NewzIntel.com

Category: Security Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Security: Memphis Man Sentenced to Over Three Years of Federal Imprisonment for Possession of a Glock Switch

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Memphis, TN – A federal judge has sentenced Kalen Thompson, 25, to 40 months in federal prison for possession of a machine gun. Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.

    According to the information presented in court, on September 15, 2023, detectives with the Memphis Police Department went to an address in Memphis looking for a robbery suspect. They encountered Thompson under the carport area in possession of a 9mm Glock pistol with a conversion device (“switch”) attached, which made the firearm fully automatic.  Officers ran the serial number of the weapon and determined Thompson had stolen the firearm in January 2023 and added the conversion device.

    In February 2025, Thompson pled guilty to unlawful possession of a machine gun.  On May 22, 2025, Chief United States District Judge Sheryl H. Lipman sentenced Thompson to 40 months of federal imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release.  

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    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.

    This case was investigated by detectives with the Memphis Police Department and Project Safe Neighborhoods.

    Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Musselwhite prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.

    ###

    For more information, please contact the media relations team at USATNW.Media@usdoj.gov. Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office on Facebook or on X at @WDTNNews for office news and updates.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: IAEA Finds Commitment to Operational Safety at Borssele Nuclear Power Plant in the Netherlands

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

    An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts said the operator of the Borssele Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the Kingdom of the Netherlands demonstrates a commitment to its operational safety. The team encouraged the plant to continue its operational safety improvement initiatives.

    The Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) mission, conducted at the request of the Netherlands, took place from 19 to 23 May. This was a follow-up mission to a 2023 OSART peer review mission to Borssele NPP, which also found the plant to be committed to ensuring operational safety and reliability.

    OSART missions independently assess safety performance against IAEA safety standards. The aim is to advance operational safety by proposing recommendations and, where appropriate, suggestions for improvement.

    Borssele NPP is located on the country’s coast – roughly 165 kilometres south of Amsterdam. Operated by Elektriciteits-Produktiemaatschappij Zuid-Nederland (EPZ) with a net electrical output of 482 MW(e), the plant is a single unit pressurized water reactor. Of the total electricity generation in the country, Borssele NPP contributes 3.2% and was put into commercial operation in 1973. The plant had previously received approval to extend the operational period to 2033, and the plant’s intention – as requested by the Dutch government – is to extend the operation until 2054.

    The mission was conducted by a four-person team consisting of experts from Slovakia and Sweden and two IAEA staff members. The team held discussions with staff from the Borssele NPP and conducted site walkdowns during the review. 

    “The plant has already implemented many actions to enhance worker engagement in safety-related initiatives to achieve excellence in operational performance,” said team leader Yury Martynenko, Senior Nuclear Safety Officer at the IAEA. “We recognize the plant’s defined new actions to continue the way towards a culture of continuous improvement.”

    The team observed that several findings from the 2023 mission were fully addressed and resolved, including:

    • The plant leadership enhanced the engagement of workers through initiatives to achieve excellence in operational performance.
    • The plant promoted the use of operator-supportive aids to prevent the use of non-authorized operating material.
    • The plant improved arrangements to timely address improper behaviours and resolve radiological field deficiencies to ensure these are addressed in a timely manner.

    The team noted areas where satisfactory progress was made, but further efforts are required by the plant to fully implement some actions drawn up after the 2023 mission, including:

    • Strengthening its programmes for system health monitoring and obsolescence to minimize the potential risk of degradation of plant systems and components;
    • Improving the plant’s provisions for protective actions in case of an emergency to ensure timely and efficient emergency response; and,
    • Strengthening the radiation protection practices for contamination control, dose planning and the control of radioactive sources to ensure that the requirements of the radiation protection programme are fully met.

    “I am very pleased with the result and especially the way in which this has been achieved with a lot of engagement of our employees across the whole organization,” said Carlo Wolters, Chief Executive Officer of EPZ. “EPZ is very committed to continue the improvement journey to achieve the highest level of excellence in safe and reliable operations of the power plant.”

    The OSART team provided a draft report of the mission to the plant management. They will have the opportunity to make factual comments on the draft. These comments will be reviewed by the IAEA, and the final report will be submitted to the Netherlands within three months.

    Background

    General information about OSART missions can be found on the IAEA website. An OSART mission is designed as a review of programmes and activities essential to operational safety. It is not a regulatory inspection, nor is it a design review or a substitute for an exhaustive assessment of the plant’s overall safety status.

    Follow-up missions are standard components of the OSART programme and are typically conducted within two years of the initial mission.

    The IAEA Safety Standards provide a robust framework of fundamental principles, requirements, and guidance to ensure safety. They reflect an international consensus and serve as a global reference for protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard interdicts 10 aliens near Point Loma

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 05/23/2025 04:45 PM EDT

     

    05/23/2025 04:16 PM EDT

    SAN DIEGO – Coast Guard interdicted a cuddy cabin-style vessel approximately two miles off the coast of Point Loma, Friday morning.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lisbon hosts the 21st CrimEx meeting of the EuroMed Justice project

    Source: Eurojust

    Under the framework of the 6th phase of the EuroMed Justice (EMJ) Project, the 21st CrimEx was held on 21 and 22 May in Lisbon, Portugal. Criminal justice representatives from 6 South Partner Countries (SPCs) and 9 European Union Member States gathered to discuss technical and strategic aspects of international judicial cooperation in criminal matters, focusing on exchanges on challenges and best practices on cases of trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling.

    Representatives from the South Partner Countries and EU Member States also prepared for the 6th EuroMed Prosecutors General Forum, which will be held at Eurojust in The Hague in July 2025. CrimEx members gave their recommendations and discussed the 2025-2027 multi-annual strategy, together with the action plans in relation to judicial cooperation on asset recovery (A) and trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling (B).

    Additionally, the EuroMed Justice Project team reported on recent activities. This included a presentation from the Egyptian representative on the Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) activity on combating illicit cultural heritage trafficking, which took place in Cairo, Egypt in March.

    After the conclusion of the meeting, the SPC representatives beneficiated from a study visit at the Portuguese Judiciary Police, where they continued the exchanges with practitioners from the Portuguese National Authorities on trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling investigations.

    In the margins of the main discussions, several bilateral meetings took place between the delegations.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Arkansas Drug Ring and Their California Suppliers Sentenced to a Combined 132 Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    EL DORADO – Fifteen members and associates of a South Arkansas drug trafficking organization, including two Los Angeles-area narcotics suppliers, have been sentenced to serve a combined 1,591 months in the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.  The Honorable Chief Judge Susan O. Hickey presided over the sentencing hearings, which took place between August 7, 2024, and May 21, 2025, in the United States District Court at El Dorado, Arkansas.  There is no parole in the federal system. 

    According to court records, between August 2021 and August 2022, Christopher Walters, age 45, of Magnolia, operated a drug trafficking organization (DTO) responsible for distributing kilograms of methamphetamine in and around Columbia County, Arkansas.  Walters sourced bulk methamphetamine from Michael Cummings, a 46-year-old Southern California business owner who doubled as an interstate narcotics supplier.  Cummings employed Robert Leonne Morris, age 47, of Los Angeles, to deliver methamphetamine and other drugs to Walters in Arkansas, at times by rail.  Walters then engaged numerous South Arkansas DTO members and associates in storing, transporting and distributing that methamphetamine, and attempting to do so, before sharing the substantial profits with Cummings.

    On August 10, 2022, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and its state and local partners executed search warrants at multiple Columbia County properties owned or controlled by DTO members and associates, including Walters.  In so doing, investigators found and seized methamphetamine, fentanyl, cocaine, more than 15 firearms, including tactical rifles, and thousands of dollars in cash.

    Between September 2022 and March 2023, a federal grand jury sitting in the Western District of Arkansas returned indictments charging 15 members and associates of Walters’ DTO, including Cummings and Morris, with a total of fifty (50) felony counts.  All 15 defendants pleaded guilty to one or more felony violations of the Controlled Substances Act, and have been sentenced as follows:

     

    Defendant

    Prison Term

    Sentence Date
    Christopher Walters, 45, of Magnolia, Arkansas

    222 months

    December 6, 2024
    Michael Cummings, 46, of Los Angeles, California

    162 months

    March 21, 2025
    Jvance Radford, 47, of Magnolia, Arkansas

    144 months

    August 22, 2024
    Joseph Lowe, 38, of Magnolia, Arkansas

    140 months

    August 12, 2024
    Robert Leonne Morris, 47, of Los Angeles, California

    121 months

    May 21, 2025
    Lacadran D. Thomas, 37, of Magnolia, Arkansas

    120 months

    August 22, 2024
    Marcus S. Jordan, 42, of Waldo, Arkansas

    110 months

    December 4, 2024
    Hendrick Johnson, 27, of Magnolia, Arkansas

    108 months

    September 11, 2024
    Dawnisha D. Jordan, 40, of Magnolia, Arkansas

    98 months

    August 7, 2024
    John L. Grissom, 40, of Magnolia, Arkansas

    97 months

    August 7, 2024
    Jarrod D. Wilson, 38, of Magnolia, Arkansas

    78 months

    March 20, 2025
    Nyterious L. Sharp, 32, of Waldo, Arkansas

    60 months

    August 23, 2024
    Antonio J. Johnson, 41, of Magnolia, Arkansas

    54 months

    August 22, 2024
    Malaysia D. Benjamin, 36, of Los Angeles, California

    41 months

    December 5, 2024
    Mario L. Meadows, 36, of Magnolia, Arkansas

    36 months

    May 21, 2025

     

    In addition to his 162-month prison sentence, a $100,000 money judgment was also entered against Cummings, representing his profits from the year-long conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in South Arkansas.  That judgment is executable against Cummings’ assets in California and elsewhere. 

