NewzIntel.com

Category: Security Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four suspected drug dealers arrested as part of crime crackdown in Whitechapel

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Met officers have arrested four suspected drug dealers as part of work to tackle serious and organised crime in Whitechapel.

    They were arrested on Wednesday, 19 March as part of an investigation into drug supply around Altab Ali Park. They remain in custody. Officers also recovered Class A drugs.

    The arrests were part of Clear, Hold, Build which is designed to reclaim and rebuild neighbourhoods affected by crime by focusing on what matters most to locals.

    Detective Superintendent Vicky Tunstall, the Met’s neighbourhood policing lead for Tower Hamlets, said:

    “Tackling drug supply is a priority for us as we know it’s often linked to other offences such as robbery and violent crime. By taking targeted action, we aim to reduce offending and improve the quality of life for residents, businesses, and visitors.

    “The operation followed months of planning by local officers, who have been listening to people in Whitechapel to understand what matters most to them.

    “Across the Met, we are focused on tackling the crimes that matter most to communities to reduce offending and improve neighbourhoods.”

    Altab Ali Park has a rich history and cultural significance within Tower Hamlets and the aim is to return it to a location which residents, businesses and visitors by reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.

    The work with Tower Hamlets Council is helping to clear the area of gangs using a range of tactics, such as police and council enforcement officer patrols, as well as engagement with community members and local businesses.

    Also on Wednesday, the Met and the council held a joint event at Altab Ali Park to update the community on the work taking place as part of Clear, Hold, Build.

    Targeted action has led to a significant reduction in violent crime and drug offences. Working together we have achieved the following results since last November in Altab Ali Park and the surrounding area:

    – Seven drugs lines shut down

    – 38 arrests

    – Less knife crime and other violent

    – Fewer neighbourhood crimes

    – Class A drugs and illicit cash removed from the streets

    Cllr Abu Talha Choudhury, Cabinet Member for Safer Communities, said:

    “We know that crime and anti-social behaviour is the top concern for our residents, and a major priority for the council and the mayor. This is why we are committed to working in partnership with the police to address these issues.

    “The ‘Clear Hold Build’ project aims not only to reduce crime, drug dealing, and anti-social behaviour around Altab Ali Park but also to rejuvenate and regenerate the area, making it a space that residents can enjoy and take pride in.

    “Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Met, council-funded police officers, and Tower Hamlets Enforcement officers, we are already beginning to see positive results.”

    Share your thoughts and experiences about crime and safety in Altab Ali Park and help shape our work by taking part in a quick anonymous survey. Complete the survey here.

    Clear, Hold, Build (CHB) is a three-phase framework developed by the Home Office that uses a problem solving and data-driven approach to improve the local response in tackling Serious and Organised Crime threats in a specific location.

    ‘Clear’ means targeted activity and crime disruption, working with partners; ‘Hold’ means stabilising the area to stop criminals moving in to fill the void; and ‘Build’ means community-driven action to address the causes of criminality and prevent it from happening again. CHB also tackles vulnerabilities (drivers of crime) within communities and those being exploited.

    Improved neighbourhood policing was one of the reasons the Met was removed from special measures. His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services also praised improvements to call handling, child exploitation, and public protection.

    Arrest details

    Two 19-year-old men, an 18-year-old man, and a 17-year-old boy were arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin. They remain in custody.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Victim of Aldwych fatal collision named

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    The family of the woman who died in a fatal collision in Aldwych have paid tribute to her, calling her a ‘beautiful soul.’

    She has been named as 20-year-old Aalia Mahomed.

    In a statement, her family said: “Aalia was a bright, kind and beautiful soul, who brought joy and laughter to everyone. She was a ray of sunshine in our lives, and will be deeply missed by all her family and friends. Her light will always live on in our memories and her smile will be our strength as we get through this difficult time.”

    Emergency services were called to a location close to The Strand, near Kings College London campus at 11:41hrs on Tuesday, 18 March following a collision involving a van and pedestrians.

    Sadly, Aalia was pronounced dead at the scene. Her family continue to be supported by specialist officers and ask for privacy at this difficult time.

    A 27-year-old woman was taken to hospital, where she remains in a serious condition. Her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. A 23-year-old man was taken to hospital and has since been discharged.

    Police arrested the driver of the van, a 26-year-old man at the scene on suspicion of causing death by careless driving. He was further arrested whilst in custody on suspicion of drug driving offences. He has since been bailed with conditions whilst enquiries continue.

    Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or post @MetCC ref CAD 2771/18MARCH.

    To remain 100 per cent anonymous contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: COMLOG WESTPAC’S USMC CWO Antonio Milord Promotes to the rank of Captain, Feb. 3, 2025

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    SINGAPORE (Feb. 3, 2025) United States Marine Corps (USMC) Capt. Antonio J. Milord, ground ammunition officer assigned to Commander, Logistics Group Western Pacific/Task Force 73 (COMLOG WESTPAC/CTF-73), received his new collar devices reflecting his promotion from Chief Warrant Officer (CWO) 3 to the rank of Capt. during his promotion ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in Singapore, February 3, 2025.

    The Winchester, Virginia native operates as one of two marines stationed in COMLOG WESTPAC/CTF-73, where he works as the lead ammunition logistics officer for Marine forces in the Indo-Pacific region. He develops logistical plans by coordinating shipments of ammunition and explosives while managing inventory levels to ensure the USMC’s ordnance inventory in the region is properly maintained at all times.

    This promotion has been a long-term goal for the former CWO 3 since his first enlistment into the USMC as a Private First Class.

    “I was always inspired by Chief Warrant Officers in my MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) when I worked with them,” said Milord. “They were very intelligent and very smart, so I always found that was the path that I wanted to go for, being a very technical specialist.”

    Following his selection into the CWO program, Milord wasted little time in further developing himself as a subject matter expert in his field. In 2023, he was named Commander, Marine Corps Systems Command’s Marine Corps Ammunition Officer of the Year for calendar year 2022.

    “I am only the second Marine officer to have accomplished this feat, as I originally won the Ammunition NCO of the Year award 10 years ago in 2012 as a Sergeant,” said Milord.

    The two-time award-winning Marine recalls the moment in his early career how he solidified his pursuit for the Limited Duty Officer (LDO) program.

    “For LDO, I remember there was a Lt. Col. in my MOS, who was the top guy at the time, and I remember him talking to all of the Marines. He said, ‘Hey, I remember when I started as a Private First Class and then started coming up through the ranks.’” Milord recollected. “I thought that was a sort of a “rags to riches” story. I thought that was really motivating and a defining point for me wanting to get to that level.”

    After executing on the myriad of mission objectives he had set for himself as a junior NCO, Milord shares the next milestones he has now set his scope on as a junior commissioned officer in the USMC.

    “It means a lot to finally reach that goal that you’ve been working towards the entire time. The other goals along the way mean a lot but there are always goals on the horizon,” said Milord. “I’m doing Command and Staff College, which is a higher-level military P.M.E. (Professional Military Education), and Major (O-4) is the next promotion and the next higher billet, so that’s what I’m focused on right now.”

    When asked for what advice he would impart on a junior NCO seeking to emulate his journey, Milord shared the guidance which helped him stay on his path throughout the years.

    “If you really want it, you won’t allow anything to stop you or prevent you from achieving your goals,” said Milord. “It’s never an easy path but you have to want it and excel at it.”

    COMLOG WESTPAC supports deployed surface units and aircraft carriers, along with regional partners, to facilitate patrols in the South China Sea, participation in naval exercises and responses to natural disasters.

    For more information on Sailors and Marines like Milord serving in Singapore, visit https://www.clwp.navy.mil/

    Date Taken: 02.03.2025
    Date Posted: 03.19.2025 21:10
    Story ID: 493266
    Location: SG
    Hometown: WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA, US
    Web Views: 3
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN  

    This work, COMLOG WESTPAC’S USMC CWO Antonio Milord Promotes to the rank of Captain, Feb. 3, 2025, by PO2 Moises Sandoval, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Salinas Man Sentenced To Over 22 Years For Conspiracy To Commit Child Sex Trafficking, Child Enticement, And Distribution And Possession Of Child Sexual Abuse Materials

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN JOSE – Daniel Philip Aguirre was sentenced yesterday to 270 months (22.5 years) in federal prison and ordered to pay $19,100 in restitution for child sex trafficking, child enticement, and child pornography offenses.  U.S. District Judge Beth L. Freeman handed down the sentence.

    Aguirre, 33, of Salinas, pleaded guilty on Oct. 30, 2024, to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1594(c), sex trafficking of a minor in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1591(a)(1), (b)(2), and (c), coercion and enticement of a minor in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b), distribution of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(2), and possession of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252(a)(4)(B).  

