NewzIntel.com

Category: Security Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Maryland Police Officer Sentenced to 74 Months for Excessive Use of Force in the District

    Source: US FBI

                WASHINGTON – Philip Dupree, 40, a former police officer with the Fairmount Heights, Maryland Police Department, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 74 months in prison following his conviction at trial on June 17, 2024, in connection with violating a man’s civil rights by using unreasonable force, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

                A federal jury found Dupree guilty on June 17, 2024, of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law. In addition to the 74-month prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Dupree to serve threeyears of supervised release.

                “When the defendant used unnecessary and excessive force on a man in handcuffs, he violated his duty and betrayed his oath to serve and protect,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “The Court’s sentence serves as a stark reminder that members of law enforcement must not break the faith with the communities we all serve.”

                According to court documents, Dupree was on duty as a Fairmont Heights Police officer during the early morning hours of Aug. 4, 2019, when he conducted a traffic stop on Eastern Avenue NE, in the District of Columbia. After detaining the driver and the driver’s sister, Officer Dupree pepper-sprayed the driver in the face while the driver was handcuffed and seated in Dupree’s police car.  The jury found that Dupree’s use of force constituted excessive force by a law enforcement officer.

                “Our government requires police officers to abide by the laws they enforce and to protect the constitutional rights of all persons in their custody,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Civil Rights Division. “Dupree abused his authority as a police officer, and today Dupree was held accountable for his actions.”

                “Law enforcement officers have a duty to enforce the laws while protecting the rights of those they serve,” said Steven J. Jensen, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office. “Today’s sentence underscores this responsibility and demonstrates the FBI’s resolve to pursue public servants who abuse their positions of power and trust.”

                The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office. It was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sanjay Patel of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Howland of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Health Care Worker Pleads Guilty to Double Billing District of Columbia Medicaid Programs

    Source: US FBI

                WASHINGTON – Amstrong Chapajong, 38, of Cheverly, Maryland, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of health care fraud after billing the District of Columbia’s Medicaid program for services never provided.

                The plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, FBI Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jensen of the Washington Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Maureen R. Dixon of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and Inspector General Daniel W. Lucas of the D.C. Office of the Inspector General (DC-OIG).

                According to court documents, from March 2020 to January 2022, Chapajong worked as a personal care aide (PCA) and a community support worker (CSW) within the District of Columbia.  PCA services are intended to assist Medicaid beneficiaries in performing activities of daily living, and CSW services include support for mental-health consumers’ recovery and wellness in community settings.  Chapajong admitted to repeatedly submitting false timesheets to his employers, claiming to have provided in-person care as a PCA and telephonic behavioral health services as a CSW to multiple District beneficiaries simultaneously while at different locations.  Through this scheme, he caused the District’s Medicaid Program to pay $113,243 for duplicative services he did not render.

                The Honorable Randolph D. Moss accepted the plea, and scheduled sentencing for Jan. 7, 2026. Under federal sentencing guidelines, Chapajong faces a possible sentence of up to one year in prison and a maximum fine of $40,000.  As part of his plea agreement, Chapajong agreed to pay $113,243 in restitution and is subject to forfeiture of his assets.

                This case was jointly investigated by the FBI, the HHS-OIG, and the DC-OIG’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.  The District Department of Health Care Finance’s Division of Program Integrity initially referred this matter and provided assistance during the investigation. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Facci, who is on detail from the D.C. Office of the Inspector General.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Gary Man Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison

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

    HAMMOND- Deyon Washington, 45 years old, of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund after pleading guilty to being a felon in possession a firearm, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor. 

    Washington was sentenced to 51 months in prison followed by 24 months of supervised release.

    According to documents in the case, on September 11, 2021, Deyon Washington was a passenger in vehicle that was pulled over in Valparaiso, Indiana. During a search of the vehicle, law enforcement recovered a loaded pistol with an extended magazine attached to it. Washington’s criminal history revealed he was previously felony convicted for armed robbery in 2001 and 2002, which were felonies that disqualified him from possessing any firearm or ammunition. 

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael J. Toth.          

    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.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Hammond Man Sentenced to 60 Months in Prison

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

    HAMMOND- Isaiah Castro, 23 years old, of Hammond, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Gretchen S. Lund after pleading guilty to possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor. 

    Castro was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by 24 months of supervised release.

    According to documents in the case, on April 16, 2024, Isaiah Castro distributed pills containing fentanyl while possessing a firearm. A search warrant resulted in the recovery of the firearm. Law enforcement also recovered another firearm with an extended magazine, firearm magazines, ammunition, and cash. Castro was previously convicted of resisting law enforcement and was on probation at the time. 

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Indiana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin M. Padula.         

    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.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Snohomish Man Who Provided Tactical Training to Extremist Groups Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Gun Possession

    Source: US FBI

    Seattle – An Army veteran who illegally possessed high powered firearms was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to two years in prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Kyle Christopher Benton, 29, was arrested in September 2024, following an investigation of his activities both online and in person involving high-powered weapons. Benton possessed both unregistered, short barrel rifles and machineguns, weapons capable of firing multiple rounds with a single trigger pull. Moreover, he used these weapons to further his standing with various racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist groups and groups espousing white supremacy.

    At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Tana Lin said, “You not only illegally possessed extremely dangerous firearms, but you bragged about it and put on firearms trainings for others while doing so.”

    According to records filed in the case, Benton was investigated by the FBI after he was discharged from the United States Army and after he threatened to kill his wife. The investigation revealed Benton operated multiple social media accounts where he posted violent extremist content, neo-Nazi propaganda, and anti-Semitic materials. But it was not just online activity. Benton participated in “hate rallies” and other gatherings located in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho in furtherance of his white supremacist views. Drawing upon his military training and veteran status, he led workshops about firearms for various white supremacy groups.

    On September 6, 2024, law enforcement executed a court authorized search warrant at Benton’s Snohomish home and seized a firearm resembling an M16 rifle that fired in a fully automatic fashion. They also seized an uninstalled drop-in auto sear (which makes a gun fire like a machinegun) and two rifles with overall barrel lengths of less than 16 inches. Such guns must be registered under the National Firearms Act.

    On March 28, 2025, Benton pleaded guilty to Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun, and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm.

    In asking for a 30-month sentence Assistant United States Attorney Brian Wynne wrote to the court, “while Benton was in possession of these weapons, he was actively engaged with groups encouraging racially or ethnically motivated violence and white supremacy. Benton

     used the firearms along with his military experience to establish himself within the groups. While engaged with these groups he put on workshops about firearms and held tactical trainings for group members.”

