NewzIntel.com

Category: United States of America

  • MIL-OSI Security: Investigations and Oversight: Director Wray Discusses FBI’s Commitment to Government Accountability

    Source: US FBI

    The FBI pursues the cause of government accountability by investigating abuses of power by law enforcement officers and the corruption of public officials, and by holding our own workforce to a higher standard, FBI Director Christopher Wray said during the University of Georgia’s 2024 Getzen Lecture on Government Accountability on March 19. The lecture—which is held annually at the school’s Athens, Georgia, campus—invites current and former government leaders and other experts to share their thoughts on government accountability. 

    “Our mission at the FBI is a broad one—to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution of the United States,” Wray said. “It covers everything from cyber to counterintelligence to counterterrorism to working with our partners to tackle violent crime. And, particularly relevant to this afternoon, it includes protecting the vulnerable and holding the powerful accountable.” 

    In the United States, the rule of law comes first and applies to everyone—regardless of their socioeconomic status or position of power (or lack thereof), Wray said. This approach differentiates our nation from “authoritarian regimes, like Russia and China, where the rule of law is subordinated to their leaders’ despotic will,” he added. But to maintain the public’s trust in our justice system, he said, the FBI must demonstrate that it holds powerful people accountable when they break the law. 

    “While there will always be people out there looking to exploit their positions of public trust by serving themselves rather than the American people, with an agency like the FBI on the job—and with institutions like UGA shining a light on why government accountability is so important in the first place—I like our chances,” Wray said. 

    Holding Law Enforcement Accountable 

    The FBI leads federal government efforts to investigate civil rights violations, including the responsibility to investigate what are known as color of law violations. 

    “Those crimes occur when an individual acting under the authority of federal, state, or local laws—under what’s known as the color of law—willfully deprives someone of their constitutional rights,” he explained. “And that deprivation of rights can run the gamut, from excessive force, false arrest, or obstruction of justice to sexual assault, withholding medical care or the failure to keep an individual from harm.  

    While color-of-law violations can be committed by anybody acting under their lawful authority— including probation and corrections officers, public officials, prosecutors, and judges—they too often involve law enforcement officers.” 

    He then described an FBI Jackson Field Office investigation into a group of white law enforcement officers who in January 2023 “kicked in the door of a home where two Black men were staying and subjected them to an hour and a half of pure hell”—including physical and psychological abuse—even though the officers had “no probable cause to believe either had committed a crime.”  

    The officers then went to extraordinary lengths to cover up their actions, including (but not limited to) destroying evidence, planting a gun on a victim, filing fraudulent reports, lying to investigators, and charging a victim with crimes he didn’t commit, Wray said. 

    “All of that came out through the course of the FBI’s investigation,” Wray said, adding that the FBI also learned “three of the officers had committed color of law violations just a month earlier.” 

    The investigation, which Wray said was a group effort between the FBI and “our state and federal partners” resulted in guilty pleas from all six officers, who are now awaiting sentencing. 

    “I recognize that what happened in Mississippi is an extreme example,” he said. “In fact, it’s hard to imagine a more atrocious set of civil rights violations than those carried out by these guys. But, on the flip side, it’s hard to imagine more important work than investigating those crimes and seeking justice for the victims.” 

    These criminals don’t represent “the vast majority of law enforcement officers,” Wray stressed. 

    “I’m the leader of the country’s premier law enforcement agency, and I’ve spent most of my career working shoulder to shoulder with law enforcement officers … so I’ve seen firsthand what they’re made of and what they do to make our communities safer,” he said. These ingredients, he said, include selflessness, courage, character, dedication, and service.  

    Wray added that officers are overworked and underpaid, largely operate outside the spotlight, and are rarely recognized or credited for their efforts. Yet, he said, they do their jobs knowing that each time they bid their families farewell to head to work, they might be doing so for the last time. “It takes a pretty extraordinary person to choose that life,” he said.  

    Wray said the contrast between officers who wear the badge to serve and protect and those who wield their power to harm others makes color of law violations harmful to both their immediate victims and the public’s faith in the way our country holds criminals to account. 

    “We’ve entrusted law enforcement officers with vast power and authority,” Wray said. “And when they abuse it—when they operate as though they’re above the law—they’re not just depriving victims of their civil rights. They’re degrading the public’s trust in our criminal justice system, one violation at a time.” 

    Holding Public Officials Accountable 

    Investigating public corruption is the FBI’s top criminal priority because of its dollars-and-cents cost to our nation’s’ government and taxpayers, which estimates put “at billions of dollars every year,” Wray said.

    Public corruption—which can be carried out by public officials, regardless of how they get their jobs—can also infect and impact everything from border security and neighborhood protection to courtroom deliberations and even the quality of public infrastructure, he added. But at its core, public corruption denigrates the American people’s trust in their government and “undermines the strength of our democracy,” he said. 

    The “secretive nature” of many public corruption violations can make them tricky to detect and prove, Wray said, but the Bureau’s long track record of investigating these types of crimes gives us an advantage. 

    “On any given day, we’re working about 3,500 public corruption investigations with our federal, state, and local partners across the country—and our efforts pay off,” he said. “Over the past five years, we’ve disrupted nearly 2,000 criminal schemes and helped secure more than 3,000 convictions in this arena.”  

    Those convictions include that of former Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder, who, Wray said, led “the most elaborate and extensive corruption scandal the state has ever seen.” 

    Householder orchestrated a bribery scheme in which FirstEnergy—a company that owned two “failing nuclear power plants”—regularly paid off a tax-exempt organization run by Householder. In exchange, Householder’s organization worked to helped get a bill passed that provided “a billion-dollar bailout” for the troubled facilities, Wray explained.  

    These corporate funds helped bankroll Householder’s bid for speaker and other state House candidates’ campaigns and pad the pockets of Householder and his team.  

    “All in all, the FBI’s investigation found FirstEnergy paid upwards of $61 million in bribes to bail out their plants and to put and keep in office politicians like Householder who’d be loyal to the company over their constituents,” Wray said. 

    But what the corrupt politicians and his cronies didn’t know was that the FBI had an inside source who “cooperated with our agents, recorded incriminating phone calls and conversations, and shared text messages sent by members of the conspiracy,” Wray said. As a result, he said, Householder was eventually convicted of racketeering and sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. FirstEnergy signed a deferred prosecution settlement and agreed to pay a $230 million penalty for conspiring to bribe elected officials and others. 

    Holding Ourselves Accountable 

    The FBI’s authority and power enable our public corruption investigations, but they also rightly force us to carry tremendous responsibility and undergo careful scrutiny, Wray said.  
    “The work of the FBI is subject to a wide range of internal and external controls, all with the aim of holding our organization accountable for what we do,” he said. 

    The Bureau’s internal checks and balances include the Office of Professional Responsibility, the Inspection Division’s Internal Affairs Section, and whistleblower protections for all Bureau employees, he said. Department of Justice-level accountability includes oversight from the DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility and the department’s Office of the Inspector General, he added. On top of that, our efforts are monitored by Congress and our investigative steps are subject to judicial review, he noted. 

    “All of those components are in place to make sure people have avenues for reporting violations of the law, dangers to public health and safety, and gross waste, fraud, and abuse” for the FBI to address and correct, he said. The oversight makes the FBI stronger and the public safer, he said. 

    “For the FBI to be the world’s leading law enforcement agency, and for the American public to continue placing their trust in us as an organization, people need to know we’re committed to doing the right thing in the right way,” he said. He stressed that this commitment to process includes maintaining consistent operational rigor, “upholding the Constitution and rule of law,” and “following the facts, wherever they lead.”  

    “Process is what enables us to say, ‘You may not like the result we reached, but you cannot credibly say we didn’t do our work by the book,’ and it’s what allows people to trust us in the long run: the people we do the work for and the people we do the work with,” he said. 

    Learning from the Past 

    Wray also acknowledged the FBI’s missteps with respect to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—including an October 1963 wiretap request against the civil rights leader that failed to “present a shred of evidence.” He also reflected on the psychological toll FBI surveillance took on Dr. King. 

    “I do not think any organization can aspire to have an unbiased loyalty to process and truth if it’s not willing to turn the spotlight around and look at itself,” he said. “So that’s something we work hard to do.” 

    The FBI’s mission requires its personnel to simultaneously preserve Americans’ constitutional rights and safeguard their communities, Wray said. And neither requirement may be ignored in the name of the other. 

    New special agents and intelligence analysts now complete a curriculum that incorporates “those difficult historical lessons and how they relate to our core values: respect, compassion, fairness, integrity, accountability, leadership, diversity, and rigorous obedience to the Constitution” to ensure they understand the importance of balancing these professional obligations, Wray said.  

    “Looking back on that dark chapter in our history reminds us what can happen when we become untethered from the rule of law, and from oversight and accountability for our actions,” he added. “And I’m proud to be part of an organization that does not hide from its history, but learns from it, instead.” 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Countering Cyber Threats Through ‘Joint, Sequenced Operations,’ Director Says

    Source: US FBI

    The conference brings together U.S. experts in cybersecurity who present research, analysis, and best practices in the field.

    In his remarks, Director Wray said the FBI works to strategically dismantle cybercriminal groups, piece by piece, by targeting the following:

    • Ransomware administrators, affiliates, and facilitators;
    • Cybercriminal group “infrastructure—like their servers and botnets;” and
    • The cryptocurrency wallets cybercriminals use to “stash their ill-gotten gains, hire associates, and lease infrastructure”

    During his remarks, Wray also noted that hostile nation-states—such as China, Russia, Iran, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea—are increasingly using “cyber operations” to meet their strategic goals and undermine the United States. These adversaries are “growing stealthier,” he said, and are always devising fresh methods to make their cyber operations more far-reaching and impactful.

    But the FBI is fighting back against the slew of cyber threats our nation faces by conducting joint operations with partners, he said. Wray spotlighted successes including:

    Wray said the FBI has also engaged in “a steady stream of operations” against the Chinese military and the nation’s intelligence services.  

    “As you’d expect, given that China wields a bigger hacking program than those of every major nation combined, we’re confronting them across the country and around the world, literally every day,” Wray said.