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

    The case was investigated by the Magnolia Police Department, the 13th Judicial District Drug Task Force, the Union County, Arkansas, Sheriff’s Office, the El Dorado Police Department, the Arkansas State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Jones prosecuted the case for the United States.

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

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Utah Drug Trafficking Ringleader Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Career offender and previously convicted felon of drug-related crimes ordered by the court to forfeit over $300,000 in cash, three firearms and two vehicles

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Llobani Federico Figueroa, aka “Pablo,” 33, of Magna, Utah, was sentenced to 264 months’ imprisonment after he admitted to operating a continuing criminal enterprise in the District of Utah, which had ties to California and Mexico.

    The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Howard C. Nielson, Jr., comes after Figueroa pleaded guilty on December 11, 2024, to continuing a criminal enterprise and possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. In addition to the sentence, Figueroa was ordered by the court to 10 years’ supervised release and forfeited over $300,961.00 in U.S. currency, three firearms, firearm accessories and ammunition, and two vehicles.

    According to court documents and statements made at Llobani’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, Figueroa, beginning at the age of 18, engaged in over a decade-long series of drug trafficking offenses. However, between at least December 2022 and August 2023, Llobani engaged in continuous drug trafficking. Specifically, according to court documents, Figueroa was the primary conduit among multiple Californian and Mexico-based sources of supply and broker/distributors in the District of Utah. Figueroa admitted that he regularly obtained methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. He then caused those controlled substances to be transported to Utah by courier, and he maintained various locations in which the controlled substances were stored and sold. His drug trafficking enterprise involved five or more people, including his co-defendants and others. See prior press release here: Utah Fugitive and Alleged Drug Trafficking Ringleader Among 28 Defendants Charged in Major Multi-Agency Operation.

    Llobani further admitted his role in the drug trafficking organization was as a manager or supervisor and he recruited other participants and organized couriers to distribute controlled substances on his behalf. He then delegated other responsibilities to his coconspirators and admitted his organization could not have functioned without the involvement and assistance of these others.

    In addition to Figueroa’s prior convictions, he is the subject of three pending criminal cases with the state of Utah. The pending charges include, but are not limited to, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, a first degree felony; distribution of methamphetamine, a federal class A felony; and manslaughter, a second degree felony.

    “As a decades-long drug-trafficker, Mr. Figueroa has been a threat and danger to the people of our state,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah. “His well-deserved decades-long sentence will serve as a reminder that those who peddle poison into our communities in violation of federal law for their own financial gain will face justice and forfeit their ill-gotten gains.”

    “An individual struggling with substance abuse isn’t just a statistic. It’s someone’s son, daughter, a friend. Too many families have been devastated by an epidemic that Mr. Figueroa directly contributed to,” said Special Agent in Charge Mehtab Syed of the Salt Lake City FBI. “Drugs and violent crime go hand-in-hand. The FBI is committed to dismantling criminal organizations in our steadfast effort to keep our communities safe.”

    “This operation exemplifies the dedication and skill of our street crimes unit,” said West Valley City Police Chief, Colleen Jacobs. “Their meticulous investigation was key in the arrest of a significant drug trafficker, and led to the dismantling of a major source of illicit drugs in our state. This success underscores our unwavering commitment to public safety and the relentless pursuit of those who endanger our neighborhoods.”

    The case was investigated jointly by the FBI Safe Streets Violent Task Force and West Valley City Police Department.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 
     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Recovers Approximately $2.5 Million of Cryptocurrency Involved in Fraudulent Confidence Schemes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – United States District Court Judge Amir H. Ali has ordered forfeiture of approximately $2.5 million worth of virtual currency involved in cryptocurrency confidence schemes to the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Chief John Lynch of the Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property Section of the Department of Justice, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy of the San Diego Field Office.

                “Whether they are in our district’s streets or hiding behind a computer screen abroad, the United States will continue to hold fraudsters and grifters responsible, seize money they scam from hardworking Americans, and use our authority to compensate victims,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro.

                “Cryptocurrency confidence schemes defraud and manipulate vulnerable victims into losing devastating amounts of money,” said Moy of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office. “We hope today’s announcement brings a measure of justice to the victims and serves as a reminder, the FBI will hold fraudsters accountable, no matter where they are located.”

                Members of the public who believe they are victims of a cybercrime – including cryptocurrency scams, romance scams, investment scams, and fraud scams – should contact the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at https://www.ic3.gov.

                In this case and others, the United States of America utilizes asset forfeiture to punish and deter criminal activity by depriving criminals of property used in or acquired through illegal activities; to promote and enhance cooperation among federal and foreign law enforcement agencies; and most importantly, to recover assets that may be used to compensate victims. For more information, please visit https://www.justice.gov/afp.

                This matter was investigated by the FBI San Diego Field Office. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and FBI’s Virtual Asset Unit provided valuable assistance. The Department of Justice would like to acknowledge Tether for its assistance in effectuating the transfer of these assets.

               This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rick Blaylock Jr., Asset Forfeiture Coordinator, and Kevin Rosenberg, Acting Deputy Chief of the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia—along with Trial Attorney Stefanie Schwartz and Gaelin Bernstein from the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Department of Justice. Supervisory Paralegal Gina Torres provided valuable assistance.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Defendant Convicted in Armed Assault Gets 18 Year Prison Term

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Aaron Brown, 29, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today in Superior Court to 18 years in prison for assault with intent to kill (while armed) stemming from the killing of 13-year-old Malachi Lukes in March of 2020, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office, ATF Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Washington Field Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

                Brown also pleaded guilty to the assault with intent to kill charge on December 20, 2024, before Judge Rainey Brandt. Brown’s charge stemmed from his participation in a shooting after Lukes’s homicide. Previously, a jury found three of Brown’s co-defendants, Stephon Nelson, Tyiion Freeman and Koran Jackson—guilty of first-degree murder while armed, several counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, conspiracy to commit various firearms offenses and other firearms-related charges.  Freeman received 108 years; Jackson was sentenced to 164 years in prison while Nelson received 108 ½ years of incarceration.

                Between February 1, 2020, and May 31, 2020, the defendants, along with one other defendant (whose case was severed pre-trial and will be tried in August 2025), participated in a conspiracy to illegally possess, carry, and transfer firearms for the purpose of using those firearms in the commission of dangerous and violent crimes. Jackson, Freeman, Nelson along with Brown and the severed defendant, are members and associates of neighborhood crews. Between 2019-2020, the defendants’ neighborhood crews were feuding with other crews and the feud escalated when Tahlil Byrd, also known as Slatt Goon, was killed in September 2019.

                On March 1, 2020, Brown along with his co-defendants (Jackson, Freeman and the severed co-defendant) participated in two shootings in two separate neighborhoods over the span of 10 minutes. At 2:08 p.m., the defendants, who were traveling in a stolen Kia Soul, followed 13-year-old Malachi Lukes, along with his three friends, into the Ninth Street area of the 600 block of S Street, N.W., where two defendants exited the Kia Soul and opened fire on them. Malachi Lukes was shot in the back as he fled. The bullet traveled through his heart and lung causing him to collapse to his death. Brown remained in the car while the shooting took place. The defendants then traveled to another neighborhood where members of the rival crew were known to gather and at 2:18 p.m., opened fire on individuals in that block. No injuries were reported in that shooting spree. Brown was one of the shooters. 

                In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Jensen, ATF Special Agent in Charge Spotswood and Chief Smith commended the work of those investigating the case from the MPD and ATF along with the Arlington County Police Department. They also thanked the Arlington County Sheriff Department; U.S. Marshals Service; U.S. Capitol Police; D.C. Department of Forensic Sciences; DOJ Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section; Montgomery County Police Department; D.C. Department of Corrections; and the Internal Revenue Service—Atlanta Branch. 

                They also commended the efforts of those who provided assistance with the case including Lead Paralegal Sharon Newman, Supervisory Paralegal Tasha Harris, Paralegals April Urbanowski and Alyssa Schroeder, former Superior Court Operations Manager Linda McDonald, and Victim Witness Advocate Jennifer Allen. They acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Jackson, Tamara Rubb, and Nebiyu Feleke, who prosecuted the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Virginia Man Sentenced for Torching His Car on U.S. Capitol Grounds as Former President Carter Laid in State

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Adrian J. Hinton, 36, of Lorton, Virginia, was sentenced today to one year of supervised release, plus 125 hours of community service, for setting his car ablaze with “napalm” on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the U.S. Capitol Police.

                Hinton pleaded guilty on Jan. 31, 2025, before U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta to a charge of destruction of government property.

