NewzIntel.com

Category: Police

  • MIL-OSI Security: Utqiagvik man sentenced to 15 years for producing child pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FAIRBANKS, Alaska – An Utqiagvik man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison and will serve 10 years on supervised release for producing child pornography.

    According to court documents, a detective with a local law enforcement agency, acting in an undercover capacity and posing online as a 13-year-old girl, operated an account with a social media application known to law enforcement to be utilized by individuals seeking sexual encounters with minors. On Nov 6, 2023, the undercover detective received a message from Billy Ray Okpeaha Jr., 25.

    Between Nov. 6, 2023, and Jan. 18, 2024, Okpeaha and the undercover detective engaged in online exchanges that included Okpeaha’s requests that the undercover detective send him explicit content, the defendant sending a photo of his genitals to the undercover detective, and discussions about meeting each other in person and sexual interactions if an in-person meet occurred. Okpeaha sent the address of the hotel he was staying at and requested the undercover detective meet him at his hotel room.

    Okpeaha made plans to meet the undercover detective for a sexual encounter on Jan. 22, 2024. He was arrested that day at an apartment in Utqiagvik. Investigators seized and searched his electronic devices, which contained child sexual abuse materials, including visuals of a known minor victim. The known minor victim was interviewed and confirmed sending images of child sexual abuse material at Okpeaha’s request.

    Okpeaha was initially released on pre-trial supervision following his arrest but fled his transitional living facility. He was re-arrested in Coldfoot, Alaska, allegedly attempting to evade supervision and capture.

    On Sept. 4, 2024, Okpeaha pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a child – production of child pornography.

    “Crimes against children are among the most heinous offenses, inflicting lasting harm on vulnerable victims. Mr. Okpeaha deliberately targeted innocent children in a rural village for his own sexual gratification, exposing a clear and present danger to our communities,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “Our office will continue to work closely with law enforcement partners to identify, apprehend and vigorously prosecute anyone who attempts to exploit or target the children of Alaska.” 

    “The defendant used the Internet to commit child exploitation crimes in Alaska and was found to be in possession of CSAM on his devices,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “This investigation and sentencing demonstrate the severity of the defendant’s crimes, and our commitment to prevent further victimization and ensure online predators are brought to justice.”

    The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department investigated this case as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from the North Slope Borough Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Vosacek prosecuted the case.

    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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jury Convicts Baltimore Man of First-Degree Felony Murder While Armed and Related Charges for Killing Unarmed Man in Southeast, D.C.

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Ethan Cunningham, 22, of Baltimore, MD was found guilty by a Superior Court jury of two counts of felony murder while armed, and related charges stemming from a May 2022 shooting of James Lee Curtis, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

                The jury also found Cunningham guilty of one count of first-degree burglary while armed, one count of attempted robbery while armed, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, five counts of PFCOV, one count of carrying a pistol without a license, and one count of possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman scheduled sentencing for March 28, 2025.

                According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 9:30 p.m. on May 10, 2022, the victim, James Lee Curtis, was coming home from getting dinner and picking up his roommate.  As he was entering his building, the defendant, Ethan Cunningham, and an associate followed Curtis into his apartment building.  The defendant brandished a 9mm firearm with an extended magazine and repeatedly assaulted Curtis, demanding he open his apartment door where a child and woman were inside.  When Curtis refused to open the door, the defendant continued assaulting him throughout basement area of the apartment building until Curtis’s roommate tried to intervene.  The defendant then began shooting, striking Curtis once, and striking his roommate’s backpack. The defendant then stood over the roommate who had fallen to the ground and threatened to shoot him before fleeing the building. Curtis died from his injuries shortly thereafter.

                The defendant was arrested on May 30, 2022 and has remained detained since that date.

                This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Emma McArthur and Natalie Hynum.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Murder of Shoe Reseller Results in 32 Year Sentence

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Killer Convicted of First-Degree Murder and Related Offense for Killing a Shoe Reseller at East River Park Shopping Mall

                WASHINGTON – Darius Anderson, 23, of Washington, DC, was sentenced today to 32 years of in prison for first-degree murder while armed and related offenses in the June 2022 killing of 30-year old Israel Mattocks, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

                Anderson was found guilty by a jury on September 18, 2024, following a one-week trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The murder occurred in the 3900 block of Minnesota Ave, NE.  Superior Court Judge Marisa Demeo handed down the sentence.

                According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 11:00 a.m. on June 15, 2022, the victim, Mr. Mattocks, a shoe reseller, asked the defendant for help purchasing shoes from Shoe City located at the East River Park Shopping Mall. After the defendant failed to purchase the shoes for Mr. Mattocks, the two had a brief conversation and parted ways. A short time later, the two met again in another nearby local shoe store, DownTown Locker Room. Mr. Mattocks and the defendant had a brief argument. Afterwards, Mr. Mattocks left the store with another individual to return to Shoe City to buy the shoes the defendant failed to purchase. In the meantime, defendant Anderson walked home, dropped off his purchase from the DownTown Locker Room, and returned to the Shoe City. When the victim and the other individual walked out of the Shoe City, Anderson, was waiting, standing to the right entrance of the store, and fired numerous shots at Mr. Mattocks. Mr. Mattocks was shot at least six times – sustaining injuries to his left and right arms, his right chest, and his neck. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

                In announcing this verdict, U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department.  They also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ariel Dean and Stephanie Dinan. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fentanyl and Illegal Firearm Possession Lands Oklahoma City Man in Federal Prison for More Than Three Years

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OKLAHOMA CITY – ABEL JOSE FARIAS, 21, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 46 months in federal prison for possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute and illegal possession of two firearms after a previous felony conviction, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    On July 18, 2024, a federal Grand Jury returned a four-count Indictment against Farias, charging him with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute, two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. According to public record, in December 2023, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents received information regarding a subject selling fentanyl pills. The agents arranged to meet with the subject to buy fentanyl at a gas station in Moore, Oklahoma, where they encountered and ultimately arrested Farias. In his vehicle, agents discovered a bag of fentanyl pills, as well as a firearm. After executing a federal search warrant, law enforcement found another firearm at Farias’s residence.

    On November 13, 2024, Farias pleaded guilty to counts 1, 2, and 4 of the Indictment, and admitted he possessed fentanyl which he intended to distribute, as well as two firearms, which he could not possess because of his felony convictions.

    At the sentencing hearing on January 28, 2024, U.S. District Judge Joe Heaton sentenced Farias to serve 46 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted the dangerous nature of fentanyl, and that firearms were involved in Farias’s previous convictions, leading Judge Heaton to the conclusion that the sentence needed to promote respect for the rule of law.