    According to the plea agreement, between 2014 and 2017, Aguirre used Grindr, SnapChat, Craigslist, and other websites to recruit and entice multiple adolescent boys for sexual exploitation and abuse.  In May 2014, he enticed a 14-year-old victim into illegal sexual acts with Aguirre and another man in San Jose, during which amyl nitrates, commonly known as “poppers,” were used to keep the child intoxicated.  Between April and September 2017, Aguirre sex trafficked a second 14-year-old victim while also maintaining an illegal sexual relationship with the child.  He also used the victim to create and distribute child sexual abuse materials.  Aguirre also acknowledged allegations by two other boys that Aguirre subjected them to online and in-person sexual abuse at various times from 2013 to 2015, while they were minors.  Numerous child sexual abuse materials were found on devices seized from Aguirre’s residence during a search in 2022.

    “This defendant preyed on and exploited children, and subjected them to nightmare scenarios.  We are grateful for the courage shown by these victims in coming forward.  Thanks to the work of our federal and state law enforcement partners, Aguirre will spend over 20 years in federal prison for his heinous conduct,” said Acting United States Attorney Patrick D. Robbins.  

    “This individual is the absolute personification of a predator and has cruelly impacted the lives of countless innocent children,”  said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Tatum King.  “This sentencing is the direct result of dedicated HSI agents, in partnership with state and local law enforcement and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, who prioritize a victim-based approach combined with aggressive investigative work and prosecution to remove threats to the children of our community.”

    At the sentencing hearing, the government and the Court commended the bravery of the victim who first reported his abuse to the Carmel-by-the Sea Police Department in 2020.  Three other victims came forward to report abuse by Aguirre after the initial criminal charges were reported.  

    In addition to the prison term and restitution, Judge Freeman also sentenced the defendant to a 15-year period of supervised release, ordered the forfeiture of devices containing child sexual abuse materials that were seized from Aguirre’s residence, and imposed a $500 special assessment fee.  Aguirre was immediately remanded into custody to begin serving his sentence.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Marissa Harris prosecuted the case with the assistance of Sahib Kaur.  The prosecution is the result of a three-year investigation by HSI and the Carmel-by-the-Sea Police Department.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Massachusetts Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Travel with Intent to Engage in Unlawful Sexual Activity

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBANY, NEW YORK – Frank Twing, Sr. age 33, of West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, was sentenced yesterday to 25 years in prison, to be followed by 25 years of supervised release, for sexual exploitation of a 15-year-old victim and travel with intent to engage in unlawful sexual conduct with an approximately 12-year-old victim. United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III and Craig L. Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the Albany Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), made the announcement.

    Twing admitted that he engaged in a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old child during which he created sexually explicit videos depicting that child. He also admitted to traveling from his home in Massachusetts to New York, planning to have sex with an approximately 12-year-old child.

    Twing will also have to forfeit to the United States the property he used to commit the offenses, pay special assessments, and is required to register as a sex offender upon release from prison.

    This case was investigated by the FBI’s Albany Division Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, the New York State Police, the Massachusetts State Police, and the Berkshire County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael D. Gadarian and Benjamin A. Gillis are prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood.

    Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Les by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Unlawful Re-Entry and Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Cocaine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant previously deported twice; has prior convictions for aggravated identity theft as well as heroin distribution, firearm offenses, assault and battery convictions under stolen identity

    BOSTON – A Dominican national residing in Methuen pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to unlawfully re-entering the United States after deportation and possessing narcotics intended for distribution. 

    Raul Fernando Lora, 44, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl and one count of unlawful reentry of deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for July 16, 2025. Lora was charged in November 2023. 

    Lora was previously removed from the United States on July 2, 2013 and June 5, 2018.  Before his first removal, Lora was convicted for aggravated identity theft for fraudulently using the identity of a Puerto Rican citizen. Additionally, Lora has prior convictions for possession with intent to distribute heroin, firearms offenses and assault and battery that were under the name of the identity Lora had stolen. 

    In 2023, federal immigration authorities became aware of Lora’s presence in the United States after being notified that the defendant’s fingerprints were taken in connection with criminal charges in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Lora had default warrants outstanding for both cases. 

    Lora was arrested on Oct. 3, 2023, at which time he was found in possession of a sock that contained over 200 grams of fentanyl and over 30 grams of cocaine in multiple plastic bags.

    The charge of unlawful reentry of a deported alien provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant is subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of any sentenced imposed. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.  

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Patricia H. Hyde, Field Office Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian J. Sullivan of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.  

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Brockport woman awaiting sentencing for committing fraud, charged once again with bank fraud and making false statements

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Patricia Hutchins, 53, of Brockport, NY, was charged by criminal complaint with making a false statement and bank fraud, which carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan K. McGuire, who is handling the case, stated that according to the complaint, in July 2021, U.S. Postal Inspectors executed a search warrant at Hutchins’ Rochester and seized documents, cash, and electronic devices that were either used in or derived from various wire fraud schemes, including Unemployment Insurance fraud, Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud, and elder fraud. In October 2022, Hutchins was arrested on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering. On May 1, 2024, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and is awaiting sentencing on that charge, which is scheduled for April 15, 2025. As part of her plea agreement, Hutchins must pay restitution to two victims: $20,052.00 to reimburse a financial institution for a fraudulent PPP loan disbursement $25,100.00 to an elderly individual who had been duped into “paying off a debt for a friend” by sending that money to Hutchins.

    On October 16, 2024, Hutchins appeared in federal court for sentencing. At that time, she stated that she had invested the entire proceeds of her home sale in a retirement account and did not have any money for restitution. As a result, her sentencing was delayed. On December 4, 2024, Hutchins appeared once again for sentencing. This time, she advised the court that she had given all of her money to an individual whom she believed to be country music recording artist Kenny Chesney, who had agreed to invest it for her. Hutchins had already used this excuse—that she was scammed by a person whom she believed was Kenny Chesney—twice before. Hutchins ultimately pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit wire fraud with the individual whom she claimed to believe was Kenny Chesney.

    According to the latest complaint against Hutchins, the proceeds from the sale of her residence were deposited into her bank account, approximately one month before her scheduled sentencing on October 16, 2024. In the month leading up to the sentencing, she pulled approximately $15,000.00 out of the account, making numerous $250.00 gift card purchases at merchants such as Walgreens, Tops, Wegman’s, Lowe’s, and Home Depot. After the original sentencing was adjourned, and she was directed by the Court to gather funds to pay restitution, Hutchins continued to make regular gift card purchases totaling approximately $8,500.00. As of November 29, 2024, there was approximately $1,000 left in her account. In addition, Hutchins is accused of fraud involving two credit card accounts.

    The complaint is the result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Ketty Larco-Ward, Boston Division.

    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.

    # # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pennsylvania man pleads guilty to receipt of child pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Dylan C. Irvin, 26, of Bradford, PA, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Richard J. Arcara to receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of 20 years.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron J. Mango, who is handling the case, stated that sometime in June or July 2023, Irvin engaged in sexual activity with a 13-year-old female (victim). Irvin used his cellular telephone to record the sexual activity and then received the video on a Snapchat account he controlled. On March 5, 2024, Irvin was arrested on state charges related to the sexual contact, at which time his cell phone was seized. A search of the phone recovered the video of Irvin and the victim.

    The plea is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto, and the Cattaraugus County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Eric Butler.

    Sentencing is scheduled for May 28, 2025, at 12:30 p.m. before Judge Arcara.

    # # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lewiston Woman Sentenced, Ordered to Repay $90,674 for Defrauding Social Security Administration

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Donna Desrosiers lied to fraudulently collect SSI payments for more than a decade

    PORTLAND, Maine: A Lewiston woman was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for Social Security fraud.

    U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Donna Desrosiers, 62, to one year of probation and ordered her to pay $90,674 in restitution. Desrosiers pleaded guilty on October 21, 2024.

    According to court records, Desrosiers began receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in 2003. At that time, she was informed that she was required to report any changes in her household composition, income, or resources. In a 2012 eligibility review, Desrosiers was reminded of her reporting responsibilities yet did not indicate that her husband was part of her household or that he contributed any income. She received additional reminders of her reporting responsibilities over the years. In 2022, she acknowledged being married to her husband but claimed they had not lived together since 2003, the year she became eligible for SSI. The investigation showed that the couple deposited their funds into a joint bank account.

    During an October 2022 interview with investigators, Desrosiers admitted that her husband lived with her and stayed at her apartment at least part of each month for the previous 11 years. When investigators asked what would have happened if she had reported the presence of her husband in her household, she responded, “They would probably take my check.” From 2011 to 2022, Desrosiers fraudulently collected approximately $90,674 in SSI benefits.

