NewzIntel.com

Category: Police

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Information sought after shots fired at tavern

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Attributable to Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Moorhouse:

    Police investigating a shooting at a tavern north of Wairoa are seeking information from the public.

    Officers were called to the Frasertown Tavern about 11.10pm on Saturday 15 March to reports shots had been fired towards the building.

    At least two, possibly three, shots were fired, hitting the tavern and a vehicle in the carpark.

    The tavern was open with several patrons inside at the time, and it is very fortunate no one was injured. Police are working to establish if it involves any gang connections. 

    A full Police investigation, dubbed Operation Everest, is under way, and Police are interested in information from anyone who was in the vicinity of the tavern around the time of the incident on Saturday night. 

    We are particularly interested in sightings of a white hatchback vehicle seen in Frasertown at that time.

    Anyone with information please contact Police online at 105.police.govt.nz, clicking “Update Report”, or by calling 105.

    Please use the reference number 250316/3361.

    Alternatively, you can get in touch with Crimestoppers anonymously at https://crimestoppers-nz.org/ or by calling 0800 555 111.

    ENDS

    Issued by the Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Well-prepared missing hunter rescued on Stewart Island

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Attributable to Sergeant Ian Martin, Southland Police Search and Rescue:

    A man’s lucky escape highlights the importance of taking a personal locator beacon when going on any outdoor adventure.

    Around 9:40pm Police were alerted a hunter had gone missing on the Bosom Hunting block in Port Adventure, Stewart Island.

    A member of a hunting party had left the group at the hut with an intended return of 5pm, however after they hadn’t returned by 6pm the occupants became worried.

    A search was completed by one of the hunters, including firing a few warning shots in an attempt to locate them, however they were not located, and at 9:40pm the decision was made to raise the alarm.

    Around 4am Monday morning, Police engaged the Southern Lakes Helicopters who conducted a night vision goggle and thermal camera search, again without success.

    A full-scale search was then initiated with Land Search and Rescue volunteer teams from Rakiura/Stewart Island and Southland, supported by Southland Amateur Radio Communication (AREC) volunteers.  Land Search and Rescue dog teams from Queenstown and Wanaka were also called in to assist.

    At 10:34am the Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) received a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) activation from the missing man.  Southern Lakes Helicopters responded to the activation, locating and winching the man the man aboard.  He was taken back to the Port Adventure Hunters Hut and reunited with the rest of his hunting party.

    Police would like to thank the volunteers from Land Search and Rescue, AREC, and SAR Search Dogs for their assistance in locating the missing man, thanks to your efforts they were able to return to their friends.

    This was a good example of the importance of taking a personal locator beacon when going on any outdoor adventure, once it was activated it led us right to his location and he was swiftly located and recovered.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Warrant to arrest – Teina Repia

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Police are working to locate a man in relation to a number of burglaries at commercial premises in Otorohonga over the last two months.

    A warrant has been issued for the arrest of 35-year-old Teina Repia, as Police believe he may have information that can assist with our enquiries.

    Sergeant Heyden Nunn says we are working to determine the circumstances of these incidents as we know they have caused distress within our local community.

    If you have seen Repia, or have any information that may assist in locating him, please contact Police on 105 either online or over the phone. Please reference file number 250212/2469.

    Alternatively, you can contact Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Christchurch assault: Youth faces further charges

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Attribute to Detective Senior Sergeant Karen Simmons:

    Serious charges have been filed against a 16-year-old Christchurch boy accused of an assault that left a woman in critical condition in February.

    The victim was found seriously injured at the Richmond Village Green on Stanmore Road on 5 February and the teen was arrested and charged on 28 February.

    On Friday, Police filed further charges against him, relating to serious violent sexual offending. He appeared in the Christchurch Youth Court that day and has been remanded in custody.

    The accused is scheduled to reappear in the Christchurch Youth Court in early April.

    The victim is slowly recovering from a significant head injury and is still receiving treatment as part of her long road to recovery. We are continuing to provide her with support and update her about developments in this case.

    We would like to thank the members of the public who have come forward with information and allowed us to get to this point.

    ENDS

    Issued by the Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Three arrested following Rānui aggravated robbery

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Police have taken four youths into custody following an aggravated robbery in Rānui yesterday.

    At about 7.52am, Police received a report of four people entering a commercial premises on Swanson Road armed with weapons (not firearms).

    Detective Senior Sergeant Megan Goldie, Waitematā CIB, says the store owner was alone in the shop and attempted to run out before allegedly being assaulted.

    “The alleged offender have then made off with a number of items and an amount of cash before fleeing in a stolen vehicle.

    “Officers have located the stolen vehicle at a nearby address where four people were quickly taken into custody.”

    Detective Senior Sergeant Goldie says a search of the address and vehicle located the stolen property and some of the cash.

    Three youths, aged 14-16, will appear in Waitākere Youth Court today charged with aggravated robbery.

    The same people are also charged with attempted burglary in relation to an earlier incident at a commercial premises also on Swanson Road.

    A 12-year-old has been referred to Youth Aid Services.

    ENDS.

    Holly McKay/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Airman Stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base Charged with Murder of Missing Woman

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged an airman stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base, South Dakota, with Second Degree Murder.

    Quinterius Charles Chappelle, age 24, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta L. Wollmann on March 17, 2025, and pleaded not guilty to a federal Criminal Complaint.

    The maximum penalty upon conviction is life in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each count. Restitution may also be ordered.

    The complaint charges Chappelle with killing Sahela Toka Win Sangrait on Ellsworth Air Force Base in August 2024. Sangrait’s body was found earlier this month in a wooded area near Hill City, South Dakota.

    “This charge, filed just ten days after the victim’s remains were discovered, reflects the dogged work of federal, state, and local law enforcement professionals who seamlessly collaborated to run down every lead with absolute expediency and care,” said Alison Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota. “Under the criminal justice system, this charge is merely an accusation, and the defendant is innocent until proven guilty; the facts and evidence in this case will be litigated before a federal judge and jury. At this time, our hearts are with the victim’s family and friends, who after many agonizing months of searching for answers, are now grieving the tragic death of their loved one.”

    The investigation is being conducted by the FBI, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paige Petersen and Benjamin Schroeder are prosecuting the case. 

    Chappelle was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Utah Man Admits to Defrauding his Employer of Approximately $1.7M

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Davis County man pleaded guilty in court today to embezzling approximately $1.7 million from his employer for his own benefit.

    Timothy Sean Edgar, 44, of Farmington, Utah, was charged by felony information March 11, 2025, for wire fraud and money laundering.

