NewzIntel.com

Category: Security Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former U.S. Department of Energy Official Agrees to Pay $59,000 to Resolve Conflict-of-Interest Allegations

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    Andrew L. Horn, a former Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Energy at the Department of Energy (DOE), has agreed to pay $59,000 to resolve allegations that he violated conflict-of-interest rules prior to his departure from the agency in 2021.  

    Among other things, the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 prohibits executive branch employees from participating personally and substantially in particular matters that will affect their own financial interests or the financial interests of certain parties with whom they have ties outside the government, including any organization with whom they are negotiating prospective employment. The United States alleges that in January 2021, Horn worked personally and substantially on a particular matter affecting the financial interests of a private company with which he was simultaneously negotiating contract terms to serve as a paid senior advisor following his upcoming separation from federal service. As part of the settlement, Horn has agreed to pay a civil penalty to resolve allegations that his conduct violated conflict-of-interest prohibitions for federal employees.

    “The Office of Inspector General prioritizes the ethical conduct of executive branch officials and thoroughly investigates all allegations regarding potential misconduct with the thorough help of our colleagues at the Department of Justice,” said Assistant Inspector General for Investigations Lewe F. Sessions of the Department of Energy, Office of Inspector General.

    The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section; DOE, Office of Inspector General; and Department of Defense, Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service. This matter was handled by Trial Attorney Robbin O. Lee of the Civil Division.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Cheektowaga Man Charged with Receipt of Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that a federal grand jury has returned and indictment charging Roland Andrew, 63, of Cheektowaga, NY, with receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of 20 years, and a $250,000 fine.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Sasha Mascarenhas, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment and a previously filed complaint, in May 2025, the legal guardian of a 16-year-old minor female victim alerted Cheektowaga Police that numerous naked videos of the victim were sent to Andrew on the victim’s iPad. A review of the videos confirmed that they were child sexual abuse material. On May 7, 2025, Cheektowaga Police executed a search warrant at Andrew’s residence, seizing several items, including two three cellular devices, a tablet and a laptop. A review of the iPad recovered a text conversation between the victim and a telephone number, later identified as Andrew. During this conversation, the victim sent several videos which constitute child sexual abuse material.

    The indictment is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Mark Grimm, the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons, and the Town of Tonawanda Police Department, under the direction of Chief James Stauffiger.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Charleston Woman Pleads Guilty to Aiding and Abetting Money Laundering in Relation to a COVID-19 Fraud Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Shamiese Wright, 32, of Charleston, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting monetary laundering.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Wright received $15,625 in proceeds from a criminally derived Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loan, guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). On April 19, 2021, co-defendant Kisha Sutton submitted a PPP loan application on Wright’s behalf, listing Wright as a self-employed individual who received $75,000 in gross income in 2020. The application was filed with an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040, Schedule C Profit or Loss from Business, reflecting that Wright had earned $75,000 in 2020.

    As part of her guilty plea, Wright admitted that she was not self-employed, that she never earned $75,000 in any year, and that the IRS Form 1040 submitted with her application was fraudulent and created solely to obtain the PPP loan.

    A PPP lender in Florida approved Wright’s loan application, and $15,625 in fraudulent loan proceeds were electronically deposited in Wright’s personal bank account in Charleston on or about May 7, 2021. As part of her guilty plea, Wright admitted that she transferred $3,000 to Sutton from the fraudulent PPP loan proceeds using a digital wallet application between May 7, and May 21, 2021. Wright further admitted that the transfers were compensation for facilitating the submission of Wright’s fraudulent loan as they had agreed, and that she staggered her payments to Sutton and provided misleading transfer descriptions for them to conceal and disguise the nature and the source of the money. Wright spent the remainder of the fraudulent loan proceeds on personal expenses.

    The CARES Act made forgivable PPP loans available to qualifying sole proprietors, independent contractors and self-employed individuals adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to replace their normal income and for certain other eligible expenses. Applicants were required to certify that they were in operation on February 15, 2020, and provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020.

    Wright is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a $500,000 fine. Wright also owes up to $18,736.73 in restitution.

    Wright and Sutton, 44, of Jersey City, New Jersey, are among several individuals indicted by a federal grand jury on charges alleging they and others conspired, as well as aided and abetted one another, to obtain fraudulent PPP loans totaling $140,625. Co-defendants William Powell and Damisha Brown each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Powell, 35, of Huntington, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14, 2025 and Brown, 32, of Charleston, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2025. Co-defendant Jasmine Spencer, 32, of Charleston, pleaded guilty on March 25, 2025, to aiding and abetting bank fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21, 2025.

    Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU).

    United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan T. Storage and Jennifer D. Gordon and former Assistant United States Attorney Holly Wilson have prosecuted the case.

    Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to 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.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-192.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts New Jersey Woman for Crimes Related to COVID-19 Fraud Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    CHARLESTON, W.Va. – After two days of trial, a federal jury convicted Kisha Sutton, 44, of Jersey City, New Jersey, of aiding and abetting bank fraud (Count one) and aiding and abetting laundering of monetary instruments (Count two).

    Evidence at trial proved that Sutton and co-defendant Shamiese Wright aided and abetted one another to obtain a fraudulent $15,625 Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loan on behalf of Wright, guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Sutton received $3,000 in fraudulent PPP loan proceeds from Wright as part of their scheme.

    On April 19, 2021, Sutton submitted the PPP loan application on Wright’s behalf, listing Wright as a self-employed individual who received $75,000 in gross income in 2020. The application was filed with an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040, Schedule C Profit or Loss from Business, reflecting that Wright had earned $75,000 in 2020. Evidence at trial showed that Wright was not self-employed, had never earned $75,000 in any year, had received unemployment benefits in 2020, and that the IRS Form 1040 submitted with Wright’s application was fraudulent and created solely to obtain the PPP loan.

    A PPP lender in Florida approved Wright’s loan application, and $15,625 in fraudulent loan proceeds were electronically deposited in Wright’s personal bank account in Charleston on or about May 7, 2021. Wright transferred the $3,000 to Sutton from the fraudulent PPP loan proceeds using a digital wallet application between May 7, and May 21, 2021. Wright staggered her payments to Sutton and provided misleading transfer descriptions for them to conceal and disguise the nature and the source of the money.

    The CARES Act made forgivable PPP loans available to qualifying sole proprietors, independent contractors and self-employed individuals adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, to replace their normal income and for certain other eligible expenses. Applicants were required to certify that they were in operation on February 15, 2020, and provide documentation showing their prior gross income from either 2019 or 2020.

    Sutton is scheduled to be sentenced on November 13, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in prison. Sutton owes restitution in an amount to be determined by the Court.

    “The CARES Act offered emergency assistance to struggling small businesses that were impacted by the pandemic. The defendant chose to exploit that lifeline for personal enrichment,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston. “The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia is glad to have played a significant role teaming with our law enforcement partners to hold the defendant accountable.”

