NewzIntel.com

Category: Security Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Security: Eight defendants charged with narcotics offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that eight defendants were charged by indictment or criminal complaint for their roles in a narcotics conspiracy operating in the Rochester, NY, area, and other related offenses.

    Named in two separate indictments and charged with narcotics conspiracy are:

    •      Carlos Serrano, Jr.

    •       Sam Sierra, Jr.

    •       Carlos Melendez, Jr.

    •       Eban Sterina

    If convicted, the indicted defendants face a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum of life, and a fine of $10,000,000.

    In addition:

    • Juan Sosa is charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, and a maximum of life.
    • Jose Laviena and Giovanni Serrano are charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, which carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, and a maximum of life.
    • Dusty Phakousonh is charged by criminal complaint with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, and a maximum of 40 years.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas T. Cooper, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictments and complaints against the nine defendants, who are all from Rochester, investigators executed 20 search warrants on 14 residences and six vehicles, seizing: 

    • Approximately 2,678 grams of fentanyl
    • Approximately 692 grams of cocaine
    • Approximately 22 grams of crack cocaine
    • Approximately 31 pounds of marijuana
    • Approximately 168 grams of hash
    • Approximately 441 grams of K2 (synthetic cannabinoid)
    • Approximately 108 grams of suboxone
    • Six firearms
    • Drug paraphernalia
    • Approximately $100,000 in cash
    • Approximately $100,000 in jewelry

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

    The indictments and complaints are the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarentino, New York Field Division, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division, the U.S. Marshals Service, under the direction of Marshal Charles Salina, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan, the Rochester Police Department, under the direction of Chief David Smith. The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Todd Baxter, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Kevin Sucher, the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Wood, the Ontario County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff David Cirencione, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, under the direction of Acting Field Office Director Steven Kurzdorfer.

    The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.  

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former CEO Of Silver State Health Services And Real Estate Investor Indicted For Embezzling Over $2 Million Dollars In Federal Grant Money

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LAS VEGAS – The former Chief Executive Officer of Silver State Health Services, LLC, a not-for-profit federally qualified health center, made his court appearance today for allegedly embezzling over $2 million of federal grant money intended for the health care center to provide health care items, benefits, and services to indigent persons in Las Vegas.

    According to allegations contained in the superseding indictment, from June 2019 and continuing through April 2022, David Ryan Linden, 36, who served as the Chief Executive Officer of Silver State Health Services (SSHS), and Rich Kiran Saga, 53, a real estate investor who affiliated himself with SSHS, conspired to engage in a scheme to steal money belonging to SSHS, including federal grant money earmarked for employee salaries, by funneling grant money belonging to SSHS into bank accounts controlled by the defendants. They then used the stolen grant money to purchase commercial real estate properties.

    SSHS was a Nevada corporation operating as a Federally Qualified Community Health Center; and SSHS received federal grant money from the Health Resources and Services Administration, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

    A federal grand jury returned the 13-count superseding indictment on May 13, 2025, charging Linden and Saga each with one count of conspiracy to commit offense against the United States; six counts of federal program theft; one count of conspiracy to violate Sections 1956 and 1957; two counts of money laundering; two counts of money transactions in criminally derived property; and one count of false document.

    Saga was arrested on May 14, 2025, and arraigned on the charges on May 15, 2025.

    A jury trial is set to begin on December 2, 2025, before United States District Judge Jennifer Dorsey.

    If convicted, Linden and Saga each face the maximum statutory penalty of 121 months in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    United States Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada made the announcement.

    This case was a joint investigation by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorneys Steven Myhre and Justin Washburne are 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.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Fort Collins Man Charged with Bank Robbery

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Isaac Meraz, age 21, of Fort Collins, has been charged with one count of bank robbery with forced accompaniment.  

    According to the criminal complaint, at approximately 2:00 p.m. on May 27, 2025, Meraz entered the Ent Credit Union on Drake Road in Fort Collins and robbed the credit union.  Wearing a full rubber mask with attached fake hair, Meraz approached several employees and told them he was there to “audit” the bank.  Meraz then used what appeared to be a handgun to force three employees to accompany him to the bank’s vault.  Meraz pointed the apparent handgun at a one of the employees and, out of fear and intimidation, that employee provided Meraz with money out of the vault.  As he fled the credit union, Meraz dropped a portion of the money and the apparent firearm used in the commission of the robbery.  The firearm was later determined to be a realistic-looking BB gun.  Meraz was arrested shortly after the robbery outside of the credit union.

    On May 30, 2025, Meraz made his initial appearance in front of U.S. Magistrate Judge Cyrus Y. Chung. 

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

    The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations Denver Field Office and Fort Collins Police Services.  The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Brian Dunn.

    Case Number:  25-mj-00105-CYC

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Hammond Woman Sentenced to Two Years for Cares Act Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that TRACIE L. MIXON (“MIXON”), age 43, of Hammond, LA, was sentenced on May 27, 2025 to two (2) years in prison by U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan, after previously pleading guilty to making false statements related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). 

    On March 27, 2020, The CARES Act established several new temporary programs and provided for the expansion of others to address the COVID-19 pandemic.  Among these programs, the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) authorized forgivable loans backed by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to small businesses to retain workers and maintain payroll, make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments.  The PPP allows the interest and principal on the PPP loan to be forgiven if the business spends the loan proceeds on these expense items within a designated period of time after receiving the proceeds and uses at least a certain percentage of the PPP loan proceeds on payroll expenses.

    According to court documents, MIXON made false statements on an SBA form to an approved lender on or about February 23, 2021, to fraudulently obtain a PPP loan. MIXON affirmed that she had not been previously convicted of federal program financial assistance fraud when, in truth, she pled guilty, in the Eastern District of Virginia, to conspiracy to commit federal student loan fraud and mail fraud in a scheme that involved stolen identities.

    Additionally, MIXON was ordered to pay $31,000 in restitution to the lending institution and the SBA and faces three (3) years of supervised release and payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

    For more information on the Department of Justice’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.  Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the United States Secret Service in investigating this matter.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit was in charge of the prosecution.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: District Man Sentenced to 16 Years for Deadly Drive-by Shooting in Southeast Washington

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Martinez Raynor, 25, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced to 16 years in prison today for his part in a 2018 drive-by shooting of a man in front of a convenience store in Southeast Washington D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

                Raynor pleaded guilty to second degree murder while armed on October 4, 2024, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Today, the Honorable Maribeth Raffinan sentenced the defendant to 16 years in prison.

                According to court documents, on October 20, 2018, Raynor and two other men drove into the parking lot of Holiday Market and Liquor Store located at 3509 Wheeler Road SE at 1:56 p.m. Once there, they opened fire on a group of men standing in front of the store. In the hail of gunfire, the victim, Malik McCloud, was struck in the back by a bullet, and he fell to the ground paralyzed.  The defendant then fled on foot while the other two shooters drove off. Shortly after the initial shooting, the shooters returned to the area and opened fire on the group of men again, this time fatally striking Mr. McCloud in the chest as he laid helplessly on the ground.

                In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the work of those who provided valuable assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office including, Paralegal Specialists LaShone Samuels and Lisa Speight, and Victim Assistant Jennifer Allen. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zach Horton and Joshua Hall, who prosecuted the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Stolen Identity, Bank Fraud, and Armed Drug Distribution Net Defendant 60 Months in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

               WASHINGTON – Deangelo Lorenzo Lewis, 28, a previously convicted felon residing in the District of Columbia, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 60 months in prison after being found guilty of defrauding banks by doctoring and depositing stolen checks, distributing marijuana, and illegally possessing a firearm. 

               At the time of his arrest, Lewis was using a stolen identity to rent an apartment in the Kalorama neighborhood, paying for it with funds from a stolen checking account, and using the apartment to distribute marijuana and operate his fraud scheme, all while armed with a semi-automatic assault pistol modeled after an AK47.

               The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office, and Acting U.S. Marshal Ron Carter of the District Court for the District of Columbia.