    In his letter to the court, Benton now disavows his white supremacist views.

    The case was investigated by the FBI.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Brian J. Wynne. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Statement of condemnation by the North Atlantic Council concerning Russian malicious cyber activities

    Source: NATO

    1. We strongly condemn Russia’s malicious cyber activities, which constitute a threat to Allied security. We stand in solidarity and recognise that Estonia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States have recently attributed malicious cyber activity targeting several NATO Allies and Ukraine to Russia’s military intelligence service (GRU).  We recall that in 2024, Germany and the Czech Republic individually attributed activity to APT 28, which is sponsored by the GRU. We also note with concern that the same threat actor targeted other national governmental entities, critical infrastructure operators and other entities across the Alliance, including in Romania. These attributions and the continuous targeting of our critical infrastructure, with the harmful impacts caused across several sectors, illustrate the extent to which cyber and wider hybrid threats have become important tools in Russia’s ongoing campaign to destabilise NATO Allies and in Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.

    2. We call on Russia to stop its destabilising cyber and hybrid activities. These activities demonstrate Russia’s disregard for the United Nations framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, which Russia claims to uphold. Russia’s actions will not deter Allies’ support to Ukraine, including cyber assistance through the Tallinn Mechanism and IT capability coalition. We will continue to use the lessons learned from the war against Ukraine in countering Russian malicious cyber activity.

    3. NATO stands for a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace. We call on all States, including Russia, to uphold their international obligations, also when acting in cyberspace, and to act consistently with the framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace as affirmed by all members of the United Nations.

    4. We remain united in our determination to counter, constrain, and contest Russian malicious cyber activities and are investing in our defences; including through the establishment of the NATO Integrated Cyber Defence Centre and upholding our Cyber Defence Pledge commitments as well as through the commitments made in the Hague Summit Declaration.

    5. We are determined to employ the full range of capabilities in order to deter, defend against and counter the full spectrum of cyber threats.  We will respond to these at a time and in a manner of our choosing, in accordance with international law, and in coordination with our international partners including the EU.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Statement of condemnation by the North Atlantic Council concerning Russian malicious cyber activities

    Source: NATO

    1. We strongly condemn Russia’s malicious cyber activities, which constitute a threat to Allied security. We stand in solidarity and recognise that Estonia, France, the United Kingdom and the United States have recently attributed malicious cyber activity targeting several NATO Allies and Ukraine to Russia’s military intelligence service (GRU).  We recall that in 2024, Germany and the Czech Republic individually attributed activity to APT 28, which is sponsored by the GRU. We also note with concern that the same threat actor targeted other national governmental entities, critical infrastructure operators and other entities across the Alliance, including in Romania. These attributions and the continuous targeting of our critical infrastructure, with the harmful impacts caused across several sectors, illustrate the extent to which cyber and wider hybrid threats have become important tools in Russia’s ongoing campaign to destabilise NATO Allies and in Russia’s brutal and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine.

    2. We call on Russia to stop its destabilising cyber and hybrid activities. These activities demonstrate Russia’s disregard for the United Nations framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace, which Russia claims to uphold. Russia’s actions will not deter Allies’ support to Ukraine, including cyber assistance through the Tallinn Mechanism and IT capability coalition. We will continue to use the lessons learned from the war against Ukraine in countering Russian malicious cyber activity.

    3. NATO stands for a free, open, peaceful and secure cyberspace. We call on all States, including Russia, to uphold their international obligations, also when acting in cyberspace, and to act consistently with the framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace as affirmed by all members of the United Nations.

    4. We remain united in our determination to counter, constrain, and contest Russian malicious cyber activities and are investing in our defences; including through the establishment of the NATO Integrated Cyber Defence Centre and upholding our Cyber Defence Pledge commitments as well as through the commitments made in the Hague Summit Declaration.

    5. We are determined to employ the full range of capabilities in order to deter, defend against and counter the full spectrum of cyber threats.  We will respond to these at a time and in a manner of our choosing, in accordance with international law, and in coordination with our international partners including the EU.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Waterbury Cocaine Distributor Sentenced to More Than Three Years in Federal Prison

    Source: US FBI

    David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that CARMELO CANCEL, also known as “Bebe,” 31, of Waterbury, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to 37 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for supplying cocaine to two Waterbury drug trafficking organizations.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, the FBI’s Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task Force and other law enforcement agencies investigated two drug trafficking organizations based in the city of Waterbury.  One organization was headed by Angel Quiros, also known as “Papa John,” and operated in the area of William Street, and the other was headed by Daniel Diaz-Rivera and operated in the area of Maple Avenue.  The investigation, which included court-authorized wiretaps on multiple phones, video surveillance, GPS tracking of vehicles, and numerous controlled purchases of narcotics, revealed that the two organizations distributed cocaine, crack, and fentanyl through a network of sellers.  Cancel supplied cocaine to both organizations, which worked together to further their operations.

    Cancel, Quiros, Diaz-Rivera, and 14 other individuals were charged with federal offenses as a result of the investigation.  Cancel and several codefendants were arrested on November 29, 2023.  In association with the arrests, investigators executed multiple search warrants and seized approximately 700 grams of crack cocaine, more than 900 vials (“caps”) of crack, approximately 200 grams of loose fentanyl, more than 1,600 dose bags of fentanyl/heroin, two stolen firearms, numerous rounds of ammunition, and more than $39,000 in cash.

    On April 23, 2025, Cancel pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute cocaine.  Released on $100,000 bond, he is required to report to prison on September 17.

    Quiros and Diaz-Rivera pleaded guilty to related charges.  Quiros awaits sentencing and, on June 23, 2025, Diaz-Rivera was sentenced to 210 months of imprisonment.

    The FBI’s Waterbury Safe Streets Gang Task includes members from the FBI, the Waterbury Police Department, the Naugatuck Police Department, and the Connecticut Department of Correction.  The DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Connecticut State Police, Wolcott Police Department, and Meriden Police Department have assisted the investigation.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Freismuth and Shan Patel through the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    U.S. Attorney Sullivan thanked the Waterbury State Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed alien, illegally living in Tyler, indicted on federal firearms violation

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

    TYLER, Texas – A Mexican national, illegally living in Tyler, has been charged with a federal firearms violation in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

    Marco Imanol Ferrusca-Ortega, 23, was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury this week in the Eastern District of Texas charging him with being an illegal alien in possession of a firearm.