    Johnston commended the excellent investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the West Virginia State Police – Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI), and the West Virginia State Auditor’s Office (WVSAO) Public Integrity and Fraud Unit (PIFU).

    Sutton and Wright and are among several individuals indicted by a federal grand jury on charges alleging they and others conspired, as well as aided and abetted one another, to obtain fraudulent PPP loans totaling $140,625. Wright, 32, of Charleston, pleaded guilty on July 14, 2025, to aiding and abetting the laundering of monetary instruments and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 29, 2025. William Powell and Damisha Brown each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. Powell, 35, of Huntington, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14, 2025 and Brown, 32, of Charleston, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 2, 2025. Jasmine Spencer, 32, of Charleston, pleaded guilty on March 25, 2025, to aiding and abetting bank fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on August 21, 2025.

    United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the jury trial. Assistant United States Attorneys Jonathan T. Storage and Jennifer D. Gordon and former Assistant United States Attorney Holly Wilson have prosecuted the case.

    Individuals with information about allegations of fraud involving COVID-19 are encouraged to 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.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-192.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Department of Justice Requests Data on Criminal Illegal Aliens in California Jails

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of Justice issued requests to sheriffs in multiple major California counties—including Los Angeles and San Francisco Counties—for lists of all inmates in their jails who are not citizens of the United States, their crimes of arrest or conviction, and their scheduled release dates.

    In recent years, the United States suffered an invasion of illegal aliens at an unprecedented scale.  Far too many of those illegal aliens have gone on to commit crimes on American soil, including rapes, murders, and other violent crimes.  Today’s data requests are designed to assist federal immigration authorities in prioritizing the removal of illegal aliens who committed crimes after illegally entering the United States.  Although every illegal alien by definition violates federal law, those who go on to commit crimes after doing so show that they pose a heightened risk to our Nation’s safety and security.

    “Removing criminal illegal aliens is this Administration’s highest priority,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “I look forward to cooperating with California’s county sheriffs to accomplish our shared duty of keeping Californians and all Americans safe and secure.”

    The Department of Justice hopes that California sheriffs will voluntarily produce the requested information.  But if necessary, the Department will pursue all available means of obtaining the data, including through subpoenas or other compulsory process.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Police release CCTV image of suspect sought in second vandalism incident at Windrush Square

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Officers investigating vandalism to an exhibition at Windrush Square, Brixton have released an image of a man they need to trace.

    Police received a report that a display board had been vandalised at Windrush Square at 11:34hrs on Wednesday, 16 July.

    After carrying out initial enquiries, they are looking to identify a man seen on CCTV and are appealing to the public for information.

    The suspect was captured on CCTV entering Windrush Square at 09:53hrs. He is approximately 30 to 40 years old, of medium build and was carrying a walking aid or crutch. He was last seen walking northbound on Brixton Road past Morley’s department store.

    Officers are keeping an open mind as to the motivations at this time.

    They do not believe it to be linked to another incident of vandalism that happened on Thursday, 3 July.

    This involved a different suspect, a 24-year-old man who was arrested and has since been bailed while enquiries continue. Investigating officers do not believe this incident to be racially motivated.

    Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Bond, who leads policing in the local area, said:

    “Both offences have understandably caused distress among the local community. We are liaising directly with the exhibition organisers to keep them updated on both our investigations.

    “There will be an increased police presence in the area over the coming days and the public is encouraged to approach these officers directly with any concerns.

    “We would also ask for help in identifying the man caught on CCTV – if you have any information please come forward.”

    Please contact police on 101 quoting CAD 5870/16JUL25.

    To remain anonymous, call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or visit crimestoppers-uk.org.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: El Salvadorian National Pleads Guilty to Illegally Re-Entering the United States Following Prior Felony Conviction

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Greenbelt, Maryland – Edwin Armando Sanchez-Montiel, 33, a citizen and national of El Salvador, pled guilty to illegally re-entering the United States following a felony conviction for accessory after the fact, murder first degree.

    Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the guilty pleas with Acting Field Office Director Nikita Baker, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE-ERO), Baltimore Field Office.

    According to court filings, Sanchez-Montiel voluntarily entered the United States around October 18, 2006, near Hidalgo, Texas, but United States Border Patrol apprehended him.  Then the United States Border Patrol served Sanchez-Montiel with a Notice to Appear before the Department of Justice Executive Office of Immigration Review.  On February 12, 2007, an immigration judge issued a decision ordering Sanchez-Montiel’s removal.  Sanchez-Montiel failed to appear, so the hearing was held in absentia.

    Then on January 23, 2023, law enforcement arrested Sanchez-Montiel, charging him with Accessory After the Fact, Murder First Degree. Sanchez-Montiel pled guilty and received a sentence of five years in prison with all but 18 months suspended.

    On January 29, 2024, after he served his sentence, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Sanchez-Montiel.  Then on February 9, Sanchez-Montiel was removed from the United States to El Salvador via airplane, but he voluntarily and unlawfully re-entered the United States without inspection by an immigration officer on an unknown date. 

    ICE officers again encountered Sanchez-Montiel in Montgomery County, Maryland, on July 27, where they took him into custody. Sanchez-Montiel did not obtain consent at any time from the Attorney General of the United States, or from the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, for readmission into the United States. Sentencing is scheduled for Wednesday, November 26, at 10 a.m.

    U.S. Attorney Hayes commended ICE-ERO for its work in the investigation.  Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brooke Oki and Joel Crespo who are prosecuting the case.

    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.

    For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Carbon County Couple Charged With Defrauding A Senior Citizen

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Christen Lee Cosgrove, age 40, and Brian Cosgrove, age 37, both of Weatherly, Pennsylvania were indicted by a federal grand jury on conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering charges.

    According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, the 59-count indictment alleges that between October 2022 and May 2023, the Cosgroves conspired to defraud financial institutions which had possession of money from an estate and from a 93-year-old individual totaling approximately $1,000,000. It is further alleged that the Cosgroves used and caused wire transactions to fraudulently obtain the money which they spent on personal items including a house, recreational vehicle, boat, vacations, and paying off personal and business debt. The indictment also alleges that they used the fraudulently obtained money in multiple unlawful monetary transactions.

    The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service and the Luzerne County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenny P. Roberts is prosecuting the case.

    The maximum penalty under federal law for bank fraud is 30 years of imprisonment and the maximum penalty under federal law for wire fraud is 20 years of imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine. A sentence following a finding of guilt is imposed by the Judge after consideration of the applicable federal sentencing statutes and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

    Indictments are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Tangipahoa Parish Man Guilty of Federal Controlled Substances Act Violations

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LA – LONNIE YANCY, III (“YANCY”), age 27 of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, plead guilty on July 10, 2025, to violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act before United States District Judge Barry Ashe, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.

    YANCY pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, controlled substances in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1); § 841(b)(1)(A); § 841(b)(1)(B); and 846.