                According to court documents, on January 8, 2025, Hinton drove his vehicle from Virginia into Washington, D.C., arriving shortly before 5 p.m. on U.S. Capitol Grounds. Hinton parked on First Street NW between Pennsylvania Avenue and Maryland Avenue near the memorial to Ulysses S Grant.

                Several minutes later, he removed a bottle containing an unknown liquid from his car. He spread the liquid on the top of the vehicle and ignited it. Bystanders reported the burning car to the U.S. Capitol Police. Along with USCP officers, agents responded from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives.

                Bomb technicians rendered the scene safe. Officers found no explosives or accelerants in the vehicle but found matches, a bottle, and a knife adjacent to the vehicle. After waiving his Miranda rights and agreeing to speak with law enforcement, Hinton told agents he had developed a plan to set his vehicle on fire near the U.S. Capitol to draw attention to his displeasure with the recent election results. Hinton said he had researched how to make homemade napalm with a mixture of household fluids.

                On January 8, 2025, President Carter was laying in state at the Capitol Rotunda and numerous elected officials were visiting the Capitol Rotunda.

                This case was investigated by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with assistance from the FBI Washington Field Office. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Emory V. Cole.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Murder and Assault Gets Shooter 29 Years in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Guy Johnson, 57, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 29 years in prison for the 2020 murder of Kriston Robinson, 28, in Southeast Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department.

                On March 10, 2025, a jury found Johnson guilty of one count each of second-degree murder while armed, assault with the intent to kill while armed, and unlawful possession of a firearm, as well as two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.  Superior Court Judge Danya A. Dayson presided over the trial and today’s sentencing.  The 29-year sentence includes 10 years for assault with the intent to kill while armed committed against the surviving victim.

                According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 3:17 a.m., on March 25, 2020, defendant Johnson shot multiple times into a white Kia Forte occupied by 28-year-old Kriston Robinson and the surviving victim. One of the shots struck Robinson in the head killing her nearly instantly. The surviving victim fled from the car and escaped injury.

               This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, including former Assistant United States Attorney Gregory Kimak.

               It was tried and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Gregory Evans and Anthony Cocuzza.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Texas Residents Operating a Visa Racket Indicted for Visa Fraud, Money Laundering, and RICO Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Two Texas residents, Abdul Hadi Murshid, 39, and Muhammad Salman Nasir, 35, both originally from Pakistan, a law firm, and a business entity were charged by indictment with conspiracy to defraud the United States, visa fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO) conspiracy, announced Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.  Murshid and Nasir were also charged with unlawfully obtaining and attempting to obtain United States citizenship.

    According to the indictment, Abdul Hadi Murshid, Muhammad Salman Nasir, the Law Offices of D. Robert Jones PLLC, and Reliable Ventures, Inc. engaged in a scheme to commit visa fraud to enrich themselves and others, and to cause individuals to fraudulently obtain entry into and immigration status in the United States.  It is alleged that Murshid, Nasir, and others submitted and caused to be submitted false and fraudulent visa applications for individuals who were not United States citizens (hereinafter referred to as “visa seekers”), and applications to adjust status of the visa seekers so the visa seekers could enter and remain in the United States.

    “These defendants are charged with engaging in extensive measures to hide a massive, multi-year, immigration fraud scheme through which they reaped substantial personal financial gain,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham.  “Pursuing criminal charges to deter and punish this type of flagrant disregard for the lawful immigration process is a top priority of this Office.”

    “The defendants allegedly oversaw an international criminal enterprise for years that repeatedly undermined our nation’s immigration laws. These laws are necessary to protect national security and safeguard the lawful immigration process,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will hold any individual accountable that misuses their position of trust for personal profit.” 

    As part of the scheme, the indictment alleges that the defendants exploited the EB-2, EB-3, and H-1B visa programs.  Specifically, the defendants caused classified advertisements to be placed in a daily periodical for non-existent jobs.  These advertisements were placed in order to satisfy a Department of Labor (“DOL”) requirement to offer the position to United States citizens before hiring foreign nationals.  Once they received the fraudulently obtained certification for from the Department of Labor, the defendants filed a petition to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) to obtain an immigrant visa for the visa seekers.  At the time the petitions were submitted, the defendants also submitted an application for legal permanent residence so that the visa seekers could also obtain a green card.  According to the indictment, to make the non-existent jobs look legitimate, the defendants received payment from visa seekers, then returned a portion of the money back to the visa seekers as purported payroll. 

    The defendants made their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford on May 23, 2025, and the government moved for their detention. The detention hearings are scheduled for May 30, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian McKay.
    An indictment is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence.  Like all defendants, Murshid, Nasir, and the business entities are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

    If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison.  Murshid faces denaturalization if convicted of unlawfully obtaining and attempting to obtain his United States citizenship.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation.  The Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, and the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General provided significant assistance to the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ted Hocter, Tiffany H. Eggers, and Jongwoo Chung are prosecuting the case.
     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: The United States Attorney’s Office and City of Spokane Announce Appointment of a Special Assistant United States Attorney to Prosecute Drug Trafficking in the City of Spokane

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Spokane, Washington – The United States’s Attorney’s Office and the City of Spokane jointly announced today the appointment of a Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) for the Eastern District of Washington. The SAUSA, Annika Tangvald, will prosecute cases in federal court relating to illegal narcotics impacting the City of Spokane. Ms. Tangvald was sworn into office by Acting United States Attorney Rich Barker on May 19, 2025.

    In making this announcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Barker reiterated his office’s commitment to combating the opioid epidemic. “We see the impact of fentanyl and other drugs in almost every case we prosecute – including violent crime, firearms trafficking, prosecution of transnational gangs and cartels, and even in some of our fraud and human trafficking cases.  Having a dedicated prosecutor for these cases allows the U.S. Attorney’s Office to bring more cases specifically focused on the City of Spokane.  SAUSA Tangvald, who I worked with as an AUSA in this office, is a talented lawyer and she will be working with some of the finest prosecutors in the United States to ensure those who distribute large amounts of drugs into the Spokane community are held responsible.”  Acting U.S. Attorney Barker added, “I am so grateful to the City for their collaboration to make this joint vision a reality.”

    “The City of Spokane Prosecutor’s Office is committed to a multi-prong approach to end the fentanyl epidemic our community faces,” stated Justin Bingham, Prosecutor for the City of Spokane. “Partnering with the U.S. Attorney’s Office will greatly strengthen our current efforts to hold drug-related offenders accountable. I’m excited to see the positive impacts this joint position will bring to Spokane.”

    “Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Tangvald will help fill a critical gap in our system. Her role in prosecuting fentanyl-related crimes is a vital step forward in our fight against the opioid crisis,” Mayor Lisa Brown said. “With dedicated resources and sharper focus, this move will protect our community, hold traffickers accountable, and ultimately save lives.”

    (L to R: City of Spokane Prosecutor Justin Bingham, Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown, Acting U.S Attorney Richard Barker)

    SAUSA Tangvald is a Spokane native with deep roots in Eastern Washington. Since 2023, Tangvald has served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for Spokane County where she prosecuted criminal cases in Spokane County Superior Court. Prior to her time as a county prosecutor, Tangvald was a law clerk at the U.S Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Washington. She is a graduate of the Gonzaga University School of Law.

    “I am honored to be returning to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and to serve in this unique role,” stated SAUSA Tangvald. “Becoming a federal prosecutor has been a dream of mine, and I look forward to working with the City and with the United States Attorney’s Office to improving public safety in the city I love.”   

    About the U.S. Attorney’s Office

    The United States Attorney’s Office is responsible for representing the federal government in almost all litigation involving the United States in the Eastern District of Washington, which is comprised of the 20 Washington counties east of the Cascade Mountains. The U.S. Attorney’s Office handles all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, as well as civil lawsuits by and against the U.S. government. It is the mission and the pledge of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to represent the United States with determination, professionalism, and integrity. The District’s headquarters is located in Spokane, Washington, with branch offices in Richland and Yakima.

    About the City of Spokane

    The City of Spokane, home to more than 229,000 people, is located in the heart of the Inland Northwest. Our 2,000 employees strive to deliver efficient and effective services that facilitate economic opportunity and enhance the quality of life for all our residents. For more information, visit www.spokanecity.org and follow us @spokanecity on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

    The Spokane City Council unanimously approved funding for the SAUSA position in late 2024. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Guatemalan Drug Trafficker Sentenced to 14 Years

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Arnoldo Oswaldo Vargas-Samayoa, a Guatemalan national, was sentenced in federal court today to ­14 years in prison for managing a cocaine trafficking organization that smuggled more than 1,000 pounds of cocaine into the United States from Guatemala.

    Following his surrender to U.S. authorities in June 2024 at Los Angeles International Airport, Vargas-Samayoa pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to import cocaine that were filed in January 2020.

    In imposing sentence, U.S. District Judge Cathy Ann Bencivengo noted that Vargas-Samayoa was a “manager of a very extensive international drug ring” and money laundering effort who did not make a “mistake” but rather “chose a lifestyle.”

    Vargas admitted he sourced the cocaine from two different Guatemalan suppliers and coordinated delivery to a Mexico-based drug trafficker. Vargas and the Mexico-based trafficker arranged for the drugs to be hidden in vehicles and smuggled into the United States through ports of entry in Southern California and Southern Texas.