    The indictment alleges that on July 8, 2025, Ferrusca-Ortega was found illegally in the United States and in possession of a firearm

    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).

    If convicted, Ferrusca-Ortega faces up to 15 years in federal prison and deportation.

    This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; Homeland Security Investigations; and the Tyler Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Farahnak.

    A federal indictment is not evidence of guilt.  All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Amtrak Employee Sentenced to Over 2 Years in Prison for Crimes, Including Near-$1 Million COVID Jobless Benefits Fraud

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

    LOS ANGELES – A former Amtrak employee was sentenced today to 25 months in federal prison for conspiring with her husband to steal nearly $1 million in COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and for fraudulently obtaining more than $63,000 in sickness benefits while she worked at the passenger railroad company.

    Lizette Berrios Lathon, 48, of Moreno Valley, was sentenced by United States District Judge Fernando M. Olguin, who also ordered her to pay $1,061,667 in restitution.

    In November 2022, Lizette Lathon pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of wire fraud.

    Previously, in July 2024, Judge Olguin sentenced Lathon’s husband, Kenneth Andrew Lathon, 50, also of Moreno Valley, to 54 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $998,630 in restitution. 

    Kenneth Lathon pleaded guilty in November 2022 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

    From 2014 until at least September 2022, Lizette Lathon, in addition to her one-time duties as a service attendant for Amtrak, operated at least three tax preparation businesses: Miracle Tax Service, which was located on Los Angeles’ Miracle Mile; Hardcore Corp., which did business as “Hardcore Taxes”; and Lathon LLC, which did business as “LL Taxes.” The latter two companies were in Moreno Valley.

    Lathon and her husband took advantage of the expanded eligibility for UI benefits made possible by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act signed into law in 2020. The CARES Act also established the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which provided additional UI benefits to qualified individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic, including people who did not otherwise qualify for UI such as business owners, self-employed workers, independent contractors, and those with a limited work history.

    In some instances, Lizette Lathon submitted fraudulent applications with the California Employment Development Department (EDD) for UI benefits using names, Social Security numbers, and dates of birth that she obtained from former clients of her tax preparation businesses without the permission of those former clients. On the applications, she falsely asserted inflated income for the named claimants – many of whom had never lived in California – to receive the maximum benefit amount.

    As a result of the fraudulent claims she filed, EDD authorized Bank of America to issue debit cards in the names of Lizette Lathon’s former clients, but the cards were mailed to addresses she and her family controlled. She and her husband then used the debit cards to make cash withdrawals at ATMs and to make purchases at retail stores.

    During the conspiracy, which lasted from the spring of 2020 until March 2021, Lathon and her husband caused at least 44 fraudulent unemployment claims to be filed, resulting in losses to EDD and the United States Treasury of approximately $998,630.

    Lizette Lathon, who was employed at Amtrak from 2000 to 2021, also schemed to defraud the Railroad Retirement Board out of sickness benefit payments by filing forged and false claims that stated she was being treated by a medical professional for pain and anxiety. Through this scheme, which lasted from September 2014 to January 2020, she fraudulently obtained approximately $63,047 in sickness benefit payments.

    Kenneth Lathon possessed a .22-caliber rifle and 12-gauge shotgun despite his criminal history, which includes felony convictions in California state court for theft, cocaine possession, and fraud.

    These matters were investigated by the Amtrak Office of Inspector General; the United States Railroad Retirement Board Office of Inspector General; the United States Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; the United States Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration; the California Employment Development Department; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; and the United States Postal Inspection Service.

    Assistant United States Attorney Cory L. Burleson of the Riverside Branch Office prosecuted these cases. 

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Men Are Sentenced To 10+ Years In Prison For Drug And Gun Charges

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

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Christopher Murrita Diaz, 20, and Gustavo Vergara Avalos, 21, both of Monroe, N.C., were each sentenced to 130 months in prison followed by a term of supervised release yesterday for drug and gun charges, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Both Diaz and Avalos pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine and possession of a machinegun. Diaz also pleaded guilty to distribution of cocaine, transfer of a machinegun, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

    Alicia Jones, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Charlotte Field Division, and Sheriff Eddie Cathey of the Union County Sheriff’s Office, join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making the announcement.

    According to court documents and court proceedings, law enforcement initiated and investigation into Diaz after they learned he was selling cocaine and machinegun conversion devices, commonly referred to as a “Glock switches.” During the investigation, Diaz sold cocaine to a confidential informant working with the ATF, 28 Glock switches, a firearm, two AR style firearms, and a machinegun. At least one of the sales of contraband occurred at Vergara-Avalos’ residence. In October 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at the residence where they seized a total of 10 firearms, 26 Glock switches, and more cocaine.     

    Both men are in custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

    The ATF and Union the Union County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The U.S.

    Attorney’s Office in Charlotte handled the prosecution.

     

     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Sixth Member of Salinas-Based ‘Murder Squad’ Sentenced to 38 Years in Federal Prison for 2017 Killing Spree

    Source: US FBI

    SAN JOSE – Andrew Alvarado was sentenced today to 38 years in federal prison for racketeering conspiracy and 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to murder in aid of racketeering, to run concurrently, for his role in multiple murders and attempted murders as part of the self-proclaimed “Murder Squad,” a crew of Salinas-based Norteño criminal street gang members falling under the Monterey County Regiment Enterprise affiliated with the Nuestra Familia prison gang.  U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman handed down the sentence.

    Alvarado, 34, of Salinas, pleaded guilty on April 15, 2025, to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of conspiracy to murder in aid of racketeering.  According to court documents, the “Murder Squad” conducted more than a dozen “hunts,” tracking and shooting dozens of Salinas residents whom they perceived to be members of a rival gang for reasons as vague as they were Hispanic, bald, or wearing blue.  The squad would often use military-style tactics, traveling in a convoy of vehicles with a designated shooter vehicle and a designated security/spotter vehicle, all of which were in constant communication via conference call.  The security/spotter vehicles would patrol the streets, find a target, and transmit their location to the shooter vehicle.  The shooters in the shooter vehicle would drive up, exit, fire at the victims until their magazines were empty, and speed away.  The security/spotter vehicles would follow behind, ready to distract or intercept law enforcement and allow the shooter vehicle to escape.

    Between 2015 and 2018, 11 people were killed during these hunts.  Another 17 people were shot at but survived.  Most of the victims were not actually members of a rival gang.  Some of the victims were not the intended target at all but were nevertheless hit in the crossfire.  