    YANCY faces a minimum of 5 years and up to 40 years imprisonment, up to a $5,000,000 fine, and at least 4 years of supervised release following imprisonment. He also faces payment of a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.

    According to the indictment, beginning on a time unknown but continuing until at least September 10, 2024, YANCY and seven other individuals conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the Tangipahoa Parish region of the Eastern District of Louisiana. The conspiracy was carried out through wire and electronic communications.

    This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at http://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    Acting United States Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Hammond Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office.  The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Sarver of the Narcotics Unit.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Tangipahoa Parish Man Sentenced to 41 Months for Federal Controlled Substances Act Violations

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LA – RINGO MITCHELL JR. (“MITCHELL JR.”), age 36 of Tickfaw, Louisiana, was sentenced to 41 months imprisonment on July 3, 2025, by United States District Judge Barry Ashe after previously pleading guilty to violations of the Federal Controlled Substances Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.

    Specifically, MITCHELL JR. was sentenced for conspiracy to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, methamphetamine, illegal use of a communications facility, and possessing, with intent to distribute, 50 grams or more of a mixture containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B).

    According to the indictment, beginning on a time unknown but continuing until at least September 10, 2024, MITCHELL JR., and seven other individuals, conspired to distribute, and possess with intent to distribute, fentanyl and methamphetamine throughout the Tangipahoa Parish region of the Eastern District of Louisiana. The conspiracy was carried out through wire and electronic communications.

    One other person has pled guilty in this investigation.

    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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

    Acting United States Attorney Simpson praised the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Hammond Police Department, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office. The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Sarver of the Narcotics Unit.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Boston Man Sentenced to Nearly Four Years in Prison for Federal Firearm Offense

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

    Defendant accelerated moped at law enforcement before being arrested in possession of a loaded firearm

    BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced today for illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition.

    Kyvon Ross, 26, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris to 46 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. In April 2025, Ross pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

    On Oct. 3, 2024, Ross was approached by law enforcement after driving a moped at a high speed and without a rear license plate. Ross accelerated directly at one of the officers before losing control of the moped and falling to the ground. Ross was found in possession of a loaded Glock handgun with an obliterated serial number.  

    Ross is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition due to multiple prior felony convictions, including a 2021 federal conviction for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division made the announcement today. The Boston Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives provided valuable assistance with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Abely, Chief of the Criminal Division, prosecuted the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Iowa Nurse Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Diversion, Illegal Firearms Possession, and Bank Fraud

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

    A former Iowa nurse from western Iowa, who stole pain medication from nursing home residents, burglarized multiple residences, possessed a firearm as a felon, and committed a bank fraud, was sentenced on July 16, 2025, to more than three years in federal prison.  Sarah Ann Haptonstall, age 47, from Onawa, Iowa, received the prison term after she pled guilty on February 24, 2025, to one count of acquiring and attempting to acquire a controlled substance by misrepresentation, fraud, deception, or subterfuge, one count of possession of a firearm by a felon, and one count of bank fraud.

    In a plea agreement, and at her plea and sentencing hearings, Haptonstall admitted that, in March 2023, she burglarized an Onawa couple’s home on multiple occasions in order to steal narcotic pain medication.  One the residents needed the medication for constant nerve pain.  Haptonstall knew this, because when she was a nurse in 2021, she had delivered narcotics to the Onawa couple’s residence.  When law enforcement officers arrested Haptonstall on March 10, 2023, after she re-burglarized the Onawa couple’s residence a final time, Haptonstall possessed a 9mm Luger pistol in her truck.  Haptonstall was a felon and drug user at the time, and so it was illegal for her to possess firearms.  Haptonstall had purchased two 9mm Luger pistols in February 2020, after falsely stating that she was not an unlawful user of, or addicted to, a controlled substance.

    The burglaries of the Onawa couple’s home were but one part of a larger drug diversion scheme that Haptonstall was perpetrating in western Iowa.  In February and March 2023, Haptonstall was entering multiple apartments in Onawa and stealing the residents’ pain medications.  Further, between April and October 2022, while working as a licensed Iowa nurse, defendant stole hydrocodone pills from four elderly residents of an Onawa nursing home and a Sergeant Bluff nursing home.  One of the victims was over 90 years old.  Haptonstall removed the narcotics from pill cards and replaced them with Tylenol.  One of the nursing home residents suffered from severe pain as she died because defendant had swapped out the victim’s narcotic pills for Tylenol and made a false entry in her medical record.  Another resident was in hospice when defendant stole her narcotics.  Haptonstall was first licensed as a nurse in 2006, and her license was renewed at least five times (in 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2021).  Haptonstall ultimately surrendered her nursing license.

    Haptonstall also admitted that, in early 2023, she committed a bank fraud against a small family-owned business in Onawa.  Haptonstall was the business’s bookkeeper and abused her position of trust to embezzle over $8,000 from the company.  Specifically, Haptonstall created fraudulent checks payable to herself, drawn on the small business’s account, and bearing one of its proprietor’s signatures.  Haptonstall disguised the fraudulent checks by making false and fictitious entries in the small business’s electronic bookkeeping system.

    Haptonstall has an extensive criminal history, beginning with six theft convictions in the late 1990s and 2000s.  Between 1997 and 2013, a state court dismissed more than 30 additional theft charges against Haptonstall after she agreed to pay restitution to the victims in those cases.  Haptonstall’s felony record started in 2006, when she pled guilty to forgery after she forged signatures on checks.  In 2014, Haptonstall was convicted of a felony controlled substance violation after making a material misrepresentation to obtain hydrocodone from a grocery store.  In February 2023, while she was committing bank fraud, and about a month before burglarizing residences in Onawa, Haptonstall received a ten-year, fully suspended prison sentence in state court for felony drug diversion after she admitted she had swapped patients’ hydrocodone for Tylenol pills while working as a delivery driver for a local pharmacy. 

    Haptonstall was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Haptonstall was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment.  She was also ordered to make over $8,000 in restitution to her former employer and to repay $5,000 in court-appointed attorney fees.  Haptonstall must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

    Haptonstall was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the Bureau of Prisons on a date yet to be set.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Timothy L. Vavricek and investigated by the Iowa Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General.  The Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Monona County Sheriff’s Office assisted the investigation.

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

    The case file numbers are 24-CR-4016 and 25-CR-4007.  

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Essex County Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Firearms Offenses

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

    NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man pled guilty on July 15, 2025, to multiple firearms offenses, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Kaiyir Green, 22, of Newark, New Jersey, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Georgette Castner in Trenton federal court to a four-count indictment charging him with two counts of possession of a firearm and/or ammunition by a convicted felon, one count of illegal possession of a machine gun, and one count of possession of an unregistered firearm.