    Vargas, whose communications were being intercepted by law enforcement, messaged with the trafficker while cocaine loads were being moved into the United States to confirm the drugs were successfully smuggled. Once in the United States, some of that cocaine was moved to the Chicago area for further distribution. Vargas received a commission of $1,000 U.S. dollars for each kilogram of cocaine he delivered to the Mexico-based trafficker.

    “Cocaine continues to be a dangerous and highly addictive drug with devastating consequences for individuals and communities,” said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. “We remain committed to dismantling the entire supply chain—from powerful cartel leaders to street-level dealers—and ensuring that those responsible are held accountable.”

    “This sentencing sends the message that those who traffic dangerous drugs into our country will be held accountable,” said Shawn Gibson, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “Thanks to the outstanding investigative work and strong domestic and international law enforcement partnerships, we were able to disrupt a key supply line of a major drug trafficking network. We remain committed to targeting high-level drug trafficking organizations and keeping deadly narcotics, like cocaine, out of our communities.”

    The U.S. Attorney’s office has previously convicted, and the court has sentenced, multiple couriers attempting to smuggle narcotics for the same drug trafficking organization as well as individuals engaged in related money laundering efforts (see list below). Through the related investigation of this matter, law enforcement has seized more than 1,000 kilograms of cocaine, more than $2 million in bulk currency, and firearms.     

    Vargas’ father, Arnoldo Vargas Estrada, is the former mayor of Zacapa, Guatemala who was convicted by a jury in the Eastern District of New York in Case No. 90cr00855-SJF of five counts related to the importation of narcotics. He was sentenced to 365-months in custody. Vargas Estrada was one of the first Guatemalan drug traffickers to be extradited to the United States in the early 1990’s. He was released in 2017, returned to Guatemala, and then reelected as mayor of Zacapa holding that position until 2024.

    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).

    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.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Larry Casper.

    DEFENDANT                                             Case Number 20CR00240-CAB                            

    Arnoldo Oswaldo Vargas-Samayoa, aka “Lalo”, aka “Pedrito”   Age: 50       Zacapa, Guatemala

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine – Title 21, U.S.C., Sections 960 and 963

    Maximum penalty: Mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison

    RELATED SENTENCES

    Case No. 17cr648-GPC

    Defendant/Conviction Charge/Custodial Sentence                                       

    Walter Rovidio Ipina

    Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine (21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1), 846)

    50 months

    Zachary Vasquez

    Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine (21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1), 846)

    66 months

    Juan Angel Mexicano

    Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine (21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1), 846)

    135 months

    Luis Fernandez Oliva-Campos (18 U.S.C. Sec. 1956(h))                                                                   

    Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments

    31 months

    David Castaneda-Solis   

    Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments (18 U.S.C. Sec. 1956(h))                                                                       70 months

    Jacob Castillo-Lopez

    Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine (21 U.S.C. Sec. 841(a)(1), 846)                                                                           33 months

    Case No. 18cr4414-GPC

    Melchor Cardenas

    Conspiracy to Distribute Cocaine

    60 months

    INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

    Homeland Security Investigations

    Customs and Border Protection

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed 134 Border-Related Cases This Week

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed 134 border-related cases this week, including charges of bringing in aliens for financial gain, reentering the U.S. after deportation, and importation of controlled substances.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California is the fourth-busiest federal district, largely due to a high volume of border-related crimes. This district, encompassing San Diego and Imperial counties, shares a 140-mile border with Mexico. It includes the San Ysidro Port of Entry, the world’s busiest land border crossing, connecting San Diego (America’s eighth largest city) and Tijuana (Mexico’s second largest city).

    In addition to reactive border-related crimes, the Southern District of California also prosecutes a significant number of proactive cases related to terrorism, organized crime, drugs, white-collar fraud, violent crime, cybercrime, human trafficking and national security. Recent developments in those and other significant areas of prosecution can be found here.

    A sample of border-related arrests this week:

    • On May 16, Elizabeth Janeth Ramirez-Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was arrested and charged with Bringing in Aliens for Financial Gain. According to a complaint, Ramirez-Martinez was stopped at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry by Customs and Border Protection officers, who found a Vietnamese national crammed into a compartment in the dash of her vehicle. The undocumented immigrant told officers that before they made their way to the border, the defendant had placed him in the compartment and secured it using screws.
    • On May 19, Fernanda Barrios Monzon, a legal permanent resident of the U.S., was arrested and charged with Bringing in Unlawful Aliens without Presentation and Importation of a Controlled Substance. According to a complaint, the defendant drove her vehicle through the San Ysidro Port of Entry but was stopped when a Customs and Border Protection officer noticed a man lying on the floor of the vehicle, under the feet of the defendant’s children. The officer further discovered 271 pounds of methamphetamine hidden throughout the vehicle.
    • On May 20, Gustavo Hernandez Oliveros, was arrested and charged with Deported Alien Found in the U.S. According to a complaint, Border Patrol agents located Hernandez Oliveros hiding in brush about two miles north of the border and two miles east of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. He was previously deported in November 2018.

    Also recently, a number of defendants with criminal records were convicted by a jury or sentenced for border-related crimes such as illegally re-entering the U.S. after previous deportation. Here are a few of those cases:

    • On May 23, Jair Valdez-Hernandez, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of felony attempted carjacking in 2017, was sentenced in federal court to 10 months in custody for illegally entering the U.S. After illegally reentering the U.S., in July 2024, Valdez-Hernandez was convicted of corporal injury to a spouse/cohabitant and within the two months following that conviction was arrested twice for violating domestic violence protective orders.
    • On May 23, Rogelio Herrera-Rodriguez, a Mexican national who was previously convicted of voluntary manslaughter and corporal injury to a spouse causing great bodily injury and removed from the United States, was sentenced in federal court to 24 months for again reentering the U.S. illegally.
    • On May 23, Sacramento Sagrero-Pahua, a Mexican national, was sentenced in federal court to 36 months in custody for bringing aliens to the United States for financial gain. On August 26, 2023, Sagrero-Pahua guided a group of eight illegal aliens into the United States near Otay Mountain before being caught by Border Patrol agents. Among the group Sagrero-Pahua guided was an armed guard, who brought a gun with him to protect the group as it traveled toward the U.S.-Mexico border.
    • On May 19, 2025, Oscar Eduardo Audelo-Rodriguez, a Mexican national, who admitted to fleeing border patrol agents by boat in Mission Bay, was sentenced in federal court to 8 months in custody for alien smuggling.

    Pursuant to the Department’s Operation Take Back America priorities, federal law enforcement has focused immigration prosecutions on undocumented aliens who are engaged in criminal activity in the U.S., including those who commit drug and firearms crimes, who have serious criminal records, or who have active warrants for their arrest. Federal authorities have also been prioritizing investigations and prosecutions against drug, firearm, and human smugglers and those who endanger and threaten the safety of our communities and the law enforcement officers who protect the community.

    The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, 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), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.

    Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas Adds 334 New Immigration Cases This Week

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

    SAN ANTONIO – Acting United States Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 334 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from May 16 through May 22.

    Among the new cases, Salvadoran felon Erick Douglas Serrano-Aleman was arrested by Van Horn Border Patrol agents for being an illegal alien present in the U.S. A criminal complaint indicates Serrano-Aleman was previously convicted of transporting and selling a controlled substance as well as accessory. In 2004, he was convicted for illegal re-entry in Nogales, Arizona. Serrano-Aleman has been deported twice and allegedly claims to be a member of the Sureño 13 gang.

    In El Paso, multiple alleged human smugglers were arrested, including U.S. citizen Ernesto Covarrubias and Tanya Joselyn De La Paz-Nunez, a Mexican national in possession of a legal B1/B2 Visa Border Crossing Card. Covarrubias, as the vehicle driver, and De La Paz-Nunez allegedly picked up five illegal aliens inside a pecan orchard near the Tornillo Port of Entry, intending to transport them to a stash house.

    U.S. citizen Gabriela Ivon Trejo-Gonzalez was arrested after U.S. Border Patrol agents allegedly observed six individuals crawl through a breach in the border fence near the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry and board Trejo-Gonzalez’s vehicle. The defendant allegedly drove away at a high rate of speed and continued in an attempt to evade law enforcement before becoming inoperable. Trejo-Gonzalez allegedly claimed she would be paid $500 per alien. She was convicted for alien smuggling in New Mexico in June 2023 and probation violation in October 2023.

    Juan Pedro Carmona-Cerritos, a Mexican felon, was arrested in El Paso and charged with illegal re-entry. Carmona-Cerritos was last removed from the U.S. in April 2009. He was previously convicted of child abuse in 2004 and second degree reckless homicide in 2005 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, for which he was sentenced to a total of approximately three years in prison. Guatemalan national Ramon Cortes-Velasquez was also arrested for illegal re-entry in El Paso, having been convicted of assault causing bodily injury to a family member in February and removed from the U.S. to Guatemala in March.