               Lewis was found guilty by a federal jury on Feb. 28, 2025, of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, possession with intent to distribute marijuana, and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Loren L. AliKhan ordered Lewis to serve three years of supervised release.

               According to court documents, on October 3, 2023, Deputy United States Marshals and FBI agents executed an arrest warrant for Lewis at an apartment building on the 2400 block of 17th Street NW. Law enforcement breached the front door of the apartment with a battering ram and took Lewis into custody. During a security sweep the officers observed evidence of fraud in plain view. 

               The Marshals obtained a search warrant and recovered a Maryland driver’s license, three Visa debit cards, and numerous bank checks issued to persons other than Lewis. They also recovered stolen U.S. Postal Service uniforms in Lewis’ bedroom.                                    In addition, the Marshals recovered two laptop computers, three different types of printers, check paper, check writing software, 24 ounces of marijuana, small mylar bags, a digital scale, two loaded 9mm handgun magazines, and a Century Arms Micro Draco 7.62 x 39mm semi-automatic assault pistol loaded 25 rounds of ammunition. As a previously convicted felon, Lewis is prohibited from possessing firearms.

               The Marshals also obtained a search warrant for Lewis’ electronic devices and Instagram account. The United States’ trial evidence included photos and videos of Lewis holding firearms, including a Micro Draco assault pistol, pictures of stolen checks, pictures of marijuana advertised for sale, and numerous conversations related to marijuana distribution and bank fraud. According to the court documents, more than 10 individuals were victims of Lewis’s stolen check scheme, which involved the theft of checks worth more than $275,000. 

               Lewis has trials pending in D.C. Superior Court, the District Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland, and the United States District Court for the District of Maryland for similar conduct.

               This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service Task Force, the FBI Washington Field Office, and Arlington County Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James B. Nelson.

    24cr144    

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Blanchard Man Sentenced to Serve More Than Three Years in Federal Prison for Bank Fraud after Diverting Company Loan Proceeds to Pay for Construction of Personal Home

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OKLAHOMA CITY – JERRY WAYNE NOLES, 61, of Blanchard, Oklahoma, has been sentenced to serve 40 months in federal prison for conspiring to commit bank fraud, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    On September 9, 2024, Noles was charged by Amended Information with conspiracy to commit bank fraud. According to public record, in January 2015, Noles was the managing partner of Coil Chem LLC, a chemical manufacturing company based in Washington, Oklahoma. The Amended Information alleged that on January 27, 2015, Noles opened a $690,000 revolving line of credit through First National Bank (FNB) for the bank-authorized purpose of funding Coil Chem’s operating expenses. Noles later caused the advance of $250,000 from the company’s credit line into another account under Noles’ control, then directed a coconspirator to immediately withdraw and deposit the funds into the account of a local home builder to help pay for the construction of a new home for Noles. The Amended Information further alleged that Noles then sought and obtained a $1,200,000 home construction loan from FNB, despite the fact he had already paid a portion of the home’s construction costs with the money fraudulently obtained from Coil Chem’s credit line.  

    On September 10, 2024, Noles pleaded guilty to the Amended Information, and admitted he conspired to divert $250,000 from Coil Chem’s revolving line of credit to fund construction of his personal home in Blanchard, Oklahoma.

    At the sentencing hearing on May 28, 2025, U.S. District Judge Jodi W. Dishman sentenced Noles to serve 40 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered Noles to pay $50,498.62 in restitution. In announcing her sentence, Judge Dishman noted the need to prevent others from committing similar crimes. Judge Dishman also noted the nature, circumstances, and seriousness of the offense, including that Noles was motivated by greed and deception and personally benefitted from the fraud.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia E. Barry prosecuted the case. 

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Fort Belvoir soldier pleads guilty to assaulting and permanently injuring a newborn child, sexually abusing an adult

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A former U.S. Army private pled guilty today to two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and one count of sexual abuse.

    According to court documents, from October 2010 to September 2013, Austin Blair Johnson, while he was an active duty soldier, resided on Fort Belvoir. On June 25, 2012, Johnson was watching an infant, identified as Minor Victim 1 (MV1), who was born prematurely only 16 days earlier. MV1 was crying, so Johnson picked her up and carried her, but she continued to cry. While holding MV1 in front of him with one hand under each of her arms, Johnson rapidly and forcefully shook MV1 multiple times before letting go of her, causing her to flip and land on her head.

    Johnson then picked up MV1 and ran with her upstairs to a bedroom where he woke MV1’s mother, identified as Adult Victim 1 (AV1). Johnson falsely told AV1 that he had accidentally dropped MV1 and that he had successfully broken her fall with his foot. AV1 and Johnson took MV1 to the Fort Belvoir Community Hospital emergency room where she presented with a fever, bruising on her head and shoulder, and blood coming out of her mouth. A CT scan conducted there revealed that MV1’s skull had been fractured. MV1 was transferred later to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Walter Reed Medical Center. MV1 was diagnosed with extensive injuries and remained hospitalized at Walter Reed for the next 10 days.

    The day she was discharged, MV1 was left in Johnson’s care while AV1 was out. Johnson again rapidly and forcefully shook MV1 and dropped her. MV1 was 26 days old. The following morning, AV1 took MV1 to a previously scheduled follow-up appointment with a pediatrician at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital. At the appointment, MV1 began having seizures and was sent directly to the emergency room. MV1 was transferred later to the PICU at Children’s National Medical Center, where doctors discovered myriad injuries, including a second skull fracture, and identified extensive brain damage.

    When she was finally discharged on July 20, 2012, MV1 was placed in the custody of Child Protective Services, where she remained for approximately 14 months until she was returned to the custody of Johnson and AV1. On June 22, 2015, MV1 was forced to undergo a hemispherectomy during which the entire left hemisphere of her brain was removed in an effort to control her irrepressible seizures.

    MV1 is now legally blind, non-verbal, and the entire right side of her body is paralyzed. Cognitively, MV1 functions at the level of a mature infant.

    In addition to his assaults on MV1, in 2013, at their residence on Fort Belvoir, after AV1 had rebuffed Johnson’s requests to be intimate with her, Johnson proceeded without her consent. AV1 protested and tried to hit Johnson to get him to stop, which he did.

    Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 22, 2025. He faces up to life in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Emily Odom, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, made the announcement after Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton accepted the plea.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander E. Blanchard is prosecuting 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. 1:24-cr-151.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Murder in Broad Daylight Outside a Northeast Gas Station Leads to Guilty Plea

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

               WASHINGTON – Damon McQuarters, 45, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to a charge of second-degree murder for the 2024 shooting murder of Michael Simpson, on the sidewalk in front of the Citgo gas station at 3820 Minnesota Ave. NE, Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

               The defendant pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in Superior Court. The Honorable Danya Dayson scheduled sentencing on August 22, 2025. At sentencing, he faces between 21 and 25 years of incarceration, followed by five years of supervised release. 

               According to a proffer of facts submitted at the plea hearing, at approximately 5:35 p.m., on August 24, 2024, McQuarters approached Mr. Simpson, who was sitting in a tree box in front of the Citgo gas station socializing with friends. McQuarters retrieved a handgun from his pocket and shot Mr. Simpson a single time in the head. The defendant placed the handgun back into his pocket and walked away.  Mr. Simpson was transported from the scene of the shooting to an area hospital where he died the following day.

    McQuarters has been in custody since his arrest on September 26, 2024.

               This case was investigated by Metropolitan Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrea Coronado.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexico City-Based Attorney Pleads Guilty in $52 Million Dollar Sinaloa Cartel Money Laundering Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Hector Alejandro Paez Garcia, a Mexico City-based attorney, has pleaded guilty in federal court, admitting that he and others conspired to transport, transmit, and transfer tens of millions of dollars in drug trafficking proceeds from the United States to Mexico.

    Paez’s plea is part of a long-term FBI investigation targeting a Mexico-based money laundering organization (MLO) that is believed to have laundered at least $52.7 million for the Sinaloa Cartel before the organization’s leaders were arrested.