    Public record further reflects that Farias has previous felony convictions in Oklahoma County District Court, including those for first-degree burglary in case number CF-2022-2403 and being a felon in possession of a firearm in case number CF-2022-1866.

    This case is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the Oklahoma City Police Department, the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the 21st District Attorney Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stan J. West prosecuted the case.

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Hospital Administrator Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison in Identity Theft Scheme that Spanned Three Decades

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Victim Falsely Prosecuted, Jailed, and Forcibly Medicated with Psychotropic Drugs

    An Iowa hospital administrator who lived under a false identity for more than 30 years and caused the false imprisonment, involuntary hospitalization, and forced medication of his victim was sentenced today to 12 years in federal prison.

    Matthew David Keirans, age 59, from Hartland, Wisconsin, received the prison term after an April 1, 2024, guilty plea to one count of false statement to a national credit union administration insured institution and one count of aggravated identity theft.

    Evidence presented at hearings in the case established that Keirans and his identity theft victim worked together at a hotdog cart in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the late 1980s.  Keirans assumed the victim’s identity and, for the next three decades, used that identity in every aspect of his life.  Keirans obtained several false documents in the victim’s name, including a Kentucky birth certificate.

    In 2013, Keirans obtained employment as a high-level administrator in an Iowa City hospital.  Keirans provided the hospital with false identification documents during the hiring process, including a fictitious I-9 form, social security number, date of birth, and other identification documents in his victim’s name.  After getting hired, Keirans worked for the hospital remotely from his residence in Wisconsin.  Keirans’ access to, and roles in, the system architecture of the hospital’s computer infrastructure were “the highest it could be,” and Keirans “was the key administrator of critical systems.”

    Between March 2014 and May 2022, Keirans repeatedly obtained vehicle and personal loans from two credit unions in the Northern District of Iowa using the victim’s name, social security number, and date of birth.  Keirans obtained nine loans with a total value of over $250,000 from the credit unions.  Keirans also obtained various lines of credit from other lenders in the victim’s name and with his personal identifiers.

    Keirans also maintained deposits at a national bank in the victim’s name.  In August 2019, the victim, who was homeless at the time, entered the branch of the national bank in Los Angeles, California, and told a branch manager that he had recently discovered that someone was using his credit and had accumulated large amounts of debt.  The victim stated that he did not want to pay the debt and wished to close his accounts at the bank.  The victim presented the bank with his true social security card, as well as an authentic State of California identification card.  Due to the large amount of currency in the accounts, the branch manager asked the victim a series of security questions, which the victim was unable to answer.  The national bank then called the Los Angeles Police Department (“LAPD”).

    LAPD officers spoke with Keirans on the telephone, who stated he lived in Wisconsin and did not give anyone in California permission to access his bank accounts.  After faxing the LAPD a series of phony identification documents, the LAPD arrested Keirans’ victim on two felony charges.  After Keirans requested his victim’s prosecution, the victim was charged in Keirans’ name and held without bail at the Los Angeles County Jail.

    In the ensuing months, Keirans contacted the LAPD and Los Angeles District Attorney (LADA) numerous times requesting updates on the victim’s prosecution.  Meanwhile, Keirans’ victim continued to assert throughout the California criminal proceedings that he was not Keirans.  A California state court judge ultimately found Keirans’ victim was not mentally competent to stand trial and ordered Keirans’ victim to a California mental hospital.  The California state court also ordered Keirans’ victim to receive psychotropic medication. 

    In March 2021, Keirans’ victim pled “no contest” to the two felony charges in exchange for a “time-served” sentence, a $400 fine, and immediate release from custody.  In total, Keirans’ victim spent 428 days in county jail and 147 days in the mental hospital as a result of Keirans’ false reports to the LAPD and LADA.  The state court also ordered Keirans’ victim to “use only their true name, Matthew Keirans” in the future.

    After his release from jail and hospital, Keirans’ victim made numerous attempts to regain his identity.  For his part, Keirans continued to make false reports and statements to law enforcement officials in Wisconsin and California.  The State of California billed the victim over $118,000 for the costs of his “care” in the mental hospital between October 20, 2021, and March 15, 2021.

    In January 2023, after learning where Keirans was employed, the victim contacted the Iowa City hospital’s security department about Keirans.  The hospital referred Keirans’ complaint to a local law enforcement agency, which assigned an experienced detective, Ian Mallory, to investigate the victim’s complaint.  The detective conducted an investigation and, over the course of the ensuing months, unraveled Keirans’ identity theft scheme.  Among other things, the detective obtained DNA evidence that conclusively proved that Keirans was not the son of an elderly man in Kentucky, as Keirans had claimed, but that Keirans’ victim was the man’s son. 

    During an interview with the detective in July 2023, Keirans initially insisted that the victim was “crazy” and “needed help and should be locked up.”  After the detective presented Keirans with the results of the DNA testing, however, Keirans confessed to the three-decade identity theft scheme.  Keirans also admitted to providing fraudulent documents to authorities in Los Angeles from his residence in Wisconsin to aid in the arrest, prosecution, and incarceration of the victim.  A California court ultimately exonerated the victim after Keirans pled guilty in federal court.

    Keirans was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Keirans was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment and fined $10,000.  He was ordered to make $6,191 in restitution the victim and ordered to repay $10,000 in court-appointed attorney fees.  Keirans must also serve a five-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

    At the sentencing hearing, Chief Judge Williams said Keirans’ crime was “egregious,” “callous,” and “Kafkaesque.”  Chief Judge Williams stated Keirans “weaponized the criminal justice system to achieve his goals.”  Chief Judge Williams praised the “remarkable and exceptional work” of the Iowa detective.

    “Matthew Keirans spent decades pretending to be someone he was not, all the while knowing that his victim was suffering,” said United States Attorney Timothy T. Duax.  “Keirans used his victim’s identity to live his life, obtain loans, and lines of credit.  When the victim tried to clear his name of Keirans’ debts, Keirans deliberately and calculatedly lied to police officers and prosecutors in California in order to keep his victim locked up, unable to live his life, and to keep his own secret safe.  Today, Keirans has been held responsible for his actions and will spend years in prison.” 

    “I would like to thank Detective Mallory for his tenacious work on this case,” said University of Iowa Police Chief Lucy Wiederholt.  “His persistence in finding the facts highlights our commitment to helping victims of crime.”

    “The FBI is committed to working with our local law enforcement partners wherever we can to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution,” said Eugene Kowel, FBI Omaha Special Agent in Charge. “The FBI commends the University of Iowa Police Department’s tenacity in bringing Keirans’ fraudulent crimes to an end, and we remain dedicated to holding individuals like Keirans accountable when they break the laws of our country and impose harm on victims.”

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

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the University of Iowa Police Department.  