    In connection with pleading guilty, Alvarado admitted that he personally participated in six “hunts” between January 2017 and May 2017.  He was the shooter in three of those hunts, resulting in the deaths of three victims and the wounding of a fourth.  In one instance, the hunt began when members of the “Murder Squad” gathered at a house to remember a family member killed in a car accident; they decided to commemorate the person’s death and lift their spirits by going out to kill another.  Separately, Alvarado was in the security/spotter vehicle in three other hunts, resulting in the deaths of three victims, the wounding of four victims, and the near-miss of one victim.  

    “Gangs and the drugs and violence they bring with them wreak havoc on our communities and the hardworking families that live within them.  The ruthless actions of the ‘Murder Squad’ shattered the public’s sense of safety and destroyed the lives of so many in Salinas,” said United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian.  “The so-called ‘hunts’ that Alvarado and his crew ran were simply inhumane.  This lengthy sentence means that Alvarado, like many of his fellow gang members, will now answer for his brazen crimes.”

    “HSI San Francisco has a long and impactful history of investigating transnational gangs that threaten the safety of our communities in Northern California.  We are committed to the pursuit of justice for the victims of these criminal enterprises and the violence they perpetuate.  Today’s sentencing is the product of countless investigative hours and the significant investigative resources which HSI brings to bear in combatting violent transnational criminal organizations and apprehending dangerous gang members like Alvarado,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Brannigan.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Freeman also sentenced the defendant to a five-year period of supervised release on count one and a three-year period of supervised release on count two, to run concurrently.  Alvarado was immediately remanded into custody to begin serving his sentence.

    Alvarado is the sixth member of the “Murder Squad” to be sentenced.  Five other defendants each pleaded guilty to one count of racketeering conspiracy in violation of 8 U.S.C. § 1962(d) and one count of conspiracy to murder in aid of racketeering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1959(a)(5) and were previously sentenced on Sept. 10, 2024.

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

    Assistant U.S. Attorney George Hageman is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Nina Burney, Lakisha Holliman, and Yenni Weinberg.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by HSI, the FBI, the Salinas Police Department, and the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office.
     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Bishop of AME Zion Church Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Congregations in California

    Source: US FBI

    OAKLAND – Staccato Powell, a former bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (“AME Zion”), pleaded guilty in federal court today to wire fraud, mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in connection with a far-reaching scheme to obtain control of church properties in California using false statements, forged documents, concealment, and deception.  

    Powell, 65, of Wake Forest, North Carolina, was indicted along with co-defendant Sheila Quintana by a federal grand jury in January 2022.  Quintana pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and mail fraud in April 2025.

    According to court documents and the plea agreement, in 2016, shortly after Powell was selected as bishop and assigned to AME Zion Church’s Western Episcopal District, a geographic division of the church covering several states in the western United States, including California, he formed an entity called Western Episcopal District, Inc. (WED, Inc.).  Powell was the chief executive officer of WED, Inc. and Quintana was the chief financial officer from 2017 to 2019.

    In 2016, Powell instructed pastors of AME Zion Churches throughout the Western Episcopal District to sign deeds granting WED, Inc. title to their congregation’s property – typically the church building, but also any outbuildings, lots, parking lots, and residences used by the pastors.  At Powell’s direction, Quintana and other WED, Inc. officers worked on completing the necessary steps to accomplish the transfer of titles through grant deeds.  

    Starting in early 2017, Powell instructed Quintana and other WED, Inc. officers to obtain loans using the property of local AME Zion Churches acquired through the grant deeds as collateral for the loans.  In response to the lenders’ request for confirmation of the local AME Zion Church’s authorization of the loan, Powell caused to be created documents purporting to be resolutions by churches to support WED, Inc.’s loan applications.  In several instances, Powell directed WED, Inc. to use church resolutions with false statements, and directed Quintana to create the false documents and sign the resolutions in the name of an officer with the local church.

    In pleading guilty, Powell admitted to fraudulently obtaining mortgages on the following church properties:

    • Kyles Temple in Vallejo: Powell formed a group that included co-defendant Quintana to assist with the purchase of a $1.5 million episcopal residence in Granite Bay, with approximately $1 million covered by a bank loan.  At Powell’s direction, to obtain the additional $500,000 in funding, the group identified two church properties, including Kyles Temple in Vallejo, that would be used as collateral to secure the financing to purchase the episcopal residence.  Quintana executed the loan documents using a false resolution, which she drafted at Powell’s direction, that purported to confirm approval of the transaction by the Kyles Temple congregation.  Powell also directed Quintana to draft the resolution to indicate that there had been a church meeting at which the board of trustees approved it and purportedly gave Quintana authority to execute loan documents as chair of the Kyles Temple Board of Trustees.  No such meeting to discuss or approve the resolution had occurred.  
    • First AME Zion Church in San Jose: In 2017, Powell determined that the First AME Zion of San Jose would be used as collateral for a new loan to purchase a parsonage, and instructed Quintana to execute the purchase agreement on the new residential property.  At Powell’s direction, Quintana prepared a resolution of the First AME Zion Church of San Jose’s trustee board approving the transaction including the use of the church’s property as collateral for the loan.  Quintana then prepared, again at Powell’s direction, a second resolution on the San Jose church’s letterhead falsely stating that a membership meeting was held at the church to vote on “deeding all properties to the AME Zion Western Episcopal District, Inc., of The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church” and that the church’s membership unanimously approved the transaction and authorized its pastor to sign all transaction documents.  In fact, the church’s trustee board met twice to consider whether to execute a deed transfer to WED, Inc. and Powell knew that at these meetings the trustee board voted against the deed transfer.  Nevertheless, Powell directed Quintana to proceed with the loan transaction in the amount of $750,000, using the church as collateral based on the false resolution.  Powell later learned that the AME Zion Church of Los Angeles held a title interest in the San Jose church and directed Quintana to prepare another resolution.  This resolution falsely stated that the AME Zion Church in Los Angeles held a membership meeting on October 12 and voted to deed the church in San Jose to WED, Inc.  Subsequently, in December 2019, Powell directed WED, Inc. officers to encumber the San Jose church with an additional debt of $3 million.  Powell admitted that he knew that the San Jose church did not authorize either the $750,000 loan or the $3 million loan.  
    • Greater Cooper AME Zion Church in Oakland: Powell decided in 2018 to use the Greater Cooper AME Zion Church in Oakland as collateral for a loan in the amount of $1.1 million. At Powell’s direction, Quintana obtained a resolution from Greater Cooper signed by the reverend transferring title to WED, Inc., and signed grant deeds in May 2019 transferring the church property to WED, Inc.  Then, in November 2019, the reverend signed a grant deed transferring all interest in title from Greater Cooper AME Zion Church to WED, Inc., which then executed a second loan of $500,000, with the Greater Cooper property used as collateral.  Powell admitted that the Greater Cooper congregation did not authorize the loans.
    • University AME Zion Church of Palo Alto: In 2017, Powell informed the pastor of University AME Church that he planned to use the church as collateral for a $200,000 loan to assist another AME Zion Church in Sacramento.  Powell directed Quintana to prepare a transfer of deed of the University AME Church to WED, Inc.  After the reverend signed the grant deed, Powell directed Quintana to execute the necessary paperwork for a $2 million dollar loan using University AME Zion Church as collateral.  Although Powell told Quintana he would inform the reverend of the $2 million loan, Powell never did so.  Powell encumbered the University AME Church with unauthorized loans totaling approximately $3.9 million.  
    • First AME Zion Church in Los Angeles:  Powell decided in December 2017 that the First AME Zion Church in Los Angeles would be used as collateral for a new loan.  Powell informed Quintana that he had spoken to the pastor of the Los Angeles church and that the pastor told him that the membership had approved the transfer of title from the Los Angeles church to WED, Inc.  Based on Powell’s representation, Quintana prepared a resolution purportedly from the Los Angeles church confirming its approval of the loan and placed a signature on the resolution purporting to be that of the church’s secretary.  Later, in furtherance of Powell’s instructions to use the Los Angeles church as collateral, Quintana prepared an updated resolution which also purported to document a meeting at which the membership approved the transfer of title to WED, Inc. and which authorized Powell to sign all documents pertaining to the transaction, again with the church secretary’s forged signature.  Based on the false resolution with the forged signature, Quintana executed the deed of trust and other loan paperwork for this $1.2 million loan. As a result, WED, Inc. obtained the $1.2 million loan using the Los Angeles church property without the authorization of the congregation.  