    According to court documents, the MLO utilized a network of shell companies in San Diego to launder tens of millions of dollars in bulk cash from across the country generated through the Sinaloa Cartel’s drug importation and distribution operations. MLO employees travelled to dozens of U.S. cities to pick up this bulk cash in amounts up to $200,000. The money was then funneled through the San Diego-based shell companies and delivered to money laundering accounts in Mexico controlled by Paez, who in his plea agreement admitted serving a managerial role in the MLO’s operations.

    During the investigation, FBI agents seized 66 money laundering bank accounts throughout the United States. As the FBI began to target and seize the MLO’s assets, Paez turned to the use of cryptocurrency in an attempt to shield those assets from law enforcement. But the FBI was able to infiltrate and take down the MLO’s cryptocurrency laundering network.

    To date, the investigation has resulted in the arrests of 11 people on money laundering charges and the seizure of more than $3.1 million in illicit assets. A related DEA investigation led to 24 additional arrests and asset seizures totaling $450,000.

    In March 2025, six individuals and seven entities, including several of Paez’s co-conspirators, were the target of sanctions imposed by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Treasury Sanctions Criminal Operators and Money Launderers for the Notorious Sinaloa Cartel | U.S. Department of the Treasury.

    Paez is scheduled to be sentenced on August 15, 2025.

    To date, in addition to Paez, additional participants in the scheme have been charged, including the following:

    • Miguel Angel Encinas Gomez of Mexicali, México, leader of a Mexicali-based cell of MLO. Encinas pleaded guilty to laundering $35 million in bulk cash narcotics proceeds in July 2023.
    • Hugo Andres Velasquez Pantza, a Colombian national who allegedly assisted the MLO in the implementation of cryptocurrency into their operations. Velasquez was subsequently targeted in an undercover FBI operation and arrested in Rome, Italy in January 2025. Velasquez was extradited to the United States in April 2025 and awaits trial.
    • James Harmon Yarbrough of Apopka, Florida, who worked in partnership with Cevallos to receive $326,000 in illicit proceeds in a scheme to converting the funds to cryptocurrency. Yarbrough pleaded guilty in July 2023.
    • Victoria Johanna Lopez, Jose Jesus Lopez, Jose Mayorga Martinez, and Gerardo Vasquez Jr. who allegedly worked as bulk cash couriers who handled and deposited bulk cash for the MLO. Victoria Lopez, Jose Lopez, Mayorga have pleaded guilty. Vazquez’s case is set for trial in September 2024.
    • Jhonatan Suarez Florez of Auburndale, Florida, who used accounts associated with his Florida-based construction and door manufacturing businesses to receive and transmit funds belonging to the criminal organization. Suarez Florez pleaded guilty in December 2024.
    • Alberto David Benguait Jimenez, an alleged leader of the MLO, remains a fugitive at this time. If anyone has information related to this individual, please contact the FBI at 858-320-1800.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Benjamin and Robert Miller. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Owen Roth contributed significantly to the case. The FBI worked in close partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Imperial County District Office, as well as Panamanian authorities, to seize the MLO’s assets and arrest multiple participants in the scheme.

    The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Italy to secure the arrest and extradition of Velasquez Pantza.

    DEFENDANT                                               Case Number 23cr0446                                               

    Hector Alejandro Paez Garcia                        Age: 43                                   Mexico City, Mexico

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    International Money Laundering Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 1956(h), and 1956(a)(2)(B)(i)

    Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison and $500,000 fine

    INVESTIGATING AGENCY

    Federal Bureau of Investigation

    *The charges and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    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. [use if applicable] Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    This case is the result of ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise and unique abilities of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, dismantle and prosecute high-level members of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations and enterprises.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Sentenced to 5 Years of Probation for Cares Act Fraud, Money Laundering and False Tax Filing

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced that CLIFTON C. JAMES (“JAMES”), age 50, of New Orleans, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jane Triche-Milazzo to 5 years of probation for making false statements, theft of government funds, and money laundering related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), as well as making a false tax filing with the Internal Revenue Service.

    On March 27, 2020, the President of the United States signed into law the CARES Act, which provided emergency assistance, administered by the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), to small business owners affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.  The two primary sources of funding for small businesses were the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) program.

    According to the charging documents, or about April 30, 2020, JAMES, on behalf of a business that he owned, made false statements to an approved lender to obtain a $86,800 PPP loan.  On or about July 13, 2020, JAMES stole $149,900 from the SBA by using a false application in the name of Crescent City Tax Services, LLC.  JAMES then committed money laundering by using these ill-gotten funds to buy an automobile from a dealership in California.  Lastly, JAMES  filed a false document with the Internal Revenue Service wherein he claimed to have earned $1.00 in a 2019 tax return.

    In addition to probation, JAMES was ordered to perform 50 hours of community service and to pay restitution in the amount of $551,973.00 to the SBA along with restitution to the IRS in the total amount of $233,645.65.  There is also a mandatory $400 special assessment fee.

    For more information on the Department of Justice’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.  Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

    This case was investigated by an agent assigned to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Fraud Task Force.  The PRAC was established to serve the American public by promoting transparency and facilitating coordinated oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response.  The PRAC’s 21 member Inspectors General identify major risks that cross program and agency boundaries to detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in the more than $5 trillion in COVID-19 spending.  The PRAC Fraud Task Force brings together agents from 15 Inspectors General to investigate fraud involving a variety of programs, including the Paycheck Protection Program.  Task force agents who are detailed to the PRAC receive expanded authority to investigate pandemic fraud as well as tools and training to support their investigations.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs – Office of Inspector General (a member of the PRAC) and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation in investigating this matter.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward J. Rivera of the Financial Crimes Unit was in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: District of Arizona Charges 257 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from May 24, 2025, through May 30, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 257 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 125 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 124 aliens for illegally entering the United States.  In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 7 cases against 8 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona.

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

    Recent matters of interest include:

    United States v. Hugo Antonio Martinez-Lopez: On May 24, 2025, an Integrated Fixed Tower operator observed an individual come out of the brush and enter a truck, driven by Hugo Antonio Martinez-Lopez, on Federal Route 19 near mile marker 1 in Newfield, Arizona, on the Tohono O’odham Nation. BPAs located the truck and attempted a stop, but Martinez-Lopez failed to yield. While BPAs were pursuing the truck, Martinez-Lopez abruptly stopped on the right shoulder of the road and an individual exited the passenger’s side of the vehicle and ran into the brush. Martinez-Lopez then fled at a high rate of speed. After a foot chase, BPAs apprehended the individual who had run into the bush and determined that they were a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Other BPAs continued to pursue Martinez-Lopez and successfully deployed a vehicle immobilization device (VID), which punctured one of the truck’s tires. The truck then came to a stop and Martinez-Lopez fled from the vehicle. BPAs also apprehended Martinez-Lopez after a short foot pursuit. Martinez-Lopez was charged by complaint with Transportation of an Illegal Alien. [Case Number: MJ-25-2029]

    United States v. Jesus Fernando Jimenez Rodriguez: On May 28, 2025, Mesa Police Department executed a search warrant on a residence in Mesa, Arizona. Jesus Fernando Jimenez Rodriguez, a citizen of Mexico, was one of the occupants of the residence. Inside the residence, readily visible in the living room and stacked against the wall, law enforcement found 10,000 rounds of PMC 5.56 ammunition and 25,000 rounds of Wolf .223 ammunition. Jimenez Rodriguez was charged by complaint with one count of Alien in Possession of Ammunition and Illegal Re-entry. [Case Number: MJ-25-9221]

    United States v. Nicholas Anthony Lawrence: On May 28, 2025, Nicholas Anthony Lawrence, a citizen of Jamaica and illegal alien, was charged by indictment with Aggravated Identity Theft, Fraud and Misuse of Visas, Permits, and Other Documents, Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, and Reentry of Removed Alien. Lawrence was previously convicted on or about December 4, 2017, of Attempt to Commit Molestation of Child, and Attempt to Commit Sexual Conduct with Minor, both felony offenses, in the Superior Court of Arizona, County of Maricopa. Lawrence was sentenced to seven years in prison, and lifetime probation, respectively. Lawrence was previously removed from the United States in November 2022. [Case Number: CR-25-00817-PHX-GMS]

    Criminal complaints and indictments are methods by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raise no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    These cases are 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).                                                                                               

    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-087_May 30 Immigration Enforcement

    # # #

    For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
    Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Major drug redistributor for ring connected to Aryan prison gang sentenced to 10+ years in prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Bought and sold multiple pound quantities of methamphetamine and tens of thousands of fentanyl pills

    Tacoma – A major redistributor for a South Sound-based drug trafficking ring that was connected to Aryan prison gangs was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 126 months in prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. 46-year-old Joseph Hempel, of Burien, Washington, was a high-volume drug redistributor for Jesse James Bailey, the leader of one of three branches the drug distribution organization. On March 29, 2024, Hempel pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and being a felon in possession of a firearm. At sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo said, “The quantities you were involved in distributing were unimaginable…. It’s pretty amazing the amount of drugs we’re talking about.”