    According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in Court:

    On March 1, 2023, law enforcement officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle and observed Green attempting to enter the stolen vehicle.  When law enforcement approached, Green fled and led law enforcement on an extended foot chase.  Law enforcement eventually apprehended Green and they recovered from him a privately manufactured firearm (commonly referred to as a “ghost gun”) loaded with five rounds of ammunition.  After Green was arrested, he made several phone calls from a recorded line at the detention center in which he directed others to go to his home and remove “everything” including a “black bag.”  Law enforcement later observed an individual remove a black bag from Green’s home.  A search of that bag revealed a firearm that had been modified with a switch rendering the firearm fully automatic. The fully automatic firearm was also loaded with one round of 9mm ammunition in a large capacity magazine. Law enforcement also recovered a 50-round capacity drum magazine.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited law enforcement members with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge L.C. Cheeks, Jr.; the New Jersey State Police, under the direction of Col. Patrick J. Callahan, and Elizabeth Police Department, under the direction of Chief Giacomo Sacca, with the investigation leading to the charges.

    The charges of being a felon in possession of firearms and/or ammunition each carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of a firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of an unregistered firearm carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.

    Green’s sentencing is scheduled for November 25, 2025.

    The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorney Rachelle M. Navarro of the Bank Integrity, Money Laundering, and Recovery Unit in Newark.

                                                                ###

    Defense counsel for Green: Claressa Lowe, Esq.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: PENSACOLA FELON PLEADS GUILTY TO UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF FIREARM AND AMMUNITION

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

    PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Donavon Idris Ellis, 26, of Pensacola, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of possession of firearms and ammunition by a convicted felon. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

    Court documents reflect that Ellis was federally convicted in 2021 of three counts of distribution of carfentanil. During a search warrant of Ellis’ residence in March 2024, law enforcement officers found and seized two firearms, boxes of bulk ammunition, and multiple magazines, including a large capacity drum magazine. Ellis admitted to officers that the two firearms would be in his house.

    U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “My office is committed to supporting the work of our brave local, state, and federal law enforcement partners who keep our communities safe.  We will continue to aggressively prosecute all violations of our laws and hold offenders accountable.”

    Sentencing is currently set for October 9, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before United States District Judge T. Kent Wetherell II. Ellis faces up to 15 years in prison.

    The plea was the result of a joint investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Pensacola Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alicia H. Forbes.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: ELEVENTH CIRCUIT AFFIRMS 30-YEAR CAREER OFFENDER SENTENCE

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

    PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – On July 15, 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the 30-year prison sentence of Charles Edward Rowe, 43, of Pensacola, Florida. Rowe pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, cocaine, and marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in October 2021. U.S. District Court Judge T.K. Wetherell, II, concluded that Rowe qualified for sentencing as a “Career Offender” based on prior violent and narcotics-related convictions and sentenced him to 30 years’ imprisonment. Rowe appealed.

    U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The Eleventh Circuit’s ruling this week not only affirms the significant sentence of a serious offender but also establishes that Florida’s drug trafficking statute is a qualifying statute for purposes of determining whether a defendant is a “Career Offender.”  My office will continue to work with our excellent local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to utilize the Career Offender provisions to aggressively pursue repeat criminals and see to it that they receive substantial sentences.”

    This prosecution arose in July 2021, after the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office Gun Crimes Unit and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant at a Pensacola hotel as part of an ongoing investigation. Inside, they found Rowe in possession of distribution amounts of various controlled substances, including over two kilograms of pills containing methamphetamine, crystal methamphetamine, cocaine, cocaine base, and marijuana, as well as a loaded Smith & Wesson 9mm pistol and a loaded Hi-Point .40 caliber pistol.

    Rowe challenged his “Career Offender” sentence on appeal, arguing that his prior Florida drug trafficking conviction did not qualify as a predicate controlled substance offense. The Eleventh Circuit disagreed and concluded that the conviction qualified because the Florida trafficking statute criminalized the conduct of possession of controlled substances with the intent to distribute them and thus met the requirements of the Career Offender provision. The Eleventh Circuit also rejected Rowe’s challenge to his guilty plea. As a published opinion, the Court’s ruling is binding on all future cases brought in the Eleventh Circuit, which includes all federal district courts in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.

    This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Jordane New and Former Assistant United States Attorney Robert G. Davies represented the government during the appeal.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline ) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Houston Area Men Charged in Murder-for-Hire Plot

    Source: US FBI

    HOUSTON – Three people are expected to appear in federal court on charges related to a conspiracy to commit murder for hire and related offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Michael Seery, 42, Katy, is set to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Yvonne Ho July 24 at 2 p.m. Ricardo Obando Jr., 51, and Matthew Rosas, 24, both of Houston, are currently in state custody on related charges and expected to make their appearances in federal court also at that time.   

    Seery was originally charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and remains in custody. A federal grand jury returned the seven-count superseding indictment July 15. According to the charges, the trio plotted the murder over the course of months and executed their plan in the early morning of Feb. 4. They allegedly shot the victim several times as he was traveling on his way to work.

    He survived but sustained several injuries.  

    If convicted of possession of a firearm silencer in furtherance of a crime of violence or discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, all face up to life in prison with mandatory minimum sentences of 30 and 10 years, respectively. All three are also charged with conspiracy to use interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire and use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder for hire resulting in personal injury which carry up to 20 years in federal prison. Seery and Obando are charged with transfer and receipt of a firearm for use in a felony and face up to 10 years, while Seery is also charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm which carries another 15-year-maximum sentence.

    The FBI, Harris County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation with the assistance of Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hunter Brown is prosecuting the case.

    An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Autonomous drones take flight at NATO-backed competition

    Source: NATO

    From 6-10 July, four teams of seven researchers and professors from universities in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States and Austria challenged each other at the Huntsville UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) and C-UAS (Counter UAS) test range in Alabama, as part of a competition supported by the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Programme.

    The event, hosted by the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), was the second of three competitions organised through the SPS-supported “SAPIENCE” initiative, which aims to demonstrate how autonomous drones that cooperate with each other may be used in crisis management scenarios.

    Expanding in scope from the first competition, which took place on 29 and 30 August 2024 in an indoor arena in London, United Kingdom, the Huntsville event required participating teams to develop autonomous drones suitable for outdoor conditions and for a scenario grounded in local conditions: the aftermath of severe storms that generated several tornadoes, which are an annual occurrence in the southeastern United States.

    A flight test range simulated just such a disaster scenario, and the four university teams were assigned tasks such as damage assessments of residential communities, search and rescue for victims, and the delivery of lifesaving medical supplies. They were encouraged to perform these tasks using multiple fully autonomous drones simultaneously, thus demonstrating innovative approaches to the technical challenges of autonomous multi-platform systems.

    The third and final SAPIENCE competition will take place in 2026 in the Netherlands, where the four university teams will build on the lessons learned in London and Huntsville to complete tasks in a scenario combining indoor and outdoor conditions.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Two California Residents Plead Guilty in Connection with $16 Million Hospice Fraud Scheme and Money Laundering Scheme

    Source: US FBI

    Two California residents pleaded guilty yesterday in connection with their roles in defrauding Medicare of nearly $16 million through sham hospice companies and to laundering the proceeds of the fraud as part of a multi-year scheme.

    According to court documents, Karpis Srapyan, 35, of Winnetka, California, conspired with others, including co-defendants Petros Fichidzhyan and Juan Carlos Esparza, to bill Medicare for hospice services that were not medically necessary and never provided. To conduct their fraudulent scheme, they used a series of four sham hospice companies: one owned by Esparza and the other three owned by foreign nationals but controlled by the defendants. Srapyan and his co-defendants concealed the scheme by using foreign nationals’ personal identifying information to open bank accounts, submit information to Medicare, and sign property leases. They also misappropriated names and other identifying information of several doctors, two of whom were deceased, to fraudulently bill Medicare for purported hospice services. In total, Medicare paid the fake hospice companies nearly $16 million.

    Fichidzhyan, Esparza, and Srapyan worked with others to launder the fraudulent proceeds from their hospice scheme. Susanna Harutyunyan, 39, of Winnetka, was aware that her husband and co-defendant Mihran Panosyan was involved in illegal activity with Srapyan and Fichidzhyan. As part of the money laundering scheme, Harutyunyan and her co-defendants maintained fraudulent identification documents, bank documents, checkbooks, and credit and debit cards in the names of purported foreign owners in the residence where she and Panosyan lived and another residence that was owned in her name. Srapyan conducted dozens of financial transactions, totaling approximately $3.2 million, moving funds between accounts in the names of the sham hospice companies, accounts in the names of foreign nationals that were controlled by the defendants, and other accounts involved in the money laundering scheme. Harutyunyan knowingly spent fraudulent proceeds on personal expenses, including payments for a BMW automobile.

    Srapyan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6. He faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Harutyunyan pleaded guilty to money laundering and is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 17; she faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine their sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Harutyunyan faces deportation.

    Co-defendant Petros Fichidzhyan previously pleaded guilty to health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering. In May, Fichidzhyan was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Co-defendant Mihran Panosyan pleaded guilty to money laundering in June and is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 8. Co-defendant Juan Carlos Esparza’s change of plea hearing is scheduled for July 14.

    The guilty pleas today are the most recent convictions in the Justice Department’s ongoing effort to combat hospice fraud in the greater Los Angeles area. Last year, a doctor was convicted at trial for his role in a scheme to bill Medicare for hospice services patients did not need, and two other defendants were sentenced for their roles in a hospice fraud scheme.  

    Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Assistant Director in Charge Akil Davis of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office, and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

    The FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.

    Trial Attorneys Michael Bacharach, Sarah E. Edwards, and Allison L. McGuire of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara B. Vavere for the Central District of California is handling asset forfeiture.

    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of 9 strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,800 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $30 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Child Exploitation

    Source: US FBI

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On July 7, 2025, United States District Court Judge Aida Delgado-Colón sentenced Ángel Alexis Vázquez-Sánchez to 300 months (25 years) in prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, for child exploitation. Vázquez-Sánchez, 27, from Jayuya, PR, was indicted on March 5, 2024, and plead guilty on January 29, 2025.

    According to court documents, from December 2021 throughout May 2023, Ángel Alexis Vázquez Sánchez sexually exploited four different minor females, between the ages of 12 and 16, with the intent that the minors engage in sexual activity, and to obtain sexually explicit images of the minors.

    Ángel Alexis Vázquez Sánchez plead guilty to four counts of sexual exploitation of children. From December 2021 through May 2023, the defendant used his cellular device, social media, and communication platforms to communicate in a sexually explicit manner via text, still images, video and voice notes, with four female minors ranging from 12 to 16 years of age to employ, use, persuade, induce, entice and coerce the female minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct. The defendant solicited and received such images via his cellular device and requested that the female minors engage in sexual acts or sexual contact and produced the images and videos of the sexually explicit conduct of the minors.

    The FBI investigated the case, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Inspector General (OIG) provided significant assistance during the ongoing investigation.

    Assistant US Attorney Jenifer Y. Hernández-Vega, Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit Chief, prosecuted the case.

    This case was 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 the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Federal Task Force Agent Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for Corruption

    Source: US FBI

    SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Antonio Pizarro Adorno, a former Puerto Rico Special Investigations Bureau (“NIE” as known in Spanish) officer who was assigned to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSI), was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Camille Vélez-Rivé to 15 months in prison and three years of Supervised Release Term for corruptly concealing $170 during a law enforcement seizure.

    On March 13, 2025, after a five-day jury trial, a federal jury convicted Antonio Pizarro Adorno. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, on April 27, 2023, Pizarro Adorno, took $170 in cash seized by the Puerto Rico Police Bureau (PRPB), with the intent to impair its integrity and availability for use in an investigation being conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives related to drug trafficking in a community in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

    U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI made the announcement.

    The FBI San Juan Field Office, Public Corruption Unit investigated the case, with the collaboration of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie Christine Amy prosecuted the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Inmate Sentenced for Threatening Federal Officials

    Source: US FBI

    PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Noah D. Stirn, 30, an inmate with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty to making true threats to kill and injure a Federal District Judge, the Federal Clerk of Courts, and threatening the use of explosives against the Federal Public Defender’s Office. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

    “The public should rest assured that my office will not tolerate repeat offenders threatening to endanger individuals for simply doing their jobs, especially those in public service.  If you make true threats to federal officials, you should know that we will take them seriously,” said United States Attorney Heekin.  “This sentence sends a strong message that we will protect our dedicated government employees, so that they may perform their jobs and serve the public without fear.”

    Court documents reflect that Stirn mailed a letter threatening to kill a Federal District Judge for the Northern District of Florida and the Federal Clerk of Courts for the Northern District of Florida. Stirn also mailed a letter to the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Northern District of Florida which contained threats involving the use of explosives and claimed al-Qaeda was inspiring and sponsoring the attack. Stirn was previously prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida for mailing similar threats, and he was sentenced to 110 months custody in the Bureau of Prisons on February 12, 2020. On July 10, 2025, U.S. District Judge T. Kent Wetherell sentenced Stirn to 37 months consecutive to his current 110-month sentence.

    Greg Leljedal, Acting U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of Florida said: “Protecting the federal judiciary is a cornerstone of the U.S. Marshals Service.  Perpetrators that threaten to physically harm federal officials can expect swift and serious consequences for these illegal actions.”

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the United States Marshals Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Harley W. Ferguson. 

    The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General.  To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: San Antonio Man to Spend 65 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Exploiting Three Children

    Source: US FBI

    SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio man was sentenced to 65 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting three young children.

    According to court documents, Charles Alexander Lopez, 30, stated in a group chat on the instant messaging app Wickr that he was engaged in the sexual abuse and exploitation of minor children in October 2023. He posted two images and a video to the group on Oct. 24, 2023, along with a message stating, “My conquest for the day.” The two images depicted a male toddler whom Lopez had just sexually assaulted, while the video depicted a portion of the sexual assault itself.

    An FBI Online Covert Employee (OCE) interacted with Lopez through a private chat, through which Lopez disclosed details of another sexual assault victimizing a female toddler a few days prior and that he has sexually exploited a non-verbal autistic male child as well. On Oct. 26, 2023, FBI San Antonio executed a federal search warrant for the home and person of Lopez, seizing electronic devices used to produce, distribute and possess child pornography.

    Lopez admitted to sexually exploiting a male toddler, using his smartphone to produce and share Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM). He also provided the names of other children he sexually assaulted and exploited, stating that he had sexually assaulted 15 minors since he was 10 years old and produced CSAM of approximately five different children.

    Lopez was arrested on Oct. 27, 2023, and on Nov. 15, 2023, a federal grand jury indicted him for three counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty on Feb. 10, 2025, to the three sexual exploitation charges. On July 14, Senior U.S. District Judge David Ezra sentenced Lopez to 65 years in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release. Ezra also ordered Lopez to pay $150,000 in restitution to three minor victims.

    “Individuals like this, who take every opportunity to prey on helpless children simply cannot remain free in our society,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “This defendant has spent two-thirds of his life as a child predator, sexually assaulting, exploiting and forever altering the lives of vulnerable and defenseless children to fulfill his selfish and vile choices.”

    “There is no place in our society for those who prey on the most vulnerable among us,” said Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp for FBI San Antonio.” The FBI San Antonio Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, together with the United States Attorney’s Office, will relentlessly pursue every lead to investigate violent crimes against children and bring their perpetrators to justice.”

    FBI San Antonio investigated the case, assisted by a referral from FBI Albany.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Tracy Thompson prosecuted the case.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed and Violent Drug Traffickers Operating in the Yakama Nation and Yakima Valley Facing Federal Charges, Thousands of Pounds of Drugs Seized

    Source: US FBI

    Yakima, Washington – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington announced that 13 people have been charged following the return of 12 indictments alleging more than a dozen charges against these defendants.

    The arrests follow a long-term joint federal, local, and tribal investigation that began in 2024, concluding in June 2025, led by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Indian Affairs. The investigation targeted violent individuals and armed drug traffickers on the Yakama Nation and in the Yakima Valley with the goal to disrupt drug distributors operation both on and off the reservation.

    “Fentanyl continues to be one of the most dangerous substances threatening our communities,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Van Marter. “Thanks to the hard work and tireless dedication of our tribal, state and federal law enforcement partners, working side by side with members of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Yakima, offenders have been removed from our communities and families are safer today.”

    To date, agents have seized 7,100 pounds of marijuana, 336 pounds of methamphetamine, nearly 25 pounds of cocaine, 7 pounds of fentanyl power, 4,704 fentanyl laced pills, $22,512 in drug proceeds, and 12 firearms.

    According to unsealed charging documents, the following individuals have been charged in connection with the investigation. The United States anticipates bringing additional charges against other individuals identified during this investigation.

    Angel Navarro Aleman, age 55, charged with Distribution of 50 Grams and More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine (three counts)

    Jose Francisco Aguirre, age 56, pleaded guilty to Distribution of 50 Grams and More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine; sentencing in July 2025.

    Jose Caudillo-Ascencio, age 23 charged with Possession with Intent to Distribute a Mixture or Substance Containing Cocaine; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

    Jesus Caudillo, age 31, charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    Johnny Thomas Axtell, age 54, charged with Distribution of 5 Grams or More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine; Distribution of Fentanyl

    Israel Nicolas Castaneda, age 37, charged with Distribution of Fentanyl; Distribution of 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl

    Samantha Rasberry-Besa, age 31, charged with Distribution of 40 Grams or More of Fentanyl; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime

    Lonzell Hawk Lucei, age 37, charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    Hollis Marion Woodward, age 70, pleaded guilty to Felon in Possession of a Firearm, sentencing in September 2025.

    Miguel Angel Alvarado-Munoz, age 45, charged with Alien in United States After Deportation

    Ira Charles Pete, age 39, charged with Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    Edgar Jovnni Nunez Bocanegra, age 29, charged with Drug User in Possession of a Firearm; Possession with Intent to Distribute 5 Grams or More of Actual (Pure) Methamphetamine; Possession of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime

    Fernando Gonzalez, age 38, charged with Possession with the Intent to Distribute 400 Grams or More of Fentanyl, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking, and Felon in Possession of a Firearm

    The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Indian Affairs conducted the investigation along with Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, ATF, Yakima Police Department, Wapato Police Department, Yakama Nation Tribal Police Department, and the Yakima County Sheriff’s Office.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Worcester Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Unlawful Possession of Two Loaded Firearms, Ammunition and Silencer

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

    BOSTON – A Worcester man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Worcester for unlawfully possessing firearms and ammunition as a convicted felon and possessing an unregistered silencer. 

    Ryan Davidson, 40, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to six years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. In March 2025, Davidson pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and one count of possessing an unregistered firearm-silencer. In August 2023, Davidson was indicted by a federal grand jury. The grand jury returned a superseding indictment against Davidson in November 2023.

    On or about May 9, 2023 in Worcester, Davidson was stopped by police for a marked lane violation and for concerns about the Georgia “dealer” license plate on his vehicle. After failing to provide proof of insurance on the vehicle, Davidson was told he could leave with a citation but that his car would have to be towed, and an inventory search would be conducted pursuant to the tow. Davidson told police he did not want them to search his car and shortly thereafter, he fled the scene on foot. Davidson was apprehended in a backyard on an adjacent street, at which time he was arrested. At the time of the incident, Davidson was wearing a GPS monitoring device in connection with open state charges involving a firearm.  

    During the inventory search of Davidson’s vehicle, a heavy black bag was located in the trunk . In the bag, was a black balaclava and a zipped blue bag. Inside the blue bag, a Polymer P80, 9-millimeter pistol with no serial number, with a 9-millimeter magazine inserted containing 10 rounds of ammunition, a silencer and a box of 9-millimeter ammunition containing 9 rounds were located. A  Taurus 9-millimeter pistol with a round in the chamber and a magazine inserted containing six rounds of 9-millimeter ammunition was also recovered in the glovebox. Davidson possessed the Taurus 9-millimeter pistol and 26 rounds of 9mm ammunition after having been convicted of previous felonies for which he had been sentenced to 7-10 years in prison.
     
    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Scott Riordan, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; and Chief Paul Saucier of the Worcester Police Department made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaitlin J. Brown of the Worcester Branch Office prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and other violent crime, 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. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit https://www.justice.gov/PSN. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Auburn Man Charged with Federal Program Fraud

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

    MONTGOMERY, Ala. – An Auburn, Alabama man charged with federal crimes related to loans received through the Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act is now in federal custody, announced Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson. On July 15, 2025, law enforcement conducted an operation to execute search warrants and locate 52-year-old Cesar Campos-Reyes, who was indicted by a federal grand jury on four counts of bank fraud, four counts of wire fraud, and one count of money laundering. The United States District Court in Montgomery unsealed Campos-Reyes’s criminal indictment today. Campos-Reyes surrendered to federal authorities Tuesday evening.

    Two sources of relief provided by the CARES Act are the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. Both programs were intended to help eligible small businesses by giving them working capital to make regular payments for operating expenses such as payroll, rent or mortgage expenses, utilities, or business debt. The indictment alleges that Campos-Reyes made false representations when applying for multiple loans for various restaurants owned and operated by him and for using the proceeds for unauthorized purposes.

    The charges are the result of a wide-ranging investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). This operation received significant support from the Gulf of America Homeland Security Task Force, which is a collaborative law enforcement unit including the FBI and HSI. Additional assistance was provided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Alabama Department of Corrections, Auburn Police Department, Opelika Police Department, Prattville Police Department, Wetumpka Police Department, Elmore County Sheriff’s Office, Lee County Sheriff’s Office, and United States Marshals Service.

    A criminal indictment or complaint is merely an allegation that a crime has been committed. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    If convicted on all charges, Campos-Reyes faces a sentence of up to 30 years in prison along with significant fines. There is no parole in the federal system. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Michelle R. Turner and John J. Geer, III.

    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).

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Little Rock Man Sentenced to 84 Months in Federal Prison After Committing Arson at Two Little Rock Fitness Centers

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

          LITTLE ROCK—Miles Andrew Caldwell will spend the next 84 months in federal prison after intentionally starting three fires at two different fitness centers in Little Rock, Arkansas. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today by United States District Judge James M. Moody, Jr.

          An investigation revealed that on November 16, 2023, Caldwell, 20, of Little Rock, arrived at the Little Rock Athletic Club at approximately 11:00 a.m. Caldwell then walked down the hallway and entered the men’s restroom on the first floor. A few minutes later, he exited the restroom and walked down the hallway past the operating daycare center that was occupied by several children (mainly babies and toddlers) and staff members. 

          Caldwell then entered the basketball court. Later, after exiting the basketball court, Caldwell walked back to the daycare, looking through the large windows of the daycare center before taking the stairs to the second floor. Moments later, women in the tennis hallway reported the smell of smoke. The smoke filled the tennis hallway which caused the fire alarm to sound. Children, daycare staff, and other occupants of the tennis area exited the building through the smoke-filled hallway.

          The investigation revealed that the fire was set in a paper towel dispenser in the first-floor men’s restroom. Caldwell also set fire to the paper towel dispenser, trash receptable, and toilet paper dispenser in the second-floor men’s restroom.

          Later that same day, at approximately 3:49 p.m., the Little Rock Fire Department responded to 10 Fitness on North Rodney Parham Road, where its men’s restroom also sustained fire damage. Firefighters observed smoke present in the main gym, with thicker smoke in the area of the bathrooms. The Little Rock Fire Marshal determined that the toilet paper dispenser in the handicapped stall of the men’s restroom had been set on fire.

          The investigation revealed that Caldwell scanned into 10 Fitness, entered the men’s restroom, remained for approximately one minute while no one else entered, and left the gym after a total of approximately five minutes, without using any equipment. After smoke became visible in the area between the gym and restroom, the fire department was called. In the parking lot, Caldwell remained in his vehicle for 10 additional minutes, waiting until after firefighters arrived to leave.

          Investigators reviewed security footage from the Little Rock Athletic Club and located the suspect, later identified as Caldwell. Investigators also obtained security footage from 10 Fitness and identified an individual wearing the same clothes, shoes, and headphones as the suspect at the Little Rock Athletic Club.

          Caldwell was later located at his residence. In the home and his vehicle investigators located shoes and a hooded sweatshirt consistent with what was observed on security footage.

          On November 20, 2023, Caldwell was arrested on a federal complaint. On December 5, 2023, Caldwell was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of arson. Caldwell pleaded guilty to one count of arson committed at the Little Rock Athletic Club on February 4, 2025. 

          Judge Moody also sentenced Caldwell to three years’ supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system.

           The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Little Rock Fire Department and the Little Rock Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin O’Leary.

    # # #

    Additional information about the office of the

    United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    X (formerly knon as Twitter):

    @USAO_EDAR 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former U.S. Army Soldier Sentenced to 12 Years in Federal Prison for Aggravated Child Neglect

    Source: US FBI

    NASHVILLE – Andrew J. Garasich, 29, of Westmoreland, Pennsylvania, has been sentenced to 12 years in federal prison for aggravated child neglect, announced Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.

    “The victim in this case was a two-month-old child who was horribly neglected by the Defendant and barely survived,” said Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire. “The child is now in a loving home but will face lifelong struggles because of the Defendant’s choices. This case shows that we will not hesitate to prosecute those who hurt children and, if they are convicted, we will seek long sentences in federal prison for them.”

    “This sentencing is a result of the unwavering commitment of the FBI and our justice system to protect the most vulnerable members of our community—our children,” said Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “There is no place in our community for those who harm children, and we will do everything we can to find and punish those who engage in this repugnant activity and seek justice for victims.”

    “This case highlights the strong partnership between Army CID, the FBI, and the Department of Justice,” said Special Agent in Charge John McCabe of the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Midcentral Field Office. “This sentencing reflects our dedication to justice for this young victim and sends a clear message that child abuse will not be tolerated within our ranks or in our communities.”

    Garasich, a former sergeant (E-5) in the United States Army stationed on Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was a father of a two-month-old baby when, on December 30, 2022, Garasich severely burned his baby by bathing him in water so hot that the baby’s skin peeled off his body. The two-month-old baby did not receive medical treatment for five days after the bath.  When the baby was finally taken to Houston County Community Hospital for medical treatment, Garasich did not accompany the baby to the hospital. Medical personnel immediately arranged for the baby to be life flighted to Vanderbilt University Medical Center due to the severity of his injuries, and they contacted the Erin, Tennessee, Police Department, which dispatched officers to the hospital to speak with witnesses about how the baby was injured. When the baby was assessed at Vanderbilt, in addition to partial to full thickness burns on the baby’s buttocks, perineum, lower extremities, and left elbow, medical personnel also noted a left parietal skull fracture.

    Although Garasich does not have any prior criminal convictions, he has a prior case with the Department of Children’s Services involving another child in 2019.

    Following his term of imprisonment, Garasich will be on supervised release for 4 years.

    Garasich’s co-defendant, the child’s mother, will be sentenced on August 5, 2025.

    This case was investigated by the U.S. Army – Criminal Investigation Division and the FBI Nashville Field Office, Clarksville Resident Agency.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Monica Morrison and Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire prosecuted the case.

    # # # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Met reiterates warning on support for proscribed organisations ahead of Saturday protests

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    There will be an increased police presence in Westminster on Saturday when a number of protests are due to take place.

    A march organised by the Palestine Coalition will go from Victoria Embankment to Whitehall via Westminster Bridge, Waterloo Bridge and the Strand. Speeches will take place in Whitehall following the march.

    A static protest organised by Stop the Hate, in opposition to the Palestine Coalition march, will take place at the junction of the Strand and Waterloo Bridge.

    Discussions are ongoing with the organisers of both protests and details of any conditions in place will be published on Friday.

    We are also expecting further protest activity in support of Palestine Action which is a group now proscribed under the Terrorism Act. Similar protests have taken place in Parliament Square for the past two weekends, with 70 arrests made.

    The location of any such protest has not yet been confirmed.

    Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan, who is charge of the Met’s policing operation this weekend, said: “Our policing plans for the sort of protest activity we expect on Saturday are tried and tested, with officers working hard to achieve the balance of allowing people to exercise their right to peaceful protest while avoiding serious disruption to the community and ensuring incidents and offences can be swiftly dealt with.

    “This Saturday’s Palestine Coalition protest is the first large scale eventof its kind since the proscription of Palestine Action and I want to make sure the implications of that change in the law are fully understood.

    “Nobody will be committing an offence by simply supporting the Palestinian cause, taking part in the march or carrying flags, banners or other signs providing they don’t stray into hate speech or other offences.

    “However, those who see this as an opportunity to test the limits of the law by expressing support for Palestine Action, whether at a standalone protest or as part of the Palestine Coalition protest, will likely be committing an offence and will very likely be arrested.

    “I would urge those people to consider the seriousness of being arrested under the Terrorism Act and the very real long term implications – from travel, to employment, to finances – that such an arrest is likely to have for their future.

    “This is also the first large scale protest on this issue since Glastonbury Festival where offensive chanting led by an artist on one of the stages prompted a police investigation. Investigations are also underway, led by Met officers, following similar uses of the same chant in London.

    “Those investigations are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to prejudge the outcomes, but I can say a bit more about our approach to similar chanting at this weekend’s protest.

    “We have said before that whether chants cross the line from free speech to a potential criminal offence depends on the specific circumstances.

    “For example, there will be words that when chanted in the middle of the Palestine Coalition march, and not directed at individuals who might be caused harassment, alarm or distress as a result, might not lead an officer to reasonably suspect an offence has been committed.

    “But directing the same words at a group of people for whom the words would very likely cause harassment, alarm or distress, could well give rise to grounds for arrest.

    “At previous protests, the area between the main march and any counter protest has seen the most heated exchanges. Officers will be particularly alert to conduct, including chanting, in this area and will be working with stewards to ensure crowds keep moving past this point.

    “Where they become aware of behaviour that crosses the line from protest into criminality they will intervene and take appropriate action.

    “All participants are responsible for their own behaviour. Avoiding the use of threatening, abusive and insulting language, or language that is supportive of proscribed organisations, is the surest way to stay on the right side of this line.”

    Further details of these protests, including any conditions in place, will be published at news.met.police.uk and on the Met’s X account.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Longtime VA Contracting Officer Sentenced to Over Five Years in Prison for Defrauding the Agency of More Than $500,000

    Source: US FBI

    For Years, Defendant Directed Projects, Contracts to Shell Co. Set Up With His Paramour

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Ahmed Hassan, 71, of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Judge John F. Murphy to 64 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release for defrauding his employer, the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”), of over $500,000. The defendant was also ordered to pay $565,058.70 in restitution, with $150,000 of that restitution due in 30 days, and a $2,200 special assessment.

    Hassan was charged by indictment in April 2021. After a one-week trial in October of 2024, a federal jury convicted the defendant of 22 counts of wire fraud for misusing his VA position to steal from the agency.

    As proven at trial, Hassan was a trusted supervisory engineer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (“VA Medical Center”) in Philadelphia. In that position, Hassan was responsible for all mechanical and large HVAC systems at the Medical Center and was further charged with overseeing and implementing contracts in his area of responsibility.

    From approximately 2013 through October 2017, Hassan schemed to defraud the VA by drafting and submitting for payment, false invoices of a shell company called HT Mechanical. But unbeknownst to Medical Center management, and in violation of Hassan’s duties to the VA, HT Mechanical was a fraudulent entity that Hassan had secretly set up with his then-paramour, Lynn Hanrahan[1] — a social worker with no knowledge of, or expertise in, HVAC or mechanical systems — in order to defraud the VA.

    For years, the defendant made up fake work, drafted false invoices on HT Mechanical letterhead, submitted them for payment to the VA under the VA purchase card program, and lied to the VA, claiming that the work had been done, when the so-called jobs did not exist, and no work was performed. After the VA made payment to HT Mechanical based on the defendant’s lies, his paramour returned the payments to the defendant, either by check or by giving the defendant envelopes of cash.

    “Fraud against the government hurts us all,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “It heightens the cost of public services and threatens their availability to deserving citizens. In this case, out of sheer greed, Ahmed Hassan thoroughly betrayed the veterans the VA exists to serve and stole from American taxpayers. Today’s sentence shows that criminals who cheat the U.S. government will pay for it, in the end.”

    “This sentencing demonstrates that those involved in defrauding VA, particularly VA employees in positions of public trust, will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Algieri with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office. “The VA OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure the integrity of VA’s programs and services.”

    The case was investigated by Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General and the FBI, and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Megan Curran and Assistant United States Attorney Mary E. Crawley.
     

    [1] Hanrahan was charged in a related scheme, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced on January 8, 2025.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Philadelphia Man Who Robbed Four Banks Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison

    Source: US FBI

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Joseph Perkins, 31, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today to 84 months in prison and three years of supervised release by United States District Judge Karen S. Marston for robbing multiple city banks in a two-week span.

    Perkins was charged by indictment in October 2024 with four counts of bank robbery and pleaded guilty in March. As detailed in court filings and admitted to by the defendant, he would present threatening demand notes to bank personnel in order to obtain and abscond with money.

    The offenses committed by Perkins are as follows:

    • the August 26, 2024, robbery of the Citizens Bank branch located inside the ACME Market at 2497 Aramingo Avenue, Philadelphia
    • the August 29, 2024, robbery of the Citizens Bank branch located at 2101 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia
    • the September 4, 2024, robbery of the TD Bank branch located at 6304 Roosevelt Boulevard, Philadelphia
    • the September 7, 2024, robbery of the TD Bank branch located at 2267 East Butler Street, Philadelphia

    Perkins received cash in the first three robberies but fled the fourth empty-handed.

    The case was investigated by the FBI Philadelphia Violent Crimes Task Force and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kwambina Coker.

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