    Mexican nationals Jose Rolando Arenas-Aleman and J Angel Nava-Sanchez were arrested near Del Rio. According to court documents, Arenas-Aleman was arrested May 14 by U.S. Border Patrol agents for being an illegal alien present in the United States. He had previously been removed to Mexico for the second time through Laredo on Sept. 6, 2024 following his second conviction for Driving While Intoxicated. Nava-Sanchez was arrested May 15 after allegedly crossing the Rio Grande River near Del Rio. Nava-Sanchez was convicted twice in Tarrant County. He was found sentenced to 45 days in jail for a DWI in July 2022 and 29 days in jail in August 2018, for assault causing bodily injury to a family member.

    A U.S. citizen was arrested May 19 during a traffic stop on Highway 85 near Dilley. A criminal complaint alleges that Alex Guadalupe Nieto was the driver of a vehicle transporting six illegal aliens. The complaint alleges that Nieto stated he and another individual drove from Houston, picking up the six illegal aliens on the side of the road, and that he had expected to be paid $500.00 to transport the aliens.

    In Austin, Mexican national Juan Robledo-Trevino aka Octavio Garcia-Sanchez was taken into federal custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after being arrested and sentenced to 10 days in the Travis County Jail for failure to identify. Robledo-Trevino has two prior convictions for illegal re-entry, and four previous DWI convictions. He’s been removed from the U.S. to Mexico four times, most recently in November 2016, and voluntarily returned to Mexico twice.

    Mexican national Jose Hernandez-Martinez was taken into ICE custody in Austin where he had been arrested for his second DWI and spent 20 days in the Travis County Jail. Hernandez-Martinez has a prior illegal entry conviction along with convictions for theft and assault causing bodily injury to a family member. He voluntarily returned to Mexico in 2006, and has been twice removed from the U.S.

    Edgar Aguilar-Mejia, a Guatemalan national, was also taken into ICE custody in Austin. Aguilar-Mejia was convicted twice in 2023 for illegal re-entry and has been removed from the U.S. three times before, as recent as April 2024.

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), 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), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

    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).

    Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Navy Public Health Team Leads the Way in Blast Exposure Strategy While Operating Side-by-Side with Sailors and Marines

    Source: United States Navy

    PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Recognizing a hazard that needs to be monitored is nothing new to those in the public health field because that’s what they do–identify, assess and control risks to protect population health, from infectious diseases and environmental exposures to occupational threats. The goal? To make operations safer, smarter, and to preserve readiness.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Missing Rochester Children Safely Recovered in California After Multi-Agency Effort

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Concord, NH –  On Thursday morning, four Rochester children were reunited with their legal guardian after the United States Marshals Service (USMS), in coordination with the Rochester Police Department and several California law enforcement partners, safely recovered them on Wednesday, bringing a months-long investigation to a hopeful resolution.

    On February 4, the Rochester Family Court awarded legal custody of the four children to their maternal aunt, Shayntel Cormier. The children’s biological mother, Kristyanna Hall (31), was ordered to relinquish custody on February 10 by facilitating a transfer after school. Hall failed to follow the court’s directive and instead is believed to have fled the state with all four children.

    The Rochester Police Department initiated a criminal investigation after receiving credible information that Hall and the children may be in Murrieta, California, and on May 13 they solicited the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service District of New Hampshire (USMS D/NH) to locate the children and apprehend Hall. After corroborating Hall’s location, the USMS D/NH alerted the U.S. Marshals Service Central District of California (USMS C/CA), providing investigative leads and intelligence.

    The USMS C/CA—along with investigators from the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office, San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office, and the Murrieta Police Department—successfully located and recovered the children at a motel in Ontario, California, on Wednesday. That same evening, the children were flown from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Logan International Airport in Boston, where they were reunited with their legal guardian, Ms. Cormier, this morning.  

    “This case underscores the critical importance of interagency collaboration in protecting vulnerable children,” said a spokesperson for the U.S. Marshals Service. “We are grateful for the swift actions of our law enforcement partners in California and commend the Rochester Police Department for their persistence and dedication to this case.”

    “We value the partnerships this department has with our regional and federal agencies,” stated Rochester Police Chief Gary Boudreau.  “We are pleased to see the results of these partnerships positively influencing the Rochester community.”

    Kristyanna Hall remains a fugitive, and the investigation into her whereabouts is ongoing. Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Ms. Hall is urged to contact local law enforcement or the U.S. Marshals Service.

    The USMS New Hampshire Joint Fugitive Task Force was formed in the fall of 2002 and is headquartered in the USMS office in Concord. The task force coordinates federal, state, county, and local resources to develop leads, gather intelligence, track and apprehend targeted fugitives. The Task Force receives vital support from Strafford, Merrimack and Rockingham Counties, as well as the cities of Manchester, Nashua and Concord. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: ACLU Attempt to Block Criminal Illegal Alien Removals Fails Spectacularly

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    The ACLU’s dangerous campaign to keep violent criminals in the United States is falling apart.

    WASHINGTON – Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced that the American Civil Liberties Union’s (ACLU) latest attempt to wage lawfare against the Department was dropped. This lawsuit tried to prevent DHS from removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from the country. 

    “We are glad to see the ACLU’s meritless, frivolous, and frankly dangerous lawsuit fall apart,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “That they claim to be a civil rights organization while advocating on behalf of foreign criminal gang members is laughable. They clearly could care less about the Americans that these illegal alien criminals victimize.”

    The lawsuit was filed on March 1, 2025, by the ACLU on behalf of 10 illegal aliens who were being transferred to a detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in preparation for their removal. Most of these criminal illegal aliens were removed from the country, while the remaining volunteered to drop the suit. 

    Fortunately, these criminals will no longer to be able to victimize American citizens. The Department will continue to use all available resources to remove the dangerous criminal illegal aliens who were let into our country by the previous administration. 

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two People Charged in Robbery and Attempted Robbery of Postal Carriers

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DENVER – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Brisa Sierra-Silva, 25, and Christopher Johnson, 35, have been indicted in connection with the March 4, 2024, attempted robbery of a postal carrier and the subsequent robbery of a different postal carrier on the same day. Sierra-Silva is charged with one count each of robbery and attempted robbery.  Johnson is charged with one count of attempted robbery.

    Sierra-Silva was arrested and made her initial appearance in federal court on April 25, 2025.  Johnson was arrested and made his initial appearance on May 21, 2025.

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

    The investigation is being conducted by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Al Buchman.

    CASE NUMBER:                 25-cr-00132-CNS             

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Charged in Connection With CARES Act Loan Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces that Joseph Ronald Trenkle, 54, formerly of Cherry Hills Village, Colorado and currently of Dorado, Puerto Rico, has been charged in a criminal information with one count each of wire fraud and money laundering.

    According to the information, between April 30, 2020, and February 25, 2022, Trenkle applied for and received $1,850,000 in COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and $2,999,995 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds from an SBA-approved lender.  The information alleges that after first obtaining an EIDL loan in March 2020, Trenkle made two requests to increase the amount of his EIDL and made false representations as part of each of request.  The information further alleges that Trenkle submitted two fraudulent PPP loan applications, and also submitted fraudulent applications for PPP loan forgiveness for each PPP loan.

    The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was enacted in March 2020 and was designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans dealing with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The CARES Act created the PPP, a program administered by the SBA that provided loans to small businesses to retain workers, maintain payroll, and certain other expenses consistent with PPP rules.  Additionally, the CARES Act authorized the SBA to provide EIDLs to eligible small businesses experiencing substantial financial disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The defendant made his initial appearance on May 22, 2025, in Denver in front of Magistrate Judge Cyrus Y. Chung.

    The charges contained in the information are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, and Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Craig Fansler.

    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

    Case Number:                    25-cr-00150-RMR             

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Marines of Vengeance 01, a decade later | Operation Sahayogi Haat

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    KATHMANDU, Nepal — That 7.8 magnitude earthquake, on April 25, 2015, was recorded as the most devastating in Nepal’s history. Killing almost 9,000 people, injuring tens of thousands, and destroying hundreds of thousands of buildings. The earthquake spanned 120 kilometers long and 80 kilometers wide, leaving much of the country in ruins.