    “At various times on the wiretap law enforcement heard Mr. Hempel order as much as 25 pounds of methamphetamine and 20,000 fentanyl pills,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “Distributing such large loads of narcotics meant that both the reach and the damage from Mr. Hempel’s drug activity was widespread in our community.”

    The three interconnected drug trafficking rings in this case were identified over an 18-month wiretap investigation. The three distribution cells were working together as the Aryan Family/Omerta Drug Trafficking Organization, one of which was led by Hempel’s co-defendant Jesse Bailey. Bailey has pleaded guilty and is scheduled for sentencing on June 13.

    On March 22, 2023, Law enforcement made two dozen arrests on federal charges. The coordinated takedown involved ten swat teams and more than 350 law enforcement officers. On that day, law enforcement seized 177 firearms, more than ten kilos of methamphetamine, 11 kilos of fentanyl pills and more than a kilo of fentanyl powder, three kilos of heroin, and over $330,000 in cash from eighteen locations in Washington and Arizona. Earlier in the investigation, law enforcement seized 830,000 fentanyl pills, 5.5 pounds of fentanyl powder, 223 pounds of methamphetamine, 3.5 pounds of heroin, 5 pounds of cocaine, $388,000 in cash, and 48 firearms.

    At the time of the takedown, Hempel’s residence contained 1,003 fentanyl pills 1.6 kilograms of heroin, three kilograms of marijuana, 11 drug scales, a drug ledger, and $14,799 of drug proceeds. Near the drugs, law enforcement found body armor, ammunition, and the following firearms: a 12-gauge Iver Johnson shotgun with an obliterated serial number, a Harrington Richardson Model 088 Rifle, a Halsan Escort Shotgun, and a Marlin Firearms Glenfield 60 Rifle. Hempel has prior convictions for car theft and possession of stolen property that make him ineligible to possess firearms.

    In asking the court for the 126-month prison term prosecutors noted the impact such drug trafficking has on the community and community safety. “Hempel ordered and distributed large quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin, for the purpose of redistributing it throughout the community. These drugs have a devastating impact. Users of these drugs frequently resort to stealing—from family members, friends, and complete strangers—to feed their addictions. No doubt, drug users are responsible for a large percentage of these crimes, as well as the violent crimes, in our communities,” prosecutors wrote to the court.

    This case 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 investigation was led by the FBI with critical investigative teamwork from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Washington State Department of Corrections and significant local assistance from the Tacoma Police Department, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force, led by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. Throughout this investigation the following agencies assisted the primary investigators: Washington State Patrol, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine, Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, Lakewood Police Department, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Zach Dillon, Max Shiner, and Jehiel Baer.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three Admit to Roles in Drug Trafficking Organization

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

    MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Three people have admitted to working in a large-scale drug operation in Berkeley and Jefferson Counties.  

    Juan Carlos Suarez-Lugo, age 55, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, and Alexis Alvarado, age 38, of Ranson, West Virginia, each pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. Mauricio Antonio Alvarado-Flores, age 38, a citizen of El Salvador, pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine and illegal reentry.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Suarez-Lugo, Alvarado, and Alvarado-Flores were working together and with others to sell drugs for the drug trafficking organization.

    Suarez-Lugo, Alvarado, and Alvarado-Flores each face at least five years and up to 40 years in federal prison for the drug charge. Alvarado-Flores faces up to two years in prison for the illegal reentry charge. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Omps-Botteicher is prosecuting the cases on behalf of the government.

    The Eastern Panhandle Drug Task Force was the lead investigative unit. Other investigative agencies that assisted include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, including the Pittsburgh, San Francisco, San Juan, and Philadelphia Field Offices; United States Marshals Service; Homeland Security Investigations; United States Postal Service; Drug Enforcement Administration, the Louisville and Chicago Divisions; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; West Virginia State Police; Martinsburg Police Department; Ranson Police Department; Charles Town Police Department; Berkeley County Sheriff’s Office; Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office; West Virginia Air National Guard; Mineral County Sheriff’s Office; Grant County Sheriff’s Office; Hampshire County Sheriff’s Department; Keyser Police Department; Northwest Regional Drug Task Force, Virginia; Pennsylvania State Police; Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Pennsylvania; Winchester Police Department, Virginia; Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, Virginia; Virginia State Police; Sunnyvale Police Department, California. 

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.

    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).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pennsylvania Man Sentenced to Prison for Fraudulent Refund Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – Louis Perpignan, 33, of  Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on May 27, 2025, by United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 42 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Perpignan was also ordered to pay more than $2.6 million in restitution. Perpignan previously pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud.

    Between May 2016 and May 2021, Perpignan operated an online refund scheme called the “Members Only Refund Service,” through which he charged individuals a fee to “return” purchased items, ranging from televisions to handbags, from a variety of retailers across the country. To accomplish the scheme, Perpignan would pose as the customer and use various methods to trick the retailer into issuing a refund without returning the product. For example, Perpignan would convince the retailer that the item either never arrived or had already been returned. The customer would then be refunded the full purchase price but keep the item. Perpignan, in turn, received a fee of up to 25% of the item’s purchase price from the customer.

    Perpignan admitted to defrauding at least 31 retailers out of more than $2.6 million through the scheme. With his portion of the funds, Perpignan supported his extravagant lifestyle and purchased at least eight vehicles, including a $176,000 Lamborghini Huracan.

    This case was investigated by the Darknet Marketplace and Digital Currency Task Force, with specific contribution from the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01398-DJH
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-085_Perpignan

    # # #

    For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
    Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Foreign Nationals Indicted for Directing Interstate Stalking and Harassment Scheme and Conspiring to Procure Sensitive U.S. Military Technology

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Bilal Essayli, United States Attorney for the Central District of California announced that federal grand juries in Milwaukee, WI and Los Angeles, CA each returned indictments charging two foreign nationals, Cui Guanghai, 43, of China, and John Miller, 63, of the United Kingdom and a U.S. lawful permanent resident, with interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit interstate stalking (Los Angeles) and conspiracy, smuggling, and violations of the Arms Export Control Act (Milwaukee).

    “As alleged, the defendants targeted a U.S. resident for exercising his constitutional right to free speech and conspired to traffic sensitive American military technology to the Chinese regime,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This is a blatant assault on both our national security and our democratic values. This Justice Department will not tolerate foreign repression on U.S. soil, nor will we allow hostile nations to infiltrate or exploit our defense systems. We will act decisively to expose and dismantle these threats wherever they emerge.”

    “The defendants allegedly plotted to harass and interfere with an individual who criticized the actions of the People’s Republic of China while exercising their constitutionally protected free speech rights within the United States of America,” said FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. “The same individuals also are charged with trying to obtain and export sensitive U.S. military technology to China. I want to commend the good work of the FBI and our partners in the U.S and overseas in putting a stop to these illegal activities.”

    Allegations in the Eastern District of Wisconsin

    According to court documents, beginning in November 2023, Miller and Cui solicited the procurement of U.S. defense articles, including missiles, air defense radar, drones, and cryptographic devices with associated crypto ignition keys for unlawful export from the United States to the People’s Republic of China from two individuals (Individual 5 and Individual 6).   