    He also discussed the FBI’s Model Cyber Squad initiative, which looks to eventually equip each of the Bureau’s 56 field offices with at least one interdisciplinary team dedicating to detecting and deterring cyber threats.

    Each Model Cyber Squad consists of about 12 FBI personnel, including special agents, intelligence analysts, and additional experts such as computer scientists and data analysts—”the perfect blend of investigative, technical, and analytical know-how to both identify cyber threats and take them down—Wray said.

    These squads will help us focus on responding to cyber incidents, assisting victims, and outpacing malign efforts by foreign adversaries and other bad cyber actors, he added.

    Finally, he encouraged the students in attendance to considering cyber careers with the FBI, since Bureau needs more technical experts to help us stay ahead of such threats. 

    He emphasized the wide range of ways budding cyber minds could help support the FBI’s efforts in this arena, including by: 

    • Planning and executing the “joint, sequenced operations” of tomorrow 
    • Serving on a Cyber Action Team 
    • Working with victims
    • Otherwise assisting with cyber incident response here at home or overseas 

    “For years, the Bureau has been laser-focused on hitting as many adversaries as we can and on getting the most bang for our buck out of every operation,” he said, “but with the cyber threat growing increasingly severe and complex, we’ve got both the room, and the need, to grow. So I hope some of you will apply to join us.” 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Protecting Quantum Science and Technology

    Source: US FBI

    As scientists race to develop these technologies, hostile nation-states stealing research and trade secrets is a key risk.

    Some nation-states, such as the People’s Republic of China (PRC), seek to fast-track getting these advanced tools through illegal or otherwise illicit technology transfer—for instance, illegally taking technology from companies or academic institutions and transferring it to the adversary government for its own use.

    When it comes to economic espionage, the government of China is using every possible avenue to steal U.S. companies’ innovation and is engaged in a well-resourced and systematic campaign to steal our intellectual property, compromise the integrity of our academic institutions, and put our companies out of business in pursuit of the “innovation-driven” economic growth highlighted in their Five-Year and Made in China 2025 strategic plans.

    More specifically, the PRC’s Five-Year Plan identifies major technologies China wants to develop within that period, such as semiconductors, quantum computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, new energy, biotechnology, aerospace, robotics, and the devices and software that contribute to the manufacturing process of any of these technologies.

    In March 2023, China and Russia agreed to deepen their scientific and other cooperation, benefiting their respective militaries’ technology research goals, including nuclear programs.

    Investigating and preventing economic espionage and illicit technology transfer to adversarial governments are among the FBI’s most important work, as the United States’ economic and national security are inextricably linked. Stolen innovation is not just the theft of one idea—it could also result in lost jobs and stolen opportunities for American workers, decreased national power, and reduced leadership in the industries hostile nations seek to dominate in the decades to come.

    The FBI and our NCITF partners have developed security partnerships with technology developers, investors, and end-users to thwart adversaries’ efforts to steal quantum innovations. To aid in keeping the quantum field safe, we are increasing outreach to government research agencies, private sector companies, and academic institutions to help bolster the industry’s cybersecurity defenses and to coordinate any counterintelligence investigations associated with quantum technology.

    Partnerships are vital—the threat from foreign intelligence adversaries has become increasingly complex as they employ an all-tools approach that includes non-traditional collectors, economic and academic influence, and other asymmetric intelligence operations. As a result, no single U.S. counterintelligence agency can fully understand or mitigate these operations on its own. The NCITF, which comprises over 45 government agencies, was born out of this idea. A component of its mission is to protect the quantum research and development landscape, covering all efforts across and within government, academia, and the private sector.

    Within NCITF, the Quantum Information Science Counterintelligence Protection Team (QISCPT) is an interagency unit tasked with protecting the quantum information science technology developed by the U.S. and like-minded nations. This team was created as a result of the National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018, which established a coordinated federal program to provide and support accelerated quantum research for the economic and national security of the U.S.

    The QISCPT puts the FBI and our intelligence and security agency partners within arm’s reach of representatives from all government agencies—not just the law enforcement and intelligence communities—and in contact with key players in the quantum information science and technology ecosystem. This access allows us strategic agility and deep insight into the strengths and vulnerabilities of the field, allowing us to form a nuanced threat picture and positions us to help protect vital U.S. innovation and security.

    The FBI and our NCITF intelligence and security partners understand the value and importance of a diverse workforce, especially in research and innovation environments. International collaboration in emerging technology fields is a boon to U.S. industry and academia. The issue arises when talented foreign researchers, investors and end users are exploited by adversary governments to commit illegal or otherwise illicit acts. It is our mission to stop innocent people from being victimized by an adversary nation state—no matter the nationality of the person transferring the information.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Investigating Torture: FBI-HSI Investigation Leads to U.S. Citizen’s Conviction for Human Rights Violations in Iraq

    Source: US FBI

    Seeking Victims and Witnesses

    In the meantime, O’Donnell and Burke continued their investigation. They believed that interviews with Roggio’s former employees—largely Estonians, but also other Europeans who’d been handpicked by his special assistant—could help strengthen the case. And that gut feeling proved right.

    When the duo learned that a former female employee of Roggio’s—an Estonian citizen—was slated to travel through John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, they worked with Estonia’s Internal Security Service to interview her about her experience with Roggio. The woman turned out to be the first international employee of Roggio’s weapons facility. She shared enough information with O’Donnell and Burke to justify a trip to Estonia to conduct a more in-depth interview with her in a friendlier setting.

    Investigators hoped that the interview could help them put the finishing touches on their counterproliferation investigation. But that trip yielded more than just a follow-up conversation.

    It also gave investigators the chance to meet a second former weapons factory employee, who surprised the investigators with a six-year-old cellphone recording that captured Roggio making threats of torture, confessing to that and other crimes, and even speaking to motive.

    This was the first time they’d heard torture allegations concerning Roggio.

    After interviewing these and other former employees, investigators returned to the U.S. with a case, having identified a new and urgent objective: to seek guidance and expertise from the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit to seek a potential prosecution for torture violations.

    The FBI is responsible for investigating torture if the victim is a U.S. person, or if the perpetuator is either a U.S. person or if they’re physically located within our country’s borders. This jurisdiction comes from 18 USC, Section 2340A.

    The agents knew they had to act quickly—and carefully.

    Careful collaboration between the case team, the FBI’s International Human Rights Unit (part of our Criminal Investigative Division), federal victim services providers, multiple FBI legal attaché offices, the U.S. Department of Justice, and our Estonian law enforcement partners enabled the case team to travel to Estonia to conduct forensic interviews with these subjects.

    The investigators got the greenlight to take a joint trip with DOJ prosecutors to explore the matter of torture in great detail. The investigative team leveraged their agencies’ resources and connections, as well as international partnerships, to locate and interview multiple former employees of Roggio’s who may have witnessed or been victims of torture.

    FBI Supervisory Child-Adolescent Forensic Interviewer Jacqueline Goldstein—who, at the time, held a similar role at HSI—helped ensure these conversations were cognizant of the trauma that these people’s experiences with Roggio may have left them with, while still being admissible in court and supporting investigative needs.

    “It’s designed to pass judicial scrutiny,” she said. “So it’s non-leading, non-suggestive. But it’s also trauma-informed so that the investigative interviewing process is uniquely suited to the developmental, cognitive, clinical needs of that individual, and we’re not creating additional trauma in that investigative process.”

    And with that, in August 2021, investigators were finally able to interview Roggio’s victim: a man who’d been held in captivity and subjected to physical and mental torture—including physical beatings, suffocation, and choking—for more than a month.

    “He had very vivid recollection,” O’Donnell said. “Some people blacked out everything. This guy remembered every detail of a lot of what happened.”

    Law enforcement also captured statements from a wider group of former employees who’d been forced to witness Roggio’s brutality against the victim. They also convinced the witnesses to travel to the United States to testify against Roggio in federal court.

    As a result of these efforts, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment in 2022—which added a charge of torture and a charge of conspiracy to commit torture to Roggio’s already long list of alleged crimes—and he was again arrested.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: El Salvadoran National Indicted for Firearm Possession

    Source: US FBI

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting United States Attorney Michael M. Simpsonannounced that EDGAR YOVANI PEREZ-GUTIERREZ (“PEREZ-GUTIERREZ”), age 27, a native of El Salvador, was indicted on April 24, 2025, for being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(5)(A) and 924(a)(8).

    According to court documents, on or about April 10, 2025, PEREZ-GUTIERREZ, an individual unlawfully present in the United States, was found in possession of a Glock handgun.  He was arrested by the New Orleans Police Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations officers, for violating immigration and federal gun control laws.

    If convicted, PEREZ-GUTIERREZ faces a maximum penalty of 15 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that an indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpsonpraised the work of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Spiro G. Latsis of the General Crimes Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: The TGA has approved donanemab for Alzheimer’s disease. How does this drug work and who will be able to access it?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Steve Macfarlane, Head of Clinical Services, Dementia Support Australia, & Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Monash University

    Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock

    This week, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved a drug called donanemab for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease.

    Donanemab has previously been approved in a number of other countries, including the United States.

    So what is donanemab, and who will be able to access it in Australia?

    How does donanemab work?

    There are more than 100 different causes of dementia, but Alzheimer’s disease alone accounts for about 70% of these, making it the most common form of dementia.

    The disease is believed to be caused by the accumulation in the brain of two abnormal proteins, amyloid and tau. The first is thought to be particularly important, and the “amyloid hypothesis” – which suggests amyloid is the key cause of Alzheimer’s disease – has driven research for many years.

    Donanemab is a “monoclonal antibody” treatment. Antibodies are proteins the immune system produces that bind to harmful foreign “invaders” in the body, or targets. A monoclonal antibody has one specific target. In the case of donanemab it’s the amyloid protein. Donanemab binds to amyloid protein deposits (plaques) in the brain and allows our bodies to remove them.

    Donanemab is given monthly, via intravenous infusion.

    What does the evidence say?

    Australia’s approval of donanemab comes as a result of a clinical trial involving 1,736 people published in 2023.

    This trial showed donanemab resulted in a significant slowing of disease progression in a group of patients who had either early Alzheimer’s disease, or mild cognitive impairment with signs of Alzheimer’s pathology. Before entering the trial, all patients had the presence of amyloid protein detected via PET scanning.

    Participants were randomised, and half received donanemab, while the other half received a placebo, over 18 months.

    The accumulation of amyloid plaques in brain tissue is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
    Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock

    For those who received the active drug, their Alzheimer’s disease progressed 35% more slowly over 18 months compared to those who were given the placebo. The researchers ascertained this using the Integrated Alzheimer’s Disease Rating Scale, which measures cognition and function.

    Those who received donanemab also demonstrated large reductions in the levels of amyloid in the brain (as measured by PET scans). The majority, by the end of the trial, were considered to be below the threshold that would normally indicate the presence of Alzheimer’s disease.

    These results certainly seem to vindicate the amyloid hypothesis, which had been called into question by the results of multiple failed previous studies. They represent a major advance in our understanding of the disease.

    That said, patients in the study did not improve in terms of cognition or function. They continued to decline, albeit at a significantly slower rate than those who were not treated.

    The actual clinical significance has been a topic of debate. Some experts have questioned whether the meaningfulness of this result to the patient is worth the potential risks.

    Is the drug safe?

    Some 24% of trial participants receiving the drug experienced brain swelling. The rates rose to 40.6% in those possessing two copies of a gene called ApoE4.

    Although three-quarters of people who developed brain swelling experienced no symptoms from this, there were three deaths in the treatment group during the study related to donanemab, likely a result of brain swelling.

    These risks require regular monitoring with MRI scans while the drug is being given.

    Some 26.8% of those who received donanemab also experienced small bleeds into the brain (microhaemorrhages) compared to 12.5% of those taking the placebo.

    Cost is a barrier

    Reports indicate donanemab could cost anywhere between A$40,000 and $80,000 each year in Australia. This puts it beyond the reach of many who might benefit from it.

    Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of donanemab, has made an application for the drug to be listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, with a decision pending perhaps within a couple of months. While this would make the drug substantially more affordable for patients, it will represent a large cost to taxpayers.

    The cost of the drug is in addition to costs associated with the monitoring required to ensure its safety and efficacy (such as doctor visits, MRIs and PET scans).

    Donanemab won’t be accessible to all patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
    pikselstock/Shutterstock

    Who will be able to access it?

    This drug is only of benefit for people with early Alzheimer’s-type dementia, so not everybody with Alzheimer’s disease will get access to it.

    Almost 80% of people who were screened to participate in the trial were found unsuitable to proceed.

    The terms of the TGA approval specify potential patients will first need to be found to have specific levels of amyloid protein in their brains. This would be ascertained either by PET scanning or by lumbar puncture sampling of spinal fluid.

    Also, patients with two copies of the ApoE4 gene have been ruled unsuitable to receive the drug. The TGA has judged the risk/benefit profile for this group to be unfavourable. This genetic profile accounts for only 2% of the general population, but 15% of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

    Improving diagnosis and tempering expectations

    It’s estimated more than 400,000 Australians have dementia. But only 13% of people with dementia currently receive a diagnosis within a year of developing symptoms.

    Given those with very early disease stand to benefit most from this treatment, we need to expand our dementia diagnostic services significantly.

    Finally, expectations need to be tempered about what this drug can reasonably achieve. It’s important to be mindful this is not a cure.

    Steve Macfarlane was an investigator on the donanemab trial, but received no direct compensation from Eli Lily for being so. Separately, has done consultancy work for Eli Lilly, for which he’s received payments.

    – ref. The TGA has approved donanemab for Alzheimer’s disease. How does this drug work and who will be able to access it? – https://theconversation.com/the-tga-has-approved-donanemab-for-alzheimers-disease-how-does-this-drug-work-and-who-will-be-able-to-access-it-257321

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: PSI Chairman Johnson Requests Transparency from Biden Cabinet Officials Regarding the Former President’s Cognitive Decline

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Wisconsin Ron Johnson

    WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (“the Subcommittee”), sent letters to 28 former Biden Cabinet members regarding their knowledge of President Biden’s cognitive and health decline during his time in office and while running for reelection. Chairman Johnson requested that these former public officials appear voluntarily before the Subcommittee for interviews by June 6, 2025.

    A recent book detailing the former president’s cognitive and health decline while in office revealed that members of President Biden’s inner circle were alarmed by the state of his health. One Cabinet secretary was reportedly left “upset and disturbed” after meeting with President Biden due to his “mumbly and incoherent” speech. As the chairman’s letter noted, the reported behind-the-scenes concerns stand in stark contrast to Cabinet officials’ public statements portraying the former president as healthy and mentally sharp.    

    “The discrepancy between what Cabinet officials were telling the public about the former president’s health and what they were apparently witnessing and saying privately is astonishing, particularly considering that the former president was seeking reelection. After years of being lied to and kept in the dark, the public deserves full and complete transparency about what was known and when concerning President Biden’s health,” Chairman Johnson wrote. 

    The letters went out to the following former Biden Cabinet-level members:

    1. Lloyd Austin, former Secretary of Defense;
    2. Xavier Becerra, former Secretary of Health and Human Services;
    3. Jared Bernstein, former Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers;
    4. Antony Blinken, former Secretary of State;
    5. William J. Burns, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency;
    6. Pete Buttigieg, former Secretary of Transportation;
    7. Miguel Cardona, former Secretary of Education;
    8. Marcia Fudge, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
    9. Merrick Garland, former Attorney General;
    10. Jennifer Granholm, former Secretary of Energy;
    11. Isabel Guzman, former Administrator of the Small Business Administration;
    12. Deb Haaland, former Secretary of the Interior;
    13. Avril Haines, former Director of National Intelligence;
    14. Kamala Harris, former Vice President;
    15. Ronald Klain, former White House Chief of Staff;
    16. Alejandro Mayorkas, former Secretary of Homeland Security;
    17. Denis McDonough, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs;
    18. Arati Prabhakar, former Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy;
    19. Gina Raimondo, former Secretary of Commerce;
    20. Michael Regan, former Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency;
    21. Julie Su, former Acting Secretary of Labor;
    22. Katherine Tai, former United States Trade Representative;
    23. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations;
    24. Adrianne Todman, former Acting Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
    25. Tom Vilsack, former Secretary of Agriculture;
    26. Janet Yellen, former Secretary of the Treasury;
    27. Shalanda Young, former Director of the Office of Management and Budget; and
    28. Jeff Zients, former White House Chief of Staff.

    The letters from Chairman Johnson can be found here.

    Read more about the chairman’s letters here: Axios, Fox News, and Washington Examiner. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Virginia Woman Pleads Guilty to Bank Fraud Conspiracy

    Source: US FBI

    Indictment Charges Nigerian Citizens Living in the New York City Area with Orchestrating Multi-Million Dollar Bank Fraud Conspiracy Using Stolen Identities from Across the U.S.

    ALBANY, NEW YORK – Sherry Ozmore, age 56, of Richmond, Virginia, pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit bank fraud in connection with her role as a “runner” for a nationwide conspiracy to impersonate customers of financial institutions to fraudulently obtain cash, checks, loans, and credit.  United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

    Ozmore was indicted in October 2024 as part of a superseding indictment charging the alleged ringleader of the conspiracy, Oluwaseun Adekoya, 39, a Nigerian citizen living in New Jersey, as well as David Daniyan, 60, a Nigerian citizen who according to prosecutors has lived in the United States under stolen identities for decades, with orchestrating a conspiracy to steal the identities of people who resided all over the country and impersonate those people at banks and credit unions to fraudulently obtain cash, checks, loans, and credit. According to documents previously filed in court, the conspirators also allegedly opened bank accounts in the names of identity theft victims, which were then used to deposit and access the funds from checks they had fraudulently obtained from banks and credit unions by impersonating other individuals.  The conspirators’ conduct allegedly involved nearly $3 million in intended losses, over $1.7 million of which was successful.

    Ozmore admitted that she was recruited to join the conspiracy as a runner in or around January 2023 and fraudulently obtained over $195,000 over a five-month period that year from banks and credit unions by impersonating identity-theft victims whose personal identifying information was supplied to her by supervisors.  Ozmore was paid a small portion of the money she fraudulently obtained.

    The following defendants are charged as follows in the superseding indictment: 

    • Adekoya is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and nine counts of aggravated identity theft;
    • Daniyan is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and four counts aggravated identity theft;
    • Kani Bassie, 36, of Brooklyn, New York, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft;
    • Davon Hunter, 27, of Richmond, Virginia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft;
    • Jermon Brooks, 20, of Richmond, Virginia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft;
    • Christian Quivers, 20, of Richmond, Virginia, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft; and
    • Crystal Kurschner, 44, of Brooklyn, is charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft.

    The prosecution is the result of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI-Albany, which began after the May 2022 arrest of Daniyan, Gaysha Kennedy, 46, of Brooklyn, and Victor Barriera, 64, of the Bronx, by the Cohoes Police Department after the trio had allegedly traveled to the Capital Region to commit bank fraud. 

    Adekoya, Daniyan, Kennedy, and Barriera were originally indicted, along with coconspirators Jerjuan Joyner, 50, of Brooklyn, Akeem Balogun, 56, of Brooklyn, Danielle Cappetti, 46, of the Bronx, and Lesley Lucchese, 53, of Brooklyn.

    At sentencing on May 6, 2025, Ozmore faces a maximum term of 30 years’ incarceration, an order of restitution in the amount of $195,500, and a term of supervised release of up to 5 years.

    Kennedy, Barriera, Joyner, Balogun, Cappetti, and Lucchese have pled guilty to bank fraud conspiracy and are pending sentencing.

    The charges in the superseding indictment are merely accusations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    FBI Albany is investigating the case, with assistance from the FBI Field Offices in New York, Newark, Richmond and Resident Agencies in Westchester, New York; Brooklyn/Queens, New York; Garrett Mountain, New Jersey; and Fort Walton Beach, Florida.  Additional assistance was provided by other law enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement & Removal Operations (New York Field Office & Albany sub-office); U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service (Buffalo Field Office & St. Albans Resident Office); U.S. Social Security Administration – Office of the Inspector General; New York law enforcement agencies including the New York State Police; Cohoes PD; Colonie PD; Elmira PD; Corning PD; Plattsburgh PD; Florida law enforcement agencies including the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office and Escambia County Sheriff’s Office; the Pennsylvania State Police; Alabama law enforcement agencies including the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office, Gasden PD, and Rainbow City PD; Georgia law enforcement agencies including the Georgia State Patrol, Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, and Morrow PD; Kansas law enforcement agencies including Lawrence PD and Overland Park PD; New Hampshire law enforcement agencies including Rochester PD, Manchester PD, and Amherst PD; the Delaware State Police; Maryland law enforcement agencies including the Maryland State Police, Harford County Sheriff’s Office and Baltimore County Sheriff’s Office; Wisconsin law enforcement agencies including Onalaska PD and Eau Claire PD; and Indiana law enforcement agencies including the Allen County Sheriff’s Office.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin S. Clark and Joshua R. Rosenthal are prosecuting this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Men from Ohio and Colorado Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Offenses During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: US FBI

                WASHINGTON — Two men from Ohio and Colorado have been arrested for allegedly assaulting law enforcement and other offenses related to their alleged conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. Their alleged actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

                Joseph Charles Valentour, 66, of Centerville, Ohio, and Jonathan Wayne “Duke” Valentour, 26, of Boulder, Colorado, are each charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder.

                In addition to the felonies, both men are charged with five misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly conduct in a Capitol building, and act of physical violence in the Capitol grounds or buildings.

                The FBI arrested Joseph Valentour on Friday, January 3, 2025, in Ohio, where he made his initial appearance in the Southern District of Ohio. Jonathan Wayne Valentour was arrested on Monday January 6, 2025, in Colorado and made his initial appearance in the District of Colorado.

                According to court documents, police body-worn camera footage shows Joseph Valentour approaching a police line on the Lower West Terrace of the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021, appearing to purposefully back into it. It is alleged that after Valentour made contact with the police line, an officer attempted to push him back, but other rioters grabbed the officer’s baton and dragged the officer into the crowd.  Shortly thereafter, amid the ensuing chaos, additional body-worn camera video captured Valentour pushing against the police line. It is alleged that Valentour touched an unknown police officer’s shield multiple times and appeared to be working with other rioters to disarm the officer of the shield. Court documents say that Valentour’s efforts were eventually successful, causing the officer to fall down a flight of stairs.

                Another officer then responded to the incident and went to assist the fallen officer; however, it is alleged that Valentour impeded the assisting officer’s forward movement by lowering his shoulder to hip height and forcibly using his body weight to charge at and push the assisting officer. Valentour’s efforts were successful as he moved the assisting officer away from the other officers. Additional police body-worn camera footage showed Valentour pushing the police line and making purposeful contact with yet another officer. Valentour then disengaged and moved into the crowd of rioters.

                Court documents say that Valentour’s son, Duke, was roughly in the same area as his father. Police body-worn camera footage showed Duke, at about 2:04 p.m., allegedly charging through other rioters toward the police line. As Duke approached police, he interfered with, and resisted officers along the police line by forcibly pushing other rioters in front of him into the police line. It is alleged that Duke simultaneously attempted to grab and interfere with the officers at this location. Officers eventually successfully repelled Duke down a flight of stairs.

                Shortly thereafter, it is alleged that Duke ran back up the stairs behind another rioter (who was carrying what appeared to be a police shield). Duke appeared to use this rioter for protection as he, again, attempted to interfere with officers along the police line by pushing this rioter into the officers. A nearby police officer deployed pepper spray in Duke’s direction, and Duke quickly retreated back down the stairs and into the mob.

                This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Southern District of Ohio and the District of Colorado.

                This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Cincinnati, Denver and Washington Field Offices. The FBI identified Joseph Valentour as BOLO AFO (Be on the Lookout Assault on Federal Officer) #494 on its seeking information images. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

                In the 48 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,583 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 600 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

                Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Columbus Police Officer Sentenced to More Than Four Years in Prison for Stealing Cocaine From Crime Scenes, Police Evidence Room

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A former Columbus police officer was sentenced in federal court here today to 50 months in prison for crimes involving more than 15 kilograms of cocaine and money laundering.

    Joel M. Mefford, 35, of London, Ohio, was a Columbus police officer assigned to investigate drug crimes. On three occasions between February and April 2020, Mefford worked with another officer to steal and traffic cocaine.

    “Crimes like those that Mefford committed undermine the integrity of the criminal justice system. Mefford abused his official position for personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Today’s substantial prison sentence is necessary to reflect the gravity of his offenses and to promote respect for the law. Corrupt public servants will be held accountable.”

    According to court documents, in February 2020, Mefford and the other officer were investigating a drug crime and unlawfully gained access to a detached garage belonging to the subject of the investigation. Without a warrant, they entered the garage and discovered two kilograms of cocaine in the rafters. They unlawfully seized one of the kilograms and left the other to be found during the execution of a search warrant the next morning. The other officer gave the stolen narcotics to another individual to sell.

    Similarly, in February and March 2020, Mefford and the other officer were investigating drug-trafficking activity at houses on Ambleside Drive and Kilbourne Avenue in Columbus. On March 7, 2020, the officers took a bag containing multiple kilograms of cocaine from the house on Ambleside Drive and arrested an individual there. They then traveled to the house on Kilbourne Avenue and removed a kilogram of cocaine. That same day, Mefford turned in one kilogram of cocaine to evidence, and the officers stole the other kilograms to be sold.

    In April 2020, Mefford and the other officer stole between 10 and 20 kilograms of cocaine from the Columbus police property room and replaced it with fake cocaine. Mefford transported the stolen cocaine in a police cruiser and the other officer later gave the drugs to another individual to sell. The drug proceeds were then given to the other officer, who provided Mefford his cut. Mefford personally received a total of approximately $130,000 from cocaine sales.

    Mefford deposited more than $72,000 of the cash derived from the cocaine sales into his personal bank account.

    A federal grand jury indicted Mefford in December 2023 and he pleaded guilty in August 2024 to two counts of possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, one count of possessing with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, and one count of money laundering.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Edmund A. Sargus Jr.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and Elizabeth A. Geraghty are representing the United States in this case.

    The case was investigated by the FBI’s Southern Ohio Public Corruption Task Force, which includes special agents and officers from the FBI, Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Ohio Auditor of State’s Office and the Columbus Division of Police.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Belmont County Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation Crimes in Plea Agreement That Calls for 30-to-60-Year Prison Sentence

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – Dennis Stopar, 65, of Flushing, Ohio, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court today to sexually exploiting minors and possessing child pornography. The plea agreement includes a sentence recommendation of 30 to 60 years in prison. 

    According to court documents, between 2022 and 2023, Stopar sexually assaulted multiple female minor victims, forced a minor male victim to engage in sexual activity with another child and created hundreds of videos and images of the horrific abuse.

    In December 2023, Dropbox, Inc. submitted a cyber tipline to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding child pornography being uploaded to a Dropbox account. Dropbox identified the IP address associated with the account within 24 hours. Further investigation revealed Stopar, a convicted sex offender, lived in a trailer on the property identified as the IP address.

    On December 28, Belmont County Sheriff’s Office deputies executed a local search warrant and seized Stopar’s electronic devices. Stopar’s electronic devices were subsequently processed via a federal search warrant, and he was charged federally in April 2024.

    Stopar’s prior sex offense is a rape conviction for sexually abusing a victim beginning when the victim was approximately 6 years old until the victim was 16 years old.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; and Belmont County Sheriff David L. Lucas announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorneys Emily Czerniejewski and Jennifer M. Rausch are representing the United States in this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Member of Multimillion-Dollar Ponzi Scheme Involving Off-the-Road Tires Pleads Guilty

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A member of a $50 million, multi-state Ponzi scheme conspiracy pleaded guilty in federal court here today. 

    John K. Eckerd, Jr., 60, of Dallas, admitted to conspiring to commit wire fraud and tax crimes. In total, Eckerd received at least $14 million from the tire sales scheme. Eckerd’s plea agreement includes a sentence recommendation of 36 to 109 months in prison.

    Conspiring with previously convicted and sentenced defendant Jason E. Adkins, 47, of Jackson, Ohio, Eckerd and others participated in a multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme.

    According to court documents, Eckerd and other members of the conspiracy portrayed to investors that they were in the business of buying and selling off-the-road tires. Off-the-road tires are over-sized tires that are used on earth moving equipment and/or mining equipment.

    Eckerd recruited investors and represented to investors that he worked with Adkins in tire sales. Few if any transactions were completed as designed. Instead, investor funds were used for the personal use of Eckerd and other members of the conspiracy, and to repay other victims. On multiple occasions, investors who were solicited by Eckerd invested in purported tire deals and then either lost money in tire deals that fell apart or were paid back some or all of their investments with other victims’ money, or both.

    Eckerd also conspired with Adkins to evade the payment of income taxes. Beginning in mid-2016, Eckerd made attempts with Adkins to re-classify payments from Adkins as loans, to avoid tax consequences. He also concealed income through shell entities and nominees. Eckerd has admitted evading the payment of $1,028,454 in taxes.

    A final restitution amount will be set by the Court at sentencing. The plea includes the forfeiture of $14 million, which will be satisfied in part by the forfeiture of Eckerd’s home in McKinney, Texas.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Karen Wingerd, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation; and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley, Jr. Assistant United States Attorneys S. Courter Shimeall, Peter K. Glenn-Applegate and David J. Twombly are representing the United States in this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: USAO Ends 2024 with Notable Achievements to Combat Elder Fraud

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – Combatting elder fraud continues to be a top priority for the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Northern District of Ohio, in 2024 and beyond. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal law violations that occur in any of the 40 northern counties in the state of Ohio which the district serves.

    Prosecutors in the USAO’s White Collar Crimes Unit carry out the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiatives, which include a commitment to combatting elder abuse, neglect, financial fraud, and other scams that target our nation’s senior citizens. Elder fraud schemes take a variety of forms that range from small-scale identity thefts to mass mail fraud schemes that steal money and other assets from thousands of elderly victims. Annually, these fraud schemes bilk seniors out of billions of dollars throughout the country.

    “Many fraud crimes that target our elderly population involve criminals taking advantage of this group’s trusting nature. Fraudsters falsely claim to be government officials or promise to help with computer issues, persuading victims to provide fraudsters with access to their personal information,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “Our office prioritizes prosecuting those who prey on the elderly members of our communities in an attempt to steal their savings.”

    Notable cases in 2024 that involved elder fraud include:

    U.S. v. Alahmad – A caregiver forged a power of attorney document and used it to apply for, and receive, credit and debit cards in the name of the victim who was an elderly adult. The victim was in a nursing home rehabilitation facility while the defendant made unauthorized withdrawals and purchases using the victim’s credit and debit cards. Alahmad was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $46,064.30.

    U.S. v. Xie – A Chinese national college student on an F‐1 Visa traveled across the country, worked as a “money mule” who picked up cash from older victims, and then transferred the funds to his handler. Xie was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to pay $188,000 in restitution.

    U.S. v. Wehman – The defendant was charged with wire fraud for stealing from his grandfather by using credit cards, debit cards, and a line of credit. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison and ordered to pay $376,069.46 in restitution.

    U.S. v. Turnipseede – The defendant defrauded approximately 72 investors out of more than $8.5 million through a Ponzi scheme that promised investors double-digit profits achieved through a purported algorithm designed to generate double-digit returns through various sports wagering businesses. Defendant used investor money to maintain the business, seek new sources of funds, pay off earlier investors, and fund personal expenses. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 3, 2025.

    U.S. v. Alexander – The defendant and other involved individuals engaged in a cold‐calling scheme that targeted older investors throughout the United States. They used aggressive and deceptive tactics and promised large returns if the victims participated in wine and whiskey investments. The court sentenced Alexander to three years of probation and ordered him to pay $202,195.58 in restitution.

    U.S. v. Mangukia – Defendants were charged in a conspiracy for falsely posing as customer service employees at a company or bank. Co-conspirators contacted a victim and falsely claimed that the victim’s account was at risk or had been compromised by a hacking event or similar computer intrusion. The conspirators directed the victim to make a wire transfer, convert cash to cryptocurrency at a Bitcoin ATM, and withdraw cash to purchase gold coins and bars. Defendants then traveled to Ohio to pick up the gold bars.

    U.S. v. Chaudhary – Defendants were charged as part of a conspiracy for falsely posing as customer service employees at a company or bank. Co-conspirators contacted a victim and falsely claimed that the victim’s account was at risk or had been compromised by a hacking event or similar computer intrusion. The conspirators directed the victim to withdraw cash and had a conspirator pick up the cash from the victim’s home.

    U.S. v. Kai – The defendant approached victims through social media to invest money into cryptocurrency. Victims were instructed to deposit their money through a “service director” affiliated with a cryptocurrency business. The service director informed the victims that deposits were to be made in person and in cash-only transactions. During one of these transactions, Kai was identified as the individual in a vehicle scheduled to take the victims’ money.

    Additionally, USAO staff conducted numerous public outreach efforts to educate the community to be aware of elder fraud scams including:

    • “Courier and Grandparent Scams,” National Consumer Protection Week Meeting
    • “Tops Scams for 2024,” St. Mary of the Woods Senior Living Community, FBI Organized Crime Conference, and Parma Snow Branch Library
    • “Elder Fraud Scams and Robocalls,” St. Mary of the Woods Independent Living
    • “Elder Fraud and Cold Calling Investment Scams,” AARP Podcast interview

    To report crimes, visit https://tips.fbi.gov/home or https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/financial-exploitation .

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  • MIL-OSI Security: New USAO Task Force to Target Government Contract Fraud

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio is spearheading a new, interagency Supply Chain Oversight and Procurement Enforcement (SCOPE) Task Force, created in 2024, to ensure supply chain integrity and prevent procurement fraud. The task force will serve to support the work of the Government Supply Chain Investigations Unit (GSCIU), led by the Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), based in Washington, D.C.

    The GSCIU investigates procurement and government contract fraud in connection with military, law enforcement, and public health and safety. Examples include investigations into substandard or fraudulent vaccines or medications that are supplied to veterans through Veterans Affairs. Other investigations have focused on faulty electronics and software provided to NASA or the military supply chain, and counterfeit and faulty armor and munitions provided to law enforcement and military personnel.

    “As the first of its kind in the district, this task force brings together the USAO’s white collar crime unit, Homeland Security Investigations, and numerous other federal investigative agencies to address large-scale supply chain and procurement fraud in government contracting,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “We also must be vigilant about products entering the government supply chain stemming from prohibited sources or foreign countries of concern, which presents a national security issue that may potentially sabotage or compromise systems put in place to protect our country, our servicemen and servicewomen, and our citizens.” 

    The task force will hold its first meeting in early February. Topics of discussion will emphasize public health and safety, vaccine and medicine fraud, counterfeit goods, intellectual property theft, and national security. Regional federal agencies that have committed to the USAO-NDOH-led task force include the FBI, NASA, HSI, NCIS, Intellectual Property Rights Center, Defense Criminal Investigative Services, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Veterans Affairs, General Services Administration, Customs and Border Protection, IRS-Criminal Investigation, U.S. ARMY, and Defense Finance Accounting Service.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: USAO’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force Unit Ends 2024 with Notable Achievements

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – The Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Unit of the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Northern District of Ohio is responsible for prosecuting criminal organizations whose members violate federal laws in any of the 40 northern counties in the state of Ohio that the district serves.

    As an independent component of the U.S. Department of Justice, OCDETF is the largest anti-crime task force in the country. Its mission is to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations using a nationwide strategy, led by prosecutors, that combines targeting, coordination, intelligence-sharing, and directed resourcing to have the greatest impact in disrupting the operations of organized crime.

    The task force approach facilitates coordination among various federal and local agencies to solve crimes, with agents and officers working side-by-side in the same location, led by a federal prosecutor. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to share information and collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi­-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle large-scale criminal operations. Such criminal networks include all forms of transnational crime, including but not limited to drug cartels, racketeering organizations, and other groups engaged in illicit activities that present a threat to public safety and national security.  They may involve, among other illegal activity, the illegal smuggling and trafficking of narcotics or other controlled substances, weapons, humans, or the illegal concealment or transfer of proceeds derived from such illicit activities in the Northern District of Ohio.

    In the Northern District of Ohio, agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, USMS, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service, and USBP investigate OCDETF cases with ties to the District, working with task force officers from numerous local law enforcement agencies, including the Cleveland Division of Police. Prosecutions are led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

    “No one group or agency can effectively combat organized crime, and particularly transnational organized crime, while working in a silo. The OCDETF framework allows our federal investigative agents to coordinate with each other and local law enforcement, sharing both resources and intelligence,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “This model allows us to come together and build the best cases possible that put the members of large-scale criminal networks behind bars and bring their criminal operations to a halt.”

    Notable operations and cases prosecuted by the OCDETF Unit in 2024 include:

    U.S. v. Ojeda-Elenes, et al. – Four individuals, including two individuals with direct connections to the Sinaloa Cartel based in Culiacán, Mexico, were sentenced to prison for a drug conspiracy involving more than 240 pounds of fentanyl and nearly 100 pounds of cocaine.

    U.S. v. Mullins, et al. –Twenty-one members and associates of a Cleveland-based, violent street gang known as the Fully Blooded Felons were arrested and charged between December 2023 and November 2024. The defendants are alleged to have committed numerous federal crimes, including Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, kidnapping in aid of racketeering, assault in aid of racketeering, firearms violations, conspiracy, and drug trafficking.  To date, three defendants have pled guilty.

    U.S. v. Whittaker, et al. – Fifteen people in Lorain County were charged in a 19-count indictment after authorities seized large quantities of fentanyl that included more than 42,000 fentanyl pills.

    U.S. v. Bryant, et al. – According to court documents, Brandon Bryant was one of 24 members of a large-scale fentanyl trafficking organization that operated on Cleveland’s eastside between September 2019 and February 2022. He was sentenced to more than 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, distribution of controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and use of a communications facility in furtherance of a drug felony. Bryant was also ordered to serve a lifetime term of supervised release following his release from prison. The other 23 co-defendants have also been convicted and sentenced. Some of the more notable prison sentences for his co-defendants include the following: Devon Fair, 35 years; Ramel Drew, 27 years; and Branea Bryant, 24 years.

    U.S. v. Lumbus et al. – Eleven people were charged in an international drug trafficking conspiracy that involved the importation of fentanyl, synthetic opioids, and synthetic cannabinoids into the United States, and the distribution of those drugs in Ohio and other states.

    To report crimes, visit https://tips.fbi.gov/home.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Sentenced to Prison for Unemployment Insurance and Bank Fraud

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – Darmani Hawkins, 21, of Aurora, was sentenced to 60 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Donald Nugent after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud; conspiracy to commit bank fraud; and mail theft, as part of schemes to fraudulently obtain coronavirus disease (COVID)-era state unemployment benefits and, separately, to steal checks from the mail, alter them, and deposit them. He was also ordered to pay $681,114.14 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release after imprisonment.

    According to court documents, from 2020 through 2021, Hawkins conspired to fraudulently obtain COVID pandemic unemployment insurance benefits by submitting fake claims, and in 2023, he conspired to steal checks out of the United States mail, deposit them, and keep the proceeds.

    In the COVID fraud scheme, Hawkins and his co-conspirators exploited the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security), which had been established to assist people who were out of work because of the COVID-related shutdown. They submitted false unemployment applications to multiple states, making it appear as if they were eligible to receive benefits when, in fact, they were not. Once a state’s unemployment agency approved the applications, the state mailed the unemployment benefits to Hawkins and his co-conspirators in the form of debit cards, which they used to withdraw cash for their personal benefit.

    In the bank fraud and mail theft scheme, Hawkins used a social media platform to recruit postal workers to steal checks from the U.S. Postal Service in exchange for a fee. Hawkins also offered to pay people to use their established bank accounts to deposit the checks stolen from the mail. Those who agreed to participate in mail theft deposited the stolen checks into bank accounts that Hawkins had paid others to allow him to access.  Hawkins then withdrew or received the stolen deposited funds. 

    “Mr. Hawkins shamelessly exploited federal resources intended to help those who became unemployed as a result of an uncontrollable, life-changing world event. His deceitful actions were selfish and heartless, diverting much-needed funds away from those who lost their jobs through no fault of their own,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “He also manipulated others to steal checks and misuse our banking system in a greedy effort to make easy money. Those, like Mr. Hawkins, who seek to capitalize on the misfortune of others by abusing federal safety nets established to protect the needy, and who steal from the U.S. taxpayer and private citizens, will be held to account and brought to justice.”

    “The sentencing of Mr. Hawkins should send a strong message to anyone who believes they can deceive government programs designed to help the American public in times of need. As part of our mission, postal inspectors will aggressively work to protect the public and prevent criminal misuse of the mail,” said Postal Inspector in Charge Lesley Allison of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Pittsburgh Division. “We value our relationships with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the law enforcement partners involved in bringing Mr. Hawkins to justice.”

    During the investigation, officials determined that Hawkins had caused a loss of approximately $425,000 in the COVID fraud scheme and more than $700,000 in the stolen check scheme.  

    This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and the FBI Cleveland Division. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erica Barnhill for the Northern District of Ohio.

    To report fraud, visit https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/unemployment-insurance-payment-accuracy/UIFraudReporting or https://www.uspis.gov/report. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Attorney’s Office Announces District Election Officer

    Source: US FBI

    PORTLAND, Ore.—United States Attorney Natalie Wight announced today that Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Ethan Knight will lead the efforts of this office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election.

    AUSA Ethan Knight, Cyber and National Security Unit Chief, has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the District of Oregon, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the district’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Department of Justice Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

    “The Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney’s Office will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process,” said Natalie Wight, United States Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    The Justice Department has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation on Election Day, threats of violence directed at election officials and workers, and election fraud. The department will address these violations wherever they occur. The department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

    Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).   

    If you or someone you know is in immediate danger, please call 911.

    The FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. To report allegations, contact 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or www.tips.fbi.gov.

    Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.

    If you have questions about the Justice Department’s Election Day Program in Oregon or need assistance directing election-related complaints to the proper authorities, District Election Officer Knight can be reached by calling (503) 727-1000.

    Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC May 23, 2025 0600 UTC Day 2 Convective Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    SPC AC 230601

    Day 2 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    0101 AM CDT Fri May 23 2025

    Valid 241200Z – 251200Z

    …THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PARTS OF
    THE SOUTHERN PLAINS AND WESTERN OZARKS…

    …SUMMARY…
    Severe storms are likely across part of the southern Plains and
    western Ozarks on Saturday. Severe wind gusts, large hail and a
    couple tornadoes will be possible. Hailstones greater than 2 inches
    in diameter could also occur. Marginally severe storms will also be
    possible across parts of the central High Plains, and Southeast.

    …Southern and Central Plains…
    At mid-levels, a low will move slowly eastward across the
    Intermountain West on Saturday, as a ridge moves eastward across the
    south-central U.S. At the surface, a low will remain over west
    Texas, with a moist and unstable airmass extending from the southern
    Plains into the lower Mississippi Valley. Elevated convection is
    forecast over part of the southern Plains and Ozarks Saturday
    morning, but this convection should move southeastward during the
    day, allowing for moderate to strong instability to develop over
    parts of Oklahoma and north Texas by afternoon. Scattered
    thunderstorms are expected to form during the late afternoon within
    this maximum of instability. Some of the storms could be severe.

    Model forecasts suggest that a pocket of strong instability will
    develop by Saturday afternoon across parts of southwest and central
    Oklahoma. ECMWF and NAM forecast soundings near the expected maximum
    of instability increase MLCAPE into the 4000 to 5000 J/kg range. 0-6
    km shear is forecast in the 35 to 40 knot range, with 700-500 mb
    lapse rates around 9 C/km. This thermodynamic environment will be
    favorable for large hail with supercells that form in the late
    afternoon. The more intense cores could produce hailstones greater
    than 2 inches in diameter. As a low-level jet strengthens across
    central Oklahoma, NAM forecast soundings increase 0-3 km
    storm-relative helicity to over 400 m2/s2. This suggest an isolated
    tornado threat will be possible with the more dominant supercells. A
    wind-damage threat should also develop. A cluster of strong to
    severe storms is expected to move eastward toward the Ozarks during
    the evening.

    …Southern and Central High Plains…
    A mid-level anticyclonic flow pattern is forecast across the Rockies
    and High Plains on Saturday. The western edge of a moist airmass
    will be in place from west Texas north-northwestward into eastern
    Colorado. As surface temperatures warm during the day, cells will
    initiate in the higher terrain of southern and central Colorado and
    in eastern New Mexico. This convection will spread eastward into the
    High Plains. The environment over the southern and central High
    Plains is forecast to have steep mid-level lapse rates and moderate
    deep-layer shear. This, along with sufficient instability, should be
    enough for a marginal severe threat during the late afternoon and
    early evening. Hail and severe gusts will be the primary threats.

    …Southeast…
    West-northwest mid-level flow is forecast over the southeastern U.S.
    on Saturday. At the surface, a moist airmass will be in place, with
    dewpoints in the upper 60 to lower 70s F. As instability increases
    during the day, isolated thunderstorm development is expected along
    corridors of enhanced low-level convergence. Although forcing will
    be weak, enough directional shear in the low to mid-levels should
    exist for a marginal severe threat. Hail and isolated damaging wind
    gusts will be possible.

    ..Broyles.. 05/23/2025

    CLICK TO GET WUUS02 PTSDY2 PRODUCT

    NOTE: THE NEXT DAY 2 OUTLOOK IS SCHEDULED BY 1730Z

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC May 23, 2025 0600 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

     For best viewing experience, please enable browser JavaScript support.

    May 23, 2025 0600 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Click to see valid 1Z – 12Z Day 1 Convective Outlook

    Updated: Fri May 23 05:36:47 UTC 2025 (Print Version |   |  )

    Probabilistic to Categorical Outlook Conversion Table

     Forecast Discussion

    SPC AC 230536

    Day 1 Convective Outlook
    NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
    1236 AM CDT Fri May 23 2025

    Valid 231200Z – 241200Z

    …THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF
    THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS…

    …SUMMARY…
    A few severe storms are expected across portions of the central and
    southern Plains later today, with large hail and severe gusts the
    main threats. More isolated strong to severe storms are possible
    across southeast Florida.

    …Central/Southern Plains…

    Large-scale pattern is not expected to change appreciably during the
    upcoming day1 period with ridging forecast to extend across the
    central Rockies into the northern High Plains. Even so, latest model
    guidance and satellite imagery suggest a few weak disturbances will
    translate through this ridge then dig southeast toward the Ozarks
    region of southern MO/northern AR. Each of these features should
    encourage an increased response to the LLJ. Early in the period, LLJ
    should be focused primarily across the central High Plains, but
    gradually sag south and concentrate from northwest TX into northern
    AR by 24/12z.

    Latest thinking is each weak disturbance will prove somewhat
    influential in aiding robust convection along a warm-advection
    corridor that will extend from western NE into the Ozarks. LLJ will
    aid upscale growth and one or more thunderstorm clusters/MCSs will
    likely traverse this zone. It’s not entirely clear how each complex
    will evolve, but some supercell risk will be noted, especially
    across the High Plains during the late afternoon/evening. Very large
    hail may accompany the supercell structures, otherwise wind/hail are
    possible with these clusters. Severe threat will likely continue
    well into the overnight hours as convection should remain favorably
    sheared within an environment of steep lapse rates and modest
    buoyancy.

    …South Florida…

    Seasonally cool mid-level temperatures, and modestly steep lapse
    rates, will persist across the Florida Peninsula again today.
    Forecast soundings suggest ample deep-layer flow and high PW will be
    available for robust convection. Solenoidal influences will once
    again prove instrumental in a few strong storms capable of
    generating gusty winds and perhaps some hail.

    ..Darrow/Thornton.. 05/23/2025

    CLICK TO GET WUUS01 PTSDY1 PRODUCT

    .html”>Latest Day 2 Outlook/Today’s Outlooks/Forecast Products/Home

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC – No MDs are in effect as of Fri May 23 06:05:02 UTC 2025

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Current Mesoscale DiscussionsUpdated:  Fri May 23 06:15:03 UTC 2025 No Mesoscale Discussions are currently in effect.

    Notice:  The responsibility for Heavy Rain Mesoscale Discussions has been transferred to the Weather Prediction Center (WPC) on April 9, 2013. Click here for the Service Change Notice.
    Archived Convective ProductsTo view convective products for a previous day, type in the date you wish to retrieve (e.g. 20040529 for May 29, 2004). Data available since January 1, 2004.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: SPC – No watches are valid as of Fri May 23 06:05:01 UTC 2025

    Source: US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

    Current Convective Watches (View What is a Watch? clip)Updated:  Fri May 23 06:16:06 UTC 2025 No watches are currently valid

    Archived Convective ProductsTo view convective products for a previous day, type in the date you wish to retrieve (e.g. 20040529 for May 29, 2004). Data available since January 1, 2004.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts Pharaoh’s Owner of Multiple Charges, Including Bribery, Sex Trafficking Conspiracy and Witness Tampering

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that a federal jury has convicted Peter Gerace, 57, of Clarence, NY, of conspiracy to defraud the United States, bribery, sex trafficking conspiracy, maintaining a drug involved premises, narcotics conspiracy, witness tampering, and distribution of cocaine, which carry a maximum of life in prison.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph M. Tripi, Nicholas T. Cooper, and Casey L. Chalbeck, stated that between 2005, and 2019, Gerace, owner and operator of Pharaoh’s Gentlemen’s Club, conspired to defraud the United States and paid cash bribes to Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Joseph Bongiovanni. In exchange for payments he received, Bongiovanni protected Gerace and utilized his position to dissuade other members of law enforcement from conducting investigations into Gerace’s activities at Pharaoh’s. Bongiovanni was previously convicted and is awaiting sentencing.

    In addition, between 2006, through 2019, Gerace knowingly maintained Pharaoh’s Gentlemen’s Club as a drug involved premises, where he and others distributed cocaine, Adderall, marijuana, and heroin. Gerace and others distributed controlled substances and used other methods to coerce Pharaoh’s dancers to engage in sex acts inside Pharaoh’s. Gerace also, acting with others, sent threatening Facebook messages to a witness in order to prevent her from testifying and providing information in an official proceeding.

    “Peter Gerace preyed on the most vulnerable victims, using them to grow his business and his profits,” stated U.S. Attorney Ross. “Peter Gerace did not want to be caught and have his crimes exposed. However, this investigative and prosecutorial team worked tirelessly, gathering the evidence, and connecting the dots and Peter Gerace now stands convicted of some of the most heinous crimes.”

    “This case showcased the reality of trafficking in Western New York and across the country. It revealed the interplay between drugs, human trafficking, how powerful men, like Peter Gerace, used victims’ drug addictions to coerce them into acts of commercial sex for pure profit,” stated Matthew Miraglia, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office. “Today’s verdict is a win for victims of human trafficking and hope to those who don’t have a voice. The FBI remains committed to eradicating human trafficking and providing victims with resources. We encourage any victim to come forward. Call 1-800-CALL-FBI or report online at tips.fbi.gov.”

    “With his conviction, Peter Gerace must face the reality that he is not above the law, nor can he escape its consequences. Homeland Security Investigations, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, is committed to safeguarding the vulnerable from those who use bribery, manipulation, and fear for their own personal gain,” said HSI Buffalo Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan. “The welfare of the public is our highest priority, and HSI Buffalo will take every necessary measure to protect the safety and wellbeing of Western New Yorkers.”

    “Today, a jury found that Gerace was guilty of engaging in drug and sex trafficking, preying on vulnerable victims. He also paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to corrupt Drug Enforcement Administration special agent Joseph Bongiovanni in an attempt to skirt the law and avoid accountability,” said Ryan T. Geach, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General Northeast Region. “I would like to thank the jury for their time and careful consideration of the facts.”

    The verdict is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special-Agent-In-Charge Ryan T. Geach, Northeast Region.

    Sentencing is scheduled for August 15, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., before Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo, who presided over the trial of the case.   

    # # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Los Angeles Director and Writer Charged with $11 Million Fraud in Connection with Streaming Science Fiction Television Show

    Source: US FBI

    Carl Erik Rinsch Used the Stolen Funds to Speculate on Securities and Cryptocurrency

    Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Leslie Backschies, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the unsealing of a seven-count Indictment charging CARL ERIK RINSCH for engaging in a scheme to defraud a subscription video on-demand streaming service (“Streaming Company-1”) in connection with a planned science fiction television show called “White Horse.”  RINSCH was arrested today in West Hollywood, California, and will be presented later today in the Central District of California.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “As alleged, Carl Erik Rinsch orchestrated a scheme to steal millions by soliciting a large investment from a video streaming service, claiming that money would be used to finance a television show that he was creating. But that was fiction. Rinsch instead allegedly used the funds on personal expenses and investments, including highly speculative options and cryptocurrency trading. Rinsch’s arrest is a reminder that this Office and our partners at the FBI remain vigilant in the fight against fraud and will bring those who cheat and steal to justice.”

    FBI Assistant Director Leslie Backschies said: “Carl Rinsch allegedly stole more than $11 million from a prominent streaming platform to finance lavish purchases and personal investments instead of completing a promised television series. The FBI will continue to reel in any individual who seeks to defraud businesses.”

    As alleged in the Indictment:[1]

    RINSCH is a film and television writer and director who partially completed a science fiction television show called “White Horse.”  In 2018, RINSCH reached an agreement with Streaming Company-1 in which Streaming Company-1 would both pay RINSCH for the existing episodes of White Horse and also fund completion of the rest of the show.  Between 2018 and 2019, Streaming Company-1 paid approximately $44 million for White Horse.

    Between late 2019 and early 2020, RINSCH demanded even more money from Streaming Company-1 to complete White Horse.  Streaming Company-1 ultimately agreed to pay another $11 million, and transferred those funds to a company RINSCH controlled on or about March 6, 2020.  The entirety of those funds was to be spent on the completion of White Horse.

    But RINSCH did not use those funds to complete White Horse.  Instead, within days, RINSCH began transferring the funds he received through a number of different bank accounts before consolidating them in a personal brokerage account.  RINSCH then used those funds to make a number of personal and speculative purchases of securities.  His trading was unsuccessful, and in less than two months after receiving $11 million from Streaming Company-1, RINSCH had lost more than half of those funds.

    Even after losing most of the $11 million, RINSCH still did not spend the remaining funds he had stolen on White Horse.  Instead, he used the money to speculate on cryptocurrency, and on personal expenses and luxury items, including approximately $1,787,000 on credit card bills; approximately $1,073,000 on lawyers to sue Streaming Company-1 for even more money, and for lawyers related to his divorce; approximately $395,000 to stay at the Four Seasons hotel and at various luxury rental properties; approximately $3,787,000 on furniture and antiques, including approximately $638,000 to purchase two mattresses and approximately $295,000 on luxury bedding and linens; approximately $2,417,000 to purchase five Rolls-Royces and one Ferrari; and approximately $652,000 on watches and clothing.

    *               *                *

    RINSCH, 47, of Los Angeles, California, is charged with one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; one count of money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison; and five counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, each of which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. 

    The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

    Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding work of the FBI and Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation. 

    The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jackie Delligatti, David A. Markewitz, and Kevin Mead are in charge of the prosecution.

    The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitutes only allegations, and every fact described therein should be treated as an allegation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Previously Convicted Concord Woman Arrested on New Fraud Charges for Selling Fake Documents Appears in Court

    Source: US FBI

    The Defendant Allegedly Executed the Scheme While on Federal Probation for Similar Conduct

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Chaiya Maley-Jackson 25, of Concord, N.C., appeared in federal court today, following her arrest on fraud charges for selling and transferring fake Social Security Cards, announced Lawrence J. Cameron, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. The indictment charges Maley-Jackson with two counts of social security number fraud and two counts of unlawful transfer of false identification documents.

    Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, joins Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron in making today’s announcement.

    According to allegations in the indictment, between October 2023 and October 2024, Maley-Jackson earned more than $49,000 in fees from producing, selling, and transferring various types of fraudulent documents, including Social Security Cards. Maley-Jackson allegedly had a Facebook page under the name of Yaya Ling which advertised the sale of false and fraudulent documents. The indictment alleges that Maley-Jackson communicated with customers via email and messages to obtain the information needed to create the false documents, to provide updates and samples on their orders, and to send the finalized fake documents. Maley-Jackson allegedly produced the fake documents while she was serving a probationary sentence for a prior federal conviction for a similar scheme.

    Maley-Jackson was released on bond. The charges of social security fraud and unlawful transfer of a false identification document both carry a maximum statutory penalty of 15 years in prison for each count in the indictment.

    The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    The FBI in Charlotte assisted by the U.S. Probation Office in the Middle District of North Carolina investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley and Special Assistant United States Attorney Eric Frick with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the case.

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Miami County Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Unregistered Destructive Devices

    Source: US FBI

    DAYTON, Ohio – A Troy, Ohio, man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to illegally possessing unregistered destructive devices.

    Steven J. Werling, 54, admitted that, in April, he knowingly possessed two improvised explosive devices.

    According to court documents, on April 4 and 5, law enforcement officials executed a court-authorized search warrant at Werling’s residence on Barnhart Road in Troy. Prior investigation revealed that Werling had researched and made purchases related to the construction of improvised explosive devices.

    Specifically, Werling possessed two plastic cylinders that had an explosive mixture of contents within. The cylinders and their contents are firearms under the National Firearms Act, specifically, destructive devices.

    The plea includes a sentence recommendation of up to 24 months in prison.

    Congress sets minimum and maximum statutory sentences, and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered yesterday afternoon before U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. Assistant United States Attorney Nicholas A. Dingeldein is representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New York Man Pleads Guilty to Money Laundering Crimes Related to Nearly Half Million Dollars Stolen From Local Business Through Computer Malware

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A New York man pleaded guilty in federal court here today to crimes related to laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars from a Columbus strength training equipment manufacturer. 

    Aleksandr Bogomolny, 53, of Brooklyn, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit and committing money laundering. 

    According to court documents, in May 2021, the FBI received a complaint to its Internet Crime Complaint Center from Rogue Fitness, which is headquartered in Columbus. The company had identified 78 outgoing transfers from a PayPal account between March 29 and April 29, 2021, totaling nearly half a million dollars.

    The FBI discovered a banking Trojan that had infected the computer of a customer service employee just prior to the transfers. The specific Trojan found on the employee laptop is known by the FBI to steal banking credentials and usually targets corporate victims.

    The stolen money was transferred to 22 different card numbers, including to Bogomolny’s Bank of America card.

    Further investigation of Bogomolny’s bank account revealed that between December 2019 and July 2021, he laundered more than $247,000 in criminal proceeds through his account.

    While executing a search warrant at the defendant’s Brooklyn residence, agents found documents that included more than 341,000 unique identifiers like names, addresses, dates of birth and Social Security numbers. The search also discovered images of driver’s licenses, U.S. passports and full lists of full credit card numbers.

    Bogomolny also used the online gambling site FanDuel to conspire to launder money. He and others would steal a victim’s identity and use it to create a FanDuel account. Then criminal proceeds were deposited into the account and later withdrawn. In total, Bogomolny and others used this scheme to deposit nearly $572,000 and withdraw more than $485,000 of the criminal proceeds.

    Finally, Bogomolny’s plea documents detail that, in 2023, the defendant met with undercover FBI agents and agreed to launder $20,000 for a six percent fee. The funds were represented as proceeds of illegal drug activities.

    Between November 2023 and March 2024, Bogomolny sent $18,800 of the original $20,000 back to the undercover FBI agents through multiple ACH transactions.

    Bogomolny later agreed to accept another $50,000 from the undercover agents. He met up with the agents in April 2024 and accepted the money, at which point he was arrested.

    Money laundering and conspiring to launder money are federal crimes punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Congress sets the maximum statutory sentence, and sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the Court at a future hearing based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the guilty plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Peter K. Glenn-Applegate is representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jury Finds Columbus Man Guilty of Leading Narcotics, Sex Trafficking & Financial Fraud Conspiracies

    Source: US FBI

    Defendant convicted of coercing addicts into prostitution, leading drug trafficking organization, overseeing pandemic relief fraud scheme, tampering with witnesses

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A jury found a Columbus man guilty on all counts for leading drug, sex trafficking and financial fraud conspiracies and then attempting to obstruct justice and tamper with witnesses.

    The United States proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Ricco Lamonte Maye, 42, used threats, violence and manipulation of drug dependencies to ensure individuals carried out his criminal schemes.

    Maye was found guilty on all 14 counts as charged. The verdict was announced on Nov. 21 following a trial that began on Oct. 31 before Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison.

    “The jury correctly found today that Ricco Maye is a dangerous man who used violence and threats of drug withdrawal to coerce victims into engaging in illegal activity for his own profit,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker.  “As the government proved at trial, Maye oversaw a variety of criminal endeavors, victimizing vulnerable populations, causing the death of one addicted person, and obstructing justice in an ill-fated attempt to avoid accountability. After today’s conviction, he will no longer be able to manipulate and control victims to enrich himself.”

    Court documents and trial testimony detail that Maye used individuals to buy and sell drugs, sell women for sex, and fraudulently apply online for COVID-19 relief funds. Proceeds from all the crimes went to the defendant.

    Beginning in at least 2018, Maye’s drug trafficking organization primarily distributed narcotics to addicts in street-level quantities. He regularly purchased narcotics from supply sources both inside and outside of Ohio and used addicts to help sell the drugs in Columbus. In addition to cash, Maye would accept stolen goods, gift cards, Social Security numbers and other items as payment for the drugs.

    Maye initially gave drugs to women for free and later manipulated their addiction by requiring them to earn drug money through prostitution. Maye provided the means for the women to engage in prostitution – frequently obtaining hotel rooms, having the women driven to the hotels, providing cell phones, and directing Internet prostitution ads. Maye collected the prostitution proceeds, enforced specific rules on the women and punished the women through physical violence.

    Maye was also found guilty of providing fentanyl that resulted in an overdose death. In November 2018, Maye communicated with the victim in the hours before his death. The victim had been obtaining cocaine from Maye off and on for years and sought to obtain cocaine from him again in this instance but received a fatal dose of fentanyl instead.

    Trial testimony detailed that Maye used violence against victims as part of overseeing his drug trafficking organization, including “stomping victims out,” smacking them, punching them, breaking their bones and knocking out their teeth.

    In a financial conspiracy, Maye and other defendants filed for and received more than $30,000 in fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance. Maye kept all or a portion of the others’ benefits. 

    Maye was originally charged by indictment in November 2020 and has remained in federal custody since. After his initial arrest, Maye attempted to obstruct the ongoing investigation into his sex trafficking and other criminal activities and conspired to tamper with witnesses. Maye’s obstruction of justice included his directing the threatened murder of a potential government witness. 

    Due to Maye’s prior federal drug trafficking conviction, he faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison for distributing a controlled substance that resulted in death and the drug conspiracy charged in his case is punishable by a minimum of 20 years and up to life in prison. The sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion conspiracy is punishable by at least 15 years and up to life in prison. Conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Conspiring to tamper with a witness carries a potential penalty of up to 30 years in prison. Obstructing a sex trafficking investigation is punishable by up to 25 years in prison.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and other officials with the Central Ohio Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed under Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission, announced the guilty verdicts. Senior Litigation Counsel Heather A. Hill and Assistant United States Attorney Kevin W. Kelley are representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to More Than 20 Years in Prison for Again Distributing, Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Knox County man who was previously convicted of a crime against children was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 250 months in prison for new, similar offenses.

    Lee Allen Goudy, 30, of Howard, Ohio, distributed and possessed child pornography after being convicted of an offense relating to sexual abuse of a minor.

    According to court documents, in August 2023, the FBI received a tip that Goudy was a Tier II registered sex offender and was believed to have uploaded child pornography online.

    At least four cyber tipline reports related to Goudy were generated from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

    The investigation revealed that Goudy had distributed child pornography from a Reddit account via Kik messenger and on Twitter.

    Approximately 650 videos and 100 images of child sexual abuse material were recovered from Goudy’s iPhone. His collection included sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, and the sexual torture of babies. For example, one video depicted a newborn infant being smacked in the face, grabbed by the throat and shaken back and forth.

    Goudy’s iPhone search history also included searches like “supervised release monitoring iPhone” and “does federal monitoring work on iPhone.”

    A second cell phone of Goudy’s also revealed searches for content related to violence, rape and sex acts against infants and toddlers. That phone included 150 images of child sexual abuse material that Goudy had traded on Discord.

    Goudy was arrested in September 2023 for violating his federal supervised release warrant; he pleaded guilty in April 2024 to the instant child pornography crimes. Goudy was originally sentenced in April 2018 to 78 months in prison.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division, announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Watson. Assistant United States Attorney Emily Czerniejewski is representing the United States in this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Sentenced to Prison for Drug Conspiracy Involving More Than 240 Pounds of Fentanyl and Nearly 100 Pounds of Cocaine

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – Ronald Rendon-Luna, 37, a Mexican national residing in Painesville, Ohio, has been sentenced to 151 months in prison by U.S. District Chief Judge Sara Lioi, after he pled guilty to engaging in a drug-trafficking conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and being an alien in possession of firearms. He was also ordered to serve three years of supervised release.

    According to court documents, the Cartel, Gangs, Narcotics and Laundering Task Force of the FBI-Cleveland Division conducted a long-term drug-trafficking investigation that led to the arrest and successful prosecution of Rendon-Luna and three other co-conspirators, including two individuals with direct connections to the Sinaloa Cartel based in Culiacán, Mexico.

    During the investigation, law enforcement officials discovered that, from about June 2022 through January 2023, the leader of the conspiracy, Nefer Ojeda-Elenes, 32, of Upland, California, conspired with Rendon-Luna to use residences in Cleveland and Painesville, and two storage units in Cleveland and Middleburg Heights, to store illegal drugs and proceeds from the sales of the illegal substances. Rendon-Luna, on behalf of Ojeda-Elenes, traveled to area hotels to meet a third co-conspirator, Cameron Harris, 29, of Dayton, who further distributed the drugs in the Dayton, Ohio area. A fourth individual, Trino Alexander Briceno-Matheus, 31, of Miami Beach, Florida, also participated in the conspiracy and is known to have met with Rendon-Luna at an area hotel to pick up approximately $149,640 in proceeds earned from illegal drug activities.

    This organization was responsible for distributing approximately 111 kilograms of fentanyl, and approximately 42 kilograms of cocaine during the course of the conspiracy.

    “These criminals used their Mexican Cartel connections to bring millions of doses of fentanyl—each one potentially fatal—into our communities and distribute those poisons across our state,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “Every day, dangerous drugs like the fentanyl and cocaine that these defendants imported and peddled on our streets destroy lives. Those who seek to expand their illegal drug trade to our District should know that we will use all tools available to stop them from endangering our residents’ lives and the safety of our neighborhoods.”

    During a federal search warrant executed at the related residences and storage units, law enforcement officials found illegal drugs in a storage unit, and confiscated several weapons, including an AK-47 and an AR-15 from Rendon-Luna’s Painesville home.

    Rendon Luna’s co-conspirators were previously sentenced.

    Ojeda-Elenes was sentenced Sept. 17, 2024, to 228 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release.

    Harris was sentenced Aug. 20, 2024, to 151 months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release.

    Briceno-Matheus was sentenced July 23, 2024, to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, and interstate transportation in aid of racketeering.

    This case was investigated by the FBI-Cleveland Division, with assistance from the Cleveland Division of Police, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP), U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Services, Moreland Hills Police Department, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation & Identification, Ohio State Highway Patrol, Bedford Police Department, Internal Revenue Service, Parma Police Department, Solon Police Department, Ohio Adult Parole, Ottawa County Drug Task Force, Shaker Heights Police Department, Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Office, Brooklyn Police Department, North Royalton Police Department, Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Police Department, Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Painesville Police Department, Ohio Narcotics Intelligence Center, Ohio HIDTA, U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi­-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

    The specific mission of the OCDETF Cleveland Strike Force is to disrupt and dismantle major criminal organizations and subsidiary organizations, including criminal gangs, transnational drug cartels, racketeering organizations, and other groups engaged in illicit activities that present a threat to public safety and national security and are related to the illegal smuggling and trafficking of narcotics or other controlled substances, weapons, humans, or the illegal concealment or transfer of proceeds derived from such illicit activities in the Northern District of Ohio. The OCDETF Cleveland Strike Force is composed of agents and officers from the FBI, DEA, ATF, Homeland Security Investigations, USMS, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service, and USBP, along with task force officers from numerous local law enforcement agencies, including the Cleveland Division of Police. Prosecutions are led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Bullard for the Northern District of Ohio.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Muskogee Resident Sentenced to 45 Years in Prison for Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country

    Source: US FBI

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jonathan Gage Wiedel, age 19, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 540 months in prison each for 12 counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country.  The terms are set to be served concurrently, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release.

    The charges arose from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office.

    On September 9, 2024, Wiedel pleaded guilty to twelve counts of a Superseding Indictment.  As part of the plea, Wiedel admitted that, beginning in August 2022 and continuing through February 2024, while employed as a teacher’s assistant at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Muskogee, Oklahoma, he sexually abused four children under the age of twelve.  The crimes occurred in Muskogee County, within the boundaries of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

    “The defendant used his position of trust as a teacher’s assistant to prey on the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater.  “Safeguarding children and families in our community is among the FBI’s top priorities, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure predators like Wiedel are brought to justice.”

    “Today’s sentence reflects the unwavering commitment of federal prosecutors and local and federal law enforcement to seek justice for victims and hold the defendant accountable for his reprehensible actions,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.  “This office stands firm in its resolve to continue to protect our children and ensure the safety of our communities.”

    The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing.  Wiedel will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Pippin represented the United States.

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