    Further, Powell admitted that at his direction, WED, Inc. borrowed $2.15 million in September 2019 to pay off other outstanding loans and $3 million in December 2019 to pay off the September 2019 loan, using several AME church properties in Arizona and California as collateral.  

    In addition, while serving as bishop, Powell diverted some of the funds borrowed by WED, Inc., using properties of local AME Zion Churches as collateral, for his personal benefit, including purchase of real property in North Carolina for two of his children and payment of mortgage debt that he owed on a residence in North Carolina.

    Powell caused WED, Inc. to file for bankruptcy in a July 2020 petition, in which it claimed its assets included 11 churches, a parsonage, and Powell’s official residence. The petition stated that WED, Inc.’s real property was worth over $26 million with debts totaling over $12 million.

    In connection with pleading guilty, Powell agreed to pay restitution in an amount no less than $3,000,000 and no greater than $12,475,453.  He also agreed to forfeit any interest, claim, or right in the properties of the AME Zion Church denomination.

    United States Attorney Craig H. Missakian and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani made the announcement.

    Powell is currently released on bond.  Powell’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Sept. 23, 2025, before Senior U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White.  Defendant faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years and a $250,000 fine for each count.  Any sentence will be imposed by the court after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan U. Lee is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kathy Tat, Helen Yee, and Yenni Weinberg.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI. 
     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Repeat Offender Sentenced to 10 Years for Possessing Drugs with Intent to Distribute While on Parole

    Source: US FBI

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska – An Anchorage man was sentenced yesterday to 10 years in prison and, upon release, will serve five years on supervised release, for possessing drugs with the intent to distribute them following a refusal of a routine search of his residence while on parole.

    According to court documents, on Oct. 20, 2022, two Alaska Department of Corrections parole officers visited Andrew Lee, 42, at his residence for a routine search pursuant to Lee’s conditions of parole release in a state criminal case where he was convicted of second-degree murder. Lee shared this residence with multiple family members.

    Lee led the parole officers to a bedroom he claimed he shared with his father. During a search of this bedroom, the parole officers found no material evidence that Lee stayed in the bedroom The parole officers searched his vehicle and located two cell phones and a “tooter” straw, both of which are consistent with drug paraphernalia.

    When parole officers attempted to determine who resided in the other three bedrooms in the residence, Lee claimed that two of the three were occupied by his aunt and mother, respectively, while the final bedroom was occupied by a different individual. Lee stated that this room was locked, and the parole officers were not allowed to enter. The parole officers spoke on the phone with the individual who allegedly lived in that bedroom. That individual said he was the owner of the residence, that he lived in Georgia and that the bedroom was Lee’s.

    The parole officers asked Lee about inconsistencies in his statements and Lee immediately began yelling at his father in a different language. The parole officers informed Lee he was being detained and handcuffed him for their own safety. When the parole officers attempted to unlock the bedroom door, Lee’s father stopped them. The parole officers asked Lee whether we would comply with the search, and he started yelling at his father in a different language again. The parole officers decided to arrest Lee for refusing to submit to the search.

    The parole officers remanded Lee to the Anchorage Correctional Complex. During in-processing, correctional officers located roughly $1,500 in cash and over 57 grams of pure methamphetamine, over 28 grams of heroin and nearly 5 grams of fentanyl packaged in multiple baggies on his person.

    On Jan. 18, 2024, a federal grand jury indicted Lee, and on April 11, 2024, Lee pleaded guilty to possessing controlled substances with the intent to distribute.

    “Mr. Lee participated in the dangerous drug trade while on parole for a violent felony—and will now spend 10 years behind bars for it,” said U.S. Attorney Michael J. Heyman for the District of Alaska. “Let this sentence serve as a clear message: our office, in partnership with law enforcement, will pursue drug traffickers and seek harsh penalties for those who threaten the safety of our communities.” 

    “While on parole, the defendant continued to threaten the safety of our communities by committing federal drug trafficking crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Day of the FBI Anchorage Field Office. “Following a collaborative investigation by the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, this sentencing reflects our continued commitment to hold drug traffickers accountable, while protecting Alaska’s communities from the dangers of illicit drug activity.”

    The FBI Anchorage Field Office and Anchorage Police Department investigated the case as part of the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the Alaska Department of Corrections.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody Tirpak prosecuted the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Met appeals for public’s help to keep Carnival safe in 2025

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    The Met is appealing for anyone with information about groups or individuals intending to engage in violence at this year’s Notting Hill Carnival to come forward.

    Officers are working with the independent charity Crimestoppers as part of a plan to keep Carnival free from knife crime, serious violence and violence against women and girls.