    In connection with the scheme, Cui and Miller discussed with Individuals 5 and 6 ways to export a cryptographic device from the United States to the People’s Republic of China, including concealing the device in a blender, small electronics, or motor starter, and shipping the device first to Hong Kong. Cui and Miller paid approximately $10,000 as a deposit for the cryptographic device via a courier in the United States and a wire transfer to a U.S. bank account.

    Allegations in the Central District of California

    According to court documents, beginning in October 2023, Cui and Miller enlisted two individuals (Individual 1 and Individual 2) inside the United States to carry out a plot to prevent the Victim from protesting President Xi’s appearance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November 2023. The Victim had previously made public statements in opposition to the policies and actions of the PRC government and President Xi.

    “The indictment alleges that Chinese foreign actors targeted a victim in our nation because he criticized the Chinese government and its president,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “My office will continue to use all legal methods available to hold accountable foreign nationals engaging in criminal activity on our soil.”

    Unbeknownst to Cui and Miller, Individual 1 and Individual 2 were affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI.

    In the weeks leading up to the APEC summit, Cui and Miller directed and coordinated an interstate scheme to surveil the Victim, to install a tracking device on the Victim’s car, to slash the tires on the Victim’s car, and to purchase and destroy a pair of artistic statues created by the Victim depicting President Xi and President Xi’s wife.

    A similar scheme took place in the spring of 2025, after the Victim announced that he planned to make public an online video feed depicting two new artistic statues of President Xi and his wife. In connection with these plots, Cui and Miller paid two other individuals (Individual 3 and Individual 4), approximately $36,500 to convince the Victim to desist from the online display of the statues. Unbeknownst to Cui and Miller, Individual 3 and Individual 4 were also affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI.

    If convicted, Cui and Miller face the following maximum penalties: five years for conspiracy; five years for interstate stalking; twenty years for violation of the Arms Export Control Act; ten years for smuggling.

    The FBI is investigating the case.  The United States is coordinating with Serbian authorities regarding the pending extraditions of Cui and Miller in Serbia.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Taibleson for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and David Ryan and Amanda B. Elbogen for the Central District of California, along with Trial Attorneys Leslie Esbrook and Menno Goedman of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the cases, with valuable assistance provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

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

    # # #

    For Additional Information Contact:

    Public Information Officer

    Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

    414-297-1700

    Follow us on Twitter

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Collin County physician agrees to pay $3.5 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations of billing false claims to the COVID-19 Uninsured Program for evaluation & management services not rendered

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PLANO, Texas – A Frisco physician has agreed to pay $3.5 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

    Samad Khan, M.D. has agreed to pay the United States $3.5 million to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting or causing the submission of false claims to the Health Resources & Services Administration COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and Facilities for Testing, Treatment, and Vaccine Administration for the Uninsured Program (the “Uninsured Program”) for evaluation and management services that were not performed.

    Between approximately May 2020 and April 2022, the Uninsured Program reimbursed eligible providers for COVID-19 tests, testing-related items and services, treatment, and vaccines performed on uninsured individuals.  Khan is a physician who owns SK Primary Care, PLLC (“SK Primary Care”), a medical clinic in Frisco.  During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (“PHE”), SK Primary Care provided healthcare services, including specimen collection for COVID-19 tests.  The settlement announced today resolves allegations that from April 2020 through October 2021, Khan knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to the Uninsured Program by billing evaluation and management services (E/M Services) that were not performed.

    As alleged by the United States, claims for E/M Services, sometimes referred to as “office visits,” are submitted under Current Procedural Terminology (“CPT”) Codes, and vary in level of complexity. Higher level codes reflect increased complexity, such as a higher level of decision-making, more detailed history, or longer duration of time.  E/M Services levels 2 through 5 (e.g. CPT Codes 99202 through 99205, and 99212 through 99215) (“Higher Level E/M Services”) can only be performed by physicians or other qualified health care professionals (“QHPs”).  These professionals are distinct from clinical staff, such as medical assistants. A level 1 E/M Service, under CPT Code 99211, may not require the presence of a physician or other QHP. During the PHE, CMS approved the use of CPT Code 99211 for COVID-19 test specimen collection. Physicians and non-physician practitioners, such as nurse practitioners (NPs) were required to use CPT Code 99211 to bill for COVID-19 specimen collection billed by clinical staff incident to their services.

    The United States contends that during the PHE, SK Primary Care provided services at dozens of COVID-19 testing sites in Texas, operated by SK Primary Care and its management company, the majority of which were walk up or drive through testing sites (the “COVID test sites”).   Patients could register to receive a test at the COVID test sites by registering online through a website called “GoGetTested.Com.” The United States alleges that the COVID test sites were staffed with medical assistants who performed specimen collection services through nasal swabs on patients for COVID-19 tests. Khan knew that the appropriate CPT Codes for the services provided at the COVID test sites were specimen collection codes, including CPT Code 99211, but instead submitted claims under CPT Codes for Higher Level E/M Services. The United States contends that patients who went to the COVID test sites were never seen by Khan or any other QHP, and at no time was Khan or any other QHP providing any E/M Services to patients at the COVID test sites either in person or by audiovisual means.  From April 2020 through October 2021, for the services provided at the COVID test sites, Khan submitted or caused the submission of approximately 400,000 claims by SK Primary Care to the Uninsured Program for Higher Level E/M Services, the majority of which were level 2 and 3 E/M services.  Khan is the only rendering provider listed on SK Primary Care’s claims.

    The United States further alleges that Khan, in conjunction with and at the direction of SK Primary Care’s management company, coded the COVID specimen collection services as Higher Level E/M Services.  Reimbursements for E/M Services were substantially higher than reimbursements for specimen collection.  Moreover, in conjunction with and at the direction of SK Primary Care’s management company, SK Primary Care and Khan often submitted two claims for E/M Services for COVID-19 test specimen collection—the first “encounter” for the test, and a second “encounter” for providing results. The second “encounter” of providing results was not Khan providing E/M Services. Instead, an employee or contractor of SK Primary Care or SK Primary Care’s management company, such as nurse practitioners (NPs) and medical assistants, would provide tests results via telephone based on a courtesy call script.  NPs were not providing medical services, did not have any audiovisual connection to patients, and in many instances never even spoke to the patients to provide results, which were emailed or sent by text message.  As a result of these false claims for payment for E/M Services that were not performed, Khan received payments from the Uninsured Program to which he was not entitled.

    “The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic required both beneficiaries and the government to place their trust in front-line healthcare providers, even more than usual,” said Jay R. Combs, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. “Unfortunately, some of those providers abused that trust and instead took advantage of the crisis to artificially inflate profits. It is these individuals that the Eastern District of Texas will hold accountable for their greed.”

    “When health care professionals receive payments for false claims they submit to federal health care programs, they erode public trust and divert taxpayer-funded resources away from those who truly need them,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).  “This settlement demonstrates our steadfast commitment to safeguarding taxpayer funds and working with our law enforcement partners to use all tools in our arsenal to hold accountable those who steal from the American public.”

    The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas with assistance from HHS-OIG.  This matter was handled by Civil Division Fraud Section Trial Attorney Elizabeth J. Kappakas and by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Gillingham and Kevin McClendon.

    The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: OVW Fiscal Year 2025 Campus Program Pre-Application Information Session

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    OVW conducted a pre-application information session for its Fiscal Year 2025 Grants to Reduce Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking on Campus program. During the presentation, OVW staff reviewed this NOFO’s requirements and discussed the program.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle to participate in Portland Rose Festival

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 05/30/2025 05:15 PM EDT

    News Release  

    U.S. Coast Guard 13th District PA Detachment Astoria
    Contact: Coast Guard PA Detachment Astoria
    Office: (503) 861-6380
    After Hours: (206) 220-7237
    PA Detachment Astoria online newsroom

     

    05/30/2025 04:46 PM EDT

    U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle (WIX 327) will participate in Rose Festival and Fleet Week festivities, June 5-8.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Suburban Chicago Businessman Charged with Swindling Investors Out of $3.6 Million

    Source: US FBI

    CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago businessman has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly swindling investors in his purported refining business out of at least $3.6 million.