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

    The case file number is 23-CR-1020.

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Senate Republicans Block Resolution Condemning Pardons of Violent J6 Offenders

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed
    WASHINGTON, DC – During the presidential campaign last year, President Trump pledged to pardon non-violent offenders who participated in the January 6 (J6), 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.  And just days before taking the oath of Office, Vice President -elect JD Vance stated: “obviously people that committed violence against police officers that day should not get a pardon.”
    However, on the first day of President Trump’s second term he commuted the prison sentences for 14 of the most notorious J6 offenders, including leaders of the paramilitary groups the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. Simultaneously, he granted a “full, complete and unconditional pardon” to the rest of the approximately 1,560 defendants, including those convicted of violently assaulting police officers. 
    Many of the people Trump called “patriots” had extensive rap sheets.  Some had prior convictions or pending charges for crimes ranging from rape to sexual abuse of a minor to manslaughter.  While Trump’s pardons did not absolve offenders from every crime they committed in the past, his actions helped every one of them escape justice for their actions on January 6.  Some of the J6ers who got a pardon from Trump have already been arrested for other crimes or involved in deadly altercations with police officers.
    Among those pardoned by Trump were 169 people who pled guilty to assaulting police officers on January 6th.  During the siege of the Capitol that day, over 80 U.S. Capitol Police Officers were assaulted, as well as over 60 officers from the Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department.
    This week, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse joined every member of the Democratic caucus in introducing a resolution condemning the pardons of individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police Officers.  The resolution simply states: “Resolved, That the Senate disapproves of any pardons for individuals who were found guilty of assaulting Capitol Police officers.”
    But when U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) requested unanimous consent for the resolution on the floor, Republicans blocked the measure, with opposition from Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) objecting on behalf of his colleagues in the majority.
    Unanimous consent is a common route senators take for simple resolutions, military nominations and other actions, but adoption can be blocked if one single senator objects, sometimes on behalf of others.
    “These pardons were a slap in the face of the Capitol Police who stand up every day to protect members of Congress.  They have our back; we should have theirs.  Choosing subservience to President Trump rather than condemning the pardons of the criminals who attacked the Capitol is a shameful betrayal of these dedicated officers,” said Senator Reed.
    Senator Whitehouse stated: “These pardons are an insult to the men and women of the Capitol Police and the DC Police who protected democracy from the brutal rioters on January 6.  Less than two weeks from their pardons, they’re already back committing crimes, and now provide a personal army with demonstrated willingness to commit acts of political violence at the behest of Donald Trump.”
    The senators urged Senate Republicans to work with Democrats to pass the resolution, ensure accountability, and respect for law enforcement officers across the country.
    Among the individuals granted a full, complete, and unconditional pardon by President Trump was a Florida man who attacked a police officer with an explosive device during the J6 assault and was deemed by a federal judge to pose a serious ongoing danger to the general public, particularly to members of law enforcement, if released.
    Another J6 offender who was pardoned was the so-called QAnon Shaman, who, according to press reports declared soon after his pardon: “Now I’m gonna buy some (expletive) guns.”
    And a Missouri woman convicted in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and seen holding the broken nameplate of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), was given a pardon by President Trump, only to be sentenced for another crime: killing a mother of two in a drunken-driving crash.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Albany County Man Sentenced to 25 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Child

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Thomas Berrington, age 33, of Colonie, New York, was sentenced today to 25 years in federal prison for his repeated sexual exploitation of a child announced 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).

    As part of his prior guilty plea, Berrington admitted that between June of 2023 and January of 2024, he repeatedly sexually abused a minor female child for the purpose of photographing and video recording the abuse. The victim was eight years old when Berrington’s abuse of her began.

    United States District Judge Mae A. D’Agostino also sentenced Berrington to a 25-year term of supervised release, to begin following his term of imprisonment. Berrington will also be required to pay a special assessment of $200, an additional special assessment of $5,000, and register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.

    The case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, comprised of FBI Special Agents, and state and local police investigators, including from the New York State Police and Colonie Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adrian S. LaRochelle as part of Project Safe Childhood.

    Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood is led by United States Attorney’s offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals in Maine Arrest Man Wanted for Sexual Exploitation of a Child in Colorado

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Portland, ME – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), Maine Violent Offender Task
    Force (MVOTF) announces the arrest of Patrick Byrne, 29, in Livermore Falls, Maine.
    According to Colorado authorities, an arrest warrant was issued for Byrne on November 04, 2024, for two counts of sexual exploitation of a child out of Bloomfield County Court in
    Colorado.

    Based upon an investigation from the United States Marshals Service, Maine Violent
    Offender Task Force, Investigators developed information that Byrne was currently residing in Maine. Through a collaborative effort, the USMS, Maine Violent Offender Task Force
    was able to locate Byrne and safely apprehend him at a residence in Livermore Falls,
    Maine. Byrne was charged as a fugitive from justice and is pending extradition back to
    Colorado.

    The USMS, Maine Violent Offender Task Force received assistance by the USMS, District
    of Colorado, Violent Offender Task Force and the Livermore Falls, Maine Police
    Department.

    The USMS, Maine Violent Offender Task Force is comprised of members of the U.S.
    Marshals Service, Maine Department of Corrections, Biddeford Police Department, U.S.
    Customs Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Maine
    National Guard Counterdrug Program.

    If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of any state or federal fugitive
    please contact the United States Marshals Service, District of Maine at
    MED.TIPLINE@usdoj.gov, or submit a USMS Web Tip. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Wadena — Wadena RCMP investigating break and enter

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    On January 10, 2025, Wadena RCMP received a report of a break-in at the curling rink in Wadena.

    Investigation determined an adult male entered the rink then left. No items were reported as stolen to police.

    The suspect was caught on video surveillance.

    The suspect is described as wearing a two-coloured jacket, glasses, gloves and a backpack. He had a beard or goatee.

    Investigators believe that this break-in may be connected to other break-ins to municipal offices and small businesses in Saskatchewan over the past few years. As this is an active and ongoing investigation, we are unable to provide a list of the potentially-connected incidents at this time, but can say they occurred in southern and central Saskatchewan.

    If you recognize this suspect or have information about this or any other break-in, contact Saskatchewan RCMP at 310-RCMP. Information can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.saskcrimestoppers.com.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Otaika homicide: Police make additional appeal

    Source: New Zealand Police (National News)

    Police are releasing further information in the Otaika homicide investigation as the appeal for footage continues.

    An investigation team has begun the task of piecing together what took place on the layby on Otaika Valley Road earlier this week.

    Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Shane Pilmer, of Whangārei CIB, says a post-mortem examination on the motorcyclist has been completed.

    “I can confirm that the victim was shot,” he says.

    “At this point in the enquiry we are not in a position to release further details around the injuries or firearm likely used in this homicide.”

    Since an appeal for information was launched on Thursday, a steady stream of footage has been sent into Police for examination.

    “This is an encouraging start, and this is already helping us piece together a timeline of movements in-and-around that layby,” acting Detective Senior Sergeant Pilmer says.

    “We now know from dashcam footage that there were a number of vehicles parked in the layby prior to the victim arriving on his motorbike.”

    Police are continuing to ask those in the community to make contact if they have footage or information.

    “At this point in the enquiry, we believe the victim has been shot in that layby late on 28 January, between 7pm and 11pm.”

    Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Pilmer says Police anticipate releasing further information about the victim over the coming days.

    “We’re continuing to support the man’s family as our investigation continues.

    “Our focus is on finding answers for the family for how the victim has died in such a violent manner.”

    • HOW YOU CAN HELP:

    Police would like any sightings of the victim’s blue and silver coloured road bike that was parked in the layby.

    That is particularly between 8pm on 28 January through to 5am on 29 January.

    Anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage around key locations between 7pm on 28 January and 5am on 29 January should contact Police.

    Those areas of interest are along Otaika Valley Road, between the intersections with State Highway 14, Maungatapere, and Loop and Cemetery Roads, in Otaika.

    An online portal has been set up for any footage or photographs to be uploaded.

    Please go to https://distant.nc3.govt.nz

    Anyone with further information should call Police on 105 and reference the file number 250129/0335.

    Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.

    ENDS. 

    Jarred Williamson/NZ Police

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney, U.S. Secret Service, and FBI Announce Federal Charges Against Albuquerque Man for Making Threats Against President Trump

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    ALBUQUERQUE – A federal grand jury has indicted an Albuquerque man for interstate communications containing a threat against then President Donald J. Trump.

    The criminal complaint alleges that Tyler Miles Leveque, 37, made multiple threatening social media posts between January 2 and 4, 2025, expressing intent to harm the President-Elect and others at an upcoming rally. The posts included statements such as “you and your rich friends are dead no threat a promise” and references to violence at an event reportedly planned for January 19th in Washington D.C.

    During an interview with agents from the U.S. Secret Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation on January 6, 2025, Leveque admitted to making the threatening posts and recently purchasing a firearm. Investigators confirmed Leveque had recently bought a gun from a local business.

    Leveque will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been scheduled. If convicted, Leveque faces up to five years in prison.

    U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez, Ron Emmot, Resident Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Albuquerque Resident Office, and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The U.S. Secret Service investigated this case with the assistance of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office and the Albuquerque Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sammy Hurtado is prosecuting the case.

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

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Big Island Lake Cree Territory — Pierceland RCMP seek public assistance locating missing 13-year-old male

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    On January, 31, 2025 RCMP received a report of a missing 13-year-old male, Dwight Sandfly.

    Dwight Sandfly was last seen on January 24, 2025 at approximately 2:00 p.m on Big Island Cree Territory.

    Since he was reported missing, Pierceland RCMP have been checking places Dwight Sandfly is known to visit and following up on information received. They are now asking members of the public to report information on Dwight’s whereabouts.

    Dwight Sandfly is described as:

    • Height: 5’9″
    • Weight: 143 lbs
    • Eye colour: Brown
    • Hair colour and style: long curly black hair

    Dwight Sandfly may have travelled to the Onion Lake area, but his current whereabouts are unknown. If you have seen Dwight Sandfly or know where he is, contact Pierceland RCMP at 310-RCMP. Information can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or www.saskcrimestoppers.com.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Guilty of Being a Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –LaMICHAEL JACKSON (“JACKSON”), age 26, pled guilty on January 30, 2025 before U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon 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, New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers on patrol in Hollygrove saw JACKSON holding a Palmetto State Armory Model PA-15 pistol.  JACKSON fled in a vehicle before being stopped by NOPD.  Inside the vehicle officers recovered a second gun belonging to JACKSON, a Glock Model 43x, nine-millimeter handgun.  Both firearms were loaded when  recovered.  JACKSON is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior felony convictions for aggravated assault with a firearm and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number.

    JACKSON faces up to 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, up to a $250,000 fine, 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 Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Oklahoma City Man Sentenced to Serve More Than Three Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of Machinegun Conversion Devices

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OKLAHOMA CITY – JOHN ANTHONY OWEN, 24, of Oklahoma City, has been sentenced to serve 46 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of machineguns, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    On June 3, 2024, Owen was charged by Information with unlawful possession of machineguns. According to public record, on April 4, 2024, officers with the Oklahoma City Police Department executed a search warrant at Owen’s residence. During the search, officers recovered two firearms which had been modified with machinegun conversion devices (MCDs). When installed, MCDs convert semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic machineguns. Possession of these devices violates federal law.

    On July 3, 2024, Owen pleaded guilty and admitted he knowingly possessed two MCDs.

    At the sentencing hearing on January 30, 2025, U.S. District Judge Jodi W. Dishman sentenced Owen to serve 46 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted the nature and circumstances of the offense.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Hoch prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. This case is also part of “Project Switch Off,” the Western District of Oklahoma’s local implementation of PSN. “Project Switch Off” targets illegal machinegun conversion devices to address the significant danger these illegal devices present and to remove them from our streets. For more information about PSN, please visit https://justice.gov/psn and https://justice.gov/usao-wdok.

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Eleven Members of Deadly Drug Trafficking Organization Sentenced to Prison

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

    NORFOLK, Va. – Eleven Virginia residents have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a violent drug trafficking organization that was responsible for a double homicide in Chesapeake. A twelfth defendant is awaiting sentencing.

    According to court records and evidence presented at trial, between January 2020 and November 2022, Cortney Allen Conley, aka KO, 36, of Virginia Beach, ran a large-scale, violent interstate drug trafficking organization principally based in the Hampton Roads area. The organization frequently sold drugs at “pop-up” shops, which regularly appeared in new locations to avoid detection by law enforcement.

    In 2021, Conley was robbed at gunpoint at a pop-up on Providence Road in Chesapeake, after which Conley and his co-conspirators were regularly armed while they trafficked drugs. In July 2021, an armed robber attempted to rob a pop-up, and shop workers, including Javaid Akhtar Reed, 27, of Chesapeake, and Aaron Butler Hunter, 38, of Virginia Beach, defended Conley’s drugs and drug proceeds. During the attempted robbery, Reed ordered the attempted robber out of the shop at gunpoint.