    Deputy Assistant Commissioner Matt Ward, the police commander for this year’s event, said: “Notting Hill Carnival is an iconic event in London’s cultural calendar which is celebrated by many from across the capital, the UK and beyond. With less than six weeks to go before this year’s event, the Met continues to work closely with organisers and partners to ensure it’s a safe and spectacular experience for those visiting.

    “Regrettably, amongst the millions of carnivalists who have attended over many years there has been a tiny minority of individuals intent on causing serious harm to others, including violent crime and sexual offences.

    “Their actions stand in stark contrast to the traditions and values of Carnival and I welcome those voices in the community who have stood up to condemn violence and serious criminality at the event. I fully support the organisers’ recent announcement of a new, innovative partnership with the Elba Hope Foundation to divert young people away from crime and particularly knife crime.

    “Carnival’s growing popularity and size creates unique challenges. Around 7,000 officers and staff will be deployed each day over the coming August Bank Holiday weekend. Their priority is to keep people safe, including preventing serious violence, such as knife crime and violence against women and girls.”

    The Met’s activity has already started with a focus on deterring or preventing those who pose the greatest threat to public safety and the security of Carnival:

    • We are sharing intelligence with forces across the country to identify those violent gangs who are planning to attend Carnival.
    • We are working with others, including local authorities and the courts, to seek banning orders to exclude those attending who have a history of violence or sexual offending at Carnival.
    • We are carrying out pre-emptive intelligence-led arrests and searches of those believed to be in possession of weapons or involved in the supply of drugs. Last year there were 160 such arrests prior to the event for offences including possession of firearms, drugs supply, rape and other serious sexual assaults.
    • During the Bank Holiday weekend we will be using live facial recognition cameras on the approach to and from Carnival, outside the boundaries of the event itself, to help officers identify and intercept those who pose a public safety risk before they get to the crowded streets of Notting Hill, and to ensure those attending are able to get home safely.
    • We will be deploying screening arches at some of the busiest entry points, using stop and search powers to prevent knives and other deadly weapons being carried at Carnival.

    But to keep Carnival as safe as it is spectacular we also need the public’s help.

    That is why we have, once again, partnered with Crimestoppers to make it easier for anyone with information to report it anonymously.

    Crimestoppers is an independent charity, not part of the police and 100 per cent anonymous. Their commitment to protect people’s identity is iron-clad – they won’t ask for a name and can’t identify any telephone numbers or IP addresses if you are reporting online.

    All you need to do is call 0800 555 111 or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org

    DAC Ward added: “The best way to prevent serious crime at Carnival, including violence and sexual offending, is to intervene and target the small number of dangerous offenders before they get to the event.

    “If you know anyone who may be planning to take a knife or weapon to Carnival, if you worry that they’re part of a group going with the intent to commit offences or confront rival groups, or that they are being put under pressure or being exploited, or if you have any other information that could help, then please speak up and stand up for Carnival. In doing so, you could be saving a life.”

    Further information about the use of Live Facial Recognition (LFR):

    So far in 2025 there have been 111 deployments of LFR, resulting in 512 arrests.

    During the Bank Holiday weekend, LFR will be deployed on the approaches to Carnival, but not within the boundaries of the event.

    Officers will be searching for people who are marked as being wanted on the Police National Computer, those who are shown as missing (including young people who may also be at risk of either criminal or sexual exploitation) and those subject to sexual harm prevention orders because of the risk they pose, particularly to women and girls.

    LFR cameras capture live footage of people passing by and compare their faces against a bespoke watchlist of wanted offenders.

    If a match is detected, the system generates an alert. An officer will then review the match and decide if they wish to speak with the individual.

    Officers conduct further checks, such as reviewing court orders or other relevant information, to determine if the person is a suspect.

    Importantly, an alert from the system does not automatically result in an arrest – officers make a decision about whether further action is necessary following engagement.

    There are robust safeguards in place regarding LFR. if a member of the public walks past an LFR camera and is not wanted by the police, their biometrics are immediately and permanently deleted.

    For more on the Met’s use of LFR, visit Live Facial Recognition | Metropolitan Police

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S., the Philippines Conduct Maritime Cooperative Activity

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    SOUTH CHINA SEA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and the U.S. Navy, conducted a bilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity (MCA) within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone, demonstrating a collective commitment to strengthen regional and international cooperation in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific, July 16.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Exercise Keris Strike 25 Launches, Featuring United States, Malaysian, and Australian Forces

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    PERAK, Malaysia – The Malaysian Army officially launched Exercise Keris Strike 25 (KrS25) today, a trilateral military training event involving the U.S. Army and Australian Defence Force (ADF). Held July 17–31 in Perak, this year marks the 30th iteration of the exercise, which began as a bilateral engagement between Malaysia and the United States in 1994. For only the second time, the ADF joins as a full participant, elevating the exercise to a trilateral level.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Exercise Keris Strike 25 Launches, Featuring United States, Malaysian, and Australian Forces

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    PERAK, Malaysia – The Malaysian Army officially launched Exercise Keris Strike 25 (KrS25) today, a trilateral military training event involving the U.S. Army and Australian Defence Force (ADF). Held July 17–31 in Perak, this year marks the 30th iteration of the exercise, which began as a bilateral engagement between Malaysia and the United States in 1994. For only the second time, the ADF joins as a full participant, elevating the exercise to a trilateral level.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: CARAT Thailand 2025 Concludes, Strengthening U.S.-Thailand Maritime Partnership

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    SATTAHIP, Thailand — The 31st iteration of Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Thailand concluded June 16, 2025 in Sattahip, following a series of exercises and exchanges between the U.S. Navy (USN) and the Royal Thai Navy (RTN). The exercise, which began on July 7, 2025, was designed to enhance maritime interoperability, strengthen partnerships, and promote regional security cooperation.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: DHS Nabs at Least 11 Illegal Aliens Including Serial Criminal with 67 Arrests in Sacramento Operation

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    CBP nabs career criminal, drug dealer and ten other illegal aliens in targeted operation

    WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested numerous illegal aliens, including a dangerous serial drug abuser and dealer with 67 charges, during a July 17 operation in Sacramento, California.  