    An indictment returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges AWAD ODEH, 41, of Palos Hills, Ill., with four counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.  Arraignment in federal court has not yet been scheduled.

    According to the indictment, Odeh operated North American Refinery (NAR) in Bridgeview, Ill.  The company was purportedly in the business of precious metals refining.  From 2017 to 2020, Odeh fraudulently obtained funds from multiple investors by falsely representing that they would receive guaranteed annualized returns on their investments of ten to 50%.  Odeh also falsely told victims that in the event NAR defaulted in making payments to investors, he would personally repay the full amount of their investments and their returns, the indictment states.  In support of his fraudulent representations, Odeh allegedly provided investors with false documents that made it appear NAR was financially sound and able to meet its financial commitments.

    In reality, the indictment states that investor funds were not used for NAR’s purported precious metals business.  Odeh instead fraudulently used the funds for personal use and other non-NAR-related purposes, including funding an unrelated car company that Odeh owned and operated in Burr Ridge, Ill., the indictment states.

    The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago, and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Prashant Kolluri.

    The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Member of Pagan’s Motorcycle Club Pleads Guilty for Involvement in Theft of Firearm from Rival Club Member

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former member of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays for his involvement in the armed theft of a firearm from a member of a rival motorcycle club.

    Michael R. Browell, also known as “Dirtbag,” 35, of Savannah, Mo., pleaded guilty today to one count of aiding and abetting in the possession of a stolen firearm.

    On April 25, 2023, a member of the Border Saints Motorcycle Gang was chased down and confronted by Pagan’s Saint Joseph Chapter President Jeremiah Z. Hahn, a/k/a “Pass Out,” and former Pagan’s St. Joseph Chapter Sergeant at Arms Michael Browell, in Saint Joseph, Mo.  The Border Saints member (“victim”) had previously been requested by Hahn and other Pagan’s members to set up a meeting with the Outlaws Motorcycle Gang over their possible presence in the Saint Joseph area. The Border Saints were a support club for the Outlaws and the victim was deemed responsible by the Pagan’s for arranging the meeting.  After the victim said that he had failed to do so, Hahn and Browell told the victim to remove his Outlaws support shirt.  The victim refused.  Browell then got an axe handle from his motorcycle and threatened the victim with it. As the victim was giving up his support shirt, Hahn took the victim’s firearm from him.  The firearm was a Smith & Wesson, model M&P Shield, .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun. Thereafter, Hahn and Browell left with the firearm and support shirt.  Hahn was later found in possession of the firearm when arrested by the Missouri State Highway Patrol on May 3, 2023.

    On May 20, 2025, Hahn pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of the firearm, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and one count of attempting to commit assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering.

    Under federal statutes, Browell is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley K. Kavanaugh and Robert Smith. It was investigated by the FBI, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

    Project Safe Neighborhoods

    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.

    Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force

    This case 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: Four Defendants Plead Guilty to Two Murders and a Third Non-Fatal, Drive-By Shooting in Southeast, Washington D.C.

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Each of the Defendants, who are members of a Henson Ridge Crew called “Get Back Gang” and/or “the Z,” also pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Murder or Armed Crime of Violence

               WASHINGTON – Derrico Johnson, 21, Ronald Henderson, 19, Daveon Robinson, 18, and Demarco Robinson, 22, each pleaded guilty today in connection with three different day-time shootings that occurred in Southeast Washington, D.C. between April 2022 and January 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

               Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan scheduled sentencing for September 12, 2025. Each of the four defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder or armed crime of violence, after admitting to their membership in a Henson Ridge based crew referred to by many names, including “Get Back Gang” and “the Z.” This crew is part of a broader group driving violence in Washington, D.C. over the past several years, known as “Fox 5 Gang.”

               Additionally, Derrico Johnson pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed for the killing of Clayton Marshal and assault with a dangerous weapon for the shooting of a second person, in connection with a drive-by shooting at Shipley Market at approximately 12:20 p.m. on April 12, 2022. Neither Clayton Marshall nor the second victim appear to have been the intended target.

               Derrico Johnson and Ronald Henderson also both pleaded guilty to second degree murder while armed for the May 26, 2022, killing of 16-year-old Justin Johnson, also known as “23 Rackz.” This shooting occurred at approximately 11:20 a.m. on May 26, 2022, in the Savannah Circle located in the 2200 block of Savannah Terrace SE.

               Finally, Ronald Henderson and Daveon Robinson both pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with a third, non-fatal, drive-by shooting at Alabama Convenience Store, which injured two bystanders and occurred at approximately 4:48 p.m. on January 2, 2023.

               These pleas, which are contingent upon the Court’s approval at sentencing, call for an agreed-upon sentence between 19.5 and 23 years for Derrico Johnson; an agreed-upon sentence between 18 and 23 years for Ronald Henderson; and an agreed-upon sentence between six and 10 years for Daveon Robinson, while Demarco Robinson will be sentenced to a concurrent sentence in relation to a federal firearms case he was previously sentenced for in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Case Number 23-cr-250.

               This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Sellinger.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Title Company Owner Pleads Guilty To Wire Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Jonathan Yasko (46, Winter Springs) has pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Yasko faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

    According to the court documents, Yasko owned or controlled various title companies that conducted real estate settlement services and issued title insurance policies on behalf of title insurance underwriters. Each of Yasko’s title companies was required to deposit the funds it received from the lenders, buyers, and homeowners into an escrow account to segregate these monies from its own funds. The title companies were also legally required to disburse the lender’s funds in the manner specified in the instructions sent by the financial institutions. Yasko’s title companies also had a fiduciary duty to the financial institutions and were required to act in the best interests of the party providing the funds, rather than using these funds for its own self-interest.

    From January 2021 through August 2023, Yasko engaged in a scheme to defraud financial institutions using interstate wires. As part of his scheme, Yasko promised to keep the financial institution’s funds segregated in escrow accounts prior to closing in according with Florida law. He also promised to disburse the financial institution’s funds that were sent via interstate wire transfers in accordance with the financial institution’s closing instructions. Yasko initiated fraudulent interstate wire transfers of the lender funds from the segregated escrow accounts to other escrow accounts that had insufficient funds to conduct separate closings and initiated fraudulent interstate wire transfers of lender funds from the segregated escrow accounts to Yasko’s title company operating accounts for illicit purposes such as paying off personal credit cards, home renovation expenses, and payments to personal credit cards. Yasko embezzled the mortgage lenders funds, which prevented the real estate settlement from taking place. As a result, the title insurance underwriter paid out settlements to the victim financial institutions. Several of the botched real estate closings involved mortgage loans purchased or owned by Freddie Mac.

    In exchange for his role in the scheme, Yasko also received ill-gotten title insurance premiums. Yasko has agreed to forfeit $201,004.57, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspection General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Franklin County Couple Admit Recording Sexual Abuse of Toddler

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ST. LOUIS – A couple from Franklin County, Missouri have admitted producing pictures and videos containing child sexual abuse material, including the sexual abuse of a one-year-old.

    William Burns, 41, pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography, three counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. His wife, 34-year-old Rachel Burns, pleaded guilty on May 22 to the conspiracy count and two counts of production of child pornography.

    On July 30, 2023, William and Rachel Burns were arrested by the University City Police Department with two small children in their car. They were charged in St. Louis County Circuit Court with attempted enticement of a child. Rachel Burns told investigators that her husband had child sexual abuse material on multiple electronic devices, leading to a court-approved search by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies found electronic devices, as well as whips, numerous sexual devices and a 3-foot-7-inch tall silicone sex doll made to resemble a prepubescent female, their plea agreements say.