    On May 13, 2022, two armed subjects attempted to rob the organization’s pop-up on Wintercress Way in Chesapeake. Conley and Rashaun Marcquez Johnson, 28, of Virginia Beach, shot and killed the two subjects. During the gun battle, Davian Marcelis Jenkins, 27, of Suffolk, pistol-whipped one of the subjects as the subject lay dying in the foyer. During the shootout, bullets flew across the hall into another apartment and hit a child’s play kitchen. Immediately afterward, Conley and Jenkins removed controlled substances, drug proceeds, and firearms from the pop-up and fled. Conley directed Jenkins to go back to the shooting scene and remove security cameras, which had recorded the shootout. Jenkins removed one camera from the front door of the apartment. Conley then fled the state.

    On Nov. 8, 2022, Conley was arrested in Virginia Beach at a pop-up he established after the double homicide. During the arrest, Conley jumped from a second story window and tried to run from the police.

    On April 15, 2024, after a ten day jury trial, Conley, Reed, and Kyron Speller, 29, of Norfolk, were convicted for their involvement in the organization.

    Conley was convicted of continuing criminal enterprise; possession with intent to distribute marijuana; possession with intent to distribute psilocybin and psilocyn; possessing, brandishing, and discharging a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Conley was sentenced today to 40 years in prison.

    Other members of the organization who were sentenced include:

    Name

    Date of Sentencing

    Sentence Imposed
    Javaid Akhtar Reed

    Dec. 23, 2024

    		 14 years, 3 months
    Corey Melic Blackwell

    July 12, 2024

    		 13 years
    Aaron Hunter

    Sept. 26, 2024

    		 10 years
    Kasheim Bryant

    Oct. 31, 2024

    		 7 years
    Amadeo Ilan Classen

    Nov. 7, 2024

    		 10 years
    Davian Marcelis Jenkins

    Nov. 7, 2024

    		 4 years
    Jeron D’Nell Cephus

    July 22, 2024

    		 3 years, 6 months
    Kyron Speller

    Oct. 25, 2024

    		 3 years, 5 months
    Lateya Conley

    Sept. 25, 2024

    		 3 years
    Jasmine Deneen Cuffee

    Oct. 31, 2024

    		 1 year, 3 months

    Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 21, 2025.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Michael Feinberg, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Norfolk Field Office; Damon E. Wood, Inspector in Charge of the Washington Division of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Mark G. Solesky, Chief of Chesapeake Police; and Paul Neudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan M. Montoya, Joe DePadilla, and Luke Bresnahan prosecuted the case.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:22-cr-147.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Mexican Nationals Charged in Conspiracy to Fraudulently Obtain Visas for Immigrant ‘Victims’ of Staged Crimes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two Mexican nationals in the Kansas City area have been charged in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to stage numerous armed robberies so that the purported victims of these crimes, who were immigrants to the United States, could use their status as crime victims to apply for visas.

    Oscar Gutierrez, 35, of Independence, Mo., and Jose Luis Morales Salgado, 36, of Kansas City, Mo., both of whom are citizens of Mexico, were charged in a criminal complaint filed under seal in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Mo., on Thursday, Jan. 30. The federal criminal complaint, which was unsealed and made public following Salgado’s arrest and initial court appearance, charges both men with participating in a conspiracy to fraudulently obtain immigration visas. Gutierrez is already in custody on state charges in a separate case.

    The complaint alleges that immigrants contacted Salgado to arrange for themselves to become “victims” of staged robberies so they could submit applications for U-Visas, which are granted to crime victims. These immigrants, who were either illegally present in the United States or in the United States legally through work visas, paid Salgado thousands of dollars to participate. In exchange, Salgado directed them to the location of a planned staged robbery on a particular day and time.

    Salgado allegedly recruited individuals to pose as robbers during the staged robberies and provided directions to those individuals. One of the persons Salgado recruited to pose as a robber, says the complaint, was Gutierrez.

    According to an affidavit filed in support of the criminal complaint, each incident involved immigrants who later told police they had car trouble and pulled over and got out of their vehicle to diagnose the car trouble. Soon after stopping, another vehicle would arrive and park next to, or in front of, the purported victim’s vehicle. The robber, wearing a medical mask over his face and brandishing a firearm, would strike the purported victims in the head or face, take their cash, and typically fire two rounds into the purported victim’s vehicle.

    Investigators with the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department initially identified 11 incidents in which the reported robberies followed this pattern. These cases were linked to each other, based in part, on leads generated from the National Integrated Ballistics Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN utilized ballistic imaging technology to compare cartridge case markings on the expended cartridges from each crime scene.  Detectives determined there was likely one firearm used in the commission of all of the robberies. Detectives gathered information from city cameras and license plate readers to identify the vehicles used in the robberies, the affidavit says, which led them to Gutierrez.

    Salgado allegedly instructed the immigrants to falsely report to law enforcement officials how the robberies occurred, and advised them how to make these false reports in an effort to bolster their applications for U-Visas.

    The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act strengthens the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute certain crimes while also protecting victims of crimes who are willing to help law enforcement authorities in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity. Foreign nationals are eligible for a U-Visa if they were the victim of qualifying criminal activity, suffered substantial physical or mental abuse as a result of having been a victim of the criminal activity, possessed information about the criminal activity, and were likely to be helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of the crime.

    According to the affidavit, a source told investigators the number of purported victims involved in the scheme was well over 100. The complaint specifically cites 11 robberies involving 33 purported victims that occurred as part of the conspiracy between Dec. 29, 2021, and July 13, 2024.  Of those 33 immigrants, 18 have submitted U-Visa applications claiming to be victims of violent crimes.

    An undercover federal agent and a law enforcement source met with Salgado on Jan. 22, 2025, according to the affidavit, and recorded their meeting. The undercover agent made arrangements to pay Salgado $4,000 for the robbery to be staged in order to fraudulently obtain a U-Visa. Salgado told the undercover agent he would “put on a grand show.” Once the plans were agreed upon, the undercover agent paid Salgado $500 with a promise to pay the balance later. The undercover agent met with Salgado again on Thursday, Jan. 30, and Salgado was arrested.

    The charge contained in this complaint is simply an accusation, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charge must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Trey Alford. It was investigated by the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Homeland Security Investigations.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Arkansas Man Sentenced to 14 Years in federal Prison for Methamphetamine and Firearms Possession

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HOT SPRINGS – A Hot Springs man was sentenced yesterday to 170 months in Federal Prison for Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute and Possession of a Firearm in furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Offense.  The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearings, which took place in the United States District Court in Hot Springs.

    According to court records, on September 13, 2023, Deangelo Michael Lover, age 34, of Hot Springs, sold 24 grams of Methamphetamine to a Confidential Informant.  On September 15, 2023, Lover again contacted the Informant to sell additional Methamphetamine.  Hot Springs Police Investigators with the Special Investigation Division contacted Arkansas State Police and requested that a traffic stop be conducted on the vehicle occupied by Lover. A traffic stop was conducted, and Lover was arrested on an outstanding warrant. A search of the vehicle yielded 46 grams of Methamphetamine and a handgun.