    SSA’s Office of the Inspector General investigated the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Distribution and Loan Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – A Michigan man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to a conspiracy to import and sell illegal pharmaceuticals, including opioids, and to fund the operation of the scheme by fraudulently obtaining a COVID-19 pandemic relief loan.

    Donald Nchamukong, 37, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, to commit loan fraud and to distribute controlled substances. U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for June 25, 2025.

    Starting in 2019 and continuing to 2022, Nchamukong and a co-conspirator, Doyal Kalita, conspired to distribute drugs to persons in the United States over the internet and using call centers in India. Nchamukong used shell companies, including a purported dietary supplements company and an auto parts supplier, and associated bank and merchant accounts to process sales of illegal foreign drugs, including the Schedule IV opioid, tramadol. Nchamukong and Kalita also received shipments of tramadol from India and reshipped the drug to customers across the United States, including in Massachusetts. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Nchamukong and Kalita fraudulently obtained a $200,000 Economic Injury Disaster Loan to fund their illegal drug scheme.  

    Kalita was convicted in 2024 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for orchestrating the online drug distribution scheme and a technical support fraud scheme and related money laundering.

    The charge of conspiracy provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the monetary gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; and Fernando P. McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in New York, Small Business Administration and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kriss Basil, Deputy Chief of the Securities, Financial, and Cyber Fraud Unit, is prosecuting the case.

    On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus and https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud.

    Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Robbery at Busboys and Poets Nets a Maryland Man a 84-Month Federal Prison Sentence

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Isaiah Chase, 27, of Silver Spring, MD, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 84 months in federal prison for participating in a gunpoint robbery at Busboys and Poets, a café and bookstore, in the 400 block of K Street, NW.

                The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

                Chase pleaded guilty on August 5, 2024, to brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence before U.S. District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton, who in addition to the 84-month sentence, ordered Chase to serve five years of supervised release.

                According to court documents, Chase was one of multiple conspirators who worked with an employee at Busboys and Poets to rob the business on February 6, 2022. The employee instructed Chase to come to the establishment at around 9:30 p.m. and to enter when a specific person was visible at the front of the establishment.

                Chase and two of the other conspirators, wearing dark clothing, masks, and hoodies, entered the establishment as the staff was cleaning up for the night. Inside, each of the three individuals brandished firearms and pointed them at employees. The conspirators demanded money but received none. Instead they took keys to the business and fled in a vehicle.

                On November 4, 2022, law enforcement arrested Chase at his apartment in Silver Spring, MD. During a search of his residence, agents recovered a loaded Glock 27 .40 caliber handgun with a magazine and 24 rounds of ammunition; a loaded .556 caliber machine gun capable of being fired fully automatically with a magazine containing 49 rounds of ammunition; a loaded .556 caliber AM-15 rifle with a magazine containing 25 rounds of ammunition; a .40 caliber magazine containing 9 rounds of ammunition; and 2 bags of marijuana intended for distribution.

                This case was investigated by the FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force and MPD’s Carjacking Task Force. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Solomon Eppel and Matthew Kinskey.

    22cr349

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals Arrest Cedar Rapids Homicide Suspect

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Cedar Rapids, IA – U.S. Marshals today arrested a man in Nevada who is wanted on several charges in Iowa. 

    Donnie Danell White, 51, is wanted in connection to a deceased individual found in southwest Cedar Rapids. White is wanted in Linn County on charges of murder in the first-degree and nonconsensual termination of pregnancy.     

    On March 14 investigators with the Cedar Rapids Police Department contacted the Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force requesting assistance in the location and apprehension of White. Task Force officers began to follow up on leads throughout Cedar Rapids and developed information indicating White had fled the state following the murder.  Officials began coordinating with the U.S. Marshals Nevada Violent Offender Task Force. 

    Officers with the Nevada Violent Offender Task Force today narrowed their search to an area in the 2900 block of West Washington Avenue in Las Vegas.  U.S. Marshals approached the suspect shortly after 3 p.m. and White eventually surrendered to the Nevada Violent Offender Task Force.  White was arrested without incident and transported for processing.  He will remain in custody until extradition to Iowa.

    The U.S. Marshals Service is the federal government’s primary agency for fugitive investigations. Nationwide, 60 local task forces are dedicated to violent crime reduction by locating and apprehending wanted criminals. These task forces also serve as the central point for agencies to share information on fugitive matters. The Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force is comprised of officers from the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Cedar Rapids Police Department, Waterloo Police Department, Marion Police Department, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Iowa Department of Corrections.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts Florida Resident for Operating Mass Mailing Fraud Scheme Targeting Elderly and Vulnerable Victims

    Source: United States Attorneys General 6

    A federal jury in Central Islip, New York, convicted Hallandale Beach, Florida resident Phillip Priolo, 61, of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and four counts of mail fraud.

    In November 2021, Priolo was charged with operating a mass mailing fraud scheme that tricked thousands of victims, many of whom were elderly, into providing the defendants with money by falsely promising prizes. Evidence presented at trial showed that, from March 2015 to December 2016, Priolo and his co-conspirators mailed millions of prize notices that falsely represented that the victims had been specifically chosen to receive a large cash prize and would receive the prize if they paid a fee. Victims who paid the requested fee, however, did not receive the promised cash prize. Although the notices appeared to be personalized correspondence, they were merely mass-produced, boilerplate documents that were bulk mailed to recipients whose names and addresses were on mailing lists.

    “The Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch is committed to pursuing criminals who prey upon our elder citizens through fraudulent schemes like fake prize scams,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “I thank the Postal Inspection Service for their partnership in this matter and for conducting a thorough and successful investigation.”

    “Here, the defendant targeted and defrauded older individuals, the most vulnerable of populations, through a mass-mailing scheme,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Criminal Investigations Group. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is deeply committed to protecting older Americans from fraudulent schemes. This conviction underscores the Postal Inspection Service’s and the Department of Justice’s dedication and determination to keep susceptible communities safe from financial exploitation and bring criminals to justice.”

    Priolo will be scheduled for sentencing later this year, in Central Islip before U.S. District Judge Nusrat Jahan Choudhury of the Eastern District of New York. The defendant faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of conviction. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The trial resulted from a multi-year investigation conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The case is being prosecuted by trial attorneys Charles Dunn, Ann Entwistle, and Jason Feldman of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch.

    The department’s extensive and broad-based efforts to combat elder fraud seeks to halt the widespread losses seniors suffer from fraud schemes. The best method for prevention, however, is by sharing information about the various types of elder fraud schemes with relatives, friends, neighbors and other seniors who can use that information to protect themselves.

    If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has been a victim of financial fraud, help is standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This U.S. Department of Justice hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, is staffed by experienced professionals who provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies, and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.

    More information about the Department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov. The Department of Justice provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Court Sentences Hino Motors Ltd., a Toyota Subsidiary, and Imposes Over $1.6B in Penalties for Emissions Fraud Scheme

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    Note: View plea agreement here. View criminal information here.

    Today, U.S. District Court Judge Mark A. Goldsmith for the Eastern District of Michigan accepted Hino Motors, Ltd.’s guilty plea to a one-count criminal information charging it with having engaged in a multi-year criminal conspiracy to defraud both the U.S. government and American consumers and illicitly smuggle goods into the country. Judge Goldsmith also sentenced Hino, a Toyota subsidiary, to pay a criminal fine of $521.76 million, serve a five-year term of probation — during which it is prohibited from importing any diesel engines it has manufactured into the United States — and implement a comprehensive compliance and ethics program and reporting structure. The court also entered a $1.087 billion forfeiture money judgment against the company.

    According to court records, between 2010 and 2019, Hino Motors, Ltd. engineers submitted and caused to be submitted false applications for engine certification approvals in violation of the federal Clean Air Act. Hino Motors, Ltd. engineers regularly altered emission test data, conducted tests improperly and fabricated data without conducting any underlying tests. The engineers also submitted fraudulent carbon dioxide emissions test data, which resulted in false fuel consumption values being calculated for its engines, and failed to disclose software functions that could adversely affect engines’ emission control systems. As a result of the fraud, Hino Motors, Ltd. imported and sold over 105,000 non-conforming engines between 2010 and 2022. These engines were primarily installed in heavy-duty trucks manufactured and sold by Hino nationwide.

    “Hino unlawfully imported over 105,000 engines that did not comply with U.S. emissions standards and lied about what it was doing. Hino’s criminal conduct gave it an unfair business advantage over other law-abiding companies, including American companies, and generated over $1 billion in gross proceeds,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Adam Gustafson of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “We are committed to upholding the rule of law by prosecuting fraud and enforcing our Clean Air Act emissions standards.”

    “Our office is steadfast in its commitment to holding corporate actors accountable when they lie to government regulators, illicitly smuggle goods into our county, and then fraudulently sell those goods to American consumers,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Julie Beck for the Eastern District of Michigan.

    “Hino falsely certified compliance with the Clean Air Act so that it could profit off Americans by sending illegal, polluting engines into the United States,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Jeffrey Hall for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s plea and sentencing demonstrates that companies who intentionally evade our nation’s environmental laws, including by fabricating data to feign compliance with those laws, deserve punishment and will be held criminally accountable.”

    “By pleading guilty, Hino Motors, Ltd. has admitted to orchestrating a deliberate and years-long fraud scheme that put profit over principle,” said Acting Assistant Director James C. Barnacle Jr. of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division “It doesn’t matter how complex the scheme is, the FBI is committed to holding individuals and organizations responsible for their actions.”

    Special agents of EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and FBI’s Detroit Field Office investigated the criminal case.

    Senior Trial Attorney Banumathi Rangarajan of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew J. Yahkind for the Eastern District of Michigan handled the criminal prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gjon Juncaj handled the criminal forfeiture matters. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Littleton Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For False Tax Return Preparation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DENVER — The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado announces Thuan Bui, 60, of Littleton, Colorado, was sentenced to the statutory maximum of 36 months in federal prison, one year of supervised release, and a $50,000 fine, after pleading guilty to one count of aiding or assisting in preparation of false documents.

    According to the plea agreement, from about 2016 to 2021, Bui operated a tax preparation business that operated under several names. Bui falsely told his clients he was a certified public accountant. During that time, and on hundreds of tax returns, Bui understated his clients’ tax liability by overstating or falsely creating expenses on the Schedule C form which is used to report income or loss on a business.

    “This defendant willfully and repeatedly abused his clients’ trust when his job was to  help them accurately file their annual tax returns,” said Acting United States Attorney J. Bishop Grewell. “I encourage all taxpayers to be vigilant during the ongoing tax season to make sure their information is captured and reported accurately.”

    “Tax preparers are entrusted to file accurate and truthful tax returns on behalf of their clients to ensure they are meeting their tax obligations,” said Amanda Prestegard, Special Agent in Charge, IRS-Criminal Investigations Denver Field Office. “Bui violated that trust and federal tax laws in the process. Identifying these fraudulent preparers remains a top priority for IRS-CI and we will continue holding them accountable.”

    United States District Court Judge Regina M. Rodriguez presided over the sentencing.

    The case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Weber handled the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Leader of Multi-Year “Operation Fox Hunt” Repatriation Campaign Directed by the People’s Republic of China Sentenced to 20 Months in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Repeatedly Harassed U.S. Resident and His Family to Coerce Repatriation to the PRC

    BROOKLYN, NY – Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, defendant Quanzhong An was sentenced by United States District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto to 20 months in prison for acting as an illegal agent of the government of the People’s Republic of China (the “PRC”), for his participation in a scheme to cause the coerced repatriation of a U.S. resident (the “U.S. Resident”) to the PRC as part of its international extralegal repatriation effort known as “Operation Fox Hunt.”  In addition to the term of imprisonment, Judge Matsumoto ordered An to pay a financial penalty of approximately $5 million, including approximately $1.3 million in restitution to the U.S. Resident and his family, as well as a $50,000 fine.  An pleaded guilty in May 2024 and was charged in October 2022.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Sue Bai, Supervisory Official and head of the Justice Department’s National Security Division and Leslie R. Backschies, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (“FBI”) announced the sentences.

    “Quanzhong An acted at the direction of the PRC government to harass and intimidate individuals living on U.S. soil as part of a pernicious scheme to force their repatriation to the PRC,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “Thanks to our collective efforts, the scheme failed, and the defendant has been brought to justice.  Our Office remains steadfast in its efforts to protect both U.S. national security interests and individuals living in our District from transnational repression schemes perpetrated by hostile foreign powers.”

    Mr. Durham expressed his appreciation to the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations for its work on the case.

    “For years, Quanzhong An threatened, harassed, and attempted to intimidate a U.S. resident and his family at the behest of the People’s Republic of China, with the ultimate goal of strong-arming the individual into leaving the United States and returning to China to face an unknown fate.  Today’s sentencing represents justice for this victim and his family, and demonstrates to others that the FBI is committed to protecting all victims of transnational repression,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Backschies.  “Threats, harassment, and intimidation – whether perpetrated by individuals or nation states – will not be tolerated in this country, and the FBI will continue to lead the charge to protect all individuals who are threatened and harassed on U.S. soil.”

    As set forth in the government’s sentencing memoranda and other court filings, An was a leading member of an international campaign to threaten, harass, and intimidate the U.S. Resident and his family members, with the goal of coercing the U.S. Resident to repatriate to the PRC.  An participated in the multi-year scheme to elevate his status within the PRC government as a means of furthering his own economic interests.

    An’s involvement in the repatriation scheme began in 2017, when he attempted to locate the U.S. Resident by visiting the home of the U.S. Resident’s adult son, without notice or invitation.  The following year, An sent his daughter, as well as two PRC government officials, to the home of the U.S. Resident’s son.  An subsequently met with the U.S. Resident’s son on numerous occasions, during which time An served as a mouthpiece for the PRC by conveying threatening messages on behalf of the PRC government.  For example, An said he did not want to pronounce “ruthless words” from the PRC government but stated that PRC officials would “keep pestering [the U.S. Resident’s son], [and] make [his] daily life uncomfortable” if the son was unable to convince his father to repatriate to the PRC.  An’s harassment continued unabated from 2017 until his arrest in 2022.  An’s conduct intimidated individuals living in the United States and their loved ones in the PRC – just as it was intended to do – for the benefit of the PRC government.

    At sentencing, Judge Matsumoto considered that An participated in additional criminal conduct.  Specifically, he perpetrated a bank fraud and money laundering scheme to defraud U.S. financial institutions so that he could enjoy continued access to U.S.-based bank accounts.  As part of this scheme, he moved millions of dollars from the PRC into the United States, deliberately deceiving U.S. financial institutions regarding the source and purpose of the funds.

    The FBI has created a website for victims to report efforts by foreign governments to stalk, intimidate, or assault people in the United States.  If you believe that you are or have been a victim of transnational repression, please visit https://www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/transnational-repression.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s National Security and Cybercrime Section. Assistant United States  Attorneys Alexander Solomon, Meredith A. Arfa, and Antoinette N. Rangel are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.  Assistant United States Attorney Claire S. Kedeshian of the Office’s Asset Recovery Section is handling forfeiture matters and Assistant United States Attorneys Madeline O’Connor and Daniel Saavedra of the Office’s Financial Litigation Program are assisting with restitution matters.

    The Defendant:

    QUANZHONG AN
    Age: 58
    Roslyn Heights, New York

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-460 (KAM)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Illicit Massage Parlor Operators Sentenced

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Shaoping Wen and her son, Xu Wang, were sentenced on March 18, 2025, for their roles in operating massage parlors that operated as fronts for commercial sex operations, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad E. Meacham.

    In September 2024, Wen, 65, and Wang, 42, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Lubbock, Texas, for conspiracy to commit interstate travel and use of interstate facilities in aid of racketeering enterprises and other offenses related to the operation of illicit massage parlors in Texas and New Mexico and money laundering.   According to court documents, Wen owned and operated at least seven massage parlors where Asian women engaged in illegal commercial sex. Wang operated the parlors on Wen’s behalf when Wen was out of state.

    Shaoping Wen pled guilty to conspiracy to commit interstate travel and use of interstate facilities in aid of racketeering enterprises in November 2024.  She was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk, to be followed by a one-year term of supervised release.  Wen was also ordered to forfeit $291,990.88 in U.S. currency and pay a money judgment of $1,771,360 to the United States.  

    Xu Wang pled guilty to misprision of a felony in November 2024 and was sentenced by Judge Kacsmaryk to time served (362 days), to be followed by a one-year term of supervised release.

    Court documents revealed that, on at least 10 occasions between June 2023 and February 2024, undercover officers purchased massages for varying dollar amounts at Wen’s parlors in Texas and New Mexico.  The officers were generally greeted by lingerie-clad women who agreed to have sex with them for an additional fee of between $140 and $200.  Several of the women used translation apps to negotiate for sexual services. When the women were arrested for prostitution, they identified themselves as Chinese citizens and listed their occupation as simply, “laborer.”  On several occasions, Wen or Wang facilitated payment of the arrested women’s cash bond.

    Officers also observed Wen’s vehicle transporting Asian females directly from the airport to her massage parlors. Neighbors said the women never left the building. Searches of the premises revealed beds placed on the floors, suggesting the women lived at the massage parlors.

    On at least one occasion, a passerby heard a woman screaming and entered the parlor to check-in.  He reported seeing three women between the ages of 30 and 50 dressed in provocative clothing.

    Officers found the massage parlors advertised on sites often used to advertise for commercial sex. The ads included photos of partially naked women and promoted “100% sexy” girls who “like to spend time with nice upscale gentlemen.”  They advertised the “girlfriend experience,” “porn star experience,” and “fantasy outfits on request.”  Prostitution is illegal in Texas and New Mexico.

    In March 2024, Wen’s seven illicit massage parlors were searched.  During the search, law enforcement located further evidence that the women were residing in the parlors, as well as condoms and other items indicative of sexual activity, and approximately $291,990.88 in U.S. currency. Casino records revealed that Wen frequently traveled to California to launder the proceeds of her illicit massage parlor businesses.  From between January 2018 and August 2023, Wen cashed out approximately $1,771,360 in chips from the casino.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office – Lubbock Resident Agency, Homeland Security Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Lubbock Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, HSI’s Albuquerque Field Office, the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Wolfforth Police Department, the Eddy County Sheriff’s Office, the Carlsbad Police Department, the Roswell Police Department, the Clovis Police Department, the Roswell Fire Department, the Carlsbad Fire Department, the Lubbock County District Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico. Assistant U.S. Attorney Callie Woolam prosecuted the case. 
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Finds Feeding Our Future Mastermind and Co-Defendant Guilty in $250 Million Pandemic Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MINNEAPOLIS – Two individuals have been convicted by a federal jury for their roles in a $250 million fraud scheme that exploited a federally-funded child nutrition program, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

    “Aimee Bock and Salim Said took advantage of the Covid-19 pandemic to carry out a massive fraud scheme that stole money meant to feed children,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.  “The defendants falsely claimed to have served 91 million meals, for which they fraudulently received nearly $250 million in federal funds.  That money did not go to feed kids.  Instead, it was used to fund their lavish lifestyles. Today’s verdict sends a message to the community that fraud against the government will not be tolerated.”

    “Stealing from the federal government is stealing from the American people – plain and simple. The egregious fraud uncovered in the Feeding our Future case represents the blatant betrayal of public trust. These criminals stole hundreds of millions in federal funding meant to feed hungry children during a crisis and instead funneled it into luxury homes, cars and lavish lifestyles while families struggled,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “The FBI will not allow criminals to rob federal programs and walk away unscathed. We will expose their schemes, dismantle their networks, and ensure they face the full weight of justice.”

    “Aimee Bock, Salim Said, and others took advantage of a global pandemic to rob food programs, aimed at serving those in need, of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars during a time when so many people were struggling,” said Ramsey Covington, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office. “Instead of overseeing the distribution of meals to low-income children, Bock’s organization enabled meal site operators to commit fraud. This verdict is the product of dedicated investigators and prosecutors to bring accountability to those who brazenly stole from the American public. IRS Criminal Investigation is deeply committed to working with our partner agencies to combat these types of fraud schemes and ensure our American tax dollars serve their intended purpose.”

    “Today’s verdict reaffirms how critical a role the U.S. Postal Inspection Service plays in protecting the American consumer from these types of fraudulent schemes and in ensuring that the nation’s U.S. mail stream is not used by criminals to prey upon our citizens and programs intended to aid those in need during difficult times.  The bold egregious nature in which these fraudsters victimized our children and programs intended to feed them during a world-wide pandemic illustrates their callous disregard for human decency and overall greed,” Bryan Musgrove, Inspector in Charge of the Denver Division stated. “This investigation is a tremendous example of how the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and our FBI law enforcement partners can work side by side in an effort to bring these fraudsters to justice.”

    Historically, the Federal Child Nutrition provided meals to children in school-based programs or activities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) waived some of the standard requirements for participation in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Among other things, the USDA allowed for-profit restaurants to participate in the program, as well as allowed for off-site food distribution to children outside of educational programs. 
    As proven at trial, Aimee Bock, 44, was the founder and executive director of Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization that was a sponsor participating in the Federal Child Nutrition Program. Salim Said, 36, former co-owner of Safari Restaurant, was jointly tried with Bock. Together, they oversaw a massive fraud scheme carried out by sites under Feeding Our Future’s sponsorship. 

    As proven at trial, Feeding Our Future employees recruited individuals and entities to open Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota. These sites, created and operated by Bock, Said, and others, fraudulently claimed to be serving meals to thousands of children a day within just days or weeks of being formed. Bock and Said created and submitted false documentation, including fraudulent meal counts consisting of fake attendance rosters purporting to list the names and ages of the children receiving meals at the sites each day. Feeding Our Future submitted these fraudulent claims to the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and then disbursed the fraudulently obtained Federal Child Nutrition Program funds to their co-conspirators involved in the scheme.

    To accomplish their scheme, Bock and Said created dozens of shell companies to enroll in the program as food program sites, and to receive and launder the proceeds of their fraudulent scheme. In exchange for sponsoring these sites’ fraudulent participation in the program, Feeding Our Future received more than $18 million in administrative fees to which it was not entitled. In addition to the administrative fees, Feeding Our Future employees solicited and received bribes and kickbacks from individuals and companies sponsored by Feeding Our Future. Many of these kickbacks were paid in cash or disguised as “consulting fees” paid to shell companies created by Feeding Our Future employees to make them appear legitimate.

    As proven at trial, Said’s Safari Restaurant reported approximately $600,000 in annual revenue in each of the three years prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, Safari Restaurant enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future. By July 2020, Said claimed to be serving meals to 5,000 children per day, seven days a week. In total, Said claimed to have served over 3.9 million meals to children from the Safari Restaurant food site between April 2020 and November 2021. Said also claimed that Safari Restaurant provided more than 2.2 million meals to other food sites involved in Feeding Our Future’s fraud scheme.

    In total, Feeding Our Future opened more than 250 Federal Child Nutrition Program sites throughout the state of Minnesota, and in doing so, went from receiving and disbursing approximately $3.4 million in federal funds in 2019 to nearly $200 million in 2021. Throughout the course of their scheme, Feeding Our Future fraudulently obtained and disbursed more than $240 million in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. The defendants used the proceeds of their fraudulent scheme to purchase luxury vehicles, residential and commercial real estate in Minnesota as well as property in Ohio and Kentucky, real estate in Kenya and Turkey, and to fund international travel.

    After a six-week trial, Bock was convicted on four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, one count of bribery, and one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery. Said was convicted on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit federal programs bribery, eight counts of bribery, one count conspiracy to commit money laundering and five counts of money laundering. 

    The case is the result of an investigation by the FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigations, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph H. Thompson, Matthew S. Ebert, Harry M. Jacobs, and Daniel W. Bobier are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig Baune is handling the seizure and forfeiture of assets.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Warren Man Sentenced to Prison for Hate Crime of Defacing Predominantly Black Church

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DETROIT – A Warren, Michigan man was sentenced today to 12 months in prison for spray-painting swastikas, the word “die,” and other graffiti on a predominantly Black church in Roseville, Michigan, Acting United States Attorney Julie Beck announced.

    Beck was joined in the announcement by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mac Warner of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and Chevoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    According to court documents, David Bluer, 34, pleaded guilty on December 3, 2024, to one count of damaging religious property. As part of his guilty plea, Bluer admitted that in October 2021, he spray-painted several swastikas, the word “die,” and other graffiti on the Roseville church, because of the race and color of individuals associated with the church.  Specifically, the defendant admitted that he intentionally defaced the church because the church serves a predominantly Black congregation and has a Black pastor. In addition, Bluer spray-painted swastikas, a racist slur and symbols, and other graffiti on the public bathroom of Trombly Park, in Warren, Michigan. The racist graffiti included the statement “DaviD KiLLS Ni**ERS.”

    “The defendant’s attack, motivated by race and color, instilled fear in not only the mostly Black congregants of the church, but damaged the entire community’s sense of safety. Our office will always vigorously prosecute those who commit unlawful bias-motivated acts and seek justice for the victims,” Acting U.S. Attorney Beck said.

    “The sentence of David Bluer sends a stern warning to anyone who seeks to invoke fear and hatred towards a specific group of individuals. The FBI is committed to upholding the U.S. Constitution, investigating civil rights violations and the protection of the American People,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. The hate-driven criminal acts committed by Mr. Bluer were halted through the relentless investigative efforts of members from the FBI Detroit’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, Roseville P.D., Warren P.D., as well as the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, whose collaboration was crucial in securing this successful prosecution.”

    The FBI Detroit Field Office investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Frances Carlson for the Eastern District of Michigan and Trial Attorney Erin Monju of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Armed Raleigh Man Sentenced to 16 Years for Trafficking Fentanyl

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RALEIGH, N.C. – A Raleigh man was sentenced today to 16 years in prison for trafficking fentanyl pills. On November 12, 2024, Donnavin Mustafia Byrdsong pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute and Possess with the Intent to Distribute 400 grams or more of Fentanyl.

    According to court documents and other information presented in court, Byrdsong, 31, was part of a group that was trafficking fentanyl pills into the Raleigh, North Carolina area for distribution. Law enforcement determined that Byrdsong and other members of the drug trafficking organization would fly to California to purchase fentanyl pills and would ship the pills back to North Carolina. On January 16, 2024, Byrdsong mailed two packages from California to an address in Raleigh. Law enforcement ultimately seized the packages and discovered a total of 40,000 fentanyl pills, concealed in Lego boxes. During a search of Byrdsong’s residence, law enforcement found numerous additional Lego boxes. The investigation confirmed that Byrdsong had previously mailed similar packages from California to Raleigh.

    This investigation was an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (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.

    Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Raleigh Police Department, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Internal Revenue Service investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Casey L. Peaden  prosecuted the case.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:24-CR-200.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New York Man Charged with Child Exploitation Offenses, Including Traveling to Connecticut to Engage in Sexual Activity with a Minor

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), New England, announced that JAMES PAGLIARO, 26, of Middletown, New York, was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging him with multiple child exploitation offenses, including traveling to Connecticut to engage in sexual activity with a minor.

    Pagliaro appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge S. Dave Vatti in Bridgeport and was ordered detained.

    As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in approximately October 2024, Pagliaro began messaging a 15-year-girl (“minor victim”) on TikTok.  In December 2024, the minor victim told Pagliaro that she was 15 years old, and they began text messaging.  In January 2025, Pagliaro traveled to Connecticut multiple times to engage in sexual conduct with the minor victim.

    It is further alleged that in February 2025, a forensic examination of the minor victim’s iPhone revealed hundreds of sexually explicit images and videos of the minor victim, and more than 11,000 text messages and more than 300 iOS and FaceTime calls between Pagliaro and the minor victim.  In the messages, Pagliaro instructed the minor victim to perform specific sex acts, including sadistic and masochistic conduct.  Pagliaro also frequently referenced the minor victim’s age, acknowledging that what he was doing was “illegal”; referred to the minor victim as his “slave” and had her send him a “slavery contract”; berated and punished the minor victim when she failed to accurately and precisely follow his instructions; and asked the minor victim to recruit other minors to engage in sexual conduct with him.

    The complaint charges Pagliaro with production of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of 30 years of imprisonment; receipt of child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years; enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, which carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life; traveling to engage in sexual activity with a minor, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 30 years; and transfer of obscene material to a minor, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Charges are only allegations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    This investigation is being conducted by HSI New England, HSI New York, the Orange County (N.Y.) Sheriff’s Office, and the Danbury, Ridgefield, and Watertown Police Departments.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Gordon

    This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: High-Ranking MS-13 Leader Arraigned in Long Island Federal Court on Terrorism and Racketeering Charges After His Arrest in Mexico

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant, Who Was Added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List in February, Was a Founding Member of the Transnational Criminal Organization’s Ranfla en las Calles Leadership Structure

    CENTRAL ISLIP, NY – Earlier today, in federal court in Central Islip, Francisco Javier Roman-Bardales, also known as “Veterano de Tribus,” a high-ranking leader of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as “MS-13,” was arraigned on a four-count indictment charging him, along with a dozen other high-ranking MS-13 leaders, with directing the transnational criminal organization’s unlawful activities in the United States, El Salvador, Mexico, and elsewhere over the past two decades.  Roman-Bardales, who had been a fugitive for nearly three years and was added to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List last month, was arrested by the FBI on March 18, 2025 at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in San Diego, California.  Roman-Bardales had been located and arrested by Mexican authorities in Veracruz on March 17, 2025, and after it was determined that he was an El Salvadoran citizen with no valid status in Mexico, he was expelled from Mexico.  Roman-Bardales is charged with racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to provide and conceal material support and resources to terrorists, narco-terrorism conspiracy, and alien smuggling conspiracy.  Today’s proceeding was held before United States District Judge Joan M. Azrack.  Roman-Bardales was ordered detained pending trial in the Eastern District of New York.

    Pamela Bondi, United States Attorney General, John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Leslie Backschies, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, FBI, New York Field Office, announced the arraignment.

    “MS-13 is a terrorist organization and this case reflects the Department of Justice’s ironclad commitment to putting terrorists behind bars,” stated Attorney General Bondi.  “Members of MS-13 and similar groups should live in fear knowing that we will hunt them down, prosecute them, and deliver swift American justice for their heinous crimes.”

    “The prosecution in the Eastern District of New York of this international fugitive, who is one of the most senior leaders of the MS-13 in the world, is another momentous step in the dismantling of this evil criminal enterprise, whose bloodshed and reign of terror traverses all boundaries,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “Thanks to the relentless and brave work of United States law enforcement, he will soon face reckoning in a courtroom on Long Island where his transnational criminal organization has impacted so many communities.”

    Mr. Durham expressed his appreciation to the Suffolk County Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, San Diego (HSI), the FBI’s San Diego Field Office and the Government of Mexico for their assistance.

    “FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive Roman-Bardales has been extradited to the United States to be held accountable for the extreme and depraved violence and terror his leadership of MS-13 allegedly brought to the streets of the United States and across North America,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Backschies.  “The FBI, along with our law enforcement partners are committed to eradicating MS-13 and all violent transnational criminal organizations wherever they operate as we protect our nation.”

    As set forth in court filings, Roman-Bardales and his co-defendants are part of MS-13’s command and control structure, consisting of the Ranfla Nacional, Ranfla en Las Calles, and Ranfla en Los Penales.  They exercise significant leadership roles in the organization’s operations in El Salvador, Mexico, the United States, and throughout the world.  Roman-Bardales was himself a founding member of the Ranfla en las Calles and oversaw the “Western Zone” of MS-13 in El Salvador.  In the related case of United States v. Henriquez, et al., a grand jury in the Eastern District of New York previously indicted 14 members of the Ranfla Nacional, who functioned as MS-13’s “Board of Directors.” Formal extradition requests have been submitted by the United States and remain pending for 11 of those defendants who either are or were in custody in El Salvador.

    As further alleged, the defendants have engaged in a litany of violent terrorist activities aimed at influencing the policies of the government of El Salvador (GOES) and at obtaining benefits and concessions from GOES; targeting GOES law enforcement and military officials; employing terrorist tactics such as the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and grenades; operating military-style training camps for firearms and explosives; using public displays of violence to intimidate civilian populations; using violence to obtain and control territory; and manipulating the electoral process in El Salvador.

    Further, these defendants authorized and directed violence in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere as part of a concerted effort to expand MS-13’s influence and territorial control.  As the leaders of the MS-13 transnational criminal organization, these defendants were an integral part of the leadership chain responsible for supervising MS-13 cliques in the United States that engaged in extreme violence, including countless murders, attempted murders, assaults, and related offenses.  For example, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York has prosecuted hundreds of MS-13 leaders, members, and associates for carrying out more than 80 murders in the Eastern District of New York between 2009 and the present.

    Several of these defendants, including Roman-Bardales, coordinated MS-13’s expansion into Mexico (the Mexico Program), at the direction of the Ranfla Nacional, which was a coordinated effort to maintain MS-13’s continuity of operations in response to law enforcement pressure previously exerted by the United States and GOES.  Additionally, Roman-Bardales and the Mexico Program forged alliances with Mexican cartels, and engaged in narcotics trafficking, immigrant smuggling, extortion, kidnappings, and weapons trafficking.  As alleged in the indictment, the MS-13’s Mexico Program murdered some migrants bound for the United States, including suspected members of the rival 18th Street gang and MS-13 members attempting to flee MS-13 in El Salvador without permission.  Drug trafficking was an important part of MS-13’s moneymaking operation, especially in Mexico, and the defendants used MS-13’s large membership in the United States to generate financial support for MS-13’s terrorist activities in El Salvador.

    This case was brought by Joint Task Force Vulcan (JTFV), which was created to combat MS-13 and comprised of U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country, including the Eastern District of New York; the Eastern District of Texas; the Southern District of New York; the District of Massachusetts; the District of New Jersey; the Northern District of Ohio; the District of Utah; the Southern District of Florida; the Eastern District of Virginia; the Southern District of California; the District of Nevada; the District of Alaska; and the District of Columbia, as well as the Department of Justice’s National Security Division and the Criminal Division.  Additionally, the FBI; HSI; the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the United States Marshals Service; the U.S. Bureau of Prisons; and the United States Agency for International Development, Office of Inspector General have been essential law enforcement partners and spearheaded JTFV’s investigations.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America and an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) operation.  Operation Take Back America is 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, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted of the charges, Roman-Bardales faces up to life in prison or the possibility of the death penalty.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Criminal Section of the Office’s Long Island Division and as part of the work of the Office’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force.  Assistant United States  Attorneys Justina L. Geraci, Paul G. Scotti, and Megan E. Farrell are in charge of the prosecution, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Kerryanne Ucci and Automated Litigation Specialist Michael Compitello. 

    The Defendant:

    FRANCISCO JAVIER ROMAN-BARDALES (also known as “Veterano de Tribus”)
    Age: 47
    Ahuachapán, El Salvador and Veracruz, Mexico

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 22-CR-429 (JMA)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sampson County Illegal Alien Caught with 30 Kilograms and 9 Firearms Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RALEIGH, N.C. – A man from Sampson County was sentenced today to 17 years in prison after he was caught with 30 kilograms of drugs and 9 firearms. On November 7, 2024, Antonio Tamoya Mondragon pled guilty to his charges.

    According to court documents and other information presented in court, Mondragon, age 45, was born in Mexico and illegally entered the United States. Mondragon started distributing drugs as early as 2008. Law enforcement began investigating Mondragon in 2019 and conducted controlled purchases of pure methamphetamine from him on three occasions.

    The investigation culminated in a traffic stop with follow-on search warrants on April 18, 2023. On that day, law enforcement was conducting early morning surveillance at Mondragon’s house. Mondragon and others appeared to be transferring packages into a car.  In a traffic stop, law enforcement found just under 9 kilograms of cocaine hidden in the car’s headliner. As the traffic stop was executed, law enforcement observed a flurry of activity back at Mondragon’s house followed by a second car departing. This car was later searched. Inside was 7 kilograms of fentanyl, 9 kilograms of cocaine, 2 kilograms of heroin, 144 grams of methamphetamine, and a drug ledger. The car also had 8 guns inside with ammunition. Law enforcement then searched Mondragon’s house and seized $28,881 in cash and another gun. Subsequent interviews and investigation made clear that the drugs, guns, and cash all belonged to Mondragon.

    Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge James C. Dever III. The DEA, Sampson County Sherriff’s Office, and SBI investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tyler Lemons  prosecuted the case.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:24-CR-040.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Georgia Man Admits to $1 Million Wire Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Prince Boateng Adjei, age 31, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, has admitted to wire fraud involving more than $1 million stolen from a Gilmer County, WV business.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Adjei and another defendant, Chisom Okonkwo, conspired together to carry out a business email compromise scheme. The defendants created an email disguising themselves as an employee of a Gilmer County business.  This type of activity is commonly referred to as “spoofing.”  As part of the fraud scheme, the defendants caused a person (who believed they were dealing with a legitimate business) to send more than $1 million to a bank account controlled by the defendants. Adjei and Okonkwo spent more than $600,000 of the stolen funds before the scheme was discovered.

    Okonkwo pled guilty earlier this month. She will be sentenced at a later date.

    As a part of the plea agreement, Adjei agreed to pay $610,146.03 in restitution. He faces up to 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jarod Douglas is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

    The United States Secret Service investigated the case.

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael John Aloi presided.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lead Defendant in Federal Case Against High-End Brothel Network Sentenced to Four Years in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant persuaded women to travel interstate to work for prostitution network and required sex buyers to undergo screening process, including providing employer information and references

    BOSTON – The manager responsible for operating an interstate prostitution network of sophisticated high-end brothels in greater Boston and eastern Virginia was sentenced today in federal court in Boston. 

    Han Lee, 42, of Cambridge, Mass., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick to four years in prison to be followed by one year of supervised release. The defendant was also ordered pay forfeiture in the amount of $5,418,572 and restitution in an amount to be determined at a later date. In September 2024, Lee pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce one or more individuals to travel in interstate or foreign commerce to engage in prostitution and one count of money laundering conspiracy. Han Lee was arrested and charged in November 2023 with co-defendants Junmyung Lee, 31, of Dedham, Mass., and James Lee, 69, of Torrance, Calif. The defendants were subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024.

    “Han Lee didn’t just recruit women to sell their bodies for sex – she built a criminal enterprise designed to thrive in the shadows, evading law enforcement while profiting off her victims like commodities,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “We will relentlessly pursue and prosecute those who exploit vulnerable women through interstate sex trafficking and launder their illicit gains. Those who engage in this conduct will be identified, held accountable and sent to federal prison. Full stop.”

    “Han Lee and her co-conspirators crafted an elaborate scheme to set up an interstate commercial sex network and to hide their activity by laundering the proceeds. This secretive and covert industry treats women like commodities and provides no protection for the safety and wellbeing of the participants. Today’s sentence reinforces the seriousness of this crime and our commitment to use every investigative tool we have to pursue justice,” said Homeland Security Investigations New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol.

    From at least July 2020, Han Lee operated an interstate prostitution network with multiple brothels in Cambridge and Watertown, Mass., as well as in Fairfax and Tysons, Va. The defendant established the infrastructure for these brothels in multiple states for the purposes of persuading, inducing and enticing women – primarily Asian women – to travel to Massachusetts and Virginia to engage in prostitution. 

    Specifically, Han Lee and her co-defendants, rented high-end apartments as brothel locations, which they furnished and regularly maintained. The defendants coordinated the women’s airline travel and transportation and permitted them to stay overnight in the brothel locations so they did not have to find lodging elsewhere, therefore enticing women to participate in their prostitution network. To protect and maintain the secrecy of the business and ensure that the women did not draw attention to the prostitution work inside apartment buildings, Han Lee and her co-defendants established house rules for the women during their stays.  

    The defendants advertised their prostitution network and offered appointments with women in either greater Boston or eastern Virginia via bostontopten10.com and browneyesgirlsva.blog, respectively. Both websites purported to advertise nude models for professional photography at upscale studios as a front for prostitution offered through appointments. Investigators searched and seized the domain names for both websites pursuant to search warrants executed in November 2023.

    Additionally, each website described a verification process that interested sex buyers undertook to become eligible for appointment bookings– including requiring that clients complete a form providing their full names, email address, phone number, employer and reference if they had one. Han Lee and her co-defendants persuaded the women to work for their prostitution network because the business maintained a regular customer base of men that were adequately screened, ensuring that the customers were not members of law enforcement or men who posed a risk to the safety and security of the commercial sex workers.

    Han Lee and her co-defendants maintained local brothel phone numbers which they used to communicate with verified customers and schedule appointments via text messages; send customers a “menu” of available options at the brothel, including the women and sexual services available and the hourly rate; and to text customers directions to the brothel’s location where they engaged in commercial sex with the women. 

    According to the charging documents, the defendants charged sex buyers a premium price for appointments with the women advertised on their websites, which ranged from approximately $350 to upwards of $600 per hour depending on the services and were paid in cash. In total, Han Lee’s brothel network generated over $5.6 million in revenue from approximately 9,450 scheduled dates with sex buyers. 

    To conceal the proceeds of the prostitution network, Han Lee deposited hundreds of thousands of dollars of cash proceeds into personal and third-party bank accounts and peer-to-peer transfers. Additionally, the defendants regularly used hundreds of thousands of dollars of the cash proceeds from the prostitution business to purchase money orders (in values under an amount that would trigger reporting and identification requirements) to conceal the source of the funds. These money orders were then used to pay for rent and utilities at brothel locations in Massachusetts and Virginia.

    In October 2024, Junmyung Lee pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 18, 2025. James Lee pleaded guilty in February 2025 and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 28, 2025.

    Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

    U.S. Attorney Foley; HSI SAC Krol; and Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Central District of California; Eastern District of Virginia; U.S. Postal Service; the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Watertown Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey E. Weinstein of the Criminal Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Raquelle Kaye, of the Asset Recovery Unit are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Leader of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – The former leader of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios gang pleaded guilty today to racketeering charges.

    Aaron Diaz Liranzo, a/k/a “Sosa,” 26, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. U.S. Senior District Court Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for June 25, 2025. Diaz Liranzo was arrested and charged in February 2025 at which time he was the Leader of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios. 

    The Trinitarios is a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Trinitarios adhere to a Magna Carta, employ an internal hierarchy to or organize and execute violence, and undertaken extensive efforts to maintain the secrecy of the organization and its members.  