    Investigators found 13,954 image and video files depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on a computer and digital storage devices. William Burns used a WhatsApp social media account to exchange CSAM with other WhatsApp users. Investigators then found a 2022 video showing the couple sexually abusing a one-year-old. They also found other videos and images from 2022 and 2023 showing that victim, the couple admitted in their plea agreements.

    Rachel Burns is scheduled to be sentenced on August 25. The U.S. Attorney’s office has agreed to recommend no more than 35 years in prison. William Burns is scheduled to be sentenced on September 3. The U.S. Attorney’s office has agreed to recommend between 35 and 40 years for him.

    The University City Police Department, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.justice.gov/psc.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Bergen County Man Sentenced to Twenty Months in Prison for COVID-19 Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK N.J. – A New Jersey man was sentenced to 20 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining approximately $149,900 in federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”) loans, U.S. Alina Habba announced.

    George Leguen, 51, of Paramus, New Jersey, previously plead guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to an information charging him with wire fraud and money laundering. Judge Arleo imposed the sentence in Newark federal court.

    According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    From August 2020 through January 2021, Leguen participated in a scheme to defraud and receive COVID-19 emergency relief funds meant for distressed small businesses under the EIDL program. Leguen applied to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) on behalf of a business he owned and controlled. He falsified information that he submitted in support of that application, including the number of employees, annual gross revenue figures, and fraudulent federal tax returns. Based on this false information, Leguen was approved for and received an EIDL loan in the amount of $149,900. After receiving the EIDL funds, he diverted the proceeds for his personal gain.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Arleo sentenced Leguen to 3 years of supervised release, forfeiture was ordered in the amount of $149,900, and restitution in the amount of $174,426.37.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz of the New Jersey Field Division; special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron Hatley, Newark Field Office; and special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, Northeast Region, with the investigation.

    The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

                                                                           ###

    Defense counsel: Jeffrey Lichtman, Esq. and Matthew Cohan, Esq. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Final Two Men Sentenced for Conspiracy that Seized 29 Kilos of Fentanyl

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

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — Javaris Latrey Johnson, 37, and Thomas Anthony Perry, 33, both of York County, were sentenced to more than 12 years and eight years in federal prison, respectively, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Evidence presented to the court showed that in August 2022, a codefendant sold approximately 5,000 pills to a confidential informant. Following the purchase and further investigation, agents focused on a property in York County which they suspected was being used to manufacture illicit fentanyl pills.  On Oct. 19, 2022, agents executed a search warrant at a trailer on the property and found Johnson and Perry and two codefendants inside the trailer. Law enforcement immediately determined the trailer was being used as a clandestine lab.  After clearing the trailer and rendering it safe to search, agents found multiple bags of powder and multiple containers containing over 150,000 pills, totaling over 29 kilograms of fentanyl, approximately 1,890 grams of cocaine, 690 grams of methamphetamine, and 1,500 grams of heroin.  In addition to the drugs, agents found several pill press machines, a large amount of cash, various drug paraphernalia.

    United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Johnson to 151 months imprisonment and sentenced Perry to 97 months imprisonment both to be followed by a term of supervised release. The co-defendants were sentenced in April. There is no parole in the federal system.

    This investigation 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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Major is prosecuting the case.  

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  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Secures the Extraditions of Individuals Accused of Violent and Other Serious Crimes from Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius,

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    United States Also Returned International Fugitives Wanted for Terrorism, Murder, Attempted Murder and Child Sexual Abuse to Canada, India, and Mexico

    Note: The defendants whose names are underlined hyperlink to press releases.

    WASHINGTON — Extensive coordination between the Justice Department and law enforcement authorities in Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom (UK) resulted in the extraditions in April and May of dozens of individuals. The defendants returned to the United States are alleged to have committed crimes — including child sexual abuse and rape, murder, hate crimes, assault, narcoterrorism, drug trafficking, alien smuggling, cybercrime, money laundering, fraud, aggravated robbery and extortion — in a number of U.S. states and federal districts, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia.

    The fugitives extradited to the United States include:

    • Michail Chkhikvishvili, also known as Mishka, Michael, Commander Butcher, and Butcher, 21, a Georgian national and alleged leader of a white supremacist group, was extradited from Moldova to face charges in the Eastern District of New York for soliciting hate crimes and planning a mass casualty attack in New York City. As the alleged leader of the white supremacist group “Maniac Murder Cult,” an international, racially motivated violent extremist group that adheres to a neo-Nazi ideology and promotes violence against racial minorities, the Jewish community, and other groups that it deems “undesirables,” Chkhikvishvili allegedly traveled to Brooklyn in 2022 and actively solicited acts of mass violence with a person who was, unbeknownst to Chkhikvishvili, an undercover FBI employee. In November 2023, Chkhikvishvili allegedly began planning a mass casualty attack to take place on New Year’s Eve, which would involve an individual dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to racial minorities. In January 2024, as alleged, the scheme evolved and Chkhikvishvili specifically directed the undercover FBI employee to target the Jewish community, Jewish schools, and Jewish children in Brooklyn.

    • Liridon Masurica, also known as @blackdb, 33, a national of Kosovo and alleged administrator of an online criminal marketplace, was extradited from Kosovo to face charges of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and fraudulent use of 15 or more unauthorized access devices in the Middle District of Florida.

    • Adrian Alberto Cano Gomez, also known as Andrea, 45, a national of Colombia and an alleged member of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), a designated foreign terrorist organization, was extradited from Colombia to face charges in the Southern District of Texas of narco-terrorism and distributing kilogram quantities of cocaine from Colombia.

    • Aler Baldomero Samayoa-Recinos, also known as Chicharra, 58, a national of Guatemala and alleged leader of a prolific Guatemalan drug trafficking organization, was extradited from Guatemala to face charges in the District of Columbia of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms of cocaine for importation to the United States.

    • Daniel Flores, 49, a national of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face charges of first-degree murder for the 1995 killing of two brothers, both U.S. Marines, ages 22 and 19, in Cook County, Illinois.

    • Manuel Alejandro Vasquez, 47, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face a charge of murder in Ventura County, California. Vasquez’s two co-defendants were convicted in 1999 and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1998 murder of a man in his home over an alleged unpaid debt. Vasquez fled to Mexico before charges could be filed against him.

    • Tyler Buchanan, 23, a UK national, was extradited from Spain to face charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft in the Central District of California. Among other crimes, Buchanan and his co-conspirators allegedly stole cryptocurrency worth millions of dollars following phishing attacks on over 45 companies based in the United States, Canada, and the UK.

    • Felix Manuel Mejia-Gonzalez, 33, a Dominican citizen, was extradited from the Dominican Republic to face charges of fentanyl trafficking in the District of New Hampshire.

    • Samuel Steven Huggler, 28, a U.S. citizen, was extradited from Spain, to face charges relating to the alleged murder and attempted murders of three of his siblings in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. Huggler is charged with aiding, inducing, or causing murder, three counts of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of aiding, inducing, or causing attempted murder, and possession of an altered firearm. 

    • Michel Patrick Desalles, 54, a Mauritian national, was extradited from Mauritius to face a charge of murder in the second degree in the State of New York. Desalles allegedly choked his employer to death with zip ties and immediately fled the United States in 2017.

    • Juan Miguel Roman-Balderas, 45, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face two charges of murder in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Roman-Balderas is alleged to have stabbed to death his 28-year-old ex-girlfriend in April 2014 in Greenbelt, Maryland.

    • Rody L. Wilcox, 50, a U.S. citizen, was extradited from Georgia to face charges of lewd conduct with a minor under 16 years of age filed in Latah County, Idaho. Wilcox allegedly sexually assaulted a six-year-old child on multiple occasions in 2023. In 2024, Wilcox fled Idaho while on bond. Through OIA’s cooperation with the FBI, U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service and Georgian authorities, Wilcox was arrested in Georgia on Aug. 16, 2024, while en route to the Russian Federation.

    • Miguel Angel Urbano-Vazquez, 48, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face charges of aggravated first-degree murder and rape in Pierce County, Washington. Urbano-Vazquez is alleged to have raped four victims between March and October 2002, one of whom he is also alleged to have murdered in the course of rape.