    CBP’s targeted operation resulted in the heroic arrest of Javier Dimas-Alcantara, a serial criminal with convictions and charges spanning decades, including the following: 

    • Multiple instances of transport and sale of a narcotic or controlled substance
    • Felony burglary
    • Illegal entry
    • Carrying a loaded firearm in public
    • Multiple instances of providing false identification to a law enforcement officer
    • Multiple instances of felony possession of marijuana for sale
    • Revocation of probation due to re-offense of possession of marijuana for sale
    • Being under the influence of a controlled substance
    • Multiple instances of possession of a narcotic or controlled substance
    • Possession of a controlled narcotic with intent to sell 

    “On July 17, CBP conducted an operation in Sacramento, California, resulting in the arrest of at least 11 criminal illegal aliens. Among the illegal aliens captured in this heroic effort was Javier Dimas-Alcantara, a serial criminal illegal alien who has been booked into jail 67 times,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Dimas has been CONVICTED of a myriad of offenses—you would not want this man to be your neighbor. And yet, politicians like Gavin Newsom defend criminals who terrorize American communities and demonize law enforcement who defend those same communities. He and every other sanctuary politician should be thanking CBP for getting this scum out of American communities instead of obstructing federal law enforcement at every possible turn.” 

    President Trump and Secretary Noem have been given a clear mandate from the American people: get violent illegal aliens OFF our streets and OUT of our country.  

    Illegal aliens can take control of their departure with the CBP Home App. The United States is offering illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now. We encourage every person here illegally to take advantage of this offer and reserve the chance to come back to the U.S. the right, legal way to live the American dream. If not, you will be arrested and deported without a chance to return. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican Illegal Alien Charged for Orchestrating ‘Kidnapping’ Hoax

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Liars like Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon are fueling an 830% increase in assaults against ICE  

    WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after the Department of Justice, in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Los Angeles, arrested and filed charges against Mexican illegal alien Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon for fabricating a false story to smear federal law enforcement. 

    Earlier this month, legacy media ran with a false story that ICE agents and bounty hunters “kidnapped” Calderon at gunpoint and held her hostage in a warehouse. After her family held a press conference orchestrated by their attorney, ICE spent days investigating the kidnapping claims and searching for her — at times, literally detention cell to detention cell.  

    “Yuriana Julia Pelaez Calderon was never arrested or kidnapped by ICE or bounty hunters—this criminal illegal alien scammed innocent Americans for money and diverted limited DHS resources from removing the worst of the worst from Los Angeles communities. Politicians and activist media peddled these smears that were designed to demonize law enforcement and evade accountability. Calderon will now face justice and the media and politicians who swallowed and pushed this garbage should be embarrassed.”

    Calderon is charged with conspiracy and making false statements to federal officers and if convicted, faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison for each. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Biden-Appointed Judge Ignores Biological Reality and the Rule of Law, Orders Illegal Alien Released

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    A biological male was placed in a men’s facility in alignment with the President’s Executive Order and for the safety of women in ICE custody  

    WASHINGTON – Biden-appointed U.S. District Judge Amy Baggio recently ordered the release of Odalis Jhonatan Martinez-Velasquez, a male illegal alien from Mexico, after caving to pressure from immigration and transgender activists—ignoring the rule of law and promoting gender ideology fanaticism. 

    Velasquez illegally entered the country in 2023 and released under the Biden administration. He was lawfully detained on June 2, 2025, and processed for expedited removal. Velasquez was placed into ICE’s male detention center in accordance with the President’s Executive Order and for the safety of women in ICE custody.  

    “Velasquez—a biological male—was placed in a men’s facility in alignment with the President’s Executive Order and for the safety of women in ICE custody. The President made it clear on Day One: DHS will not buy into radical gender ideology when detaining illegal aliens,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.  “An immigration judge, not a district judge, has the authority to decide if Odalis Jhonatan Martinez-Velasquez should be released or detained. The activist judge is ignoring the biological reality of sex, undermining ICE’s commitment to promoting safe, secure, and humane environments for women in custody, and subverting the American people’s mandate to restore commonsense to our immigration system and reject extreme gender fanaticism.” 

    On January 20, President Donald J. Trump signed Executive Order of Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government, prohibiting DHS from detaining males in women’s detention centers. Velasquez is no exception. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: DHS Axes Wasteful, Misdirected Grants, Saves Taxpayers $18.5M

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    The Department of Homeland Security is gutting dozens of partisan and wasteful grants that failed to counter terrorism threats, saving taxpayers $18.5 Million.

    WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is slashing waste at the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3), cutting $18.5 million in misappropriated spending that do not meet the stated goal of CP3 to prevent terrorism or targeted violence. CP3, a minor DHS Policy sub-office, with no operational role in monitoring or preventing terrorist attacks, had become a cash cow for radical activists under the Biden Administration—funneling taxpayer dollars to push woke, partisan agendas and silencing dissent. After a strategic review, DHS is discontinuing the funding of grants that have no legitimate nexus to protecting the homeland from the threat of terrorism.

    Terminated Grants Include:

    • $209,406.70 to the “Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders” group, which promoted radical gender ideology in K–12 schools, targeting students as young as kindergartners and flagging parental concerns as risks.
    • $288,760.66 to CenterLink, a nonprofit focused on LGBTQ issues, not terrorism prevention.
    • $851,836.13 to the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, a DEI organization focused on silencing ideological opposition.
    • $206,260.00 to the United States Esports Association, which targeted gamers with “woke” content under the pretext of violence prevention.
    • $479,816.00 to the One World Strong program, which labeled traditional male behaviors as extremist and stigmatizing young males.
    • $651,311.81 to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and Strong Cities Network, which promoted biased anti-extremism initiatives, LGBTQ+ propaganda, and prioritized radical groups over broader community concerns.

    “These cancellations reflect DHS’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and national security,” said a Senior DHS official. “By eliminating wasteful and ideologically driven programs, we are redirecting resources to initiatives that uphold American values, respect the rule of law, and effectively combat terrorism and violence.”

    # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard, partner agencies respond to sunken vessel near Santa Cruz, Calif.

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 07/17/2025 07:30 PM EDT

     

    07/17/2025 07:09 PM EDT

    PHOTOS AVAILABLE: The U.S. Coast Guard is responding to a sunken vessel following a boat fire approximately one mile offshore Santa Cruz, California, Wednesday morning. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Coast Guard completes historic Quad Sail to strengthen Indo-Pacific maritime partnership

    Source: United States Coast Guard

     

    07/17/2025 06:36 PM EDT

    SANTA RITA, Guam — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton (WMSL 752) arrived in Guam, July 3, after a landmark multinational sail with representatives aboard from the maritime forces from Australia, India, and Japan—collectively known as the Quad. As four leading maritime nations in the Indo-Pacific, Quad nations are united in our conviction that peace and stability in the maritime domain underpin the security and prosperity of the region. We are committed to a region where all countries are free from coercion and strongly oppose any unilateral actions that seek to change the status quo by force or coercion.