    Shortly thereafter, the U.S. responded to Nepal’s request for assistance. Joint Task Force 505 was formed, employing the skillsets of 900 service members from the U.S. Armed Forces.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: District of Arizona Charges 314 Individuals for Immigration-Related Criminal Conduct this Week

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the week of enforcement operations from May 17, 2025, through May 23, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against 314 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 117 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 176 aliens for illegally entering the United States.  In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 20 cases against 21 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. Angel Said Ojeda-Figueroa: On May 17, 2025, a Bureau of Land Management Ranger initiated a vehicle stop on Angel Said Ojeda-Figueroa. Ojeda-Figueroa initially failed to stop, but when the vehicle entered a neighborhood, Ojeda-Figueroa pulled over and all four occupants exited and tried to flee. Ojeda-Figueroa and the three passengers were apprehended and determined to be citizens of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Ojeda-Figueroa was charged by complaint with transportation of aliens for profit. [Case Number: MJ-25-5992]

    United States v. Tomas Ortiz-Lopez: On May 19, 2025, Tomas Ortiz-Lopez, was charged with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Tomas Ortiz-Lopez was previously removed from the United States in 2000 after being convicted of a felony drug conviction, in the United States District Court, District of New Mexico. [Case Number: MJ-25-0543]

    United States v. Gabriel Jimenez-Diaz: On May 20, 2025, Border Patrol Agents attempted to initiate a vehicle stop on Gabriel Jimenez-Diaz, who failed to yield. Agents deployed a Vehicle Immobilization Device, and four subjects absconded from the vehicle. After a search, agents located and apprehended Jimenez-Diaz and three passengers from the vehicle. Agents determined that all four individuals were citizens of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Jimenez-Diaz was charged by complaint with transportation of aliens for profit. [Case Number: MJ-25-6199]

    United States v. Juan Carlos Carmona-Maya: On May 20, 2025, Juan Carlos Carmona-Maya, was charged with Re-entry of a Removed Alien. Juan Carlos Carmona-Maya was previously removed from the United States in 2014 after being convicted of Theft of Means of Transportation, a felony offense, in the Superior Court of Arizona, Maricopa County. [Case Number: MJ-25-05251]

    United States v. Luis Fernando Ibarra, Jr.: On May 21, 2025, Border Patrol Agents received a report of two subjects hiding in the backyard of a residence near the border in Nogales, Arizona. Luis Fernando Ibarra Jr. drove to the residence, stopped, and two subjects ran toward his vehicle. Before they reached the vehicle, one subject was apprehended by the Nogales Police Department and the other successfully fled the area. Later in the day, Agents observed the same vehicle return to the area and a subject got into the vehicle. Agents tried to initiate a vehicle stop, but Ibarra Jr. ran a red light and fled at a high rate of speed, maneuvering recklessly and driving on the wrong side of the road. Ibarra Jr. then sped through several parking lots before driving into the Santa Cruz River where his vehicle became stuck in the sand. At that point, officers apprehended Ibarra Jr. and the passenger, who was determined to be a citizen of Mexico, illegally present in the United States. Ibarra Jr. was charged by complaint with transportation of aliens for profit. [Case Number: MJ-25-6247]

    A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises 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:    2025-083_May 23 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: Unlicensed Adviser Charged In $4 Million Investment Fraud Scheme Targeting Elderly And Vulnerable Victims

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson announced today that federal charges were filed against Jon Patrick Kubler, 52, of Redondo Beach, California, for allegedly orchestrating a $4 million investment scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable victims.

    James C. Barnacle, Jr., Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, joins U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.

    According to allegations in the criminal indictment, from December 2017 to April 2023, Kubler defrauded about 30 investors out of more than $4 million through an investment fraud scheme.

    Despite not being licensed as an investment adviser, Kubler allegedly provided investment planning and management services to victims who were unsophisticated investors, elderly, and the beneficiaries of settlements or life insurance proceeds. Throughout the scheme, Kubler allegedly made false and fraudulent representations to victims, concealed and omitted material facts, and told deceptive half-truths to induce victims to invest in commercial real estate through companies he owned and operated, including Aksarben Evolution, LLC and Green Saddle, LLC.

    To further the scheme and to convince investors their investments were profitable, Kubler allegedly made Ponzi-style payments to victims, using new investors’ money to pay existing investors, purporting the pay-outs were the result of successful investing and not funds from new victims Kubler had solicited. It is further alleged that Kubler used a portion of the investors’ money to pay for personal expenses and to make cash withdrawals, among others.

    According to allegations in the indictment, in 2022, a victim investor received a letter from U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding its investigation into alleged securities fraud by Kubler. In an effort to conceal the scheme and that he was being investigated by the SEC, Kubler misled the victim by telling her that she did not need to respond to the SEC and that it was normal to receive a letter from the SEC after receiving a large settlement from a third party, as the victim had.

    Kubler is charged with securities fraud and transactional money laundering. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the securities fraud offense and 10 years for the transactional money laundering offense. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence imposed after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    U.S. Attorney Ferguson thanked the FBI in Charlotte for its investigation of the case.

    In addition to the criminal charges, in September 2023, the SEC announced that it obtained a temporary asset freeze, restraining order, and other emergency relief in the U.S. District court in the District of Nebraska against Kubler and several of the entities under his control, for allegedly engaging in a multi-year Ponzi scheme that misappropriated and misused investors’ funds. A final judgment was entered on January 22, 2025, in which Kubler agreed to be permanently enjoined from violating the securities laws and to pay disgorgement and civil penalties.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Frick and Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Billings are in charge of the prosecution.

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

     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Ex-Law Enforcement and Former Military Officers Charged in Alleged Sham Raid to Extort O.C. Man at Behest of Chinese National

    Source: US FBI

    LOS ANGELES – Four ex-law enforcement and military officers are scheduled to be arraigned today on a four-count superseding indictment that alleges they acted as a sham law enforcement team that entered an Irvine man’s home and threatened him and his family with violence and deportation unless he turned over nearly $37 million and signed away his rights in a business – worth tens of millions of dollars – that he shared with a wealthy Chinese national who secretly financed the bogus raid.

    The superseding indictment filed on August 1, charges the following defendants with one count of conspiracy to commit extortion, one count of attempted extortion, one count of conspiracy against rights, and one count of deprivation of rights under color of law:

    • Steven Arthur Lankford, 68, of Canyon Country, a retired Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) deputy who stopped working for LASD in 2020 and owns a Santa Clarita-based process service company;
    • Glen Louis Cozart, 63, of Upland, a former LASD deputy who owns and operates a San Bernardino County-based private investigation and security services company;
    • Max Samuel Bennett Turbett, 39, of Australia, a United Kingdom citizen and former member of the British military who owns an Australia-based private investigation and asset recovery business; and
    • Matthew Phillip Hart, 41, of Australia, an Australian citizen and former member of the Australian military who owns an Australia-based risk management services business.

    The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

    “It is critical that we hold public officials, including law enforcement officers, to the same standards as the rest of us,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “It is unacceptable and a serious civil rights violation for a sworn police officer to take the law into his own hands and abuse the authority of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.”

    “The defendants in this case allegedly believed they could carry out vigilante justice by using official police powers to enter the home of vulnerable victims and extorting them out of millions of dollars,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI will not tolerate civil rights violations by anyone who takes the law into their own hands for personal gain or otherwise.”

    According to the superseding indictment, the Irvine businessman – identified as “Victim 1” – had an ongoing business dispute with an unindicted co-conspirator – the wealthy Chinese national – regarding their respective ownership interests in Jiangsu Sinorgchem Technology Co. Ltd., a China-based rubber chemical manufacturer. Their dispute led to at least three lawsuits in China and one in Atlanta. In October 2013, the Chinese national alleged in a civil court filing that China had issued a “red notice” for Victim 1, which Victim 1 understood was linked to his business dispute with the unindicted co-conspirator.

    In December 2018, the unindicted co-conspirator allegedly contacted Turbett to help locate and recover assets from Victim 1. She said that the long and costly litigation had not been “the smart way” to handle her dispute with Victim 1 and asked Turbett to find a different “solution to finish the problem.” She promised Turbett that if he helped her, “we can both retire.”

    In June 2019, Turbett and the unindicted co-conspirator drafted purported settlement agreements calling for Victim 1 to transfer assets – including approximately $36,972,386 in cash as well as lucrative shares in Jiangsu Sinorgchem – to the unindicted co-conspirator.

    Turbett allegedly hired Cozart to locate Victim 1 and assemble a team to obtain Victim 1’s signature on the settlement agreements. Cozart, in turn, hired Lankford, then an LASD deputy, who searched Victim 1’s name and date of birth in the National Crime Information Center database using his Justice Data Interface Controller terminal at LASD, in violation of LASD policy that law enforcement databases only be used for law enforcement purposes and not for personal use.

    Turbett and Hart flew from Australia to Los Angeles, where they met with Cozart and Lankford to discuss plans for the sham raid. 

    On June 17, 2019, Lankford – in violation of LASD policy – drove an unmarked LASD vehicle to Victim 1’s home with Cozart, Hart and Turbett, the superseding indictment alleges. Lankford and Cozart then approached Victim 1 outside his home. Lankford allegedly identified himself as a police officer and showed his badge, while Cozart falsely identified himself as an “Immigration” officer.

    Under the guise of a legitimate law enforcement operation, the defendants allegedly entered the home, where they forced Victim 1, his wife, and their two children into one room, took their phones, and prevented them from leaving for hours. Victim 1 was slammed against a wall and choked, the superseding indictment states. Defendants allegedly also threatened to deport Victim 1 and his wife and permanently separate them from their 4-year-old son unless Victim 1 complied with their demands. 

    Fearing for his and his family’s safety, the superseding indictment alleges that Victim 1 ultimately signed the documents, thereby relinquishing his multimillion-dollar interest in Jiangsu Sinorgchem.

    Although Lankford told Victim 1 that he would be arrested and deported if he reported the incident to police, Victim 1 immediately contacted the Irvine Police Department (IPD) after defendants left his home. Lankford thereafter spoke with an IPD officer and falsely claimed that he had been at Victim 1’s home for a legitimate law enforcement purpose, that Victim 1 consented to all parties being in his home, and that no force was used.

    By November 2019, all the defendants had been paid for their efforts. The unindicted co-conspirator paid Turbett’s company approximately $419,813 for services rendered and emailed Turbett to thank him for a “very good job,” the superseding indictment alleges.