    • Gilberto Gutierrez, 46, a citizen of El Salvador, was extradited from El Salvador to face charges of rape, child abuse, and related sex offenses in Wicomico County, Maryland. Gutierrez allegedly repeatedly sexually abused two girls under the age of 10 years old between approximately 1999 and 2004.

    • Ramon Manriquez Castillo, 68, a dual U.S. and Mexican citizen; Edgar Rodriguez Ruano, 29, a Mexican citizen; Fernando Javier Escobar Tito, 48, an Ecuadorian citizen; and Anderson Jair Gamboa Nieto, 30, a Colombian citizen, were surrendered by Guinea-Bissau to face drug trafficking charges in the Southern District of Florida. The co-defendants are alleged members of a transnational drug trafficking organization comprised of several cartels in Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela, and they allegedly conspired to distribute large quantities of cocaine through Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Guinea-Bissau using a U.S.-registered airplane, with a U.S. citizen onboard, from about November 2023 to September 2024. They are also charged with distributing cocaine in these countries using an airplane with a U.S. citizen onboard.

    • Artem Aleksandrovych Stryzhak, 35, a Ukrainian national, was extradited from Spain to face charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion, and related activity in connection with computers in the Eastern District of New York and the Middle District of Florida. According to the charges in the Eastern District of New York, Stryzhak is one of the administrators of the Nefilim ransomware gang. The Middle District of Florida charges allege that Stryzhak used the Hive ransomware to engage in a computer hacking and extortion scheme that targeted businesses in the United States and abroad. The Hive ransomware group is estimated to have attacked approximately 1,500 victims and extorted approximately $110 million in ransom payments.

    The fugitives extradited by the United States include:

    • Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 64, a Canadian citizen, native of Pakistan, and convicted terrorist, was extradited to India to stand trial on 10 criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed 160 people, including six Americans, and wounded hundreds more.

    • Aaron Seth Juarez, 26, a U.S. citizen, was extradited to Mexico to be prosecuted for femicide for the 2019 killing of his approximately 31-year-old stepmother, whose body he allegedly buried in the backyard of her Tijuana home. 

    The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA), along with the U.S. Marshals Service, provided significant assistance in securing the defendants’ arrests and extraditions. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central District of California and the Eastern District of California litigated with OIA the successful outgoing extradition cases for Rana and Juarez, respectively. OIA and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions from Colombia. The Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) also provided assistance with the extraditions from Guatemala and Kosovo. The Justice Department thanks and acknowledges the instrumental role of its law enforcement partners in Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom for making these extraditions possible.

    An indictment and criminal complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: British and Chinese Nationals Indicted for Alleged Plot to Silence U.S. Dissident and Smuggle U.S. Military Technology to China

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – Federal grand juries in Los Angeles and Milwaukee each have returned indictments charging two foreign nationals, Cui Guanghai, 43, of China, and John Miller, 63, of the United Kingdom and a U.S. lawful permanent resident, with interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit interstate stalking (Los Angeles) and conspiracy, smuggling, and violations of the Arms Export Control Act (Milwaukee), the Justice Department announced today.

    “As alleged, the defendants targeted a U.S. resident for exercising his constitutional right to free speech and conspired to traffic sensitive American military technology to the Chinese regime,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This is a blatant assault on both our national security and our democratic values. This Justice Department will not tolerate foreign repression on U.S. soil, nor will we allow hostile nations to infiltrate or exploit our defense systems. We will act decisively to expose and dismantle these threats wherever they emerge.”

    “The defendants allegedly plotted to harass and interfere with an individual who criticized the actions of the People’s Republic of China while exercising their constitutionally protected free speech rights within the United States of America,” said FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. “The same individuals also are charged with trying to obtain and export sensitive U.S. military technology to China. I want to commend the good work of the FBI and our partners in the U.S and overseas in putting a stop to these illegal activities.”

    • Central District of California (Los Angeles)

    According to court documents, beginning in October 2023, Cui and Miller enlisted two individuals (Individual 1 and Individual 2) inside the United States to carry out a plot to prevent the Victim from protesting President Xi’s appearance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November 2023. The victim had previously made public statements in opposition to the policies and actions of the PRC government and President Xi.

    “The indictment alleges that Chinese foreign actors targeted a victim in our nation because he criticized the Chinese government and its president,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “My office will continue to use all legal methods available to hold accountable foreign nationals engaging in criminal activity on our soil.”

    “The FBI will not tolerate transnational repression targeting those in the United States who express dissenting opinions about foreign leaders,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Both defendants face serious stalking charges in Los Angeles and my office intends to hold them accountable for bullying a victim, a critic of the PRC, and targeting him with violence.”

    Unbeknownst to Cui and Miller, Individual 1 and Individual 2 were affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI.

    In the weeks leading up to the APEC summit, Cui and Miller directed and coordinated an interstate scheme to surveil the victim, to install a tracking device on the victim’s car, to slash the tires on the victim’s car, and to purchase and destroy a pair of artistic statues created by the victim depicting President Xi and President Xi’s wife.

    A similar scheme took place in the spring of 2025, after the victim announced that he planned to make public an online video feed depicting two new artistic statues of President Xi and his wife. In connection with these plots, Cui and Miller paid two other individuals (Individual 3 and Individual 4), approximately $36,500 to convince the victim to desist from the online display of the statues. Unbeknownst to Cui and Miller, Individual 3 and Individual 4 were also affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI.

    • Eastern District of Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

    According to court documents, beginning in November 2023, Miller and Cui solicited the procurement of U.S. defense articles, including missiles, air defense radar, drones, and cryptographic devices with associated crypto ignition keys for unlawful export from the United States to the People’s Republic of China from two individuals (Individual 5 and Individual 6). 

    In connection with the scheme, Cui and Miller discussed with Individuals 5 and 6 ways to export a cryptographic device from the United States to the People’s Republic of China, including concealing the device in a blender, small electronics, or motor starter, and shipping the device first to Hong Kong. Cui and Miller paid approximately $10,000 as a deposit for the cryptographic device via a courier in the United States and a wire transfer to a U.S. bank account.

    ***

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

    If convicted, Cui and Miller face the following maximum penalties: five years in prison for conspiracy; five years in prison for interstate stalking; 20 years in prison for violation of the Arms Export Control Act; and 10 years in prison for smuggling.

    The FBI is investigating the case. The United States is coordinating with Serbian authorities regarding the pending extraditions of Cui and Miller from Serbia.

    Assistant United States Attorneys David Ryan, Chief of the National Security Division and Amanda B. Elbogen of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, both of the Central District of California, Benjamin Taibleson of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Trial Attorneys Leslie Esbrook and Menno Goedman of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the cases, with valuable assistance provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Hosts Elder Fraud Prevention Forum

    Source: US FBI

    MIAMI – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida hosted a public outreach event and interactive discussion, in partnership with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), focused on preventing crimes against senior citizens on May 15, 2025 at Century Village in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Participants included the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Florida’s Office of Financial Regulation, Broward State Attorney’s Office, the Wilton Manors Police Department, and AARP Florida.

    The program discussed common schemes affecting senior citizens, investment fraud, lottery, and inheritance fraud, along with a local law enforcement panel with local fraud and abuse case examples.

    This program is part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Elder Justice Initiative. For more information about the Justice Department’s efforts to help American seniors please visit the Elder Justice Initiative webpage at justice.gov/elderjustice and for information regarding how the FBI can help the public, visit https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/elder-fraud.

    To report an elder fraud scam, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI, submit a tip at  https://www.ic3.gov/Home/EF, or contact your local field office. The National Elder Fraud Hotline is also available for reports at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).

    You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: USNS Comfort Departs Norfolk in Support of Continuing Promise 2025

    Source: United States SOUTHERN COMMAND

    The U.S. Navy Mercy-class hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) departed Naval Station Norfolk to begin its summer deployment to the U.S. Southern Command area of operation in support of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S.4th Fleet’s Continuing Promise 2025, May 30.

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