’s home for Martinez Calderon to distribute. In late January 2025, Martinez Calderon worked with Brea to obtain cocaine for Barber to distribute.
On February 6, 2025, when a series of arrest warrants were executed, Brea and Barber were found to be in possession of firearms. Brea was prohibited from possessing firearms because he was previously convicted of felonies, including possessing a firearm as a convicted felon to which he pleaded guilty one week before he was found in possession of a firearm by federal agents. Barber’s firearm was recovered along with bags of cocaine prepared for distribution.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the Kissimmee Police Department, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, and the Florida Highway Patrol. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dana E. Hill.
This case was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.