    On September 30, 2024, Lover pleaded guilty to Possession of a more than five grams of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute and Possession of a firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. 

    U.S. Attorney David Clay Fowlkes made the announcement.

    The Hot Springs Police Department Special Investigation Division investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Trent Daniels prosecuted the case for the United States.

    Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jennings Man Sentenced for Illegal Possession of Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LAFAYETTE, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Brandon James Willridge, 41, of Jennings, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Robert R. Summerhays to 84 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    According to information presented in court, in January 2023, law enforcement officers were familiar with Willridge and aware of his drug trafficking activities in the area and had an active arrest warrant for him. On January 30, 2023, officers with the Vermillion Parish Sheriff’s Office and Gueydan Police Department conducted a traffic stop of Willridge as the result of the active arrest warrant for him.

    During the traffic stop, officers found Willridge to be in possession of a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun underneath the driver’s seat of the vehicle. In addition, Willridge had a bottle containing several orange pills in the driver door console of the vehicle, which were confirmed to be Alprazolam, a controlled substance. Other evidence indicated Willridge had been trafficking in narcotics during this time in the Gueydan and Lake Arthur areas. Willridge pleaded guilty to a Bill of Information on October 18, 2024, charging him with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.  Willridge has prior felony convictions for false representation of a controlled substance in 2003 and possession with intent to distribute marijuana in 2010. 

    The case was investigated by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Vermillion Parish Sheriff’s Office and Gueydan Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Myers P. Namie.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: BATON ROUGE MAN SENTENCED TO 211 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING AND FIREARMS VIOLATIONS

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced Demarlo Brown, age 42, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to 211 months in federal prison following his convictions for conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, and possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The Court further sentenced Brown to serve five years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment and ordered that the proceeds from his drug trafficking crimes, as well as firearms and ammunition seized by law enforcement, be forfeited.

    This case was the result of an extensive federal, state, and local investigation by the Middle District Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) aimed at a drug trafficking network based and operating in East Baton Rouge Parish and surrounding areas.

    According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea,from March through September 2019, Brown operated a drug distribution organization in the Baton Rouge area where he and others distributed methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin. When law enforcement raided his home and other locations associated with Brown, they seized over 27 ounces of methamphetamine, 2.7 ounces of heroin, and 1.6 ounces of fentanyl.  Two firearms and 38 rounds of ammunition were also seized from Brown that he illegally possessed to protect himself, his drugs, and his cash proceeds from drug sales. In total, six firearms and 168 rounds of ammunition were seized in the raids.

    Brown was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing the firearms and ammunition. In April 2024, prior to possessing the two firearms and ammunition, he was convicted in the 19th Judicial District Court of armed robbery and was sentenced to 10 years at hard labor.   

    This matter was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, and Baton Rouge City Police Department, and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lyman E. Thornton, III and Jessica Jarreau, who also serves as Deputy Chief of the Organized and Violent Crime Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

    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 https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Thomaston Man Pleads Guilty to Unlawfully Possessing a Machinegun and Possessing Controlled Substances

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Chandler Breen possessed a firearm augmented with a machinegun conversion device, equipped with a 50-round magazine

    PORTLAND, Maine: A Thomaston man pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Portland today to unlawful possessing a machinegun and possessing controlled substances with intent to distribute.

    According to court records, in April 2024, the Thomaston Police Department received a tip that Chandler Breen, 34, was selling drugs behind a local business. A search of Breen’s vehicle revealed a firearm modified with a machinegun conversion device, 9mm ammunition, a large amount of cash, approximately 62 grams of cocaine, approximately 5 grams of methamphetamine, and at least 6 grams of fentanyl.

    Breen faces up to 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release on the firearms charge; and up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1 million and a minimum of three years of supervised release on the drug charge. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigated the case with assistance from the Thomaston Police Department.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fairbanks man sentenced to 12 years for attempted production of child pornography, enticement of minor

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A Fairbanks man was sentenced today to 12 years in prison and will serve 25 years on supervised release for attempting to produce child pornography and entice a minor.

    According to court documents, on July 7, 2023, a law enforcement official, acting in an undercover capacity and posing online as a 12-year-old girl, posted an ad in an Alaskan chat group on a social media application known to law enforcement to be utilized by individuals seeking sexual encounters with minors.

    A short time after the posting, Dahkota Mitchell, 32, messaged the undercover official. Between July 7 and Nov. 28, 2023, Mitchell and the undercover official discussed multiple things, including Mitchell’s requests that the undercover official send him explicit content, plans to meet in-person, and sexual interactions if an in-person meeting occurred.

    Mitchell decided to meet with the undercover official for sex and requested she bring an 11-year-old friend for the sexual encounter. Mitchell made plans with the undercover official to meet in Anchorage on Nov. 17, 2023, but the defendant abruptly stopped communicating with the official and the meeting did not occur.

    On Nov. 25, 2023, Mitchell resumed communicating with the undercover official and explained that his mother had found out about their communications. Mitchell made another plan to meet with the undercover official and the alleged minor friend on Nov. 28, 2023, and provided the address of his hotel and his room number.

    Mitchell was arrested at an Anchorage hotel on Nov. 28, 2023. He pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor on Oct. 25, 2024.

    “Child predators target Alaska’s most vulnerable, leaving lasting harm in their wake. Mr. Mitchell attempted to meet with an individual he thought was a 12-year-old girl and encouraged her to bring a minor friend for an in-person sexual encounter,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “His actions were both dangerous and reprehensible. This sentence ensures that he will be closely monitored for many years, safeguarding our communities. Our office remains committed to working with law enforcement to hold perpetrators accountable and protect Alaska’s children.”

    “Protecting children from online predators is a priority for the FBI and our law enforcement partners across Alaska,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “As demonstrated in this case, predators using the Internet for sexual exploitation of children will be identified and held accountable for their reprehensible crimes.”

    The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department investigated this case as part of the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Carly Vosacek prosecuted the case.

    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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hazard Man Sentenced for Methamphetamine Trafficking

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

    LONDON, Ky. – A Hazard, Ky., man, Herbert Allen, was sentenced on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, to 126 months, for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. 

    According to his plea agreement, on May 30, 2023, Allen knowingly possessed with the intent to distribute a kilogram of methamphetamine.  Specifically, based on an investigation, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Allen’s residence.  Upon their arrival, Allen was in his vehicle.  When approached, Allen admitted to police that a backpack containing a large amount of methamphetamine was in the vehicle.  A search of the vehicle revealed approximately 1,084 grams of methamphetamine, plastic baggies, and a large quantity of cash.

    Under federal law, Allen must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon Allen’s release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years. 

    Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police, jointly announced the sentence.

    The investigation was conducted by the FBI and KSP. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

    — END —

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Middle School Teacher and Basketball Coach Sentenced for Online Enticement of a Minor

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

    LONDON, Ky. – An Antioch, Tennessee, man, and former South Laurel Middle School teacher and basketball coach, William Goodson, 32, was sentenced on Tuesday, by U.S. District Judge Claria Horn Boom, to 246 months, for online enticement of a minor. 

    According to his plea agreement, from August 2023 through February 23, 2024, while he was a teacher at the Middle School, Goodson persuaded a minor to engage in sexual activity. Specifically, Goodson communicated many sexually explicit messages with the victim, through text messages and Snapchat. When questioned, Goodson told police that his relationship with the minor was like that of a boyfriend, and he further admitted to buying the victim gifts and communicating daily, via Snapchat.  Ultimately, Goodson convinced the minor victim to engage in sexual contact, on multiple occasions, within his classroom.

    Under federal law, Goodson must serve 85 percent of his prison sentence.  Upon Goodson’s release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 20 years. 

    Carlton S. Shier, IV, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Michael Stansbury, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office; and Chief Jerry Hollon, London Police Department, jointly announced the sentence.

    The investigation was conducted by the FBI and London Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

    — END —

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Sentenced to 45 Months for Federal Gun Control and Controlled Substances Acts Violations

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

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – LOUIS HANDY (“HANDY”), age 34, a resident of New Orleans, was sentenced on January 16, 2025, by United States District Judge Eldon E. Fallon after previously  pleading guilty to possessing fentanyl with the intent to distribute and being a felon in possession of a firearm, violations of the Federal Gun Control and Federal Controlled Substances Acts, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

    According to court records, the FBI’s New Orleans Violent Crime Task Force, in conjunction with the New Orleans Police Department, observed HANDY carrying a concealed handgun.  When uniformed officers approached him to conduct an investigatory stop, HANDY discarded the gun under a nearby vehicle, ran but was caught after a brief chase.  After seizing the handgun HANDY discarded, officers searched HANDY’s person and vehicle, finding fentanyl, marijuana, oxycodone, suboxone films, a digital scale, latex gloves, and several hundred dollars in cash.  HANDY had several prior felony convictions, that prohibited him from possessing a firearm.

    Judge Fallon sentenced HANDY to 45 months imprisonment on both the drug trafficking count and the felon in possession of a firearm count, to run concurrently, and ordered that HANDY be placed on supervised release for three years after his release from prison.  The Court also ordered HANDY to pay a mandatory special assessment fee of $200.

    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.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Haller, Senior Litigation Counsel and PSN Coordinator.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Body found on Bethells Beach believed to be missing swimmer

    Source: New Zealand Police (District News)

    Police were notified about 8:10pm yesterday that a body had washed up on Bethells Beach.

    Although formal identification is ongoing, Police believe it is likely the body of the man who got into difficulty in the water at Piha on Tuesday evening.

    The man’s family has been advised and our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.

    The death will be referred to the Coroner.

    ENDS

    Issued by the Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: MS-13 Member Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murders in Virginia and Massachusetts

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Salvadoran national and member of the Uniones Locos Salvatrucha (ULS) clique of the violent Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) gang was sentenced today to six concurrent life prison sentences and additional terms of years following his conviction on charges relating to his participation in the gang’s criminal enterprise, including six murders and additional murder conspiracies.

    According to court documents, on Aug. 25, 2018, Elmer De Jesus Alas Candray, aka German Alexander Ramirez Lopez, Buky, and Desquiciado, 27, met other MS-13 members in New Bedford, Massachusetts, to murder an associate of MS-13’s Directos Locos Salvatrucha clique, identified in court records as K.A.C. MS-13 leadership in El Salvador had approved the murder because they believed K.A.C. had betrayed MS-13. That evening, they met K.A.C. at the residence of an MS-13 member in New Bedford. After the group ate dinner together, they beat and strangled K.A.C. to death. The conspirators then dismembered K.A.C.’s body, placed his remains in trash bags, and buried the remains in a wooded area near New Bedford. Alas Candray and other conspirators were promoted in the MS-13 ranks for their participation in the murder.

    In June 2019, Alas Candray and others conspired to murder individuals who frequently gathered to drink in a wooded area in the clique’s perceived territory in Reston. On June 23, 2019, Alas Candray and other members and associates armed themselves with a 9mm firearm, a .45 caliber firearm, and two machetes and traveled to the Hunters Woods area of Reston. The group murdered an individual, identified as J.L.G.M., shooting him and slashing him with a machete.

    On Sept. 17, 2020, Alas Candray and others devised a plan to lure a young woman, identified as I.J.P.G., to Colts Neck Road in Reston under false pretenses and kill her because they believed she was associated with a rival gang and had disparaged MS-13 on social media. A co-conspirator exchanged messages with I.J.P.G. via Snapchat, pretending to be a member of MS-13’s rival gang. He and another co-conspirator later picked up I.J.P.G. and drove her to Colts Neck Road, where Alas Candray and another MS-13 member were waiting for them. The four co-conspirators killed I.J.P.G. by taking turns shooting her, primarily in the face.

    In March 2021, MS-13 members and associates conspired to murder an individual, identified as S.A.T.L., because they believed he was a member of a rival gang. On March 11, 2021, Alas Candray and other MS-13 members and associates, surveilled S.A.T.L. in Fairfax County and waited for an opportunity to murder him. Alas Candray and his co-conspirators went to an apartment complex on Winterthur Court in Reston where Alas Candray fatally shot S.A.T.L.

    On May 30, 2022, Alas Candray and co-conspirators travelled to the Lerner Springs at Reston Apartment Homes and joined others on a footpath behind the complex to patrol the clique’s perceived territory. Shortly thereafter, the conspirators encountered an individual, identified as R.A.P.S., on the footpath. Alas Candray and others murdered R.A.P.S. by kicking him and dropping a large rock on his head as he lay on the footpath.

    On June 18, 2022, Alas Candray and a co-conspirator picked up an individual, identified as F.R.A.R., from Reston and drove him to Seneca Regional Park in Fairfax County. Alas Candray, and his co-conspirators believed that F.R.A.R. had disrespected MS-13 and violated its rules. After arriving at a pre-selected location in the park, Alas Candray and several co-conspirators murdered F.R.A.R. by beating him with a baseball bat and stabbing him. They then dismembered F.R.A.R.’s body and buried F.R.A.R.’s remains in a clandestine grave.