    According to court documents and admissions made at the change of plea hearing, beginning in 2021 and continuing until October 2024, Edgar defrauded his employer to obtain money and property by stealing and lying. As part of Edgar’s scheme, he fraudulently opened a sales channel through a popular online marketplace and used his employment credentials to access the vendor portal and redirect Automated Clearing House payments to his personal bank account. Edgar then made payments back to his employer using his personal credit card.  Edgar embezzled approximately $1,778,251 from his employer.

    Edgar is scheduled to be sentenced August 7, 2025, at 1:30 p.m. before a U.S. District Court Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

    Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah made the announcement.

    The case is being investigated jointly by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), FBI Salt Lake City Field Office, and the North Salt Lake City Police Department.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Mark E. Woolf and Jacob J. Strain of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Britain Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Trafficking Fentanyl

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that EDDIE LIMAS, 35, of New Britain, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sarala V. Nagala in Hartford to 144 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for trafficking fentanyl.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2022, the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force received information that Limas and others were receiving kilogram quantities of fentanyl from sources in the Dominican Republic, storing the drug at a stash house in the Bronx, New York, and distributing it in central Connecticut.  Between January and April 2022, investigators made five controlled purchases of distribution quantities of fentanyl from Limas.

    On May 13, 2022, Connecticut State Police stopped a vehicle driven by Limas’ uncle, Hector Limas, on I-84 in Danbury after investigators suspected that he had delivered narcotics to Eddie Limas’ residence on Chapman Street in New Britain.  A search of the vehicle revealed approximately 700 grams of fentanyl and approximately $19,000 in cash.

    Also on May 13, 2022, law enforcement attempted to arrest Eddie Limas in Hartford, but he crashed his vehicle into a Hartford police cruiser and fled at a high rate of speed.  At the same time, investigators maintaining surveillance at Eddie Limas’ residence saw a neighbor remove bags and boxes from the residence, lock them in a car that was parked in front, and give the key fob to Carmen Hernandez, who had also exited the residence.  A search of the car revealed more than two kilograms of fentanyl, more than 300 grams of cocaine, approximately one kilogram of marijuana, items used to process and package narcotics, and a .380 caliber pistol.  Hernandez also possessed a quantity of fentanyl, and a search of Limas’ residence revealed a loaded .40 caliber pistol and additional narcotics.

    Eddie Limas eluded capture until May 9, 2023, when he was arrested in New Britain after conducting additional drug sales.  He has been detained since his arrest.  On September 18, 2024, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and to possess with intent to distribute, 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Hector Limas, 59, of the Bronx, and Hernandez, 61, of Hartford, pleaded guilty to related charges.  On November 8, 2023, Hector Limas was sentenced to 90 months of imprisonment, and on January 14, 2025, Hernandez was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment.

    This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Northern Connecticut Gang Task Force, the Hartford Police Department, the East Hartford Police Department, the New Britain Police Department, and the Connecticut State Police.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Reed Durham.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fresno Man Sentenced to Over 12 Years in Prison for Federal Gun and Drug Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FRESNO, Calif. — Antonio Sorondo Jr., 52, of Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 12 years and seven months in prison for conspiring to traffic methamphetamine and cocaine as well as illegally possessing firearms, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, in January and February 2022, Sorondo conspired with others to possess and distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. On Feb. 1, 2022, when law enforcement officers tried to contact Sorondo, he fled and tossed a firearm over a chain-link fence. The officers apprehended Sorondo and then recovered the abandoned, loaded firearm. Two weeks later, a police officer arrested Sorondo in possession of another two firearms and about 100 counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine. Sorondo is prohibited from possessing firearms because of his prior felony convictions.

    This case is the product of an investigation by FORT, a multi-agency team composed of Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Fresno Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin J. Gilio prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Operation Synthetic Opioid Surge (S.O.S.) a program designed to reduce the supply of deadly synthetic opioids in high impact areas as well as identifying wholesale distribution networks and international and domestic suppliers. In July 2018, the Justice Department announced the creation of S.O.S., which is being implemented in the Eastern District of California and nine other federal districts.

    This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Free press under threat in US – Columbia J-School speaks out

    Columbia Journalism School

    Freedom of the press — a bedrock principle of American democracy — is under threat in the United States.

    Here at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism we are witnessing and experiencing an alarming chill. We write to affirm our commitment to supporting and exercising First Amendment rights for students, faculty, and staff on our campus — and, indeed, for all.

    After Homeland Security seized and detained Mahmoud Khalil, a recent graduate of Columbia’s School of Public and International Affairs, without charging him with any crime, many of our international students have felt afraid to come to classes and to events on campus.

    They are right to be worried. Some of our faculty members and students who have covered the protests over the Gaza war have been the object of smear campaigns and targeted on the same sites that were used to bring Khalil to the attention of Homeland Security.

    President Trump has warned that the effort to deport Khalil is just the first of many.

    These actions represent threats against political speech and the ability of the American press to do its essential job and are part of a larger design to silence voices that are out of favour with the current administration.

    We have also seen reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is trying to deport the Palestinian poet and journalist Mosab Abu Toha, who has written extensively in the New Yorker about the condition of the residents of Gaza and warned of the mortal danger to Palestinian journalists.

    There are 13 million legal foreign residents (green card holders) in the United States. If the administration can deport Khalil, it means those 13 million people must live in fear if they dare speak up or publish something that runs afoul of government views.

    There are more than one million international students in the United States. They, too, may worry that they are no longer free to speak their mind. Punishing even one person for their speech is meant to intimidate others into self-censorship.

    One does not have to agree with the political opinions of any particular individual to understand that these threats cut to the core of what it means to live in a pluralistic democracy. The use of deportation to suppress foreign critics runs parallel to an aggressive campaign to use libel laws in novel — even outlandish ways — to silence or intimidate the independent press.

    The President has sued CBS for an interview with Kamala Harris which Trump found too favourable. He has sued the Pulitzer Prize committee for awarding prizes to stories critical of him.

    He has even sued the Des Moines Register for publishing the results of a pre-election poll that showed Kamala Harris ahead at that point in the state.

    Large corporations like Disney and Meta settled lawsuits most lawyers thought they could win because they did not want to risk the wrath of the Trump administration and jeopardize business they have with the federal government.

    Amazon and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos decided that the paper’s editorial pages would limit themselves to pieces celebrating “free markets and individual liberties.”

    Meanwhile, the Trump administration insists on hand-picking the journalists who will be permitted to cover the White House and Pentagon, and it has banned the Associated Press from press briefings because the AP is following its own style book and refusing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

    The Columbia Journalism School stands in defence of First Amendment principles of free speech and free press across the political spectrum. The actions we’ve outlined above jeopardise these principles and therefore the viability of our democracy. All who believe in these freedoms should steadfastly oppose the intimidation, harassment, and detention of individuals on the basis of their speech or their journalism.

    The Faculty of Columbia Journalism School
     New York

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: ACT Ambulance Chief Officer retires after over 50 years of service

    Source: Government of Australia Capital Territory



    As part of ACT Government’s ‘One Government, One Voice’ program, we are transitioning this website across to our . You can access everything you need through this website while it’s happening.

    Released 27/02/2025

    ACT Ambulance Service (ACTAS) Chief Officer Howard Wren will be retiring from his role after over 50 years in the ambulance and healthcare fields.

    Chief Officer Wren’s last day in office will be Friday, 28 February 2025. ACTAS General Manager, Clinical Governance Unit, Mr Patrick Meere, will be interim ACTAS Chief Officer while a recruitment process is underway.

    Throughout his career Chief Officer Wren’s impact on NSW and ACT healthcare has been significant, leaving a legacy for many years to come. Some of the key initiatives that Chief Officer Wren has been part of include:

    • Guaranteeing a defibrillator is available in every frontline ambulance
    • Ensuring effective pain relief is accessible to patients
    • The education and training of many paramedics

    Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Services, Dr Marisa Paterson, has paid tribute to Chief Officer Wren for his dedicated service to the Canberra community.

    “Chief Officer Wren’s career progression is a remarkable representation of what it means to build from the ground up. His journey as a paramedic reflects an unwavering commitment to his peers and the community.

    “The Canberra community is indebted to Chief Officer Wren in leading reform that has set our ambulance service up for years to come.”

    Quotes attributable to outgoing ACTAS Chief Officer, Howard Wren:

    “When I started my career as a paramedic in 1974, all that was required was to be over 18, have an unrestricted driver’s license and a few first aid certificates. Back then, never did I envision that the service would grow so much, with paramedics now being qualified health professionals.

    “This is one of many changes I have witnessed across my five decades of service. Paramedics are now also more gender diverse than they have ever been and are equipped with life-saving tools that just weren’t available 50 years ago. I am proud to have been a part of each change no matter how big or small, helping improve healthcare, not just in the ACT, but across the nation.

    “I’m retiring knowing the ACT community is in safe hands. ACTAS truly is one of the most forward-thinking and innovative ambulance services in the country, filled with exceptional people. It has been a privilege to have been a part of this organisation and to have served the Canberra community.

    – Statement ends –

    Marisa Paterson, MLA | Media Releases

    «ACT Government Media Releases | «Minister Media Releases

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Memphis Man Sentenced to 220 Months Imprisonment for Trafficking 14-Year-Old Girl to New Orleans for Commercial Sex

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that JEREMY TALBERT (a/k/a “J-Nasty,” a/k/a “Jay Nastie”) (“TALBERT”), age 29, from Memphis, Tenn., was sentenced on March 12, 2025, after previously pleading guilty to Sex Trafficking of a Minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1591(a)(1), 1591(b)(2), 1594(a), and 2, by  U.S. District Judge Lance M. Africk to 220 months in prison.  TALBERT was also sentenced to ten (10) years of supervised release after  release from prison. Judge Africk further ordered TALBERT to pay $47,000 in restitution to the victim, and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.  TALBERT will also have to register as a sex offender.

    According to court documents, TALBERT brought a fourteen-year-old female (“Minor Victim”) from Memphis to New Orleans to have  her engage in commercial sex acts between in or about October 2020 and on or about December 17, 2020.  During this time, TALBERT was aware of Minor Victim’s age from her mother, who informed TALBERT that Minor Victim was missing.  TALBERT falsely told Minor Victim’s mother that he would help locate Minor Victim and bring her home.

    Instead, TALBERT advertised Minor Victim on websites commonly used to advertise sexual services in exchange for money.  TALBERT directed and supervised Minor Victim when she  performed commercial sex acts including, setting the fee  sexual acts, waiting in a nearby vehicle while Minor Victim solicited “dates,” requiring Minor Victim to share her location via phone with him, and providing  condoms for her use during commercial sex dates.  TALBERT required Minor Victim to earn approximately $1,000 per day from commercial sex acts and, kept all or most of the money she earned.

    TALBERT trafficked Minor Victim until December 17, 2020, when law enforcement officers encountered them during the execution of a search warrant at a hotel in New Orleans. During the search warrant, agents seized approximately $1,223 in United States currency, a black handgun, and TALBERT’s Phone, which connected him to the trafficking of Minor Victim.

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

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Memphis Police Department, in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit and Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, are in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Brown Brotherhood Gang Members Indicted for Drug and Firearms Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — On March 13, 2025, a federal grand jury returned four separate indictments against Brown Brotherhood Gang Members Leo Alphonzo Alonso-Medina, 32, of Vallejo; Jeremiah I’amafana Salanoa, 22, of Vallejo; Doroteo Suastegui, 47, of Vallejo; and Carlos Osvaldo Higuera-Aldana, 22, of Dixon, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, the Brown Brotherhood gang is a subset of the Sureño gang and has been a frequent target of investigations of the Vallejo Police Department and the Solano County Violent Crime Task Force. The primary criminal activities of this gang have included murder, robbery, extortion, drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, burglary, and stolen vehicles. The current investigation began in February 2024 and led to searches and arrests on Feb. 27, 2025. FBI agents and task force officers arrested these four members of the Brown Brotherhood gang on that day for federal drug trafficking and firearms charges.

    Contraband seized from search warrants executed on Feb. 27, 2025.

    The indictment against Leo Alphonzo Alonso-Medina charges counts of distribution of cocaine and methamphetamine, unlawful dealing in firearms, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm. If convicted, Alonso-Medina faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.

    The indictment against Jeremiah I’amafana Salanoa charges three counts of distribution of fentanyl, one count of distribution of methamphetamine, and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. If convicted, Salanoa faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.

    The indictment against Doroteo Suastegui charges counts of distribution of methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and unlawful dealing in firearms. If convicted, Suastegui faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. 

    Finally, the indictment against Carlos Osvaldo Higuera-Aldana charges three counts of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. If convicted, Higuera-Aldana faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine.

    These cases are the product of investigations by the FBI Violent Crime Task Force, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Fairfield Police Department, the Vacaville Police Department, the Vallejo Police Department, the Solano County District Attorney’s Office, and the Solano County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jason Hitt, R. Alex Cárdenas, and Adrian Kinsella are prosecuting these four federal cases.

    Any sentence imposed would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Slidell Man Pleads Guilty of 10,593 Gram Fentanyl Distribution Conspiracy, Firearm Possession by Felon, and Money Laundering

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that GREGORY SMITH (“SMITH”), age 41, of Slidell, pled guilty on March 13, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with the intent to distribute, over 400 grams of fentanyl, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1), 841(b)(1)(A), and 846 (Count 1).  SMITH also pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8) (Count 2).  Finally, SMITH pled guilty to engaging in monetary transactions derived from specified unlawful activity, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1957 (Counts 3-5).

    According to court documents, SMITH conspired with others to distribute fentanyl in the Eastern District of Louisiana and elsewhere.  On May 4, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) searched SMITH’s residence and seized approximately 10,593.572 grams of fentanyl, 3.76 grams of cocaine, marijuana, and drug paraphernalia, including two digital scales with fentanyl residue, a rectangle cake pan with fentanyl residue, multiple blenders with fentanyl residue, and a vacuum sealer with fentanyl residue.  Law enforcement also seized $15,520 in United States currency and a loaded Masterpiece Arms MPA Defender, nine-millimeter semi-automatic submachine gun, with an extended magazine.  In July and August of 2021, SMITH structured cash deposits of his illegal narcotics proceeds into an account at a bank, then sent a wire to a credit union account using the funds to pay-off the balance on a car and purchase a $27,617.55 official check payable to a title company.  This official check was used at the closing for the purchase of SMITH’s residence.  SMITH also used $48,931 in illegal drug proceeds to purchase a 2018 Maserati Levante.

    SMITH faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life imprisonment, a fine of up to $10,000,000, and at least 5 years of supervised release for Count 1.  SMITH also faces a maximum sentence of 15 years of imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release for being a felon in possession of a firearm.  SMITH faces a maximum sentence of 20 years of imprisonment, up to a $500,000 fine, and up to 3 years of supervised release for each count of engaging in monetary transactions derived from specified unlawful activity.  He also faces a $100 mandatory special assessment fee for each count.

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

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

    This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Louisiana State Police.  Assistant United States Attorneys Rachal Cassagne and André Jones of the Narcotics Unit are in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Colombian Man Illegally in the United States Pleads Guilty to Participating in Armed Robbery at Hotel in Beverly Hills Last Year

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – An illegal alien from Colombia pleaded guilty today to a federal criminal charge for participating in the armed robbery of a victim at a Beverly Hills hotel and belonging to a robbery crew that possessed a firearm once registered to the late former Los Angeles Police Officer Christopher Dorner.

    Jamer Mauricio Sepulveda Salazar, 22, pleaded guilty to one count of interference with commerce by robbery (Hobbs Act). Sepulveda has been in federal custody since August 2024.

    According to his plea agreement, Sepulveda was the getaway driver during the August 7, 2024, armed robbery of a victim identified in court documents as “T.A.” On that date during dinnertime, two unidentified robbers held the victim at gunpoint inside the patio of “THE Blvd,” a restaurant located within the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. The robbers stole a Patek Philippe Nautilus wristwatch from T.A. at gunpoint. T.A. reported that his watch was valued at approximately $1 million. 

    Sepulveda and his co-defendant, Jesus Eduardo Bryan Padron Rojas, 20, an illegal alien from Venezuela, cased the area two day before the robbery trying to find T.A.’s watch, which they and their co-conspirators valued at $1.3 million.

    The crew coincidentally stumbled upon another victim walking in Beverly Hills wearing a $30,000 Rolex wristwatch. A member of Sepulveda’s crew stole that wristwatch at gunpoint.

    During this time, the robbery crew stayed at an Airbnb and possessed multiple firearms, including a Glock .45-caliber handgun loaded with 12 rounds of .45-caliber ammunition. The gun previously was registered to Dorner, known for committing a series of murders before dying in a standoff with law enforcement in February 2013. 

    United States District Judge Otis D. Wright II scheduled a July 14 sentencing hearing, at which time Sepulveda will face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. 

    Criminal charges are still pending against Padron.

    Homeland Security Investigations, the Beverly Hills Police Department, and the Blythe (California) Police Department investigated this matter.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Jena A. MacCabe and Kevin J. Butler of the Violent and Organized Crime Section are prosecuting this matter.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Guilty of Illegal Firearm Possession

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –BRYAN SPEARS (“SPEARS”) , age 21, a resident of New Orleans, pleaded guilty on March 12, 2025 before U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance to being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8).

    According to court documents, on September 1, 2023, SPEARS was in the front passenger seat of a stolen car in Joe Brown Park in New Orleans.  After he was ordered out of the car, New Orleans Police Department officers recovered a Glock Model 17 firearm that was partially hidden underneath SPEARS’s seat.  The firearm was equipped with an extended magazine and loaded with 29 live rounds.

    SPEARS faces up to 15 years in prison, up to a $250,000 fine, up to three years of supervised release, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.

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

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New Orleans Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit is in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: California Resident Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Receiving Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A resident of Fresno, California, has been sentenced in federal court to 60 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, on his conviction for receipt of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today.

    United States District Judge W. Scott Hardy imposed the sentence on Alberto Padilla, 23.

    According to information presented to the Court, between June and October of 2021, Padilla, while in California, communicated with a 13-year-old minor located in the Western District of Pennsylvania. During his communications with the minor, Padilla sought and received materials depicting the sexual exploitation of the minor.

    During the imposition of sentence, Judge Hardy noted both the serious nature of Padilla’s conduct and the ongoing harm that such activity can have on children who are victims of such crimes.

    Assistant United States Attorney Robert C. Schupansky prosecuted this case on behalf of the United States.

    Acting United States Attorney Rivetti commended the Department of Homeland Security and Peters Township Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Padilla.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Iran: Authorities continue to ‘crush’ women’s rights activists with arbitrary arrest, flogging and death penalty

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Authorities threatened women, warning them against gathering for International Women’s Day

    Since 8 March, five women’s rights activists arrested, arbitrarily detained in solitary confinement and interrogated without their lawyers

    Journalists and singers also targeted – a male singer was flogged 74 times for performing a protest song

    ‘Women in Iran are held captive by authorities who fear the power of women…The women’s movement has passed the point of no return…’ – Leila Pashaei, activist

    ‘Instead of addressing systemic discrimination and violence against women and girls, they are attempting to crush Iran’s women’s rights movement’ – Diana Eltahawy

    Iranian authorities have escalated their crackdown on women’s rights defenders, journalists, singers and other activists demanding equality or who defy compulsory veiling using arbitrary detention, unjust prosecution, flogging, and even the death penalty in a bid to quash Iran’s women’s rights movement, Amnesty International said today.

    Since International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March, the Iranian authorities have arbitrarily arrested at least five women’s rights activists. These arrests come amid an intensified crackdown that has included summoning women’s rights activists and journalists for interrogation, and arresting women singers for performing without the mandatory hijab while shutting down their social media accounts. In the lead up to IWD, the authorities flogged a male singer 74 times for performing a protest song against Iran’s discriminatory compulsory veiling laws and, in February, a women’s rights activist was sentenced to death.

    Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Middle East and North Africa Regional, said:

    “In the wake of the Woman Life Freedom uprising of 2022, the Iranian authorities consider the widespread defiance of women and girls demanding their rights as an existential threat to the political and security establishment. Instead of addressing systemic discrimination and violence against women and girls, they are attempting to crush Iran’s women’s rights movement.

    “The international community must use their leverage to press the Iranian authorities to stop harassing women’s rights activists and immediately release those arbitrarily detained. They must also pursue legal pathways to hold accountable Iranian officials reasonably suspected of committing widespread and systematic human rights violations against women and girls, including through the implementation of compulsory veiling.”

    The mandates of the Fact-Finding Mission and the Special Rapporteur are set for renewal at the ongoing 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council (24 February to 4 April). On 18 March, the Council is set to hold a joint interactive dialogue with both mandates.

    Women’s rights activists arrested for participating in IWD events

    In the lead up to IWD, the Iranian authorities threatened women, warning them against gathering and demanding their rights.

    Since 10 March 2025, Ministry of Intelligence agents arrested four Kurdish women’s rights activists, namely Leila Pashaei, Baran Saedi, Sohaila Motaei and Souma Mohammadrezaei after they participated in IWD events in Kurdistan province. They are being arbitrarily detained in solitary confinement cells at a detention centre in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, and have been interrogated without their lawyers.

    Baran Saedi was arrested from her family home in Sanandaj on 10 March. She was previously detained during the Woman Life Freedom uprising of 2022 and released on bail after two months.

    Mohammadrezaei was arrested at her workplace in Sanandaj on 10 March. Security forces had previously summoned and threatened her on multiple occasions in relation to her women’s rights activism.

    Sohaila Motaei was arrested in Dehgolan on the evening of 10 March. She was previously briefly arrested in January for protesting death sentences against women prisoners. She was also detained during the Woman Life Freedom uprising and sentenced to five years in prison for charges including “spreading propaganda against the system.”

    Leila Pashaei was arrested from her home in Sanandaj on 10 March after speaking against compulsory veiling, child marriage, violence against women, and executions of women in Iran during an event on IWD. During the speech she said:

    “Women in Iran are held captive by authorities who fear the power of women…The women’s movement has passed the point of no return…. Women worldwide, especially in the Middle East, will never be silenced again.”

    Pattern of Suppression and Intimidation

    The recent arrests occurred within the context of a broader campaign to suppress women’s rights activism and defiance of compulsory veiling through a range of coercive measures. Activists, journalists, singers and other public figures are among those targeted through arbitrary detention, torture through flogging, coercive interrogations and threats, and shutting down social media accounts.

    On 11 March, Nina Golestani, a writer and women’s rights activist, was arbitrarily arrested at her parents’ home in Gilan province by the Intelligence Unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to a statement by her husband, Javad Sajadi Rad, on Instagram, IRGC agents stormed her parents’ home, searched it and confiscated her personal belongings. They then took her away for interrogations and subsequently transferred her to Lakan prison in Rasht, Gilan province. She was released on bail on 16 March.

    On 7 March, a day after several women journalists participated at a media event in Tehran without headscarves, the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency issued a statement calling their actions “contrary to public decency”. The journalists were interrogated at the office of the prosecutor in Tehran’s Evin prison and judicial cases were opened against them.

    On 5 March, singer Mehdi Yarrahi’s flogging sentence of 74 lashes was carried out in connection to his song called “Your Headscarf (Roosarito)” commemorating the first anniversary of the Woman Life Freedom uprising.

    On 27 February, singer Hiwa Seyfizade was arrested during a live performance in Tehran. An official announced that she was arrested for “unauthorised solo singing”, which is banned for women in Iran. She was released on bail on 1 March 2025. Her Instagram account has since been closed, with two posts from the Public Security Police on her page stating: “This page has been blocked [by order of the judicial authorities] due to the production of criminal content.”

    In February, imprisoned women’s rights activist Sharifeh Mohammadi was sentenced to death for a second time on the charge of “armed rebellion against the state” (baghi), solely in relation to her human rights activities, including supporting women’s rights. The Supreme Court had overturned a prior death sentence by a Revolutionary Court in October 2024, sending the case back to lower courts.

    On 14 December 2024, singer Parastoo Ahmadi was detained after she livestreamed a concert in which she appeared unveiled in public in a shoulder-baring dress. The video went viral, amassing two and a half million views. She was released on bail several hours later.

    On 13 December 2024, Reza Khandan, a human rights defender, was arrested to serve an unjust prison sentence in relation to his campaigning against compulsory veiling. Reza Khandan, who is the husband of lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, was sentenced to six years in prison by a Revolutionary Court in January 2019.

    Compulsory veiling laws

    Iran’s compulsory veiling laws, which apply to girls as young as seven, violate a whole host of rights, including the rights to equality, freedom of expression, religion and belief, privacy, equality and non-discrimination, personal and bodily autonomy. These laws also inflict severe pain and suffering amounting to torture or other forms of ill-treatment.

    In its March 2024 report, the Fact-Finding Mission found that the Iranian authorities have “committed a series of extensive, sustained and continuing acts that individually constitute human rights violations, directed against women [and] girls…and, cumulatively, constitute what the mission assesses to be persecution.”

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI NGOs: Iran: Authorities target women’s rights activists with arbitrary arrest, flogging and death penalty

    Source: Amnesty International –

    Iranian authorities have escalated their crackdown on women’s rights defenders, journalists, singers and other activists demanding equality or who defy compulsory veiling using arbitrary detention, unjust prosecution, flogging, and even the death penalty in a bid to quash Iran’s women’s rights movement, Amnesty International said today.

    Since International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March, the Iranian authorities have arbitrarily arrested at least five women’s rights activists. These arrests come amid an intensified crackdown that has included summoning women’s rights activists and journalists for interrogation, and arresting women singers for performing without the mandatory hijab while shutting down their social media accounts. In the lead up to IWD, the authorities flogged a male singer 74 times for performing a protest song against Iran’s discriminatory compulsory veiling laws and, in February 2025, sentenced a women’s rights activist to death.

    “In the wake of the Woman Life Freedom uprising of 2022, the Iranian authorities consider the widespread defiance of women and girls demanding their rights as an existential threat to the political and security establishment. Instead of addressing systemic discrimination and violence against women and girls, they are attempting to crush Iran’s women’s rights movement,” said Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Regional Office.

    “Ahead of a key UN Human Rights Council session tomorrow to deliver findings on the human rights situation in Iran, and in the context of the Council’s ongoing negotiations to extend the mandates of the Special Rapporteur on Iran and the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, the international community must stand up against impunity and for the rights of women and girls in the country.

    Instead of addressing systemic discrimination and violence against women and girls, they are attempting to crush Iran’s women’s rights movement

    Diana Eltahawy, MENA Deputy Regional Director

    “States must use their leverage to press the Iranian authorities to stop harassing women’s rights activists and immediately release those arbitrarily detained. They must also pursue legal pathways to hold accountable Iranian officials reasonably suspected of committing widespread and systematic human rights violations against women and girls, including through the implementation of compulsory veiling.”

    The mandates of the Fact-Finding Mission and the Special Rapporteur are set for renewal at the ongoing 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council (24 February to 4 April 2025).  On 18 March, the Council is set to hold a joint interactive dialogue with both mandates.

    Women’s rights activists arrested for participating in IWD events

    In the lead up to IWD, the Iranian authorities threatened women, warning them against gathering and demanding their rights.

    Since 10 March 2025, Ministry of Intelligence agents arrested four Kurdish women’s rights activists, namely Leila Pashaei, Baran Saedi, Sohaila Motaei and Soma Mohammadrezaeiafter they participated in IWD events in Kurdistan province. They are being arbitrarily detained in solitary confinement cells at a detention centre in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, and have been interrogated without their lawyers.

    Baran Saedi was arrested from her family home in Sanandaj on 10 March 2025. She was previously detained during the Woman Life Freedom uprising of 2022 and released on bail after two months.

    • Soma Mohammadrezaei was arrested at her workplace in Sanandaj on 10 March. Security forces had previously summoned and threatened her on multiple occasions in relation to her women’s rights activism.
    •  

    Sohaila Motaei was arrested in Dehgolan on the evening of 10 March. She was previously briefly arrested in January 2025 for protesting death sentences against women prisoners. She was also detained during the Woman Life Freedom uprising and sentenced to five years in prison for charges including “spreading propaganda against the system.”

    Leila Pashaei was arrested from her home in Sanandaj on 10 March 2025 after speaking against compulsory veiling, child marriage, violence against women, and executions of women in Iran during an event on IWD. During the speech she said: “Women in Iran are held captive by authorities who fear the power of women…The women’s movement has passed the point of no return…. Women worldwide, especially in the Middle East, will never be silenced again.”

    Pattern of Suppression and Intimidation

    The recent arrests occurred within the context of a broader campaign to suppress women’s rights activism and defiance of compulsory veiling through a range of coercive measures. Activists, journalists, singers and other public figures are among those targeted through arbitrary detention, torture through flogging, coercive interrogations and threats, and shutting down social media accounts.

    On 11 March 2025, Nina Golestani, a writer and women’s rights activist, was arbitrarily arrested at her parents’ home in Gilan province by the Intelligence Unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). According to a statement by her husband, Javad Sajadi Rad, on Instagram, IRGC agents stormed her parents’ home, searched it and confiscated her personal belongings. They then took her away for interrogations and subsequently transferred her to Lakan prison in Rasht, Gilan province. She was released on bail on 16 March 2025.

    On 7 March 2025, a day after several women journalists participated at a media event in Tehran without headscarves, the judiciary’s Mizan News Agency issued a statement calling their actions “contrary to public decency”. The journalists were interrogated at the office of the prosecutor in Tehran’s Evin prison and judicial cases were opened against them.

    On 5 March 2025, singer Mehdi Yarrahi’s flogging sentence of 74 lashes was carried out in connection to his song called “Your Headscarf (Roosarito)” commemorating the first anniversary of the Woman Life Freedom uprising.

    On 27 February 2025, singer Hiwa Seyfizade was arrested during a live performance in Tehran. An official announced that she was arrested for “unauthorized solo singing”, which is banned for women in Iran. She was released on bail on 1 March 2025. Her Instagram account has since been closed, with two posts from the Public Security Police on her page stating: “This page has been blocked [by order of the judicial authorities] due to the production of criminal content.”

    In February 2025, imprisoned women’s rights activist Sharifeh Mohammadi was sentenced to death for a second time on the charge of “armed rebellion against the state” (baghi), solely in relation to her human rights activities, including supporting women’s rights. The Supreme Court had overturned a prior death sentence by a Revolutionary Court in October 2024, sending the case back to lower courts.

    On 14 December 2024, singer Parastoo Ahmadi was detained after she livestreamed a concert in which she appeared unveiled in public in a shoulder-baring dress. The video went viral, amassing two and a half million views. She was released on bail several hours later.

    On 13 December 2024, Reza Khandan, a human rights defender, was arrested to serve an unjust prison sentence in relation to his campaigning against compulsory veiling. Reza Khandan, who is the husband of lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, was sentenced to six years in prison by a Revolutionary Court in January 2019.

    Background

    Iran’s compulsory veiling laws, which apply to girls as young as seven, violate a whole host of rights, including the rights to equality, freedom of expression, religion and belief, privacy, equality and non-discrimination, personal and bodily autonomy. These laws also inflict severe pain and suffering amounting to torture or other forms of ill-treatment.

    In its March 2024 report, the Fact-Finding Mission found that the Iranian authorities have “committed a series of extensive, sustained and continuing acts that individually constitute human rights violations, directed against women [and] girls…and, cumulatively, constitute what the mission assesses to be persecution.”

    For more information or to arrange an interview please contact [email protected]

    MIL OSI NGO –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: Two men and one woman arrested in connection with murder in Sha Tin

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region

    Two men and one woman arrested in connection with murder in Sha Tin

    Police arrested two men, aged 76 and 47 respectively, in Wong Tai Sin today (March 17) for conspiracy to murder. In addition, a 28-year-old woman was also arrested in Sheung Shui on the same day for assisting offenders and misleading police officers.Issued at HKT 21:37

    NNNN

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: ‘Bearded Bandit’ Bank Robber Sentenced for New Year’s Eve 2019 Robbery

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

    PROVIDENCE, RI – A Cranston man, previously referred to as the “Bearded Bandit,” and who served more than six years in federal prison for robbing nine banks in 2012, was sentenced on Friday to time served (62 months) for robbing an East Providence bank on New Year’s Eve in December 2019, and for violating the terms of his supervised release related to his previous convictions, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

    Justin Worley, 44, was sentenced on Friday by U.S. District Court Senior Judge William E. Smith. In addition to the imposition of a sentence of times served, Worley is ordered to serve a term of three years of supervised release, the first six months in a residential reentry center. Additionally, he was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $11,569.

    Worley pleaded guilty on October 30, 2024, to charges of conspiracy to commit bank robbery and bank robbery. He has been detained since his arrest on January 21, 2020.

    In pleading guilty, Worley admitted to the court that on New Year’s Eve Day in December 2019,  he and a co-defendant approached bank tellers inside an East Providence bank branch and demanded that they empty their money drawers. The second man, Nicholas Lage, 39, brandished a knife during the robbery. Between them, the two men fled the bank with approximately $11,569. They were located and arrested later that evening at Twin River casino.

    The court found that Worley violated the terms of his federal supervised release imposed at sentencing related to his conviction for robbing nine banks in 2012.

    Nicholas Lage pleaded guilty on April 1, 2021, to charges of conspiracy to commit bank robbery and bank robbery.  He was sentenced on August 6, 2021, to 36 months of incarceration to be followed by three years of federal supervised release.

    The cases were prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.

    The matter was investigated by the East Providence Police Department and the FBI.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Arkansas Man Convicted of Armed Bank Robbery

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal jury has convicted BRIAN KEITH MAYS, 58, of Arkansas, of committing armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    On January 21, 2025, a federal Grand Jury returned a two-count Superseding Indictment, charging Mays with armed bank robbery and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. On March 13, 2025, after a three-day trial, a federal jury found Mays guilty of both counts.

    According to evidence presented at trial, on July 5, 2024, Mays brandished a pistol at the FNB Community Bank in Harrah, Oklahoma, and demanded money from the tellers. The tellers complied, and Mays left the bank with $12,123.00. Agents with the FBI reviewed surveillance footage from the bank and an adjoining store, where they viewed Mays flee the scene. An eyewitness was able to obtain the tag number of the get-away vehicle, and an investigation into that car led authorities to Mays. Location data from Mays’s cell phone showed that Mays was in the area of the bank at the time of the robbery and visited a Walmart shortly after the robbery. While at Walmart, Mays transferred approximately $3,000.00 dollars to a person in Arkansas and could be seen on surveillance video pulling a large amount of cash from his pocket to pay for an item.

    At sentencing, Mays faces up to life in federal prison and fines of up to $500,000.00.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City and Fort Smith Field Offices, Harrah Police Department, Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Gridley and Drew E. Davis are prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (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).

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Massachusetts Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Fentanyl Using a Rideshare

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CONCORD – A Lawrence, Massachusetts man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Concord in connection to his role in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, Acting U.S. Attorney Jay McCormack announces.

    Hamet Badia, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Landya B. McCafferty scheduled sentencing for June 30, 2025.

    According to the court documents and statements made in court, between February 9, 2022, and June 2, 2022, Badia was a drug runner for his co-defendant. The co-defendant negotiated with an undercover agent to sell fentanyl powder and pressed oxycodone pills and directed Badia to deliver the drugs. For example, on June 2, 2022, the undercover agent arranged to purchase 400 grams of fentanyl, and 200 oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl from the co-defendant. Badia met the co-defendant and the undercover agent at the designated meeting spot, arriving by rideshare, to deliver a green shoebox containing fentanyl powder and oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl. Overall, Badia personally delivered 466.7 grams of fentanyl during the conspiracy.

    The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three (3) years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    The Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation. The Hampton Police Department provided valuable assistance.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen is prosecuting the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Chinese Nationals Sentenced to Federal Prison in Scheme Targeting Hundreds of U.S. Consumers and Multiple U.S. Retailers

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – Four Chinese nationals were sentenced to federal prison today for their participation in a complex scheme that involved the theft of hundreds of identities to defraud multiple domestic retailers out of at least $1.2 million.

    A fifth co-conspirator was previously sentenced to more than four years in prison, and a sixth is awaiting sentencing following a guilty plea.

    As part of the scheme, these six defendants stole the victims’ identities – including their Social Security numbers, dates of birth and home addresses – and used that information to make fake driver’s licenses that were used to access credit in the victims’ names at large national retailers, including Ulta Beauty, Sephora, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Williams-Sonoma, Dillard’s, and Saks Fifth Avenue.

    The four defendants, all Chinese nationals who entered the country under false pretenses, were sentenced today by United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson. All four pleaded guilty on January 6. They are:

    • Kar Kee “Steven” Cheung, 36, of Chino Hills, was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of visa fraud, one count of possession of equipment used to manufacture false identification documents, and one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud;
    • Qian Guo, 37, of Chino Hills, was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison for one count of possession of equipment used to manufacture false identification documents and one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud;
    • Chongming “Ming” Wang, 28, of Temple City, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of aiding and abetting access device fraud in excess of $1,000; and
    • Jiaozhu “Yanny” Yan, 30, of Alhambra, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison for one count of visa fraud.

    Previously in this case, Sizhen “Rachel” Liu, 35, also a Chinese national and a resident of Chino Hills, was sentenced on January 6 to 50 months in federal prison for one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of access device fraud in excess of $1,000.

    The sixth defendant in the case, Hyun Woo “Scott” Jung, 30, of Ontario, pleaded guilty on February 10 to one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and one count of possession with intent to use unlawfully five or more false identification documents. Jung is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Wilson on May 5.

    The ongoing investigation in this matter is being conducted by the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. The DSS Los Angeles Field Office has created a tipline to solicit information confidentially from sources with information about this scheme. Security and loss prevention personnel from large national retailers, particularly those identified above, are encouraged to contact the DSS LA Retail Fraud Tipline if they have information about Los Angeles-area transactions closely matching this scheme. Suspects using fake driver’s licenses as part of this scheme may also be opening retail-branded credit accounts in the victims’ names.

    During this investigation, DSS has received substantial assistance from Homeland Security Investigations and the FBI, with additional support coming from the Alhambra Police Department, the Arcadia Police Department, and the Bel Air, Maryland Police Department.

    Assistant United States Attorney Kim Meyer of the Violent and Organized Crime Section prosecuted this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Beckley Woman Sentenced to Prison for Role in Beckley Drug Trafficking Organization

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BECKLEY, W.Va. – Kimberly Rosetta Logan, 48, of Beckley, was sentenced today to two years and 10 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for distribution of fentanyl. Logan admitted to her role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine base, also known as “crack,” in Beckley and elsewhere within the Southern District of West Virginia.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, on April 10, 2024, Logan sold a quantity of fentanyl to a confidential informant at her residence in Beckley. Logan admitted to the transaction and to distributing additional amounts of fentanyl and cocaine to other individuals while using some herself throughout May 2024. Logan ordered an average of 8 grams of fentanyl and 4 grams of cocaine per week from her Beckley-based supplier by phone during that time period, receiving the controlled substances at her residence.

    Logan has a long criminal history that includes prior convictions including for battery, obstruction of an officer, numerous shoplifting offenses, and controlled substances offenses.

    Logan is among 12 individuals indicted on charges alleging the defendants conspired to distribute methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine base within the Southern District of West Virginia from in or about June 2023 to in or about May 2024. All 12 have pleaded guilty, including two defendants who pleaded guilty to separate charges in lieu of the offenses alleged in the indictment.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Beckley/Raleigh County Drug and Violent Crime Unit, which consists of officers from the West Virginia State Police, the Raleigh County Sheriff’s Department, and the Beckley Police Department.

    Chief United States District Judge Frank W. Volk imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew D. Isabell prosecuted the case.

    The investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The program was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and is the keystone of the Department of Justice’s drug reduction strategy. OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking organizations, transnational criminal organizations and money laundering organizations that present a significant threat to the public safety, economic, or national security of the United States.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-cr-90.

    ###

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Woman who Possessed “Sawed-Off” Shotgun and Shared Guns with Felon-Husband Sentenced to Federal Prison

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

    An Iowa woman who illegally possessed a sawed-off shotgun and shared multiple guns with her husband, a convicted felon who was prohibited from possessing firearms, was sentenced March 14, 2025, to 42 months’ imprisonment.

    Sarah Kay Johnson, age 38, from Mason City, Iowa, received the prison term after an October 17, 2024 guilty plea to possession of a national firearms destructive device not registered to possessor.

    In October 2023, law enforcement officers traffic stopped Ian Jon Duffy, Johnson’s then boyfriend, due to concerns about his wellbeing.  At that time, he possessed multiple loaded firearms.  Duffy had a prior domestic abuse conviction which prohibited him from possessing firearms.  After the traffic stop, Duffy had Johnson obtain a Glock handgun for him.  At this time, Duffy was also prohibited from possessing a firearm due to a felony conviction.  Johnson obtained several firearms that she shared with Duffy in their residence, including a sawed-off shotgun.

    Johnson was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Johnson was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment.  She must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole L. Nagin, and it was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Waterloo Police Department, and the Cedar Falls Police Department.

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

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

    The case file number is 24-CR- 02031-1.

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Trinitarios Gang Member Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant was on probation for armed robbery when he sold fentanyl and methamphetamine to an undercover officer

    BOSTON – A Lynn, Mass. man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for drug offenses relating to an ongoing investigation of fentanyl distribution. 

    Ricardo Bratini-Perez, a/k/a “Rico,” a/k/a “Ricofromthesin,” 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 10 years years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In November 2024, Bratini-Perez pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, fentanyl analog and methamphetamine and one count of possession with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging Bratini-Perez on Oct. 3, 2024. 

    According to court papers, Bratini-Perez is a member of the Trinitarios gang and was on probation following his release in 2023 from state custody on armed robbery and firearm charges. While on state probation, Bratini-Perez sold fentanyl and methamphetamine to an undercover officer on three occasions in March 2024 and April 2024. On April 8, 2024, Bratini-Perez was arrested following a fourth sale to the undercover officer. A search of Bratini-Perez’s residence resulted in the recovery of over 5,000 grams of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl. 
               
    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit prosecuted the case.
     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Fairfax District Resident Sentenced to 3 Years in Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining Public Assistance Benefits via Identity Theft

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – A former resident of the Fairfax District of Los Angeles was sentenced today to 36 months in federal prison his role in a scheme that involved using illegal skimmers on ATMs to harvest data, creating counterfeit debit cards using the stolen account holders’ information, and then using the cards to make cash withdrawals from numerous victims’ accounts.

    Sorin-Miguel Ghiorghe, 47, was sentenced by United States District Judge John F. Walter, who will schedule a restitution hearing to occur in the coming months.

    Ghiorghe pleaded guilty in October 2024 to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, three counts of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, one count of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices, and one count of possession of device-making equipment.

    Ghiorghe – a Romanian national whom prosecutors believe illegally entered the United States – admitted that he and his accomplices used counterfeit cards to fraudulently make withdrawals from the accounts of numerous victims, and that he specifically used the counterfeit cards to withdraw thousands of dollars from victims’ accounts.

    The skimming ring focused on illegally accessing funds administered by the California Department of Social Services to low-income California residents through Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) accounts, including CalFresh and CalWorks benefits.  When law enforcement searched the apartment Ghiorghe was living in, they located ATM-skimming equipment and EBT account numbers in other peoples’ names.

    The United States Secret Service investigated this case and received significant assistance from the Los Angeles Police Department.

    Assistant United States Attorney Max A. Shapiro of the General Crimes Section prosecuted this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Whitehorse — RCMP investigate disturbance on Main Street in Whitehorse

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    On March 15, 2025 at approximately 4:45 p.m., Whitehorse RCMP responded to multiple reports of a disturbance between a large group of young adults and youths on Main Street in Whitehorse involving weapons.

    Whitehorse RCMP member responded immediately to the incident and learned that some of the individuals involved in the disturbance had left the area in a vehicle. The vehicle that left the area during the disturbance was later located by RCMP members. Responding officers spoke with witnesses and obtained statements, photographs and videos of the incident. Further video surveillance canvassing of local businesses in the area is on-going as part of the investigation.

    Whitehorse RCMP are aware that several videos and photographs of the incident are currently circulating on social media. Whitehorse RCMP urge anyone with information or anyone who witnessed the disturbance to come forward by contacting the Whitehorse RCMP at 867-667-5555, or should you wish to remain anonymous, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Sentenced to Federal Prison

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

    RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Mexican man convicted of Illegal Reentry after Deportation. The sentencing took place on March 10, 2025.

    Jose Jimenez, a/k/a Jose Lidio Chavez Flores, 42, was sentenced to two months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Jimenez was also ordered to be removed from the United States.

    Jimenez was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Illegal Reentry after Deportation by a federal grand jury in November 2024. He pleaded guilty on February 11, 2025.

    On November 8, 2024, in Rapid City, South Dakota, law enforcement attempted to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle Jimenez was driving. Instead of stopping, Jimenez led law enforcement on a pursuit. Once stopped, law enforcement located a semi-automatic rifle in a rear seat of the vehicle.  Jimenez is not a United States citizen, and he has been removed from the United States to Mexico on two previous occasions. Jimenez had not obtained consent to reenter the United States from the U.S. Attorney General or the U.S. Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

    This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.

    Jimenez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

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