    An indictment is merely an allegation, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for each extortion-related count and up to 10 years in federal prison for each deprivation of rights-related count.  

    The FBI is investigating this matter. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Irvine Police Department provided substantial assistance.

    Assistant United States Attorney Cassie D. Palmer of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section is prosecuting this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: California Man Sentenced for Assaulting Law Enforcement with a Dangerous Weapon During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: US FBI

                WASHINGTON— A California man was sentenced to prison today after previously pleading guilty to assaulting law enforcement with a dangerous weapon during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

                David Dempsey, 37, of Santa Ana, California, was sentenced to 240 months in prison, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution by U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth. Dempsey previously pleaded guilty to two felony counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers with a deadly or dangerous weapon on Jan. 4, 2024.

                According to court documents, Dempsey traveled to Washington, D.C., with others from his home in California and, on the morning of Jan. 6, 2021, attended the “Stop the Steal” rally at the Ellipse. Dempsey was later interviewed standing near a wooden structure representing a hanging gallows, which was fitted with a noose and sign stating, “This is Art.” Dempsey wore a black helmet, vest, sunglasses, and an American flag gaiter covering his neck, mouth, and nose.

                During the interview, Dempsey was asked what he thought of this “work of art” (the gallows), to which he replied, in part: This isn’t just art. This is necessary” and “Them worthless f— s—holes like f— Jerry Nadler, f— Pelosi, uh Clapper, Comey, f— all those pieces of garbage, you know, Obama, all these dudes, Clinton f— all these pieces of s—. That’s what they need. They don’t need a jail cell. They need to hang from these m—f— while everybody videotapes it and f— spreads it on YouTube, B—Tube or whatever f— social media there is.”

                Later, Dempsey walked with others toward the U.S. Capitol building and made his way to the Lower West Terrace Tunnel, the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on January 6th. Here, Dempsey joined the crowd, pushing into a line of police officers defending the Tunnel. At about 3:36 p.m., Dempsey climbed atop other rioters’ shoulders, arms, and backs to get to the front line.  Upon reaching the front, Dempsey threw a short pole-like object into the Tunnel, striking a police officer. Dempsey shouted, “F— you b—ass cops.”  Dempsey then grabbed onto a police riot shield and continued to yell insults at police.

                At approximately 3:57 p.m., Dempsey attempted to throw a flagpole at officers in the Tunnel, but his throw was inadvertently blocked by a police riot shield held by another rioter. He then grabbed onto an officer’s baton and attempted to pull it away. At about 3:59 p.m., Dempsey, using the Tunnel’s wooden frame as support, kicked the shields of law enforcement officers four times.

                At about 4:01 p.m., Dempsey took a long pole from the crowd and swung it at officers in the Tunnel, striking their shields. He then used his foot to push away a crowd member attempting to take the pole away from him. Court documents say that a short while later, at about 4:07 p.m., Dempsey sprayed two separate bursts of pepper spray into the line of officers.

                For the next several minutes, Dempsey continued his assault on officers in the Tunnel including by throwing water bottles at police, spraying pepper spray at officers, swinging a metal crutch, which struck police; swinging an aluminum people, which also struck police; throwing a folded-up metal pole; and swinging and throwing a long wooden pole, which struck police.

                At about 4:42 p.m., Dempsey retreated from the crowd to rinse pepper spray from his eyes and face. He then returned to the front line and swung a flagpole at the line of officers, striking an officer’s riot shield. Finally, at 5:03 p.m., Dempsey threw two objects at officers in the Tunnel.            

                The FBI arrested Dempsey on Aug. 26, 2021, in California.

                This case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

                This case was investigated by the FBI’s Los Angeles and Washington Field Offices, which identified Dempsey BOLO #399 in its seeking information photos. Valuable assistance was provided by the United States Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

                In the 43 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,488 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including nearly 550 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Campaign Treasurer for Candidate for Brooklyn Borough President Pleads Guilty to Scheme to Defraud New York City’s Campaign Finance Board

    Source: US FBI

    Defendant Used Straw Donors and Submitted Forged Documents in Attempt to Steal $400,000 in Matching Funds From New York City

    Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Erlene King pleaded guilty to wire fraud in connection with her attempt to steal funds from New York City’s Campaign Finance Board (CFB).  Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Carol Bagley Amon.  When sentenced, King faces up to 20 years in prison.

    Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and James E. Dennehy, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the guilty plea.

    “Instead of playing by the rules New York City established for free and fair elections, the defendant attempted to use the city’s matching funds program to give the campaign an unfair advantage,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “My Office and our law enforcement partners are focused on rooting out corruption in our electoral system to ensure that all candidates are operating on a level playing field.”

    Mr. Peace expressed his appreciation to the CFB for its cooperation and assistance during the investigation. 

    “Erlene King deprived New York City residents of a fair election by attempting to manipulate hundreds of thousands of dollars in donor contributions to unlawfully favor her candidate,” stated FBI Assistant Director in Charge Dennehy.  “King abused her position as a campaign treasurer and attempted to profit from exploiting a system designed to represent the voices of the city.  The FBI remains steadfast in its mission to eliminate any source of corruption polluting our city’s democratic processes.”

    CFB Overview

    The CFB oversees and administers a publicly funded campaign finance system in connection with municipal elections in New York City.  This includes a “matching funds program” that provides eligible candidates with public funds based on the number and amount of certain donor contributions. According to the CFB, the program “empowers New Yorkers in every neighborhood to make their voices heard in city elections.”  In addition, the CFB maintains that “by encouraging candidates to raise small-dollar contributions from average New Yorkers, the program increases engagement between voters and those who seek to represent them.”

    Candidates running for the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President in the 2021 election cycle were eligible to participate in the CFB’s matching funds program if they met certain criteria.  Among other things, to be eligible to receive public funds, candidates were required to meet a two-part fundraising threshold. Specifically, a candidate had to collect a minimum number of donations and raise a minimum amount of money from New York City residents before the CFB paid any matching funds.

    For candidates who ran for the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President during the 2021 election cycle, candidates received up to $8 in matching funds for each $1 of eligible contributions, up to $175 per contributor.  If a candidate received an eligible contribution of $175, then that candidate could collect up to $1,400 in matching funds.  In total, the matching funds program provided up to $1,457,777 in public matching funds to a candidate for the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President.  Because campaigns for Brooklyn Borough President during the 2021 election cycle needed to raise at least $50,000 in eligible contributions to receive any matching funds, any candidate who was eligible to receive matching funds necessarily received at least $400,000 in matching funds from the CFB.

    The Scheme

    King served as the campaign treasurer for a candidate who ran in a primary for the Office of the Brooklyn Borough President during the 2021 election cycle (Candidate #1).  King admitted that she obtained fraudulent donations for the purpose of inducing the CFB to provide matching funds to Candidate #1’s campaign. A number of those contributions, which were obtained at King’s direction, were fraudulent nominee contributions made in the names of individuals who either did not personally fund the contributions or were later reimbursed for their contributions (i.e., straw donors).  For example, King used CashApp to send money to intermediaries and instructed them to distribute the money to fund contributions from straw donors to Candidate #1.  Other fraudulent contributions were made in the names of individuals whose identities were stolen and who had not personally contributed to Candidate #1. The CFB ultimately determined that the campaign submitted fictitious records and did not pay any public matching funds to the campaign.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section. Assistant United States  Attorneys Philip Pilmar and Eric Silverberg are in charge of the prosecution, with the assistance of Paralegal Specialist Rachel Friedman.

    The Defendant:

    ERLENE KING
    Age: 71
    Brooklyn, NY
    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-374 (CBA)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mount Vernon Police Sergeant Pleads Guilty to Depriving an Individual of His Constitutional Rights

    Source: US FBI

    During a Call for Assistance, Sgt. Mario Stewart Tased a Handcuffed, Restrained Individual Seven Times in Two Minutes

    Edward Y. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that MARIO STEWART, a Sergeant with the Mount Vernon Police Department (“MVPD”), pled guilty today to using excessive force against an individual (the “Victim”) while in Mount Vernon, New York, in violation of the Victim’s rights under the U.S. Constitution.  STEWART pled guilty today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said: “Mario Stewart betrayed his duty as a Sergeant with the Mount Vernon Police Department.  Stewart was called to the scene to aid a person in emotional distress.  But instead of rendering aid, he deployed his taser on the individual seven times in the span of roughly two minutes, while the individual was helpless, and while several other MVPD officers were on scene to assist.  This Office will fiercely protect constitutional rights and hold accountable those who abuse their authority to violate those rights.”

    According to the allegations contained in the Indictment and statements made in court:

    On or about March 26, 2019, STEWART was employed as a Sergeant with the Mount Vernon Police Department.  STEWART was assigned to the MVPD’s Emergency Services Unit, which is responsible for, among other things, responding to individuals who are experiencing mental health crises.  On that day, STEWART and six other MVPD officers received a call to assist the Victim in Mount Vernon, New York, as the Victim was experiencing a mental health crisis. 

    At the scene, STEWART and the other MVPD officers restrained the Victim, handcuffing his hands behind his back and securing his legs in a restraint bag in preparation to transport the Victim for medical assistance.  When the MVPD officers were unable to pull the restraint bag over the Victim’s chest because the Victim was holding onto one of the bag’s straps, STEWART directed the Victim to release the strap.  While STEWART deployed his taser all seven times, the Victim remained laying on the ground, handcuffed with his hands behind his back and his legs secured in the restraint bag.  STEWART’s actions caused bodily injury to the Victim, including extreme pain.

    *               *                *

    STEWART, 46, of Brooklyn, New York, pled guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

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

    Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and the Mount Vernon Police Department for their assistance with the investigation.

    The prosecution is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Unit in the Criminal Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg and Jared Hoffman are in charge of the prosecution.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: PAC Treasurer Pleads Guilty to Multi-Year Scheme to Defraud PAC Donors

    Source: US FBI

    Edward Y. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ROBERT PIARO, the treasurer of multiple political action committees (“PACs”), pled guilty today to committing telemarketing wire fraud in connection with his scheme to defraud donors to his PACs through false and misleading statements.  PIARO pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian. 

    Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Y. Kim said: “Robert Piaro deceived hundreds of thousands of donors through false statements and misrepresentations about how contributions to his PACs would be spent.  Piaro’s fraudulent actions not only undermined the trust of donors but also exploited their interest in supporting certain causes for his own personal gain.  Today’s plea highlights this Office’s dedication to holding accountable those who misuse political organizations to defraud and mislead the public.”

    According to the allegations in the Indictment, court filings, and statements made in Court:

    PACs are entities registered with the Federal Election Commission that may be tax-exempt and collect money to advocate on behalf of or against certain causes and political candidates. 

    From at least in or about 2017 up to and including at least in or about December 2022, PIARO was the treasurer and operator of four PACs: Americans for the Cure of Breast Cancer, the Association for Emergency Responders & Firefighters, the US Veterans Assistance Foundation, and Standing By Veterans (the “PIARO PACs”).  PIARO raised millions of dollars from hundreds of thousands of donors nationwide through false statements and misrepresentations about how contributions to the PIARO PACs would be spent.  For example, at PIARO’s direction, the PIARO PACs misrepresented to donors that donations would be used to advance specific legislation, educate lawmakers, and conduct and fund research, when PIARO did not and did not intend to follow through on those representations.    

    If you believe you are a victim of fraud perpetrated by PIARO, please contact USANYS.PACFraud@usdoj.gov or the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov, and find more information here: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/united-states-v-robert-piaro.

    *                *                *

    PIARO, 74, of Fredonia, Wisconsin, pled guilty to one count of wire fraud in connection with telemarketing, which carries a maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.

    The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.  PIARO is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Subramanian on April 14, 2025.

    Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI.   

    This case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rebecca T. Dell and Jane Kim are in charge of the prosecution.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Trader Arrested for Stealing Trade Secrets From Global Quantitative Trading Firm

    Source: US FBI

    Edward Y. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and James E. Dennehy, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced today the unsealing of an Indictment charging CHEUK FUNG RICHARD HO with theft and attempted theft of trade secrets.  The charges in the Indictment arise from HO’s alleged scheme to steal trade secrets from his former employer (“Firm-1”), a global quantitative trading firm.  HO was arrested this morning in Los Angeles, California, and will be presented this afternoon before U.S. District Court for the Middle District of California, Magistrate Judge the Honorable Joel Richlin.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Edward Kim said: “As alleged, Cheuk Fung Richard Ho abused the trust his former employer placed in him and stole trade secrets to use at his own quantitative trading firm.  Ho allegedly tried to cover his tracks by lying to his former employer repeatedly and asking his employees to delete evidence.  Thanks to the FBI, Ho is now in custody.”

    FBI Assistant Director in Charge James E. Dennehy said: “Cheuk Fung Richard Ho allegedly stole and unlawfully shared private proprietary information to clandestinely develop his own firm in collaboration with his employer’s competitors.  The defendant allegedly abused his trusted position by breaching company confidentiality agreements to the detriment of his former firm.  The FBI will continue to apprehend any individual who attempts to garner success through manipulative and dishonest business strategies.”

    As alleged in the Indictment:[1]

    From approximately July 2019 to approximately August 2021, HO was a research developer and quantitative trader at Firm-1, a global, quantitative trading firm, which trades in equities and other securities on exchanges located in the U.S. and abroad.  Firm-1’s proprietary source code (“Firm-1’s Source Code”), the development of which took years and cost Firm-1 more than one billion dollars, has been the linchpin of Firm-1’s success in these markets.  During the period of HO’s employment at Firm-1, Firm-1 took substantial measures to protect the confidentiality of its Source Code.  Among other things, Firm-1 limited access to Firm-1’s Source Code to only those individuals, like HO, who needed access to it in connection with the duties of their employment.  Employees with access to Firm-1’s Source Code were required to enter into agreements with Firm-1 in which they acknowledged the importance of keeping Firm-1’s Source Code secret and promised to protect the confidentiality of that Source Code throughout their employment—and after their employment concluded.  Firm-1 also implemented numerous physical and network security protocols to prohibit unauthorized access to Firm-1’s Source Code.

    In or about the spring of 2021, HO secretly started his own quantitative trading firm (“Firm-2”), which partnered with one of Firm-1’s competitors (“Firm-3”). While still employed at Firm-1, and while taking advantage of the nearly complete access to Firm-1’s Source Code afforded to him as a result of that employment, HO stole valuable trade secrets from Firm-1 (the “Stolen Trade Secrets”) for use in developing the source code for Firm-2 (“Firm-2’s Source Code”). The Stolen Trade Secrets included, among other things, some of the very building blocks of Firm-1’s Source Code, known as “Atoms,” as well as some of its predictive formulas, known as “Alphas.” By stealing these trade secrets, HO was able to quickly launch Firm-2 and begin trading successfully.

    Aware that he had misappropriated Firm-1’s trade secrets—and knowing that this theft would injure Firm-1—HO repeatedly lied to Firm-1 about his plans after his employment with Firm-1 concluded.  For example, when Firm-1 asked HO about his post-Firm-1 employment plans, HO omitted any mention of the fact that he had started Firm-2 and he misrepresented his affiliation with Firm-3.  And once Firm-1 learned that HO had started Firm-2, HO sought to destroy evidence.  He directed his employees to delete their internal communications and further directed them to delete the source code history for Firm-2’s Source Code, a direction that HO’s employees did not follow.

    *               *                *

    HO, 36, of Los Aneles, California, is charged with one count of theft and attempted theft of trade secrets, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

    The statutory maximum sentence in this case is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by a judge.

    Mr. Kim praised the investigative work of the FBI.

    This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rushmi Bhaskaran and Ni Qian are in charge of the prosecution.

    The allegations in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Conspiracy and Fraud Charges Added Against Operator of Central California Bio-Lab and His Partner in Connection with Sale of Millions of Dollars in COVID-19 Test Kits

    Source: US FBI

    FRESNO, Calif. — The operator of a Reedley lab, who was indicted in November 2023, faces additional charges of conspiracy and wire fraud after a federal grand jury returned a 12-count superseding indictment today, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

    Jia Bei Zhu, 62, a citizen of China, was previously indicted for distributing adulterated and misbranded COVID-19 test kits in violation of the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and making false statements to authorities about his identity and involvement with the biolabs. The superseding indictment also charges Zhu’s romantic and business partner, Zhaoyan Wang, 38, a citizen of China, who operated the biolabs Universal Meditech Inc. (UMI) and Prestige Biotech Inc. (PBI) in Fresno and Reedley along with Zhu. UMI and PBI distributed COVID-19, pregnancy, and other types of test kits.

    According to court documents, from August 2020 through March 2023, Zhu and Wang conspired to defraud buyers of UMI and PBI’s COVID-19 test kits. They imported hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 test kits from Ai De Ltd., which was a company in China that they controlled, and falsely represented to the buyers that the test kits were made in the United States. They illegally imported the COVID-19 test kits, which they were not approved to import, by falsely declaring them as pregnancy test kits, which they were approved to import.

    Zhu and Wang also falsely represented to the buyers that UMI and PBI could make up to 100,000 COVID-19 test kits per week in the United States and that the test kits were made in connection with other labs that were certified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Finally, they falsely represented to the buyers that the test kits were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Zhu and Wang made over $1.7 million through their fraud.

    When buyers requested to inspect UMI and PBI’s facilities in Fresno and Reedley, Zhu and Wang denied them access and fabricated reasons for the denial. The fabricated reasons included that the facilities were undergoing construction and renovation, and that proprietary and confidential information and technology was inside. In reality, however, they did not want the buyers to know that UMI and PBI were obtaining the COVID-19 test kits from China.

    Zhu is currently detained in custody pending his federal trial. His next status conference is scheduled for Sept. 11, 2024. Wang is not in custody.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Arelis Clemente, Joseph Barton, and Henry Carbajal III are prosecuting the case.

    If convicted, Zhu and Wang each face maximum statutory penalties of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy and wire fraud charges, and an additional three years in prison for the distribution of adulterated and misbranded medical device charges. Zhu also faces another five years in prison for the false statements charge. Any sentences, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations. Zhu and Wang are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    MIL Security OSI –