    For breaking news follow us on twitter @USCGHawaiiPac

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Resolute returns home, offloads approximately $93.2 million worth of drugs in St. Petersburg

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 07/17/2025 06:30 PM EDT

     

    07/17/2025 06:11 PM EDT

    ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Resolute offloaded nearly 12,600 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated $93.2 million, in their homeport of St. Petersburg, Thursday, following a 59-day patrol in the Eastern Pacific.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury finds Armed Career Offender Guilty of Illegally Possessing a Firearm

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Memphis, TN – A federal jury recently returned a guilty verdict in the case of an armed career offender accused of a firearm offense. Turante Nunn, 33, faces a minimum of 15 years in federal prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. Joseph C. Murphy Jr., Interim United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the verdict today.

    According to court documents, in January 2024, Memphis police observed an unoccupied stolen 2009 Pontiac G6 car with a broken rear window parked outside a BP gas station in Memphis. Officers secured the scene inside the BP gas station and reviewed the store surveillance video to see who got out of the stolen car.  Officers determined that Nunn was one of the individuals who exited the stolen car and went into the store.  The store surveillance video also showed Nunn discarding a gun on a shelf in the store when officers were entering the store.   Officers found a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm caliber pistol on a shelf at the exact area where Nunn discarded the object.

    After a two-day trial, federal jurors found Nunn guilty of one count of being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm. In the second phase of the trial, jurors determined that Nunn was an Armed Career Criminal, as he had three prior felonies committed on occasions separate from one another.

    As a result of his felony convictions, Nunn will face a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life imprisonment as an Armed Career Criminal under the Armed Career Criminal Act.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    This case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department, the Shelby County Sheriff’s Department, and the Project Safe Neighborhood task force (PSN).

    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.

    Assistant United States Attorney Jermal Blanchard 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.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: California Man Convicted at Trial

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FORT WAYNE – Petru-Razvan Bruma, 40 years old, a citizen of the United Kingdom and a California resident, was found guilty of possessing device-making equipment after a three-day jury trial presided over by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady, announced Acting United States Attorney M. Scott Proctor.

    This case involved the defendant’s possession of shimmer devices and pinhole cameras installed on two local automatic teller machines.  These items were designed to capture the card numbers and personal identification numbers of bank customers. 

    “Bruma traveled into this District with devices made to steal personal bank information from unsuspecting ATM customers,” said Proctor.  “Thanks to excellent work by our team of investigators and prosecutors, he was charged and convicted for his conduct.  This should send a clear message: If you come to Northern Indiana to commit crimes, you will be held accountable.”

    Sentencing is scheduled for August 13, 2025.  Any specific sentence to be imposed will be determined by the District Court Judge after consideration of federal statutes and the United States Sentencing Guidelines.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Secret Service, and the Fort Wayne Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lesley Miller Lowery and Justin Sheridan.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Pocatello Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Trafficking Drugs

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    POCATELLO – Jack Edward Newsom, 43, of Pocatello, was sentenced to 121 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced today.  Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Newsom to serve five years of supervised release after he completes his prison sentence.

    According to court records, Newsom was arrested on May 8, 2024, when police officers executed a search warrant on his home and a fifth-wheel trailer parked in a storage facility. The officers seized 48.9 grams of fentanyl powder and a half a pound of methamphetamine from the residence in addition to a pound of marijuana, half a pound of methamphetamine, 79.6 grams of fentanyl powder, and 237 fentanyl pills from the fifth-wheel trailer. The warrant was executed after a months-long investigation in which law enforcement bought three and a half pounds of methamphetamine from Newsom on five occasions between February and April 2024.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott commended the cooperative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the BADGES Task Force. The BADGES Task Force is a federally funded High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) partnership between the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Idaho State Police, the Pocatello Police Department, the Chubbuck Police Department, and the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office.

    This case was investigated though the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. HIDTA is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multiagency drug enforcement initiatives, including the BADGES Task Force.

    The BADGES Task Force is a collaboration of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies that focuses primarily on drug trafficking crimes in Bannock County and throughout the region.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: WORST OF THE WORST: ICE Arrests Two Pedophiles Who Impregnated Children

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Operations across the U.S. target criminal illegal aliens convicted of heinous crimes

    WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security today announced U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Houston arrested Pedro Trejo Reyes, a convicted child rapist and criminal illegal alien from Mexico. On July 17, ICE removed Reyes from American communities.

    Reyes, a criminal alien from Mexico, entered the United States as a lawful permanent resident in 1990. While in the United States he was convicted of a DWI in 1995 and convicted again in Texas for repeatedly sexually assaulting his 12-year-old niece resulting in her pregnancy and subsequent miscarriage in 2011. Forensic DNA testing confirmed with over 99.9% certainty that Trejo Reyes fathered the unborn child. A U.S. immigration judge approved Trejo Reyes’ order for removal in 2011, and ICE removed him to Mexico on July 17, 2025, after his 16 years of confinement.

    “As the media and politicians continue to carry water for criminal illegal aliens who have committed indescribable acts of evil in our country, the brave men and women of ICE are arresting and removing the worst of the worst from the U.S.,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Just today, ICE deported Pedro Trejo Reyes who raped and impregnated a defenseless child. There is no path forward, no second chances and no place in America for depraved aliens like him. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, DHS is continuing to make America safe.”

    ERO agents across the country carried out similar arrests of criminal illegal aliens with serious convictions, including:

    • Edwin Jacobo Hernandez Mateo, a criminal alien from Honduras, who was charged in Waller County, Texas, for raping and impregnating a minor under the age of 14. Hernandez was arrested by ICE June 17 and remains in ICE custody at the Montgomery Processing Center.
    • Juan Gabriel Zamorano-Gutierrez, an illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of molesting a minor in Ontario, California.
    • Edmundo Vasquez-Gaxiola, an illegal alien from Mexico, convicted of aggravated indecent assault after being accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting a young girl over the course of several years in York Springs, Pa. According to a Pennsylvania State Police affidavit, the victim disclosed the abuse began when she was around 5 years old and continued until she was about 11. 
    • Kelvin Civil, an illegal alien from Haiti, convicted of inducing a minor for sex, assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest in Taunton, Massachusetts.
    • Elmer Breve-Sanchez, an illegal alien from Honduras, convicted of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens in Del Rio, Texas.

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