NewzIntel.com

Category: Security Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Orleans Man Sentenced For Drug Trafficking and Machinegun Crimes

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

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA –TIERON PRICE (“PRICE”), age 22, was sentenced on May 20, 2025 U.S. District Judge Darrel J. Papillion to 106 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release, and a $400 mandatory special assessment fee, after previously pleading guilty to two counts of possessing a machinegun, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 922(o) and 924(a)(2); possession with intent to distribute tapentadol, in violation of 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(C); and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A)(i).

    According to court documents, on May 22, 2023, PRICE was driving a stolen vehicle in New Orleans.  When Louisiana State Police troopers attempted to pull him over, PRICE  led troopers on a seven-minute car chase, during which PRICE ran several red lights, disregarded stop signs, and drove the wrong way on one-way streets at high speeds.  The chase ended when PRICE struck a vehicle stopped at a red light.  PRICE and two other occupants fled but were caught.  Inside a backpack carried by one of the other occupants, there was a Glock Model 17, nine-millimeter caliber pistol, equipped with a Glock auto-sear, making the firearm a fully-automatic machinegun.  The machinegun had a bullet in the chamber and was loaded with an extended magazine containing 23 rounds of ammunition.  PRICE’s DNA was on the firearm and he later admitted ownership.

    PRICE was arrested after the car chase but subsequently released on bond.  On January 19, 2024,  New Orleans Police Department detectives executed a search warrant at PRICE’s residence in connection with an auto theft investigation.  During the search, officers found a Glock Model 19, nine-millimeter caliber pistol, a black Glock auto-sear hidden in a baby bassinet, and a drum magazine loaded with 49 rounds.  PRICE had been observed on a social media app the day before the search with the same gun equipped with the auto-sear, and the drum magazine attached.  During the search officers also found over $6,000 in cash and 95 tapentadol pills that PRICE intended to distribute.

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

    The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Louisiana State Police, and the New Orleans Police Department.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David Berman of the Violent Crime Unit.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Global Operation Targets Darknet Drug Trafficking

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

    The April 9 search and arrest of four subjects—led by the FBI’s Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team and carried out by FBI Los Angeles and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)—was part of a coordinated operation across four continents that has seized more than $200 million in currency and digital assets and over 1,500 kilograms of drugs, including fentanyl.

    In Operation RapTor, participating law enforcement agencies in the U.S., Europe, South America, and Asia arrested 270 darknet vendors, buyers, and administrators. (The darknet is a portion of the internet that is not indexed by traditional search engines and is only accessible through specialized software.) The results of the operation were announced today. 

    More than 144 kilograms (approximately 317 pounds) of fentanyl or fentanyl-laced narcotics were seized in this year’s operation, which included arrests in Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. Just one kilogram of fentanyl has the potential to kill 500,000 people, according to the DEA. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says synthetic opioids like fentanyl are the primary driver of overdose deaths in the U.S. 

    The FBI, which established JCODE in 2018 to target drug trafficking—particularly of fentanyl and other opioids—on the darknet, has coordinated global law enforcement operations like RapTor every year since the initiative’s inception.

    “By cowardly hiding online, these traffickers have wreaked havoc across our country and directly fueled the fentanyl crisis and gun violence impacting our American communities and neighborhoods,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “But the ease and accessibility of their crimes ends today.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Two U.S. Navy DDGs Successfully Engage SRBM and MRBM during exercise Formidable Shield 2025

    Source: United States Navy

    NAPLES, Italy – U.S. 6th Fleet Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) and USS Bulkeley (DDG 84) conducted two separate live-fire events as part of exercise At Sea Demonstration (ASD) / Formidable Shield (FS) 25. U.S. Navy destroyers are equipped with the Aegis weapons systems designed for ballistic missile defense.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: NIWC Pacific Enhances India’s Maritime Security Capabilities

    Source: United States Navy

    SAN DIEGO – The U.S. Navy is strengthening maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region through a $125 million initiative designed to enhance India’s maritime domain awareness. Naval Information Warfare Center (NIWC) Pacific is playing a central role in the Indo-Pacific Maritime Domain Awareness (IPMDA) program, a flagship effort under the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: U.S. Navy Seeking Elite Warfighters with New “Spotlight” Campaign

    Source: United States Navy

    When most people hear the term “U.S. Navy Special Operations,” they typically think of Navy Sea, Air, and Land Teams (SEALs), as the elite, unconventional warfare experts who endure the hardest training the U.S. military has to offer. But while SEALs are deserving of the high esteem in which they are held, the team often overshadows the other exclusive roles that comprise the Navy Special Ops community – Aviation Rescue Swimmers, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technicians, Hospital Corpsmen-Advanced Technical Field, Divers, and Special Warfare Combat Crewmen.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Holds Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2025 Navy and Marine Corps Budget Request

    Source: United States Navy

    Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Franchetti, and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith testified before the House Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense, April 10, 2024. Below is a transcript of the hearing:

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: House Armed Forces Committee Holds Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2025 Navy and Marine Corps Budget Request

    Source: United States Navy

    Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Franchetti, and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith testified before the House Armed Forces Committee on the 2025 Navy budget request, May 1, 2024. Below is a transcript of the hearing:

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Holds Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2025 Navy and Marine Corps Budget Request

    Source: United States Navy

    Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Franchetti, and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Subcommittee on Defense, April 16, 2024. Below is a transcript of the hearing:

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Cruisers – CG

    Source: United States Navy

    Modern U.S. Navy guided-missile cruisers perform primarily in a Battle Force role. These ships are multi-mission Air Warfare (AW), Undersea Warfare (USW), Naval Surface Fire Support (NSFS) and Surface Warfare (SUW) surface combatants capable of supporting carrier battle groups, amphibious forces or operating independently and as flagships of surface action groups.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: CNO Franchetti Speaks at 2023 Reagan National Defense Forum

    Source: United States Navy

    Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti spoke during a panel while at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California on Dec. 2, 2023. The panel was “Laboratories of Learning,” and focused on innovation and technological breakthroughs in the Department of Defense. Speakers included: Representative Ken Calvert, U.S. House of Representatives; James Taiclet, Chairmen, President, and CEO of Lockheed Martin Corporation; Gen. David Allvin, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff; and the moderator, Jim Sciutto from CNN.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: CNO Franchetti Speaks at 2024 Paris Naval Conference

    Source: United States Navy

    Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti spoke during a panel while at the Paris Naval Conference in Paris, France on Jan. 24, 2024. The panel was “Future Challenges and Perspectives for Navies.” Speakers included: Chief of the French Navy Adm. Nicolas Vaujour; Royal Navy First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff of the United Kingdom Adm. Sir Ben Key; Adm. Enrico Credendino, Chief of the Italian Navy; and Vice-Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Eastern Naval Command, Indian Navy.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Holds Hearing on Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for the Navy and Marine Corps

    Source: United States Navy

    House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Holds Posture Hearing with Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger on the Fiscal Year 2024 Navy and Marine Corps Budget Request, March 29, 2023.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Holds Hearing on Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request for Navy and Marine Corps

    Source: United States Navy

    Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense Holds Posture Hearing with Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday, and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger on the Fiscal Year 2024 Navy and Marine Corps Budget Request, March 28, 2023.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Attack Submarines – SSN

    Source: United States Navy

    Attack submarines are designed to seek and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; project power ashore with Tomahawk cruise missiles and Special Operation Forces (SOF); carry out Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions; support battle group operations; and engage in mine warfare.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Littoral Combat Ship Class – LCS

    Source: United States Navy

    The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) is a fast, agile, mission-focused warship designed to operate in near-shore environments to counter 21st-century threats. It is a class of small surface combatants armed with capabilities to defeat challenges in the world’s littorals. LCS can operate independently or in high-threat scenarios as part of a networked battle force that includes larger, multi-mission surface combatants such as cruisers and destroyers.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB)

    Source: United States Navy

    The Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) ship class is a highly flexible platform used across various military operations. ESB ships are mobile sea-based assets and are a part of the critical access infrastructure that supports the deployment of forces, equipment, supplies, and warfighting capability.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: CNO Q&A at America’s Future Fleet: Reinvigorating the Maritime Industrial Base

    Source: United States Navy

    CNO discussed the Navy’s Navigation Plan and Project 33 with Adm. (Ret.) James Foggo at the 3rd annual “America’s Future Fleet Symposium,” hosted by the Naval War College Foundation and the Center for Maritime Strategy, at the Navy League Headquarters in Arlington, Va. 

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: CNO Remarks at America’s Future Fleet: Reinvigorating the Maritime Industrial Base

    Source: United States Navy

    CNO discussed the Navy’s Navigation Plan and Project 33 with Adm. (Ret.) James Foggo at the 3rd annual “America’s Future Fleet Symposium,” hosted by the Naval War College Foundation and the Center for Maritime Strategy, at the Navy League Headquarters.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: GEN Brunson: We are committed to maintaining the momentum of trilateral security cooperation

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    TOKYO, Japan — Gen. Xavier T. Brunson, commander of United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command and United States Forces Korea, met with Gen. Ken-ichiro Nagumo, commander of the Japanese Joint Operations Command, May 20, during a visit to Japan to discuss trilateral defense cooperation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Blue Ridge Arrives in Wellington, New Zealand for the First Time

    Source: United States Navy

    WELLINGTON, New Zealand — U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) arrived in Wellington, New Zealand for a port visit, May 16, 2025. This historic arrival marks the first time Blue Ridge has visited New Zealand as well as its capital city. The last two U.S Navy ships to visit Wellington were USS Howard (DDG 83) in 2021 and USS Sampson (DDG 102) in 2016.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Observes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month

    Source: United States Department of Justice

    In recognition of National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the Department of Justice today reaffirms its commitment to prosecuting perpetrators of human trafficking, protecting vulnerable victims, supporting survivors, and preventing the proliferation of these horrific crimes.

    Combating human trafficking and vindicating the rights of trafficking victims are among the Department’s highest priorities, and we remain relentless in our pursuit of justice for survivors.

    The Department of Justice remains steadfast in its commitment to bringing human traffickers to justice, dismantling human trafficking enterprises, and protecting human trafficking survivors.

    Human Trafficking Prevention Month serves as an annual reminder of the importance of the fight against the abhorrent crime of human trafficking, but the Justice Department’s work continues every day of the year to combat this vicious crime, bring human traffickers to justice, and protect those at risk of falling prey to these unconscionable crimes of cruelty, exploitation, and greed.

    Since passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, nearly a quarter of a century ago, the Department of Justice has served on the front lines of our nation’s fight against human trafficking in all its forms.

    Today, we commemorate National Human Trafficking Prevention Month by redoubling our commitment to continue that fight.

    Anyone who has information about a potential human trafficking situation or a person who may be experiencing human trafficking should contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.

    Information on the Justice Department’s work to combat human trafficking can be found at www.justice.gov/humantrafficking

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Yokota Airmen showcase readiness, resolve to honor fallen service members before Memorial Day Weekend

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    JAPAN — U.S. Air Force Airmen assigned to the 374th Airlift Wing came together for a wing run and open ranks inspection at Yokota Air Base, Japan, May 22, to honor fallen service members before Memorial Day Weekend. The events were also conducted as part of a wing-wide initiative aimed at strengthening discipline and maintaining readiness while reinforcing dress and appearance standards.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Operation ENDGAME strikes again: the ransomware kill chain broken at its source

    Source: Europol

    In addition, EUR 3.5 million in cryptocurrency was seized during the action week.This latest phase of Operation ENDGAME follows on from the largest-ever international action against botnets in May 2024. It targeted new malware variants and successor groups that re-emerged after last year’s takedowns, reinforcing law enforcement’s capacity to adapt and strike back – even as cybercriminals retool and reorganise.The…

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Nineteen Members of a Drug Trafficking Ring Indicted in Cleveland

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Ohio has returned a 29-count indictment against 19 members and associates of a Cleveland drug trafficking ring. Those charged are Derek Brantley, 41, Cleveland Heights; Juan Johnny Colon, 42, Cleveland; Luis Joel Rondon, 44, Cleveland; Sydney Anthony, 25, Parma Heights; Ryan Bell, 39, Brunswick; Mark Byrd, 44, Cleveland; Nicholas Calvert, 37, Avon Lake; Jocelyn Dolan, 22, Newton Falls; Antonio Greenlee, 37, Cleveland; Andre Jenkins, 43, Cleveland; Melanie Crespo, 32, Elyria; Jordan Marsh, 27, Cleveland; Nicholas Malusky, 38, Parma; Sean Masters, 54, Fort Pierce, Florida; Brandon Payne, 32, Cleveland; Lee Pomales, 38, Cleveland; Mason Pulvino, 28, North Ridgeville; Martha Rios, 68, Cleveland; and Kalem Watts, 45, Cleveland.

    Federal and local law enforcement agents and officers made the apprehensions in a series of coordinated arrests.

    According to court documents, from October 2023 to December 2024, the defendants charged were alleged to have trafficked various controlled substances but were mostly dealing cocaine. Although based in Cleveland, the ring operated throughout Northeast Ohio and as far away as Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Their operations also included attempts to infiltrate the Ohio prison system.

    Throughout the investigation, authorities seized thousands of dollars in cash and a number of illegal drugs that included cocaine, methamphetamine, and fentanyl. Several illegally possessed firearms were also confiscated throughout the investigation.

    During the investigation, several locations in Cleveland were found to be used as stash houses to store and package cocaine and methamphetamine, as well as store firearms.

    An indictment is merely an allegation. Defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    If convicted, each defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after review of factors unique to the case, including each defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, their role in the offense, and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum, and, in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

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

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

    This case was investigated by the FBI Cleveland Division.

    Assistant United States Attorney Robert F. Corts for the Northern District of Ohio is leading the prosecution in this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Durant Resident Sentenced to 32 Years for Second Degree Murder

    Source: US FBI

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Kyle Hunter Laws Duffner, age 27, of Durant, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 384 months in prison for one count of Murder in Indian Country—Second Degree.

    The charge arose from an investigation by the Durant Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    On December 4, 2024, Duffner pleaded guilty to unlawfully killing a child with malice aforethought.  According to investigators, on June 27, 2021, law enforcement responded to a 911 call of a non-responsive infant.  The child was life-flighted for care but succumbed to injuries shortly after transfer.  During treatment, medical professionals discovered signs of acute rib fractures, older rib fractures in various stages of healing, and a possible head injury.  A post-mortem examination revealed a skull fracture symptomatic of blunt force impact in the early stages of healing, multiple contusions to the forehead, jaw, and chest, and rib fractures consistent with at least three events of blunt force trauma.

    The crime occurred in Bryan County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

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

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Paladino represented the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Botnet Dismantled in International Operation, Russian and Kazakhstani Administrators Indicted

    Source: US FBI

    TULSA, Okla. – A domain seizure warrant was unsealed, along with an indictment charging four foreign national hackers with conspiracy and other computer crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

    Russian nationals, Alexey Viktorovich Chertkov, 37, Kirill Vladimirovich Morozov, 41, Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Shishkin, 36, and Dmitriy Rubtsov, 38, a Kazakhstani national, were charged with Conspiracy and Damage to Protected Computers for conspiring with others to maintain, operate, and profit from botnet services known as Anyproxy and 5socks.

    The Indictment alleges that a botnet was created by infecting older-model wireless internet routers worldwide, including in the United States, using malware without their owners’ knowledge. The installed malware allowed the routers to be reconfigured, granting unauthorized access to third parties and making the routers available for sale as proxy servers on the Anyproxy.net and 5socks.net websites. Both website domains were managed by a company headquartered in Virginia and hosted on computer servers worldwide.

    Additional court documents reveal that the 5socks.net website advertised more than 7,000 proxies for sale worldwide, including in the United States. Users paid a monthly subscription fee, ranging from $9.95 to $110 per month. The website’s slogan, “Working since 2004!”, indicates that the service has been available for more than 20 years. The defendants are believed to have amassed more than $46 million from selling access to the infected routers that were part of the Anyproxy botnet.

    Chertkov and Rubtsov are additionally charged with False Registration of a Domain Name. They allegedly falsely identified themselves when they registered and used the domains Anyproxy.net and 5socks.net during the commission of these 
    felony crimes.

    During the investigation, the FBI’s Oklahoma City Cyber Task Force discovered that business and residential routers in Oklahoma had malware installed without the users’ knowledge.

    Pursuant to a seizure warrant in the Eastern District of Virginia and in conjunction with the unsealing of the Indictment in the Northern District of Oklahoma, the FBI seized the Anyproxy.net and 5socks.net domain names. The botnet overseas was also seized and disabled by foreign law enforcement partners. 

    The FBI Oklahoma City Cyber Task Force is investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Jiang and Christopher J. Nassar, with the Northern District of Oklahoma, are prosecuting the case, along with Ryan K.J. Dickey and Jane Lee, Senior Counsel from the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.

    The Justice Department collaborated closely with investigators and prosecutors from multiple jurisdictions in this investigation, including the Eastern District of Virginia, the Dutch National Police – Amsterdam Region, the Netherlands Public Prosecution Service (Openbaar Ministerie), and the Royal Thai Police. Black Lotus Labs of Lumen Technologies, Inc., provided significant assistance and worked closely with investigators.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces Results of Operation Restore Justice: 205 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested in FBI-Led Nationwide Crackdown, Including Two in the Northern District of Oklahoma

    Source: US FBI

    TULSA, Okla. – The Department of Justice announces the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators.  The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown.  The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division, and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.

    “The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims — especially child victims — and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest, and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”

    “Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten. By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state and local partners, we’re sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children.”

    “Over a five-day period in April, the Justice Department charged and the FBI arrested more than 200 offenders of child sexual abuse crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “The success of this operation would not be possible without the collaborative effort of law enforcement across the United States.”

    FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater stated, “Operation Restore Justice is not just about upholding the rule of law – it’s about standing up as a society for the safety of children and showing predators that we will not allow them to rob kids of their innocence.  The FBI is proud to collaborate with our law enforcement partners every single day to ensure anyone involved in criminal behavior against a child is brought to justice.”

    Two individuals in the Northern District of Oklahoma were arrested and indicted last week, during Operation Restore Justice.

    • Jonathan Gross, 36, of Mounds, was arrested and indicted for Possession of Child Pornography; and
    • Kaleb Smith, 23, of Bartlesville and a member of the Osage Nation of Oklahoma, was arrested and indicted for Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country, and two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country

    Others arrested around the country are alleged to have committed various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors, and child sex trafficking. In Minneapolis, for example, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms. In Norfolk, VA, an illegal alien from Mexico is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex. In Washington, D.C., a former Metropolitan Police Department Police Officer was arrested for allegedly trafficking minor victims.

    In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice. For example, a California man was arrested about eight hours after a young victim bravely came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents after an online safety presentation at a school near Albany, N.Y.

    This effort follows the Department’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Department, including the FBI, investigates and prosecutes these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims, and raising awareness through community education.

    The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.

    The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.

    Other online resources:
    Violent Crimes Against Children
    How we can help you: Parents and caregivers protecting your kids

    Jonathan Gross’s case is being investigated by the FBI-Oklahoma City field office and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley Robert. Kaleb Smith’s case is being investigated by the FBI-Oklahoma City field office with the assistance of the Bartlesville Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Hockenbury.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Guatemalan Sentenced for Heroin and Methamphetamine Distribution

    Source: US FBI

    FRESNO, Calif. — Donis Ariel Maldonado, 29, aka Donis Maldonado Reyes, aka “Danny,” a Guatemalan national residing in El Monte, was sentenced today to four years and three months in prison for conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    According to court documents, Maldonado conspired with others to distribute 22 pounds of black tar heroin and 88 pounds of methamphetamine sourced from Mexico. On June 23, 2019, Maldonado retrieved the drugs from San Diego and transported them to El Monte. The next day, Maldonado delivered the drugs to an informant, who was acting at the direction of law enforcement, at a convenience store in El Monte. The drugs were valued at $300,000.

    This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, the High Impact Investigation Team (HIIT), a High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Initiative (HIDTA), which consists of personnel from the California Department of Justice, Fresno Police Department, Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, Fresno County District Attorney’s Office, California Highway Patrol, Madera County Sheriff’s Office, Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, Kings County Sheriff’s Office, and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Assistant United States Attorney Karen Escobar prosecuted the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Announces Results of Operation Restore Justice: 205 Child Sex Abuse Offenders Arrested in FBI-Led Nationwide Crackdown, Including Three in the District of Oregon

    Source: US FBI

    PORTLAND, Ore.—Today, the Department of Justice announced the results of Operation Restore Justice, a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track and arrest child sex predators. The operation resulted in the rescue of 115 children and the arrests of 205 child sexual abuse offenders in the nationwide crackdown. The coordinated effort was executed over the course of five days by all 55 FBI field offices, the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section in the Department’s Criminal Division and United States Attorney’s Offices around the country.

    “The Department of Justice will never stop fighting to protect victims—especially child victims—and we will not rest until we hunt down, arrest and prosecute every child predator who preys on the most vulnerable among us,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I am grateful to the FBI and their state and local partners for their incredible work in Operation Restore Justice and have directed my prosecutors not to negotiate.”

    “Every child deserves to grow up free from fear and exploitation, and the FBI will continue to be relentless in our pursuit of those who exploit the most vulnerable among us,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Operation Restore Justice proves that no predator is out of reach and no child will be forgotten. By leveraging the strength of all our field offices and our federal, state and local partners, we’re sending a clear message: there is no place to hide for those who prey on children.”

    “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is proud to be a part of Operation Restore Justice and seek justice for children who have been exploited or abused. A common thread in these cases and many others is that online predators will use any platform on the internet to contact unsuspecting children. These predators often pose as children themselves to trick their would-be victims,” said William M. Narus, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    “The FBI has zero tolerance for criminal actors who target the most vulnerable in our community—our children,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Douglas A. Olson. “While we count Operation Restore Justice as a success, our work continues. We will use every resource available to us to pursue those who prey on children, as well as to help victims of abuse access tools to help them heal.”

    Three individuals were arrested and charged with federal child exploitation crimes in the District of Oregon as part of Operation Restore Justice.

    Robert Andrew Arias, 54, of Salem, Oregon, has been charged by indictment with distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography. He was arrested on April 28, 2025, at his residence in Salem and made his first appearance in federal court the same day. A jury trial is scheduled to begin on July 1, 2025.

    Berret J. Brown, 40, of Vida, Oregon, has been charged by indictment with enticing minors, receiving child pornography, using a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct and transferring obscene matter to a minor. Between July and August 2024, Brown is alleged to have used Snapchat to entice multiple children into producing and sending him sexually explicit videos. Brown is also alleged to have used Roblox, a children’s online video game platform, to connect with minors. On April 30, 2025, Brown made his first appearance in federal court and was ordered detained pending a jury trial scheduled to begin on August 5, 2025.

    Michael Joseph Cambalik, 35, of Beaverton, Oregon, has been charged by complaint with sexually exploiting a minor, receiving child pornography and coercing and enticing a minor. In December 2024, Cambalik, posing as a female minor, is alleged to have used Call of Duty, an internet-connected video game, to meet and coerce a then-nine-year-old child to produce and send him sexually explicit photos and videos. On April 30, 2025, Cambalik made his first appearance in federal court and was ordered detained pending his arraignment on May 29, 2025.

    Those arrested nationwide are alleged to have committed various crimes including the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, online enticement and transportation of minors and child sex trafficking. In Minneapolis, for example, a state trooper and Army Reservist was arrested for allegedly producing child sexual abuse material while wearing his uniforms. In Norfolk, VA, an illegal alien from Mexico is accused of transporting a minor across state lines for sex. In Washington, D.C., a former Metropolitan Police Department Police Officer was arrested for allegedly trafficking minor victims.

    In many cases, parental vigilance and community outreach efforts played a critical role in bringing these offenders to justice. For example, a California man was arrested eight hours after a young victim bravely came forward and disclosed their abuse to FBI agents at an online safety presentation broadcast from Albany, N.Y.

    This effort follows the Department’s observance of National Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, and underscores the Department’s unwavering commitment to protecting children and raising awareness about the dangers they face. While the Department, including the FBI, investigates and prosecutes these crimes every day, April serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of preventing these crimes, seeking justice for victims and raising awareness through community education.

    The Justice Department is committed to combating child sexual exploitation. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    The Department partners with and oversees funding grants for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which receives and shares tips about possible child sexual exploitation received through its 24/7 hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST and on missingkids.org.

    The Department urges the public to remain vigilant and report suspected exploitation of a child through the FBI’s tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), tips.fbi.gov, or by calling your local FBI field office.

    Other online resources:

    Electronic Press Kit

    Violent Crimes Against Children

    How we can help you: Parents and caregivers protecting your kids

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: 18-Year-Old Philadelphia Man Charged with Possession of Child Pornography, Including Videos He Recorded While Sexually Abusing Two Young Children

    Source: US FBI

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Isaiah Smith, 18, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with one count of possession of child pornography.

    The indictment alleges that Smith possessed visual depictions of prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. As detailed in court filings, these visual depictions included videos that the defendant recorded as he sexually abused two different child victims, a six-year-old girl, and a nonverbal three-year-old boy, on multiple occasions, over more than a year. The child sexual abuse material was discovered after a friend of the defendant walked in on Smith orally raping one of the child victims.

    If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum of five years up to lifetime supervised release, mandatory financial penalties, and mandatory registration as a sex offender under SORNA and Megan’s Law.

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

    The case was investigated by the FBI and the Philadelphia Police Department Special Victims Unit and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michelle Rotella.

    The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

    MIL Security OSI –