    On Aug. 17, 2022, Alas Candray instructed a relative to relay a message to other ULS members and associates. Using coded language, Alas Candray instructed a co-conspirator to get rid of ammunition, warned ULS members and associates that law enforcement had pictures of them, and advised them to move. The relative relayed the message the following day.

    The jury convicted Alas Candray of conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise, five counts of conspiracy to commit murder in aid of racketeering, five counts of murder in aid of racketeering, and three counts of use of a firearm during a crime of violence causing death.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Sean Ryan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division; and Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Michael S. Nachmanoff.

    Assistant U.S. AttorneysJohn Blanchard, Megan Braun, and Natasha Smalky prosecuted the case.

    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 https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:22-cr-1789.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, DEA, and EPA Announce Indictment in Massive Marijuana Cultivation Scheme

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

    ALBUQUERQUE – A federal grand jury has indicted three individuals for their alleged roles in a large-scale marijuana cultivation and distribution operation. The indictment charges Dineh Benally, 48, his father, Donald Benally, 74, and Irving Rea Yui Lin, 73, a California resident, with multiple offenses related to the illegal marijuana operation.

    The charges include conspiracy to manufacture and distribute marijuana, manufacture of 1,000 kilograms and more of marijuana and 1,000 and more marijuana plants, possession with intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms and more of marijuana and 1,000 and more marijuana plants, maintaining drug-involved premises, and two counts of knowingly discharging pollutants into waters of the United States without a permit.

    According to the indictment, the operation involved:

    • 25 farms covering approximately 400 acres in the Shiprock area
    • Construction of approximately 1,107 cannabis greenhouses
    • Solicitation of Chinese investors to fund the operation
    • Recruitment of Chinese workers to cultivate the marijuana

    The defendants are also accused of violating the Clean Water Act by discharging pollutants into the San Juan River, filling in a channel along the San Juan River dam, and installing a sandbag dam along the San Juan River. These actions potentially caused significant environmental damage to the area.

    The sandbag dam was installed so that water would pool at a separate location to be used to irrigate the marijuana crops.

    In November 2020, law enforcement seized approximately 60,000 pounds of marijuana and approximately 260,000 marijuana plants from the twenty-five marijuana farms allegedly operated and controlled by the defendants.

    On January 23, 2025, during a raid on two additional marijuana farms operated by Dineh Benally in Estancia, New Mexico (as well as his residence), law enforcement identified 10 Chinese workers and seized approximately 8,500 pounds of marijuana, $35,000 cash, illegal pesticides, 43 grams of methamphetamine, two firearms, and a bullet proof vest, among many other things.

    Benally’s illegal marijuana growing operation that spans two farms in Estancia, New Mexico

    “The Department of Justice will protect the sanctity of the ancestral lands and waters of our Tribal partners from those who would exploit them for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Uballez.

    “The FBI remains committed to continue to dismantle criminal organizations operating in New Mexico.” said Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Division. “Effective law enforcement requires strong partnerships at every level. This operation is a testament to the power of collaboration between state, local, tribal, and federal agencies to ensure justice is served and our communities are protected.

    If convicted, the defendants each face no less than 10 years and up to life in prison.

    U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, and Kim Bahney, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Area Office of the EPA Criminal Investigation Division, made the announcement today.

    The FBI Albuquerque Field Office and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency investigated this case with the assistance of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service, and the Navajo Nation Police Department. In addition, the following law enforcement agencies participated in the law enforcement operation: Torrance County Sheriff’s Office, Valencia County Sheriff’s Office, United States Border Patrol, Homeland Security Investigations, New Mexico Department of Justice, New Mexico State Police, and the FBI El Paso Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew McGinley is prosecuting the case.

    # # #

    25-43

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dartmouth — Statement from Chief Superintendent Dan Morrow, Criminal Operations Officer, Nova Scotia RCMP, in response to RCMP member charged with Assault

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Earlier today the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) charged one of our members, Cst. Reece Smith, with Assault in relation to an off-duty incident involving a woman known to him.

    This criminal charge is disconcerting, and undoubtedly alarming to those we serve. The RCMP takes all allegations of misconduct seriously; our employees are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that not only meets, but exceeds, the rightfully high expectations of Canadians.

    Cst. Smith, who’s been an RCMP member since February 2024, is currently on administrative duties. An internal code of conduct investigation has been initiated and is ongoing. Cst. Smith’s duty status will be continuously assessed throughout both the court and internal processes.

    Media release issued by SiRT:

    SiRT Charges RCMP Officer with Assault

    —————————————————————————————————————–

    The Director of the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) has reasonable and probable grounds to believe that an off-duty RCMP Officer committed a criminal offence in relation to an incident involving a female known to him.

    SiRT received the referral on December 22, 2024, from the Bridgewater Police Service regarding an incident that took place on December 20, 2024. SiRT began its investigation into the matter that day. As a result of the SiRT investigation, on January 31, 2025, Constable Reece Smith was charged with assault contrary to s. 266 of the Criminal Code.

    Constable Smith will appear before the Nova Scotia Provincial Court at 141 High Street, Bridgewater, NS, on February 19, 2025, at 9:30 a.m.

    As the matter is before the courts, and in consideration of the fair trial interests of the accused, SiRT will not provide further comment on the investigation.

    SiRT is responsible for investigating all matters that involve death, serious injury, sexual assault and intimate partner violence or other matters of public interest that may have arisen from the actions of any police officer in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

    Investigations are under the direction and control of an independent civilian director, who has the sole authority to determine if charges should be laid at the conclusion of an investigation.

    -30-

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed Career Criminal Convicted At Trial

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that a federal jury has found Ataire Carl Ray (30, Tampa) guilty of possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon. The jury further found that Ray is an Armed Career Criminal after having committed at least three prior serious violent or drug offenses. Ray faces a minimum sentence of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. 

    According to evidence presented at trial, on April 1, 2022, Ray got into an argument during which he waived around a 9mm firearm with an extended magazine, while making various threats. Officers from the Tampa Police Department were called to the scene and approached Ray, who ran and threw the loaded firearm into a neighboring property, where it was quickly recovered. Ray was apprehended about a block away from where he had thrown the firearm. At the time, Ray had multiple prior felony convicts and therefore is prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition under federal law.  

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael R. Kenneth. The forfeiture was handled by Assistant United States Attorney James A. Muench.

    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.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pinellas County Man Indicted for Attempting to Entice a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity

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

    Ocala, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging David Araujo (57, St. Petersburg) with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, Araujo faces a minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. Araujo is currently detained pending the resolution of the criminal case. 

    According to the indictment, between July 26 and 27, 2024, Araujo attempted to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce an individual whom he believed had not yet attained 18 years of age to engage in sexual activity.

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.          

    This case was investigated by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Chiefland Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

    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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –