NewzIntel.com

Category: Security Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Security: New White Paper on the Standardization of the Government Specialist Position from Chief FOIA Officers Council Committee on Cross-Agency Collaboration and Innovation

    Source: United States Department of Justice

    A white paper issued by the Chief FOIA Officer (CFO) Council Committee on Cross-Agency Collaboration and Innovation (COCACI) has been published on FOIA.gov.  The white paper, written by COCACI’s Working Group for Standardizing the Government Information Specialist (GIS) Position (Working Group), presents its findings and recommendations on ways to standardize the GIS job series.

    The Working Group surveyed FOIA practitioners and agency executives about four key areas: work demographics, FOIA experience, workplace environment, and career plan.  Taking the data from this research, the Working Group held conversations with FOIA leadership at several federal agencies, with the goal of identifying existing approaches in improving the professionalization and standardization of qualifications for FOIA professionals and determining the transferability of these approaches to the GIS job series. Additionally, the Working Group aimed to understand what made a FOIA program successful, what challenges were faced by FOIA programs, and how a cross-agency approach could improve a FOIA, and therefore GIS, professional’s career.

    The Working Group identified a series of trends in leadership support, career development, the hiring landscape, and retention.  After analyzing its data, the Working Group developed five recommendations to aid in the standardization of the job series:

    1. Promote GIS careers and create opportunities to raise career-field awareness;
    2. Implement both in-agency and cross-agency GIS career support;
    3. Cultivate employee engagement and transparency to create a more desirable work environment;
    4. Create clear career advancement opportunities and re-examine the job series; and
    5. Consider a certification program to enhance the job series.

    Agency FOIA professionals, agency FOIA leadership, GIS career professionals, and members of the public are encouraged to review this white paper and consider how its findings and recommendations could benefit the GIS job series and agency FOIA programs.

    For additional information about the CFO Council’s work, visit the Council page on FOIA.gov.  For additional information on the Working Group for Standardizing the GIS Position, review the Working Group’s charter on COCACI’s FOIA.gov page. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Agency Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report Data Published on FOIA.gov

    Source: United States Department of Justice

    The Office for Information Policy (OIP) is pleased to announce that all agencies subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) have finalized their Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Annual FOIA Reports and that the Justice Department has published all of the data from these reports on FOIA.gov.

    From the data published on FOIA.gov, we can see that demand for FOIA reached another record high in FY 2024, surpassing 1.5 million requests received and reflecting a 25% increase compared to FY 2023.  In the face of this demand, agencies processed a record high of 1,499,265 requests, a 34% increase in the number processed compared to FY 2023.  OIP is compiling its Summary of Agency Annual FOIA Reports for FY 2024, which will provide further breakdown of the data.  Agencies will soon be posting their Chief FOIA Officer Reports, which provide helpful context to the statistics reported in the Annual FOIA Reports and detail agencies’ work in key areas of FOIA administration.  OIP will again assess agencies based on key FOIA metrics from both reports.

    Since its initial launch in 2011, FOIA.gov has served as a dashboard of all agencies’ Annual FOIA Report data.  Each year, federal departments and agencies are required by law to submit a report to the Attorney General detailing various statistics regarding their agency’s FOIA activities, such as the numbers of requests processed and received, and the time taken to process them.  The data from these Annual FOIA Reports is then published on FOIA.gov so that the public can easily view it and compare FOIA data by agency and over time.  Users can search for individual agency or component data, compare data from several agencies, and gather government-wide data.  The results can be viewed on the page or downloaded as a .csv file.

    We encourage everyone to visit FOIA.gov to view each agency’s data as well as government-wide FOIA statistics.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Eight GoodFellas Gang Members and Associates Charged with Violent Crimes in Aid of Racketeering, Including Attempted Murder

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    An indictment was unsealed yesterday in the Northern District of Georgia charging eight members and associates of the GoodFellas Gang for their alleged roles in a criminal enterprise engaged in attempted murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and attempted carjacking in and around Atlanta.

    According to the indictment, the GoodFellas are a violent gang that heavily recruits members in Atlanta neighborhoods, local jails, and Georgia Department of Corrections facilities. Members engage in violence to enhance the violent reputation of the gang.

    As alleged in the indictment, six of the defendants shot and attempted to murder four victims. Additionally, two GoodFellas members and associates allegedly attempted a carjacking and assaulted three victims with a dangerous weapon.

    Frank Hubbert, also known as Capo Frank, 38; Montavis Jones, also known as Nigel Woods, Jitt, and Git, 37; Darian Sheppard, also known as Lil D, 27; De’Andre Jackson, also known as Gen, Glock, and Glizzy, 22; Ephram Marshall, also known as Lil E, 24; Tahj Rankine, also known as Biggz, 26; and Leonunte Carson, also known as Lil Tae, 22, are each charged with multiple counts of attempted murder in aid of racketeering and with using a firearm during these crimes.

    Hubbert and Ahday Nelson-George, also known as Baby K, 25, are each charged with multiple counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and attempted carjacking.

    Seven of the defendants face a maximum penalty of life in prison; Nelson-George faces a maximum penalty of 75 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Supervisory Official Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie Jr. for the Northern District of Georgia, and Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown of the FBI Atlanta Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI is investigating the case with valuable assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Fulton County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office; Georgia Department of Corrections; and the Atlanta Police Department.

    Trial Attorney Sarah J. Rasalam of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Renaud for the Northern District of Georgia 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 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).

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Republic of Korea Air Force, US Air Force, US Navy Conducts F-35 Air Integration Training during Freedom Shield 25

    Source: United States Navy

    AT SEA – Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 1 participated in Freedom Shield 25, a defense-oriented, annual exercise between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the United States featuring live, virtual and field-based training that engaged alliance forces and governmental agencies, March 13.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Sailors and Marines Team Up for Integrated Advance 2025

    Source: United States Navy

    NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. – Sailors from U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet (NAVSOUTH/FOURTHFLT) and Marines from U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South (MARFORSOUTH) are serving together on the Joint Force Maritime Component Commander (JFMCC) staff during Exercise Integrated Advance 2025.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dumfries man sentenced to over 19 years in prison for a series of armed robberies and fentanyl possession

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Dumfries man was sentenced today to 19 years and two months in prison for conspiracy to commit armed robbery and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl.

    According to court documents, from March 6, 2024, through March 27, 2024, Dwayne Selman-Neville, 38, and a co-conspirator, Al Gibran Taylor, 42, of Reston, conspired to rob multiple local businesses throughout Northern Virginia.

    On March 8, 2024, Taylor entered a Starbucks in Herndon, jumped over the store’s counter, and pointed a handgun at employees. Taylor ordered the employees to open the store’s safe and give him cash. Taylor left the store with stolen money and fled with Selman-Neville who was waiting nearby in a vehicle.

    On March 11, 2024, Selman-Neville entered a check cashing store in Chantilly dressed as an Amazon delivery driver and carrying a cardboard box with an Amazon.com logo on it. Selman-Neville showed a cashier a piece of paper on the clipboard that stated, among other things, “This is a robbery.” Selman-Neville then grabbed the cashier’s arm and pushed her toward the store’s safe. When the cashier attempted to press a panic button, Selman-Neville said, “No, don’t do that, I’m going to kill you.” At Selman-Neville’s demand, the cashier took a tray of cash from the safe and gave it to him. Selman-Neville ran out of the store and fled with Taylor, who was waiting nearby in a vehicle. 

    On March 14, 2024, Selman-Neville and Taylor approached a drive-through window at a bank in Herndon. Either Selman-Neville or Taylor handed the drive-through teller a note stating, among other things, “This is a bank robbery. Follow your training and follow my instructions. I have an associate inside the bank right now, who is ready to kill on my signal.” The note demanded money from the bank and stated, “If you comply, no one will get hurt.” The teller left the drive-through window for a short period of time, and Selman-Neville and Taylor drove away before they could obtain any money.

    On March 14, 2024, Selman-Neville, again disguised as an Amazon delivery driver, entered a check cashing store in Annandale and spoke with the store’s cashier, who was behind a window. Approximately 40 seconds later, Selman-Neville walked out of the store after the cashier, who did not speak English, was unable to understand what Selman-Neville was saying to her.

    On March 26, 2024, Taylor was arrested by federal authorities for a different offense and detained pending trial.

    On March 27, 2024, Selman-Neville robbed a check cashing store in Woodbridge, once again dressed as an Amazon delivery driver. He drove to the store in a vehicle that he and Taylor had rented together the previous week. The store’s cashier area was separated by a window and a locking door from customers. As Selman-Neville approached the window, a cashier opened the door and took an Amazon box from Selman-Neville. Selman-Neville then grabbed this cashier by the arm and pushed her toward a cash register. Selman-Neville pointed a handgun at the cashier and another employee and ordered them to give him money. The employees complied and Selman-Neville ran to the rental vehicle and fled.

    On April 15, 2024, law enforcement arrested Selman-Neville and searched a residence where he had been staying. Investigators found clothes that Selman-Neville wore during some of the robberies, including a vest with an Amazon logo. They also found 280 counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, 136 pills containing oxycodone, 46.37 grams of solid pink material containing methamphetamine, 26.07 grams of solid material containing dipentylone, and 7.23 grams of cocaine hydrochloride.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Sean Ryan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles. The Fairfax County Police Department and Prince William County Police Department assisted in the investigation.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel K. Amzallag prosecuted the case.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:24-cr-220.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Dual Russian And Israeli National Extradited To The United States For His Role In The LockBit Ransomware Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – A dual Russian and Israeli national was extradited to the United States on charges that he was a developer of the LockBit ransomware group, United States Attorney John Giordano announced.

    In August, Rostislav Panev, 51, was arrested in Israel pursuant to a U.S. provisional arrest request.  Today, Panev was extradited to the United States and had an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge André M. Espinosa where Panev was detained pending trial.

    “Rostislav Panev’s extradition to the District of New Jersey makes it clear: if you are a member of the LockBit ransomware conspiracy, the United States will find you and bring you to justice,” said United States Attorney John Giordano. “Even as the means and methods of cybercriminals become more sophisticated, my Office and our FBI, Criminal Division, and international law enforcement partners are more committed than ever to prosecuting these criminals.”

    “No one is safe from ransomware attacks, from individuals to institutions. Along with our international partners, the FBI continues to leave no stone unturned when it comes to following LockBit’s trail of destruction. We will continue to work tirelessly to prevent actors, such as Panev, from hacking their way to financial gain,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Newark Division Terence G. Reilly.

    According to the superseding complaint, documents filed in this and related cases, and statements made in court, Panev acted as a developer of the LockBit ransomware group from its inception in or around 2019 through at least February 2024. During that time, Panev and his LockBit coconspirators grew LockBit into what was, at times, the most active and destructive ransomware group in the world. The LockBit group attacked more than 2,500 victims in at least 120 countries around the world, including 1,800 in the United States. Their victims ranged from individuals and small businesses to multinational corporations, including hospitals, schools, nonprofit organizations, critical infrastructure, and government and law-enforcement agencies. LockBit’s members extracted at least $500 million in ransom payments from their victims and caused billions of dollars in other losses, including lost revenue and costs from incident response and recovery.

    LockBit’s members were comprised of “developers,” like Panev, who designed the LockBit malware code and maintained the infrastructure on which LockBit operated. LockBit’s other members, called “affiliates,” carried out LockBit attacks and extorted ransom payments from LockBit victims. LockBit’s developers and affiliates would then split the ransom payments which were extorted from victims.

    As alleged in the superseding complaint, at the time of Panev’s arrest in Israel in August, law enforcement discovered on Panev’s computer administrator credentials for an online repository that was hosted on the dark web and stored source code for multiple versions of the LockBit builder, which allowed LockBit’s affiliates to generate custom builds of the LockBit ransomware malware for particular victims. On that repository, law enforcement also discovered source code for LockBit’s StealBit tool, which helped LockBit affiliates exfiltrate data stolen through LockBit attacks. Law enforcement also discovered access credentials for the LockBit control panel, an online dashboard maintained by LockBit developers for LockBit’s affiliates and hosted by those developers on the dark web.

    The superseding complaint also alleges that Panev exchanged direct messages through a cybercriminal forum with LockBit’s primary administrator, who, in an indictment unsealed in the District of New Jersey in May, the United States alleged to be Dimitry Yuryevich Khoroshev (Дмитрий Юрьевич Хорошев), also known as LockBitSupp, LockBit, and putinkrab. In those messages, Panev and the LockBit primary administrator discussed work that needed to be done on the LockBit builder and control panel.

    Court documents further indicate that, between June 2022 and February 2024, the primary LockBit administrator made a series of transfers of cryptocurrency, laundered through one or more illicit cryptocurrency mixing services, of approximately $10,000 per month to a cryptocurrency wallet owned by Panev. Those transfers amounted to over $230,000 during that period.

    In interviews with Israeli authorities following his arrest in August, Panev admitted to having performed coding, development, and consulting work for the LockBit group and to having received regular payments in cryptocurrency for that work, consistent with the transfers identified by U.S. authorities. Among the work that Panev admitted to having completed for the LockBit group was the development of code to disable antivirus software; to deploy malware to multiple computers connected to a victim network; and to print the LockBit ransom note to all printers connected to a victim network. Panev also admitted to having written and maintained LockBit malware code and to having provided technical guidance to the LockBit group.

    The LockBit Investigation

    The superseding complaint against, and apprehension of, Panev follows a disruption of LockBit ransomware in February 2024 by the U.K. National Crime Agency (NCA)’s Cyber Division, which worked in cooperation with the Justice Department, FBI, and other international law enforcement partners. As previously announced by the Department, authorities disrupted LockBit by seizing numerous public-facing websites used by LockBit to connect to the organization’s infrastructure and by seizing control of servers used by LockBit administrators, thereby disrupting the ability of LockBit actors to attack and encrypt networks and extort victims by threatening to publish stolen data. That disruption succeeded in greatly diminishing LockBit’s reputation and its ability to attack further victims, as alleged by documents filed in this case.

    The superseding complaint against Panev also follows charges brought in the District of New Jersey against other LockBit members, including its alleged primary creator, developer, and administrator, Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev. An indictment against Khoroshev unsealed in May alleges that Khoroshev began developing LockBit as early as September 2019, continued acting as the group’s administrator through 2024, a role in which Khoroshev recruited new affiliate members, spoke for the group publicly under the alias “LockBitSupp,” and developed and maintained the infrastructure used by affiliates to deploy LockBit attacks. Khoroshev is currently the subject of a reward of up to $10 million through the U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Rewards Program, with information accepted through the FBI tip website at www.tips.fbi.gov/.

    A total of seven LockBit members have now been charged in the District of New Jersey. Beyond Panev and Khoroshev, other previously charged LockBit defendants include:

    • In July, two LockBit affiliate members, Mikhail Vasiliev, also known as Ghostrider, Free, Digitalocean90, Digitalocean99, Digitalwaters99, and Newwave110, and Ruslan Astamirov, also known as BETTERPAY, offtitan, and Eastfarmer, pleaded guilty in the District of New Jersey for their participation in the LockBit ransomware group and admitted deploying multiple LockBit attacks against U.S. and foreign victims. Vasiliev and Astamirov are presently in custody awaiting sentencing.
    • In February 2024, in parallel with the disruption operation described above, an indictment was unsealed in the District of New Jersey charging Russian nationals Artur Sungatov and Ivan Kondratyev, also known as Bassterlord, with deploying LockBit against numerous victims throughout the United States, including businesses nationwide in the manufacturing and other industries, as well as victims around the world in the semiconductor and other industries. Sungatov and Kondratyev remain at large.
    • In May 2023, two indictments were unsealed in Washington, D.C., and the District of New Jersey charging Mikhail Matveev, also known as Wazawaka, m1x, Boriselcin, and Uhodiransomwar, with using different ransomware variants, including LockBit, to attack numerous victims throughout the United States, including the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department. Matveev remains at large and is currently the subject of a reward of up to $10 million through the U.S. Department of State’s TOC Rewards Program, with information accepted through the FBI tip website at www.tips.fbi.gov/.

    The U.S. Department of State’s Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) Rewards Program is offering rewards of:

    Information is accepted through the FBI tip website at tips.fbi.gov.

    Khoroshev, Matveev, Sungatov, and Kondratyev have also been designated for sanctions by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for their roles in launching cyberattacks.

    Victim Assistance

    LockBit victims are encouraged to contact the FBI and submit information at www.ic3.gov. As announced by the Department in February, law enforcement, through its disruption efforts, has developed decryption capabilities that may enable hundreds of victims around the world to restore systems encrypted using the LockBit ransomware variant. Submitting information at the IC3 site will enable law enforcement to determine whether affected systems can be successfully decrypted.

    LockBit victims are also encouraged to visit www.justice.gov/usao-nj/lockbit for case updates and information regarding their rights under U.S. law, including the right to submit victim impact statements and request restitution, in the criminal litigation against Panev, Astamirov, and Vasiliev.

    The FBI Newark Field Office, under the supervision of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly, is investigating the LockBit ransomware variant. Israel’s Office of the State Attorney, Department of International Affairs, and Israel National Police; France’s Gendarmerie Nationale Cyberspace Command, Paris Prosecution Office — Cyber Division, and judicial authorities at the Tribunal Judiciare of Paris; Europol; Eurojust; the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency; Germany’s Landeskriminalamt Schleswig-Holstein, Bundeskriminalamt, and the Central Cybercrime Department North Rhine-Westphalia; Switzerland’s Federal Office of Justice, Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Canton of Zurich, and Zurich Cantonal Police; Spain’s Policia Nacional and Guardia Civil; authorities in Japan; Australian Federal Police; Sweden’s Polismyndighetens; Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Politie Dienst Regionale Recherche Oost-Brabant of the Netherlands; and Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation have provided significant assistance and coordination in these matters and in the LockBit investigation generally.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew M. Trombly, David E. Malagold, and Vinay Limbachia for the District of New Jersey and Trial Attorneys Debra Ireland and Jorge Gonzalez of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) are prosecuting the charges against Panev and the other previously charged LockBit defendants in the District of New Jersey.

    The Justice Department’s former Cybercrime Liaison Prosecutor to Eurojust, Office of International Affairs, and National Security Division also provided significant assistance.

    Additional details on protecting networks against LockBit ransomware are available at StopRansomware.gov. These include Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Advisories AA23-325A, AA23-165A, and AA23-075A. 

    The charges and allegations contained in the superseding complaint and above-named Indictments are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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    Defense counsel: Frank Arleo, Esq.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Charged with Firearm Crimes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging a Mexican national, in the United State illegally, with firearm and immigration crimes.

    Gerardo Lopez-Gutierrez, 44, of Salt Lake County, Utah, was initially charged by complaint on March 6, 2025.

    According to court documents, on March 4, 2025, Lopez-Gutierrez was approached by law enforcement for unlawful camping. During the interaction, Lopez-Gutierrez was in possession of a Ruger AR-556 rifle and a records check showed the firearm was reported stolen out of Moab, Utah.  Lopez-Gutierrez is restricted from possessing a firearm after he was convicted of re-entry of a previously removed alien in the District of Arizona. As a result, Lopez-Gutierrez was taken into custody.

    Lopez-Gutierrez is charged with felon in possession of a firearm, alien in possession of a firearm, and illegal re-entry of a previously removed alien. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for March 14, 2025 at 11:30 a.m. before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

    Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.

    The case is being investigated by an FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    Assistant United States Attorney Victoria K. McFarland of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is 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).
     

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Ecuadorian Citizen Sentenced to 18 Months for Alien Smuggling

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBANY, NEW YORK – Edgar Placencia-Guaillas, age 22, and a citizen of Ecuador, was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in prison for alien smuggling and conspiracy to commit alien smuggling. Acting United States Attorney Daniel Hanlon and Chief Border Patrol Agent Robert N. Garcia of the United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector, made the announcement.

    As part of his earlier guilty plea, Placencia-Guaillas, an illegal alien who entered the United States unlawfully in 2022, admitted that on August 25, 2024, he traveled to the northern border in Chateaugay, New York, where he smuggled two people – one from Mexico, the other from the Dominican Republic – into the United States for profit. Placencia-Guaillas admitted that he had smuggled other people across the border in the past.

    Placencia-Guaillas will be taken into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody for deportation proceedings following his release from prison.

    Border Patrol investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Paulbeck prosecuted the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Sinaloa Cartel Leader in Idaho Sentenced to 22 Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOISE – A 44-year-old Honduran national suspected to be unlawfully in the United States and using the name “Hector Ojeda Manuel Aponte” was sentenced yesterday to 262 months in federal prison for distribution of methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced.

    According to court records, Aponte was distributing approximately 40 pounds of methamphetamine every one to two weeks, along with fentanyl pills and bath salts.  Aponte had multiple vehicles to transport and distribute drugs, stash houses to hide the drugs, and business fronts to launder his illicit drug proceeds. According to multiple sources, Aponte was the “number one guy” for the Sinaloa Cartel in the State of Idaho.  He had a well-established supply chain and a distribution network consisting of other accomplices.

    Aponte is the sixth and final defendant sentenced from the investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Nampa Police Department Special Investigations Unit. U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also previously sentenced Ernesto Diaz Gaspar (30 months in prison), Wilkin Rolando Martinez Munguia (36 months in prison), Cevin Alfonzo Martinez (42 months in prison), and Jesus DeJesus Loera (70 months in prison).  Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye sentenced Lawrence Barnes (160 months in prison).  Defendants Barnes and Loera are U.S. Citizens, while the remaining defendants are aliens unlawfully present in the United States.

    “The United States Department of Justice is committed to eliminating the threat posed by Mexican drug cartels and their distribution of narcotics in Idaho.”  Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott said.  “Along with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold them accountable for bringing poisonous drugs into our state.”

    “Illegal immigration and drug trafficking are interconnected threats because Foreign Terrorist Organizations like the Sinaloa Cartel routinely employ people like this defendant to further their drug enterprises,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Seattle Field Division.  “I am gratified that we, at the Drug Enforcement Administration, along with our partners at the Nampa Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, succeeded in holding this defendant accountable for his serious crimes targeting our community, resulting in this lengthy prison sentence.  Justice was served yesterday.”    

    Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott commended the work of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Nampa Police Department Special Investigations Unit, which led to the convictions and sentences.  Assistant U.S. Attorney David Morse prosecuted this case.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sacramento Man Pleads Guilty to Postal Robberies While Armed with a Dangerous Weapon

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — William Carl Jackson, 36, pleaded guilty to robbing a postal carrier while armed with a dangerous weapon, Acting United States Attorney Michele Beckwith announced. 

    According to court documents, Jackson robbed postal carriers on July 11, 2024, and July 31, 2024.  During in each robbery, he brandished a fake pistol at the victim and then ordered the victim to turn over his postal keys.  After taking the victim’s keys, he then fled from the scene on a bicycle. 

    This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant United States Attorney Elliot C. Wong is prosecuting the case.

    Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced on June 13, 2025.  He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 25 years in prison and a maximum statutory fine of $250,000.  Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Louisiana man sentenced for trafficking methamphetamine through East Texas

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TYLER, Texas – A Shreveport, LA, man has been sentenced to over 21 years in federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Abe McGlothin, Jr.

    Darren Tremaine Jackson, 41, was convicted at trial in March 2024 of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.    Jackson was sentenced to 260 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge J. Campbell Barker on March 12, 2025.

    According to information presented in court, on February 13, 2020, Jackson, and co-defendant Gary Wayne Sepulvado, were stopped by law enforcement officers for a traffic violation in Smith County.  After observing a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle, a search was executed, and a kilogram of methamphetamine was discovered.  Sepulvado pleaded guilty to related charges on November 15, 2023, and is awaiting sentencing.

    This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Smith County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan Locker and Dustin Farahnak.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard concludes response efforts at Sun Bay Beach, continues investigation regarding original source of reported pollution

    Source: United States Coast Guard

     

    03/08/2025 05:35 PM EST

    Coast Guard Sector San Juan Incident Management Division personnel concluded response efforts to the mystery sheen reported on the Sun Bay Beach shoreline in Vieques, Saturday, after no further sheening or signs of pollution were observed in the water or shoreline.  Coast Guard IMD personnel continue to investigate the cause and potential source of this incident.

    For more breaking news follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: National Coordinators of the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact) Meet in Helsinki, Finland

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Representatives from the United States, Canada, and Finland discussed concrete implementation of this important initiative to build Arctic and Polar icebreakers. 

    HELSINKI, Finland – The National Coordinators of the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE Pact) and other officials from the Governments of the United States, Canada, and Finland met in Helsinki March 4-5. 

    The participants reaffirmed their commitment to the ICE Pact initiative and its goal to build best-in-class Arctic and Polar icebreakers, boost economic growth, and revitalize the U.S. shipbuilding industry.  All parties recognized the need to enhance our Arctic and Polar icebreaking capabilities and the mutual interest in our nations having a strong presence in the Arctic.    

    Participants discussed technical collaboration on icebreaker design and production, shipyard workforce development, allies and partners engagement, and research, development and innovation related to the Arctic and Polar regions. 

    The participants agreed to continue their work and to meet again in May in Canada. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Syrian Democratic Forces, Enabled by CENTCOM Forces, Capture ISIS Cell Leader

    Source: United States Central Command (CENTCOM)

    Mar. 8, 2025
    Release Number 20250308-01
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    TAMPA, Fla. – On March 6, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), enabled by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces, conducted a raid and captured Salah Mohammad Al-Abdullah, an ISIS cell leader in the vicinity of Shahil, Syria.

    During the operation, the SDF recovered multiple weapons to include a 12.7mm (.50 cal) Sniper rifle, an AK-47, hand grenades, and various weapons and ammunition.

    The SDF-led operation is part of the ongoing Defeat-ISIS campaign to degrade ISIS networks and prevent the resurgence of the terrorist group in the region. CENTCOM forces enabled SDF during the operation by providing technical support and intelligence.

    -30-

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Five Indo-Pacific nations begin Exercise Sea Dragon 25

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    Pilots and aircrew from the participating countries will coordinate to build plans and discuss tactics incorporating their respective capabilities and equipment for ASW. The exercise will culminate in a final battle problem in the vicinity of Guam, during which participants will track a live U.S. Navy submarine.

    “I am eager for the opportunity to further develop our partnerships with Australia, India, Japan, and the Republic of Korea during Sea Dragon 2025,” said LT Marshad Huq, officer-in-charge for the U.S. Navy (USN) detachment from VP 16. “The continued growth and increasing complexity of this exercise affords an opportunity to practice ASW tactics, techniques, and procedures with allies and partners.”

    Each event in the exercise will be assessed and graded, and the nation that scores the most points will receive the coveted Dragon Belt award. JMSDF began a three-year winning streak in 2022 and brought the belt back to Sea Dragon 2025 to defend the title once again.

    Exercise Sea Dragon has been held annually since 2019.

    The “War Eagles” of VP 16, part of CTF 72, are stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, and are currently forward-deployed to Misawa Air Base in Misawa, Japan. The “Golden Swordsmen” of VP 47, also a part of CTF 72, are stationed in Whidbey Island, Washington, and are currently forward-deployed to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. While deployed, both squadrons will conduct maritime patrol and reconnaissance and theater outreach operations within the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Space Force displays capabilities in Cobra Gold 25

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    This is the 44th iteration of CG25, and the largest joint exercise in mainland Asia. It takes place Feb. 26 to Mar. 8, 2025, in the Kingdom of Thailand, highlighting the strong alliance and strategic relationship between Thailand, the United States, and other participating nations.

    “The goal of sharing our technological capabilities with our allies is to show them how important the space domain really is and get them invested in helping us contest it,” said Tech. Sgt. Michael Cornell, 53rd Space Operations Squadron Detachment E mission assurance flight chief from Fort. Buckner, Japan. “The more allies we have assisting in the space domain, the more capabilities we will be able to provide our warfighters.”

    According to Capt. Jarrett Jordan, USSPACEFORCES exercise planner from Indo-Pacific Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam, Hawaii, the United States Indo-Pacific Command supports space integration with Allies and Partners through Combined Joint All Domain Operations mission rehearsals that are put together by the Pacific Multi-Domain Training & Experimentation Capability. In CG25, PMTEC helped coordinate the integration of two electromagnetic spectrum awareness systems from the Hawaii Air National Guard in support of Space Force sharing efforts.

    Some of the technology that was displayed was the Honey Badger system. It is composed of an antenna and modem.

    “The purpose of the Honey Badger is to monitor the downlink of satellite communications,” Cornell said. “Doing so can provide us with early warnings that can allow us to better defend ourselves and our allies.”
    Another tech that was displayed was the Kraken. A portable device that detects signals associated with unmanned aerial systems.

    “Honey Badger and Kraken both support electromagnetic spectrum operations,” Jordan said. “Honey Badger performs overwatch of critical signals in case of electromagnetic interference, while Kraken searches for signals associated with unmanned aerial systems.

    CG25 is an exercise that demonstrates the U.S. commitment to the region by building interoperability, multilateral cooperative arrangements, advancing common interests and a commitment to our allies and partners in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

    “This unique opportunity to work with our multinational partners is highly rewarding and worthwhile to the global space community,” Jordan said. “As a Guardian getting to come out to this event, it has been great getting to learn alongside and teach our Thai partners and the Combined Force how space impacts operations.”

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Officers appeal to public for information following Croydon shooting

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    Detectives are appealing for information following a shooting in Croydon in December.

    Police were called at about 23:25hrs on Monday, 23 December 2024 to reports of a man shot on Godric Crescent in New Addington.

    Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended. The 50-year-old victim was taken to hospital for an injury to his hand. He has since been discharged but due to the severity of the injury he continues to undergo medical treatment.

    Detective Inspector Martin Thomas from Specialist Crime, said:“The victim was very fortunate not to sustain even more serious injuries and if he hadn’t reacted in the way that he did, this shooting may have been fatal.

    “We have carried out extensive enquiries in order to identify the two suspects involved and we are now appealing for your help. We know they left the scene in a car, heading north on King Henry’s Drive.

    “We have also been able to establish the suspects are known to frequent an address on Portland Road, South Norwood, and may have been there two days before the crime.

    “I would urge anyone with information, or who may have been in the area at the time and has a dash cam, to please make contact with us. We need to arrest these man whose recklessness is dangerous.”

    There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.

    Anyone with information is asked to call police via 101 quoting CAD 7736/23Dec24. To remain anonymous call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Two who Trespassed Historical Site at National Park Sentenced

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Roxanne McKnight, 39, and Dusty Spencer, 43, of Durango, Colorado, were sentenced today after they trespassed onto a fenced-off historical site at Canyonlands National Park and disturbed artifacts on display.

    McKnight was sentenced to a one-year ban from federal public lands in Utah and one year of probation. Spencer was sentenced a two-year ban from federal public lands in Utah and two years’ probation.

    In addition to their bans, a U.S. Magistrate Judge ordered McKnight and Spencer to pay fines and restitution totaling $1,500. The sentence comes after the defendants pleaded guilty to possessing or disturbing cultural or archaeological resources, and walking on or entering archeological or cultural resource, Class B misdemeanors.

    According to court documents and statements made at McKnight’s and Spencer’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, on March 23, 2024, McKnight and Spencer, entered a fenced-off area of Canyonlands National Park where they then handled numerous historic artifacts preserved in the Cave Springs Cowboy Camp. The artifacts include an antique horse tack and cabinetry. This historic camp was protected by fencing and clear warnings prohibiting visitors from entering the area, which McKnight and Spencer disregarded.

    Acting United States Attorney Felice John Viti of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah made the announcement.

    The case was investigated by the National Park Service (NPS).

    Assistant United States Attorneys Luisa Gough and Tanner Zumwalt of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case. 
     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Strategic Command pushes for standardized data in Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations

    Source: United States Strategic Command

    Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.   –  

    United States Strategic Command, along with Department of Defense and industry leaders, made significant progress in identifying electromagnetic spectrum modeling, simulation and analysis data usability processes during a technical interchange meeting Feb. 19-20 in Los Angeles, California.

    The meeting, a third of its kind and led by USSTRATCOM’s Advanced Warfare Capabilities Division, focused on the need to strive for model-agnostic data, which is essential for interoperability and data reusability across different MS&A systems used by the DoD.

    Meeting participants identified a set of core data issues and potential paths forward, prioritizing solutions into four key areas, which they called “make-or-break” for data usability:

    1. Adhere to VAULTIS Principles: EMS data objects must strive to meet the following immutable data characteristics identified in the 2020 DoD Data Strategy: Visible, Accessible, Understandable, Linked, Trustworthy, Interoperable and Secure (VAULTIS).
    2. Data Re-use: Participants agreed that leveraging large language models (LLMs) will be essential for efficient data reuse and for simplifying alignment with the DoD Data, Analytics and Artificial Intelligence Adoption Strategy.
    3. Standardize Data Translation: LLMs can help translate disparate data objects into a globally re-usable format. Participants agreed that all EMS data objects should translate into Systems Modeling Language (SysML V2) format.
    4. Create a Centralized Data Hub: A centralized repository will be established to house all SysML V2 EMS data objects. This aligns with the 2020 DoD Data Strategy’s emphasis on enterprise-wide data access and availability.

    “Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations require data that meet the VAULTIS standards, and the work done here in modeling and simulation will help progress operational requirements,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. AnnMarie Anthony, Joint Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Center director, who has long focused on standardized EMS data.

    The Naval Surface Warfare Center – Crane Division, a central USSTRATCOM mission partner for EMS MS&A, will provide a simple unclassified scenario, with corresponding mission threads. The scenario will serve as a baseline for all participants to test data objects and their integration within the disparate MS&A systems.

    U.S. Navy CAPT. Travis Wood, USSTRATCOM Advanced Warfare Capabilities’ division chief, acknowledged the project’s ambitious nature, emphasizing the need for close collaboration between LLM developers, service partners, and industry experts. He stressed the importance of rigorous verification and validation of the EMS data objects to ensure their accuracy and reusability.

    Mr. Tom Woods, USSTRATCOM’s lead for EMS campaign MS&A, also underscored the importance of common data.  

    “Data is king,” said Woods. “Ensuring we can all use the same EMS objects impacts not only how the EMS is visualized within a model, but it also ensures analysis cohesion. This is one step in a long road, but it’s an important step.”

    The EMS MS&A technical meetings are directly tied to accomplishing taskings within the 2020 Electromagnetic Spectrum Superiority Strategy’s Implementation Plan and also support USSTRATCOM’s JEC mission.

    United States Strategic Command, a global warfighting command, deters strategic attack through a safe, secure, effective, and credible global combat capability and, when directed, is ready to prevail in conflict.

    Learn more about USSTRATCOM:

    United States Strategic Command: Peace is our Profession…(YouTube.com)

    About (stratcom.mil)

    Mission, Vision & Intent (stratcom.mil)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Jersey Man Sentenced To 40 Months In Prison For Stealing COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits; Others Previously Sentenced

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TRENTON, N.J. – A New Jersey man was sentenced to 40 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to illegally obtain over $570,000 in COVID-19 unemployment benefits, U.S. Attorney John Giordano announced.

    Jose Tavares, 37, of Englewood, New Jersey, was convicted on Oct. 28, 2024, on one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud after a five-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge Robert Kirsch. Judge Kirsch imposed the sentence in Trenton federal court. Tavares’ conspirators, Yanira Abreu, 43, of Keasbey, New Jersey, and Christopher Valerio, 34, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey, were each sentenced previously by Judge Kirsch in the same scheme.

    According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

    From July 2020 through February 2021, Tavares, Valerio, Abreu and others submitted fraudulent applications for unemployment insurance benefits to the New York Department of Labor (NYDOL) through fictitious online profiles that they created using personally identifiable information, including names, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of other individuals without their consent. Once the NYDOL processed and approved the fraudulent applications, Tavares and his conspirators obtained debit cards with the illegally obtained funds totaling over $570,000, which they used for personal gain, including vacations, luxury retail purchases, and cosmetic surgery.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Kirsch sentenced Tavares to 3 years of supervised release and ordered Tavares to pay in $570,077 in restitution.

    U.S. Attorney Giordano credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel in Newark; Special Agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Region, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, and postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Postal Inspector in Charge Christopher A. Nielsen, Philadelphia Division, with the investigation that led to the sentencing.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Stark and Benjamin D. Bleiberg of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

    The District of New Jersey COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force is one of five strike forces established throughout the United States by the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute COVID-19 fraud. The strike forces focus on large-scale, multi-state pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors. The strike forces are interagency law enforcement efforts, using prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams designed to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

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

                                                                           ###

    Defense Counsel for Tavares: Jeffrey Simms, Esq. and Roberto Espinosa, Esq., of New Jersey.

    Defense counsel for Valerio: Kevin Roe, Esq., of New Jersey.

    Defense counsel for Abreu: John Russo, Esq., of New York.   

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Nigerian citizen, extradited from the U.K., arraigned on indictment for wire fraud involving stolen tax information

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Tukwila, Washington company had employee tax information stolen in email compromise scheme

    Seattle – A Nigerian citizen who was arrested and extradited from the U.K. on an indictment in the Western District of Washington was arraigned today in U.S. District Court in Seattle, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Onomen Uduebor, 38, is charged in a three-count indictment related to a scheme to steal and use income tax data for fraud. The 2019 indictment was unsealed today for Uduebor’s first appearance. Uduebor entered a plea of ‘not guilty’ and trial is scheduled before U.S. District Judge James L. Robart on May 12, 2025.

    “This defendant allegedly participated in a conspiracy that involved tricking companies around the United States, including a Tukwila-based company, into providing W-2 information on their employees. Then the conspirators filed fake tax returns in the employees’ names, claiming large refunds and causing chaos for those whose Social Security numbers had been stolen,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller.

    According to the indictment, between February 2016 and April 2017, the conspirators created false emails that appeared to come from a company executive asking the Human Resources Department for the W-2 data. The conspirators manipulated the email so that any reply would go to an email address that they controlled.  The conspirators then used the information from the W-2s to file more than 300 bogus tax returns claiming more than $1 million in tax refunds. The conspirators targeted companies across the U.S. in this scheme.

    Uduebor is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.

    The wire fraud charges are punishable by up to twenty years in prison. Aggravated Identity Theft is punishable by a mandatory minimum two years in prison to run consecutive to any sentence imposed on the wire fraud counts.

    The charges contained in the indictment are only allegations.  A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    The case was investigated by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI).

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Miriam Hinman. Uduebor was arrested in the United Kingdom in September 2023. The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs provided valuable assistance with the extradition process.  

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Registered sex offender going to prison for more than 15 years on new child pornography charge

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Christopher Rucker, 45, of Cheektowaga, NY, who was convicted of possession of child pornography with a prior sex offense, was sentenced to serve 188 months in prison and lifetime supervised release by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Caitlin M. Higgins, who handled the case, stated that in March 2022, the New York State Police (NYSP) conducted a search warrant at Rucker’s residence, during which they seized a laptop computer and a cell phone. The laptop and cell phone both contained images and videos of child pornography. Subsequent investigation determined that between October 1 and December 28, 2021, Rucker downloaded approximately 1300 images of child pornography. Some of the images depicted prepubescent minors, as well as violence against children and the sexual abuse of an infant or toddler.

    Rucker is a registered Level 2 sex offender, following two convictions in 2002 on Sodomy in the 2nd Degree and Using and Interstate Facility to Persuade/Induce a Child to Engage in Sexual Activity.

    The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, the Cheektowaga Police Department, under the direction of Chief Brian Coons, and the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto.  

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican National Involved in Smuggling and Labor Trafficking Scheme Sentenced to 3 Years in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that PORFIRIA MARIBEL RAMOS SANCHEZ, 47, a citizen of Mexico last residing in Vernon, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 36 months of imprisonment for her involvement in a scheme to smuggle aliens into the U.S., harbor them at Hartford area residences, force them to work, and threaten to harm them in various ways if they failed to pay exorbitant fees, interest, and other living expenses.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, beginning in September 2022, the FBI and Hartford Police interviewed several Mexican nationals who disclosed that they were smuggled from Mexico into the U.S. and transported to Hartford.  The investigation revealed that victims typically arranged with Ramos’s mother, Maria Del Carmen Sanchez Potrero, and others in Connecticut and Mexico, to cross the border into the U.S. in exchange for a fee of between $15,000 and $20,000 that each would need to pay once they were in the U.S.  In most cases, the victims were required to turn over a property deed as collateral before leaving Mexico.  They were then smuggled across the border and transported to Hartford area residences, often at a substantial risk of bodily injury or death.

    After the victims arrived in Connecticut, they were told that they would have to pay approximately $30,000, with interest, and that they would have to pay Sanchez, Ramos, and their co-coconspirators for rent, food, gas, and utilities.  The co-conspirators created false documents for the victims, including Permanent Residence cards and Social Security cards, and helped the victims find employment in the Hartford area.  In addition to their own jobs, some victims were required to perform housework and yardwork without compensation and without having their debt reduced.

    Victims were rarely provided with an accounting of their debt.  If victims failed to make regular payments, or in amounts that the co-conspirators expected, they were sometimes threatened, including with threats to harm family members in Mexico, to take property in Mexico that had been secured as collateral, to reveal victims’ immigration status to U.S. authorities, and to raise their interest payments.

    To date, investigators have identified 19 victims of this scheme.  Multiple victims were minors, and at least two were smuggled into the U.S. unaccompanied by a relative or legal guardian.

    Ramos has been detained since her arrest on October 5, 2023.  On October 4, 2024, she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to encourage and induce, bring in, transport, and harbor aliens.

    Judge Dooley ordered Ramos to pay restitution of $574,608.  As a condition of her plea agreement, in partial satisfaction or her restitution obligation, Ramos and her husband agreed to sell a house they owned at 74 Burnside Avenue in East Hartford, which was used to facilitate this criminal offense.  However, in violation of her plea agreement, Ramos did not inform the government of the pending sale and sold the house in November 2024 to a relative of her husband for $75,000 less than its appraised value.

    Ramos faces immigration proceedings when she completes her prison term.

    Sanchez pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing.

    This investigation has been conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Hartford Police Department, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Angel Krull and Shan Patel.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Philadelphia Man Convicted at Trial of Committing Three Armed Carjackings in Less Than an Hour

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

    PHILADELPHIA – Acting United States Attorney Nelson S.T. Thayer, Jr., announced that Symair Carson-Williams, aka “Lil Meer,” 19, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was convicted on Thursday at trial of conspiracy to commit carjacking, three counts of carjacking, and three counts of using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, for his role in a carjacking spree in the city in early 2024.

    Carson-Williams was charged by indictment with those offenses in May of last year.

    As proven at trial, the defendant was part of a group that conspired to commit three armed carjackings in Philadelphia in less than one hour. Video surveillance footage, cell phone data, forensic evidence, items recovered from one of the stolen vehicles, and victim testimony linked Carson-Williams to the carjackings.

    Carson-Williams and his three co-conspirators first stole a blue 2019 Honda CR-V from the 1800 block of Lansing Street in Philadelphia during the overnight hours of January 27, 2024.

    Approximately 90 minutes later, just before 5 a.m., they drove the stolen CR-V to the Sunoco gas station located on the 5300 block of North 5th Street and pulled up next to a 67-year-old man putting air in his car’s tires. Two of the offenders jumped out of the CR-V, both armed with handguns, wearing black clothing and black balaclava masks, and demanded that the victim give up the keys to his 2011 BMW 328i. One of the offenders put a gun to the back of the man’s head and forced him to the ground. When the victim told the males that the key was in the car, one of the carjackers entered the BMW and the other male returned to the Honda CR-V. Both vehicles fled the scene.

    At approximately 5:15 a.m., a 34-year-old man parked his gray 2013 Chevrolet Equinox on the 3300 block of Shelmire Avenue. Two of the carjackers suddenly ran up to the driver’s side of his car and pointed guns at him. As they held the victim at gunpoint, the stolen Honda CR-V drove up. The gunmen ordered the victim to lay on the ground with his face down, and threatened to shoot him if he got up. The offenders then stole the victim’s vehicle and personal possessions, including his wallet, money, watch, and power tools.

    Finally, at approximately 5:45 a.m., the stolen blue CR-V pulled up next to a 54-year-old man pumping gas at the Conoco station on the 5700 block of Rising Sun Avenue. Two of the offenders, both armed with handguns, approached the victim and pointed the guns at his face. After forcing the victim to the ground at gunpoint, one of the carjackers got behind the wheel of the victim’s Honda Accord, and the other male reentered the CR-V. Both vehicles fled in the same direction.

    The defendant will be sentenced on a date to be determined and faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 21 years in prison.

    “Symair Carson-Williams and his co-conspirators thought nothing of terrorizing three innocent victims who’d just been going about their morning,” said Acting United States Attorney Thayer. “People in this city shouldn’t have to live in fear every time they get behind the wheel. That’s why this office and our partners on the Philadelphia Carjacking Task Force are using every tool we have to prosecute the criminals responsible, get them off the street, and make the community safer.”

    “Carson-Williams and his criminal associates terrorized innocent Philadelphians with this triple-carjacking spree using a stolen car, threatening their victims’ lives with guns to their heads – this young man now faces a mandatory minimum 21 years in federal prison,” said Eric DeGree, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF’s Philadelphia Field Division. “Using ATF’s unique forensic and investigative tools with our Carjacking Task Force partners we are bringing criminals like this to justice and making Philadelphia’s streets safer.”

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

    The case was investigated by the ATF and the Philadelphia Police Department and is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Branwen McNabb O’Donnell and Brian Doherty.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: St. Francis Men Sentenced to Federal Prison for Arson and Burglary of a Home

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

    PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced two St. Francis, South Dakota men in a case that involved charges of Arson and Third-Degree Burglary.

    Michael Valandra, Jr., age 28, and Donald Aquallo, Jr., age 26, were indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024.

    On July 24, 2024, Valandra pleaded guilty to Arson. On October 29, 2024, Valandra was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    On December 2, 2024, Aquallo pleaded guilty to Third-Degree Burglary. On March 5, 2025, he was sentenced to one year and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crimes Victim Fund.

    On the evening of January 5, 2024, Valandra and Aquallo broke into an unoccupied residence in St. Francis. Valandra intentionally set multiple fires within the residence, with the intent to burn it down.  The two men then fled the scene on foot. The owner of the residence noticed the fire and called 911, but the residence was completely destroyed. Multiple security cameras in the neighborhood recorded Valandra and Aquallo approaching the residence and then running away shortly before the fire was visible. The offense occurred within the Rosebud Indian Reservation.

    This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

    This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

    Valandra and Aquallo were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service at the conclusion of their individual sentencings.

     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Portsmouth felon sentenced to 15 years in prison for federal drug-trafficking and firearms crimes

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

    NORFOLK, Va. – A Portsmouth man was sentenced today to 15 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

    According to court documents, Steven Frederick James, 51, was a source of supply of firearms and narcotics in the Hampton Roads area.

    On Jan. 3, 2024, James was the source of two firearms sold from James’ vehicle during a controlled buy in an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). During the investigation, ATF learned that James was using three residences to traffic narcotics.

    In late February 2024, law enforcement used a confidential source to conduct a controlled purchase of an amount of cocaine from James through a third party. In early March 2024, law enforcement used a confidential source to conduct another controlled purchase of cocaine, this time directly from James.

    On March 29, 2024, law enforcement conducted searches of three residences associated with James. During a search of an apartment in Newport News, as well as James’ 2012 BMW, investigators recovered two loaded handguns and two cellphones. At an apartment in Newtown Arch, investigators recovered a safe that belonged to James. From the safe and elsewhere in the apartment, law enforcement recovered a kilogram of cocaine, four bags containing 83.74 grams of cocaine, a bag containing 47 tablets of methamphetamine, a loaded handgun, and three digital scales.

    During a search of an apartment in Portsmouth, where James was staying at the time, investigators recovered two handguns, ammunition, firearms magazines, a digital scale, boxes of Narcan, and a safe containing $5,000. James was interviewed and taken into custody.

    James has previous felony convictions, including, among others, for being a felon in possession of a firearm, drug trafficking related offenses, eluding police, and failing to appear in court.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Anthony A. Spotswood, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Washington Field Division; and Ramin Fatehi, Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. The Chesapeake Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department, Newport News Police Department, Virginia Beach Police Department, and Norfolk Police Department assisted in the investigation.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham M. Stolle, an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney with the Norfolk Commonwealth’s Attorney Office, prosecuted the case.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:24-cr-118.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dominican National Pleads Guilty to Misusing Identity of United States Citizen

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant has been using stolen personal identifying information for nearly a decade

    BOSTON – A Dominican national residing in Dorchester pleaded guilty yesterday to illegally using the personal identifying information of a United States citizen, which he used to obtain a driver’s license and United States passport.

    Luis Alison Roa Lara, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement in a U.S. passport application, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of misuse of a Social Security number. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2025. The defendant was arrested and charged in August 2024.

    For nearly a decade, Luis Alison Roa Lara has been using the personal identifying information of a Puerto Rican citizen of the United States. Luis Alison Roa Lara used the misappropriated identifying information to obtain a Massachusetts driver’s license and attempted to use it to obtain a United States passport.

    The charge of false statement in a passport application 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 aggravated identity theft calls for a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutive to any other sentence imposed, up to one year of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of misuse of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The defendant will also be subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence 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 Matthew O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service, Detroit Resident Office; the United States Postal Inspection Service; and the Lorain (Ohio) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Filed More than 100 Border-Related Cases This Week

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California filed more than 100 border-related cases this week, including charges of transportation of illegal aliens, reentering the U.S. after deportation, deported alien found in the United States, and importation of controlled substances.

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

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

    A representative sample of border-related arrests this week, includes:

    • Mexican nationals Isay Edel Ramos-Chaparro and Omar Alvarado-Ignacio were arrested March 4, 2025, by El Centro-based U.S. Border Patrol agents and charged with crimes relating to their alleged attempt to cross illegally into the United States on motorcycles through a breach in the border fence in Mexicali. Both defendants had previously been deported after entering the United States illegally.
    • On March 6, 2025, Jason Kristopher Lowe attempted to enter the United States from Mexico via the San Ysidro Port of Entry driving a BMW X5, bearing California plates.  Lowe was arrested when two individuals, both of whom admitted to being citizens of China without lawful documents allowing them to enter the United States, were found inside a secret compartment in the undercarriage of the BMW.
    • Fernando Medina Rodriguez, Gustavo Camacha Medina and Carlos Cardenas Medina – all drivers of separate tractor-trailers attempting to cross into the U.S. from Mexico at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry – were arrested on March 4, 2025, on drug importation charges. According to a federal complaint, all three were sent to secondary inspection around the same time, where Customs and Border Protection officials found hidden compartments containing a total of approximately 171 pounds of cocaine.

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

    The immigration cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with the support and assistance of state and local law enforcement partners.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Wyoming County corrections officer going to prison for distributing child pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that James D. Sutton, 40, of Depew, NY, who was convicted of distribution child pornography, was sentenced to serve 100 months in prison and 30 years supervised release by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. Vilardo.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Gestring, who handled the case, stated that in October 2021, Sutton, a former Wyoming County Corrections Officer, used his cellular telephone to upload 22 video files containing child pornography, via the internet, to the social media platform Kik. The videos included prepubescent minors under the age of 12 years old, and depictions of violence.

    The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the New York State Police, under the direction of Major Amie Feroleto, the Federal Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.  

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