    In February 2025, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios. The charges were the result of a multi jurisdictional investigation, which began in the aftermath of four murders as well as a series of attempted murders and shootings that took place in Lynn in 2023, allegedly committed by the Trinitarios criminal enterprise and its members. Diaz Liranzo is the sixth Defendant to plead guilty.

    During a period from at least 2021 through 2025, Diaz Liranzo served as the Primera or Number One of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios. Diaz Liranzo admitted to participating in a shooting that took place in March 2019 that targeted multiple rival gang members outside of a Lynn nightclub. The victims were lured there by another member, who posed as a woman who needed a ride. Equipped with a firearm and knowledge of the victims whereabouts and vehicle they were driving, the defendant travelled to the nightclub and opened fire at the vehicle, discharging at least six rounds. During the incident, Diaz Liranzo shot two of the three victims seated in the car. Both victims suffered life-threatening injuries, but ultimately survived the incident.

    The charge of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (also known as “racketeering conspiracy” or “RICO conspiracy”) provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble; and Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Redd made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office; the Rockingham County District Attorney’s Office (NH); and the Andover, Boston, Lawrence, Peabody and Salem Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

    The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three KC Men Indicted for Multi-State Business Burglary Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three Kansas City, Mo., men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for their roles in a conspiracy to burglarize beauty product and liquor stores across seven states.

    Gary Bailey, 24, Jermaine Threat, 25, and Dalvin Poindexter, 26, were charged in a nine-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Mo., on Feb. 4, 2024. That indictment was unsealed and made public today following the arrest and initial court appearances of Bailey and Poindexter.

    The federal indictment alleges that Bailey, Threat, and Poindexter stole hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise during a series of business burglaries from March 2023 to January 2024.

    According to the indictment, the conspirators targeted beauty product and liquor stores in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Indiana, and Texas. The conspirators smashed the storefront door or window glass to enter the stores afterhours and then stole fragrances, cosmetics, liquor, spirits, and other merchandise. The conspirators allegedly used posts on Facebook Marketplace and Facebook Stories, as well as group chat text messages, to sell the stolen goods and received payment in cash or through peer-to-peer payment services like CashApp. The indictment says they also kept some of the stolen items for themselves or gave it away to their friends and family.

    In addition to the conspiracy, Bailey, Threat, and Poindexter are charged together in seven counts of transporting stolen property across state lines.

    The charges contained in this indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Constance. It was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation and the Olathe, Kansas, Police Department, with assistance from the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the Platte County Sheriff’s Office and the police departments of Derby, KS, Belton, MO, Blue Springs, MO, Columbia, MO, Creve Coeur, MO, Edwardsville, KS, Fairview Heights, IL, Kansas City, MO, Kansas City, KS, Lawrence, KS, Leawood, KS, Lee’s Summit, MO, Lenexa, KS, Liberty, MO, Olathe, KS, Omaha, NE, Overland, Park, KS, Papillion, NE, Parkville, MO, Plainfield, IN, Plano, TX, Platte City, MO, Shawnee, KS, Springfield, MO, St. Joseph, MO, Terre Haute, IN, Topeka, KS, and West Des Moines, IA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: EEOC and Justice Department Warn Against Unlawful DEI-Related Discrimination

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Employers’ DEI Policies, Programs, and Practices Can Violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

    WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released two technical assistance documents focused on educating the public about unlawful discrimination related to “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) in the workplace.

    DEI is a broad term that is not defined in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on protected characteristics such as race and sex. Under Title VII, DEI initiatives, policies, programs, or practices may be unlawful if they involve an employer or other covered entity taking an employment action motivated—in whole or in part—by an employee’s or applicant’s race, sex, or another protected characteristic.

    In the past five years, DEI policies, programs, and practices have become increasingly prevalent in many of our nation’s largest and most prominent businesses, universities, and cultural institutions. The widespread adoption of DEI, however, does not change longstanding legal prohibitions against the use of race, sex, and other protected characteristics in employment.

    To help educate the public about how well-established civil rights rules apply to employment policies, programs, and practices—including those labeled or framed as “DEI”—the EEOC and the DOJ today released a joint one-page technical assistance document, “What To Do If You Experience Discrimination Related to DEI at Work.” The EEOC also released a longer question-and-answer technical assistance document, “What You Should Know About DEI-Related Discrimination at Work.” Both documents are based on Title VII, existing EEOC policy guidance and technical assistance documents and Supreme Court precedent.

    “Far too many employers defend certain types of race or sex preferences as good, provided they are motivated by business interests in ‘diversity, equity, or inclusion.’ But no matter an employer’s motive, there is no ‘good,’ or even acceptable, race or sex discrimination,” said EEOC Acting Chair Andrea Lucas. “In the words of Justice Clarence Thomas in his concurrence in Students for Fair Admissions, ‘two discriminatory wrongs cannot make a right.’”

    Lucas emphasized, “While the public may be confused about what rules apply to DEI, the law itself is clear. And there are some serious implications for some very popular types of DEI programs. These technical assistance documents will help employees know their rights and help employers take action to avoid unlawful DEI-related discrimination.”

    “The Department of Justice is committed to ending illegal DEI initiatives, policies, and programs,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The technical assistance document provides clear information for employees on how to act should they experience unlawful discrimination based on DEI practices.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Employee of Augusta National Golf Club Sentenced to a Year in Prison for Stealing Masters Golf Tournament Merchandise and Memorabilia

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHICAGO — A former employee of the Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia was sentenced today to a year in federal prison for stealing millions of dollars’ worth of Masters golf tournament merchandise and memorabilia and selling it to online brokers.

    RICHARD BRENDAN GLOBENSKY, 40, of Evans, Ga., pleaded guilty last year in U.S. District Court in Chicago to a federal charge of transporting and transferring stolen goods in interstate commerce.  In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman today ordered Globensky to pay $3,448,842 in restitution to Augusta National.

    The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.  Valuable assistance was provided by the FBI’s Art Crime Team.

    Globensky admitted in a plea agreement that he stole the merchandise and memorabilia from 2009 to 2022 while he was employed by the club as a warehouse assistant. The merchandise included Masters shirts, hats, flags, watches, and other goods, while the memorabilia included historically significant items, such as the Green Jackets awarded to tournament winners Arnold Palmer, Gene Sarazen, and Ben Hogan.  Globensky sold the merchandise to an online broker in Florida for a total of approximately $5.3 million.  He sold the historically significant memorabilia to the same broker, as well as to the broker’s associate, for nearly $300,000.  The brokers later re-sold the stolen merchandise and memorabilia, often at significant markups from the amounts paid to Globensky.  At least one of the stolen items was purchased by a collector in Chicago.

    During the last six years of the crime, Globensky spent more than $370,000 to purchase five vehicles and a motorboat, as well as more than $160,000 for Walt Disney-themed vacations and related activities.  Globensky also spent nearly $600,000 on construction of a custom-built residence in Georgia and approximately $32,000 at luxury retailer Louis Vuitton.

    “The funds Globensky obtained enabled him and his spouse to live a lifestyle far beyond their means,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Hayes argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum.  “The manner in which he spent the proceeds suggests greed was his primary motivation for committing the offense.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Human Smuggling Foot Guide Convicted of 2 Counts by Federal Jury in Del Rio

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    DEL RIO, Texas – A federal jury in Del Rio convicted Nicacio Arellano-Garcia today for one count of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens and one count of illegal alien transportation placing lives in jeopardy.

    According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Arellano-Garcia, 34, of Mexico, conspired to transport five illegal aliens with codefendant Alexander Galvez-Zelaya, 30, of Honduras, and other facilitators. Arellano-Garcia served as the foot guide, while Galvez-Zelaya was the driver.

    Arellano-Garcia walked the five illegal aliens through the brush for two days. One of the illegal aliens fainted just before getting picked up by Galvez-Zelaya and, at some point before or entering the vehicle, the alien died. A medical examiner later confirmed the deceased illegal alien died from a combination of dehydration and environmental exposure to walking in the brush.

    On Feb. 11, 2024, the illegal aliens and the foot guide were picked up in the vehicle driven by Galvez-Zelaya. A high speed chase with law enforcement ensued when a Zavala County Sheriff’s Office deputy attempted to conduct a traffic stop for defective license plate lighting. Galvez-Zelaya exceeded speeds of 100 miles per hour and crashed into a private property fence near La Pryor. Both Arellano-Garcia and Galvez-Zelaya were arrested and confirmed to be illegally present in the United States.

    Galvez-Zelaya pleaded guilty Nov. 4, 2024 to one count of conspiracy to transport aliens placing lives in jeopardy and is scheduled to be sentenced May 28. Both defendants face up to 20 years in federal prison for each count.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman for the Western District of Texas made the announcement.

    Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Warsame Galaydh and Matt Kass 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. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –