NewzIntel.com

Category: Security Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dartmouth — Nova Scotia RCMP release annual provincial impaired statistics for 2024

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    As Nova Scotia’s Provincial Police, road safety is a top priority. To keep citizens informed about enforcement on our roadways, the Nova Scotia RCMP is releasing statistics for all RCMP detachments in Nova Scotia for 2024 on drivers charged for driving impaired by drugs or alcohol.

    In 2024, Nova Scotia RCMP charged 1398 drivers with impaired related offences:

    • 695 charged with Impaired Operation of a Conveyance by Alcohol
    • 40 charged with Impaired Operation of a Conveyance by Drug (18 more awaiting lab results)
    • 166 charged with Refusal of a Demand Made by a Peace Officer
    • 479 issued driving suspensions for Impaired Operation.

    “Public education and awareness campaigns have been ongoing for many years, and still almost 1400 people were caught committing impaired driving offences in 2024,” says Constable Bryan Martell with the RCMP’s Southeast Traffic Services.

    Every year the Nova Scotia RCMP participates in MADD Canada’s Candlelight Vigil, remembering and honouring the victims and survivors of impaired driving.

    “I encourage everyone to visit MADD Canada’s memorial and tribute website (Tributes – MADD Canada Tributes) to look at the pictures and read the stories,” says Constable Martell. “It is a sobering reminder that these are family members, friends, coworkers – real people whose lives were cut short or otherwise affected by someone’s choice to drive impaired.”

    Remember too that road safety is a shared responsibility. The public is asked to call 911 immediately if you see a driver who is driving erratically or unsafely. Here are some signs of an impaired driver:

    • Driving unreasonably fast, slow or at an inconsistent speed
    • Drifting in and out of lanes
    • Tailgating and changing lanes frequently
    • Making exceptionally wide turns
    • Changing lanes or passing without sufficient clearance
    • Overshooting or stopping well before stop signs or stop lights
    • Disregarding signals and lights
    • Approaching signals or leaving intersections too quickly or slowly
    • Driving without headlights, failing to lower high beams or leaving turn signals on
    • Driving with windows open in cold or inclement weather

    Once you call 911, you will be asked to provide the following, if possible:

    • Your location
    • A description of the vehicle, including the license plate number, colour, make and model
    • The direction of travel for the vehicle
    • A description of the driver if visible.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Sentences Standing Rock Man for 2023 Fatal Shooting

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

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Standing Rock man was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for the fatal shooting of a 39-year-old mother of three.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court documents, on December 30, 2023, Jane Doe and her three minor children returned to the home of Sonny Hannah, 75, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, to collect their personal belongings. An argument between Hannah and Jane Doe ensued, leading to Hannah emerging from his home with a rifle. Hannah shot twice, striking Jane Doe in the head from 20 to 35 feet away, killing her instantly.

    Upon his release from prison, Hannah will be subject to five years of supervised release.

    U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with the assistance of the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary C. Jones is prosecuting the case.

    # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Maryland Man Convicted of Wire Fraud in Hampshire County

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A federal jury has convicted a Maryland man of four wire fraud charges.

    Duane Dixon, Jr., age 35, of Towson, Maryland, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and three counts of wire fraud.  The jury heard testimony that as part of a fraud conspiracy an individual impersonating a landowner contacted a realtor in Winchester, Virginia.  The imposter claimed to have authority to sell a parcel of real estate located in Hampshire County, West Virginia.  Although having no legal rights to the property, the imposter listed the property for sale through the realtor.

    As part of the fraud scheme, deposit information for a bank account belonging to, and controlled by Dixon, a co-conspirator of the imposter, was emailed to a real estate closing agent in an attempt to acquire control of the proceeds from the sham transaction.  The imposter continued to make contact via email in his attempt to have funds wired to Dixon’s bank account. When subsequently contacted by an undercover employee of the FBI, Dixon repeatedly lied about his relationship with the sender of the attempted wire transaction and his knowledge regarding the transactions. Dixon’s fraudulent statements were made with the intent to complete the sham transaction.  The jury determined that the email communications made in furtherance of the scheme constituted separate acts of wire fraud and returned guilty verdicts on three counts of wire fraud count and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

    Dixon faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jarod Douglas and Dan Salem prosecuted the case on behalf of the government.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

    U.S. District Judge Gina M. Groh presided.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Tax Evasion and Wire Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Robert Rahrle Operated a Fake Business Purporting to Send Gift Baskets into Prisons

    SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Robert Rahrle, 34, formerly of Florida and now residing in the Northern District of New York, pled guilty Wednesday to tax evasion and wire fraud. United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman, and Harry Chavis, Jr. Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), made the announcement.

    As part his guilty plea, Rahrle admitted that from 2017 through 2024, he ran a fraudulent online gift basket website called iCare Gifting Solutions LLC.  iCare purported to cater to families of incarcerated individuals, promising to send care packages into prisons.  iCare charged hundreds of customers approximately $50 per gift basket but never sent the gift packages.

    In addition to defrauding iCare’s customers, Rahrle evaded his federal taxes. He self-prepared and filed tax returns for tax years 2017 and 2018 that falsely reported business losses and failed to report hundreds of thousands of dollars of gross receipts.

    Sentencing is scheduled for June 11, 2025. Rahrle faces up to five years in federal prison on the tax evasion charge and up to 20 years in prison on the wire fraud charge, along with a post-imprisonment term of supervised release of up to three years. He also could be fined up to $250,000 or an alternative fine based on his gain or the victims’ losses, owes restitution to the IRS of approximately $175,000 and restitution to the victims of his fraud, and will be required to forfeit a money judgment of $2,000,000 to the United States. A federal district court judge will determine Rahrle’s sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    This case was investigated by IRS-CI, the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and the Criminal Investigation Division of the U.S. Secret Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Gadarian.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts Former OSBI Investigator Of Sexual Abuse Of A Minor

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Jordan Francis Toyne, 36, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of three counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country.

    The jury trial began with testimony on January 21, 2025, and concluded on January 23, 2025, with the guilty verdicts.

    During the trial, the United States presented evidence that Toyne sexually assaulted a minor over a period of time beginning in the Summer of 2020 until 2023, when the victim reached 16 years of age.  The United States also presented evidence that Toyne sexually abused another minor in 2021.

    At the time of the assaults, Toyne served as an investigator with the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) unit.  Toyne resigned from his post prior to the completion of an internal investigation conducted by the OSBI.  The victims were unrelated to Toyne’s official duties with the OSBI.  However, the United States presented evidence Toyne used his specialized knowledge as a Child Crimes Investigator to groom the victims and evade detection of his crimes.

    The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Owasso Police Department, together with cooperation and special assistance from OSBI.

    The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the victim is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in Pittsburg County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation of Oklahoma, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

    The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report.  The sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report.  The defendant was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals pending sentencing.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Paladino and Emily Wittlinger represented the United States.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Five Defendants Sentenced in Options Trading Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ATLANTA – Milan Patel has been sentenced to prison in connection with a years-long market manipulation scheme in which he and his co-conspirators conceived, drafted, and disseminated false rumors about publicly traded companies and then profitably traded on these rumors by purchasing and selling mainly short-term call options.

    “The defendants used their financial acumen to manipulate the securities markets by releasing false information about publicly traded companies,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Our Office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute all forms of securities fraud.”

    “These sentencings should serve as a reminder to anyone attempting to tilt the balance of financial markets in their direction using insider trading, investigating this illegal behavior is a top priority of the FBI and you will be held accountable,” said Sean Burke, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta.

    According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges and other information presented in court: Between approximately October 2017 and January 2020, Milan Patel, Bart Ross, Mark Melnick, Anthony Salandra, and Charles Parrino conspired to trade securities—primarily short-term call options—in large, publicly traded companies based on materially false rumors about those companies that they generated and disseminated. These materially false rumors were intended to increase the price of the securities (both the underlying stock and options).

    Call options are essentially a contract that gives the options’ holder the right, but not the obligation, to buy shares of the underlying stock at a set price per share—the option’s strike price—on or before a set future date (the option’s expiration date). Generally, the holder of a call option benefits when the price of the underlying stock increases. Short-term call options are ones that generally expire within a week.

    Ross, Salandra, and Parrino, were formerly registered brokers with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and were responsible for drafting some of the fraudulent rumors. The conspirators would often refine a proposed rumor by exchanging drafts among themselves using the Trillian instant messaging application.

    Melnick was a day trader and T3 Live Senior Trading Strategist who often provided technical evaluations on whether a particular false rumor would be successful. These rumors were carefully crafted to: (a) appear plausible enough to other market participants to move the price of the underlying security; and (b) move the price of the security in a particular direction—namely move the stock or option price up—so that Patel and the other conspirators could profitably trade on the rumors.

    Patel was responsible for disseminating the rumor via Trillian to multiple accounts, which would in turn result in the false rumor being distributed over one or more market subscription services, including Trade The News, TradeXchange, and Benzinga, as well as various Twitter accounts.

    Before Patel disseminated the rumor, the co-conspirators would acquire a position in the publicly traded company that was the subject of the rumor. The co-conspirators purchased short-term call options often mere seconds before Patel disseminated the rumor. The conspirators often purchased short-term call options because the price of such options is more sensitive than the price of the underlying stock. The conspirators profited from their scheme by selling the options (or other securities) after they increased in price. They would then sell off their positions shortly after the rumor was disseminated and the price of the option or underlying stock had increased.

    In total, the defendants executed more than 500 trades and made $2,651,320 in profits as a result of their fraudulent scheme.

    U.S. District Judge Leigh Martin May sentenced the defendants in the case as follows:

    •Milan Patel, 49, of Cumming, Georgia, was sentenced on January 23, 2025, to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. Patel was convicted on August 20, 2024, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

    •Charles Parrino, 59, of West Palm Beach, Florida, was sentenced on January 17, 2025, to one year and one day in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. Parrino was convicted on September 27, 2022, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud.

    •Mark Melnick, 44, of Marlboro, New Jersey, was sentenced on December 18, 2024, to three years’ probation with the first six months to be served on home confinement. He was also ordered to pay a $4,000 fine. Melnick was convicted on September 21, 2021, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud.

    •Anthony Salandra, 60, of Delray Beach, Florida, was sentenced on December 5, 2024, to three years’ probation with the first six months to be served on home confinement. Salandra was convicted on April 11, 2022, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud.

    •Bart Ross, 60, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced on September 7, 2022, to three years’ probation. Ross was convicted on December 18, 2020, after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities and wire fraud.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex R. Sistla prosecuted the case.

    The SEC is investigating potential civil violations of the U.S. securities laws relating to above-described scheme. In connection with its investigation, the SEC filed separate civil enforcement actions against Patel, Parrino, Melnick, Salandra, and Ross in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

    For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures Final Sentencing of Trio Which Orchestrated a Multi-Million Dollar Tax Evasion Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – The third and final defendant in a complex tax evasion scheme that operated for over a decade was sentenced this week, concluding a case involving millions of dollars in unpaid taxes.

    Stacy Underwood, 53, of Albuquerque, was sentenced to time served, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay over $5.5 million in restitution for her involvement in the scheme.

    David Wellington, 66, of Albuquerque, was previously sentenced to 40 months in prison and ordered to pay over $5.5 million in restitution for his role in devising and operating the tax evasion scheme and is permanently prohibited from running any business advising clients or dealing with the IRS.

    Jerry Shrock, 49, of Meadowview, Virginia, was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $1.5 million in taxes, interest, and penalties.

    According to court documents, between 2005 and 2015, Wellington and Underwood operated National Business Services, LLC, which specialized in creating Limited Liability Companies (LLCs) for clients seeking to evade federal taxes. The pair organized at least 192 LLCs in New Mexico and opened at least 114 bank accounts for these clients.

    Underwood served as the sole signer for 99 of these accounts, allowing clients to conduct financial transactions anonymously. From January 1, 2011, to July 31, 2018, over $40 million was deposited into clients’ accounts nominally controlled by Underwood.

    Shrock had three LLCs formed by National Business Services while undergoing an IRS audit. Between 2011 and 2015, Shrock deposited nearly $4.9 million into a bank account opened for one of his LLCs, concealing over $4.3 million in income without ever filing tax returns.

    U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick, IRS Criminal Investigation’s Phoenix Field Office, made the announcement today.

    IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy Peña is prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Woman Charged With Discharging Firearm During Assault of United States Border Patrol Agent

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that Teresa Youngblut, 21, and who is believed to be from Washington state, has been charged by criminal complaint with one count of using a deadly weapon while assaulting a United States Border Patrol agent, and one count of using and discharging a firearm during and in relation to that assault. Her initial court appearance has not yet been scheduled.

    According to the charging affidavit, during the afternoon of January 20, 2025, a United States Border Patrol agent initiated a traffic stop of a Toyota Prius on Interstate 91 in Coventry, Vermont. The car was occupied by Youngblut and a man who was a citizen of Germany and whose immigration status was in question. Youngblut and her companion had come to the attention of law enforcement a few days earlier when a hotel employee in Lyndonville expressed concern about them being dressed in tactical clothing and protective gear, while also being armed. Law enforcement also observed the couple in the Prius earlier on January 20 at a Walmart parking lot in Newport, Vermont. At that time, the German man was seen wrapping unidentifiable objects with aluminum foil while seated in the vehicle.

    According to the affidavit, during the January 20 vehicle stop, both Youngblut and her companion were armed. During the stop, Youngblut fired her handgun without warning toward at least one of the Border Patrol Agents while outside the vehicle. Her German companion also tried to draw a firearm, and at least one Border Patrol Agent fired his service weapon. The exchange of gunfire resulted in Border Patrol Agent David Maland sustaining fatal injuries. Youngblut and her companion were also shot. The German man was pronounced dead at the scene, and Youngblut was taken to the hospital for medical care.

    The investigation into this incident is ongoing. It is being led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with substantial assistance from the Vermont State Police and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, in coordination with Homeland Security Investigations, United States Border Patrol, the Newport, Vermont, Police Department, and the Orleans County Sheriff’s Department.

    Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher stated: “The events leading to this prosecution tragically demonstrate how the men and women of law enforcement regularly put their lives on the line as they try to keep our communities and our country safe. The United States Attorney’s Office is deeply grateful for those with the courage to do such dangerous work. We intend to honor them, and the memory of Border Patrol Agent Maland, by performing our prosecutorial duties so that justice may be done.” Drescher also commended the investigative collaboration demonstrated by the FBI, Vermont State Police, ATF, and the other agencies involved.

    Craig Tremaroli, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albany Field Office, stated: “Agent Maland bravely served his country as a member of the United States Air Force. He continued that service when he answered the call to protect and serve as a law enforcement officer, making him a shining example of service over self. This arrest proves the FBI, together with our partners, will work diligently to ensure any individual who uses a firearm to assault such a public servant will be brought to justice.”

    “The senseless and tragic killing of a United States Border Patrol agent is a stark reminder of the immense sacrifices law enforcement officers make to protect our nation,” said James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of ATF Boston Field Division. “ATF stands resolute with our partners to bring justice to the individual responsible. Our deepest condolences go out to the agent’s family, colleagues, and all who are grieving this profound loss.”

    Chief United States Border Patrol Agent Robert Garcia stated: “We appreciate all our law enforcement partners’ response to this tragic event as we continue our mission of protecting this nation’s border and ensuring public safety.”

    The United States Attorney’s Office emphasizes that the complaint contains allegations and that Youngblut is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Youngblut faces a maximum prison sentence of life and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years if convicted of the charges in the complaint. The actual sentence, however, would be determined by the District Court with guidance from the advisory United States Sentencing Guidelines and the statutory sentencing factors.

    The prosecutor is Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Lasher. Youngblut is represented by the Office of the Federal Public Defender.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Smuggle Pesticides into the United States

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Ruben Montes of Calexico, California, pleaded guilty in federal court today to conspiring to smuggle and distribute more than $3 million worth of Mexican pesticides and veterinary drugs that are not approved for use in the United States.

    In pleading guilty, the defendant acknowledged that since at least November 2020, he coordinated the smuggling of pesticides and veterinary drugs from Mexico into the United States. Montes also admitted to smuggling the chemicals and drugs into the United States from Mexico himself and distributing them within the United States. The primary pesticides involved were Taktic and Bovitraz, which are not registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for use in the United States. The smuggled veterinary drugs included Tylocet, Terramicina, Tetragent Ares and Catarrol, which are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in the United States.

    Montes admitted that he and others hid the pesticides and veterinary drugs in storage units in Calexico and retrieved them for distribution throughout the United States.

    According to experts at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the active ingredient in the pesticides Taktic and Bovitraz is amitraz, which is toxic to bees, if it is released into hives, and humans when it ultimately ends up in honey, honeycomb, and beeswax. Misuse of amitraz-containing products in beehives can result in exposures that could cause neurological effects and possibly reproductive effects in humans from the consumption of contaminated honey. Signs of neurotoxicity from exposure to amitraz has been documented in multiple animal species, and include central nervous system depression, decrease in pulse rate, and hypothermia.

    “These substances not only threaten the health and safety of our communities but also undermine the integrity of U.S. regulatory safeguards designed to protect consumers and the environment,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Our office is committed to holding accountable those who prioritize profit over public safety.”

    “The defendant’s conduct put consumer’s health and the honeybee industry at risk,” said Benjamin Carr, Special Agent in Charge of the EPA’s criminal enforcement program in California. “The pesticides he distributed were smuggled into the United States from Mexico. The illegal use of amitraz puts adulterated honey in the marketplace and contributes to pest resistance threatening honeybee colonies vital for our food production. The defendant in this case made millions of dollars in ill-gotten gains through the illegal sale of this unregistered pesticide.”

    “Today’s guilty plea is the result of a long-term Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigation, worked in coordination with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), into an organization that conspired to smuggle Mexican pesticides into the U.S.,” said Shawn Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of HSI in San Diego.  “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and bring to justice criminals who introduce substances that threaten the safety of our communities.”

    “The FDA regulates animal drugs as part of its mission to protect the public health, which includes ensuring that prescription animal drugs are lawfully obtained, distributed, and dispensed pursuant to a valid prescription from a licensed veterinarian,” said Special Agent in Charge Charles Grinstead, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations, Kansas City Field Office. “We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who attempt to evade the law.”

    The defendant is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge John A. Houston on April 2, 2025, at 10:00 a.m.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabet Brown from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California and Senior Trial Attorney Stephen Da Ponte from the Environmental Crimes Section, Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

    DEFENDANT                                   Case Number 23CR2377                             

    Ruben Montes                                     Age: 60                                               Calexico, CA

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Conspiracy – Title 18, U.S.C. Section 371

    Maximum Penalty: Five years in prison and $250,000 fine

    INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

    Homeland Security Investigations

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Criminal Investigations Division

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations

    California Department of Toxic Substances Control

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran National Extradited to the United States for Fentanyl Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An indictment was unsealed today charging Honduran national Abner Estrada Cruz, 25, with conspiracy to distribute at least 400 grams fentanyl and seven counts of distributing fentanyl, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

    Estrada Cruz was extradited from Honduras to the United States to face the charges against him.

    The indictment stems from a two-year DEA-led multi-agency investigation into a Honduran fentanyl drug trafficking ring operating out of Honduras, San Francisco, California, and Portland, Oregon. During the course of the investigation, DEA seized more than 16 pounds of fentanyl powder trafficked into the Eastern District of California from Estrada Cruz’s co-conspirators. Those co-conspirators – Yahir Alexander Arteaga Cruz, Carlos Samir Colindrez-Erazo, and Aronis Jose Hernandez Aguilar – have been charged in the same conspiracy by separate indictment in the Eastern District of California in Sacramento (2:24-cr-0246-DAD). Several additional members of the Drug Trafficking Organization were indicted in the District of Oregon in Portland.

    Estrada Cruz acted as the operations manager of the organization, taking orders, arranging deliveries, and helping to run the organization from San Francisco, Portland, and Honduras. He was arrested in Honduras and surrendered to the United States following extradition proceedings.

    This case is the product of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the California Department of Justice Bureau of Investigation Fentanyl Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron L. Desmond is prosecuting the case.

    The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Honduras to secure the arrest and extradition of Estrada Cruz.

    If convicted of the conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, Estrada Cruz faces a maximum statutory penalty of life in prison and a $10 million fine. 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. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. The specific mission of the OCDETF Sacramento Strike Force is to identify, investigate, and prosecute the most significant criminal organizations operating in the Eastern District of California. OCDETF Sacramento Strike Force is composed of agents and officers from DEA, FBI, HSI, IRS-CI, USMS, ATF, USPIS, BLM, USFS, the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office, the California National Guard, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the California Department of Justice, and the Central Valley California HIDTA.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Maryland Man Convicted Of Money Laundering Offenses Related To Computer Intrusions

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – A Maryland man was convicted yesterday for money laundering offenses related to funds that were obtained through unlawful computer intrusions that targeted a victim’s 401(k) retirement plan, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.

    Oladapo Sunday Ogunbiyi, 43, of Bowie, Maryland, was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering, two counts of money laundering, and two counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity.  The jury returned the verdict following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court.

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

    Ogunbiyi conspired with others to launder funds obtained through an unlawful computer fraud scheme in which they obtained unauthorized access to a 401k account belonging to the victim. The co-conspirators then added a bank account belonging to another individual to the victim’s 401k account without the victim’s knowledge or authorization. This account was designated as the account to receive withdrawals from the victim’s 401k account. Thereafter, $246,390 was transferred to the bank account belonging to the account that had been added without the victim’s knowledge or consent.

    Ogunbiyi’s co-conspirator directed that the fraud proceeds be converted into cashier’s checks, which were provided to Ogunbiyi. Ogunbiyi then deposited the cashier’s checks into business bank accounts under his control and withdrew the funds in a series of ATM and counter withdrawals designed to conceal the source of the money, which he used for personal expenditures.

    The counts of money laundering and money laundering conspiracy carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000, or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater. The counts of engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, or twice the value of the property involved in the transaction, whichever is greater. Sentencing is scheduled for July 7, 2025.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents of the FBI, including the FBI’s Cyber Crimes Task Force, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark, with the investigation leading to the charges.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Kober of the Organized Crime/Gangs Unit and Peter A. Laserna of the Bank Integrity, Money Laundering, and Recovery Unit in Newark.

    25-019                                                 ###

    Defense counsel: Jason A. Seidman, Esq., Freehold, New Jersey

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Kidnapper of Alexandria, VA, Couple Sentenced to 108 Months in Federal Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

               WASHINGTON – Robbie Terrell Clark, 27, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 108 months in federal prison for his role in the September 2022 kidnapping and robbery of a pair of victims in Alexandria, Virginia. 

               The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. for the District of Columbia and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division. 

               Clark pleaded guilty on May 21, 2024, before U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson, to one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping. In addition to the 108-month prison-term, Judge Berman Jackson ordered Clark to serve four years of supervised release. 

               According to court documents, Clark and his co-conspirators stalked their intended victims before kidnapping and robbing them at gunpoint inside their Alexandria, Virginia apartment building. On September 2, 2022, the co-conspirators planted a GPS tracking device on one of the victim’s Mercedes, which they used to monitor the victims’ locations.  

               On September 3, 2022, the victims attended a family gathering in Maryland. Seizing the opportunity to catch their victims unaware, Clark and his co-conspirators traveled from Washington, D.C. to Virginia in a stolen white Kia and to the victim’s home, where they laid in wait, armed with guns and carrying zip ties. Clark and his co-conspirators were wearing dark clothing, masks, and latex gloves.

               When the victims returned home later that night, Clark and his co-conspirators ambushed them in their parking garage at gunpoint, stealing two Audemars Piguet watches worth $120,000, another $63,500 worth of jewelry, other clothing, and the keys to a victim’s Mercedes.

               After robbing them, and pistol-whipping them with their guns, Clark and the co-conspirators led the victim couple to one of the victim’s apartments. Inside, the co-conspirators continued to hold the victims at gunpoint and ransacked the residence, demanding money. The co-conspirators were unable to locate any money before a security alarm was triggered and the co-conspirators fled, leaving behind several plastic zip ties. 

               Clark and his co-conspirators fled the apartment building shortly before 2 a.m. on September 4, 2022, in the stolen white Kia and the victims’ Mercedes and returned to the District. Law enforcement found the stolen Mercedes hours later in Maryland with the GPS tracking device still attached. Following a lengthy investigation, Clark was identified as a participant and arrested on August 16, 2023, in Washington, D.C. He has been held since.

               At the time of the incident, Clark had a felony conviction in Maryland for possessing a handgun in a vehicle. 

               Clark’s co-conspirator, Tyree McCombs, pleaded guilty on August 14, 2024, to conspiracy to interfere with interstate commerce by robbery in connection with this offense as well as to a separate kidnapping committed two months later. McCombs is awaiting sentencing.

               This case was investigated by FBI Washington Field Office’s Violent Crimes Task Force. The Fairfax County Police Department assisted with the investigation. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Jones for the District of Columbia.

    22cr377

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Tantallon — Update: RCMP continue search for Murdock “Kyle” MacKinnon

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment continues its search to locate 42-year-old Murdock “Kyle” MacKinnon.

    This morning, RCMP officers received information that MacKinnon’s vehicle, a black Ford Flex with a white top and an Ontario licence plate, may’ve been observed in the Colchester area. When officers arrived at the scene, the vehicle had already left the area.

    MacKinnon, who’s from Tantallon, is described as 6-foot-0 with brown hair.

    With the support from his loved ones, investigators are releasing additional photos of MacKinnon and a stock photo of the Ford Flex. The vehicle driven by MacKinnon also has a silver rack on the roof.

    When someone goes missing, it has deep and far-reaching impacts for the person and those who know them. We ask that people spread the word through social media respectfully.

    Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Murdock “Kyle” MacKinnon is asked to contact the RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment at 902-490-5020 or the police of jurisdiction. To remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free, at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at http://www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app.

    Note to media: A stock photo of the vehicle and photos of MacKinnon are attached.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: California Man Sentenced To 87 Months For Role In $50 Million Wire And Securities Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK, N.J. – A California man was sentenced on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, to 87 months in prison by U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas for his role in a $50 million internet-enabled fraud scheme, Acting U.S. Attorney Vikas Khanna announced.

    Allen Giltman, 59, of Irvine, California, previously pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to a two-count Information charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

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

    Between 2012 and October 2020, Giltman and others engaged in an internet-based financial fraud scheme, which generally involved the creation of fraudulent websites to solicit funds from investors. At times, the fraudulent websites were designed to closely resemble websites being operated by actual, well-known, and publicly reputable financial institutions; at other times, the fraudulent websites were designed to resemble legitimate-seeming financial institutions that did not exist.

    Victims of the fraud scheme typically discovered the fraudulent websites via internet searches.  The fraudulent websites advertised various types of investment opportunities, most prominently the purchase of certificates of deposit, or CDs.  The fraudulent websites advertised higher than average rates of return on the CDs to lure potential victims.

    The fraudulent websites used a variety of means to appear legitimate and to gain and maintain the trust of prospective investors, including by (a) displaying the actual names and logos of real financial institutions;  (b) purporting that the institutions were members of and/or regulated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, or New York Stock Exchange; (c) claiming that deposits made to the institutions associated with the fraudulent websites were FDIC insured; and (d) using FINRA and/or FDIC member identification numbers issued to real financial institutions and real FINRA broker-dealers.

    After discovering one of the fraudulent websites, victims would contact an individual via telephone or email as directed on the sites.  As alleged in the Information, this individual was Giltman.  During his communications with victims of the fraud scheme, Giltman impersonated real FINRA broker-dealers by using their names and FINRA CRD numbers.  Giltman would then provide the victims with applications and wiring instructions for the purchase of a CD.  The funds wired by the victims would then be moved to various domestic and international bank accounts, including accounts in Russia, the Republic of Georgia, Hong Kong, and Turkey.  None of the victims received a CD after wiring the funds.

    To date, law enforcement has identified at least 150 fraudulent websites created as part of the scheme.  At least 70 victims of the fraud scheme nationwide, including in New Jersey, collectively transmitted funds that they believed to be investments in the aggregate amount of at least approximately $50 million.

    * * *

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Salas sentenced Giltman to 3 years of supervised release and ordered forfeiture of numerous assets seized from Giltman at the time of his arrest in 2020.

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) previously filed a civil complaint against Giltman based on the same conduct.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Khanna credited special agents of the FBI under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Terence G. Reilly in Newark.  He also thanked the SEC for the assistance provided by its Enforcement Division.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony P. Torntore, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Cybercrime Unit in Newark.

    25-020                                                              ###

    Defense counsel:

    Nina Marino, Esq. and Jennifer Lieser, Esq, Beverly Hills, California

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Statement from U.S. Attorney Edward Martin

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    “If a judge decided that Jim Biden, General Mark Milley, or another individual were forbidden to visit America’s capital—even after receiving a last-minute, preemptive pardon from the former President—I believe most Americans would object. The individuals referenced in our motion have had their sentences commuted – period, end of sentence.”

    -U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Edward Martin 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Marshals Arrest Memphis Murder Suspect in Arkansas

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Memphis, TN – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) captured a Memphis murder suspect, Styrone Walker, 36, in West Memphis, Arkansas.

    On January 2, 2025, Angelica Taylor was found stabbed to death in a motel in southwest Memphis. The case was investigated by the Memphis Police Department. On January 16, a warrant was issued for the arrest of Styrone Walker. The fugitive investigation was adopted by the USMS Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force (TRVFTF) in Memphis.

    On the morning of January 24, the TRVFTF tracked Walker to the 2000 block of Jackson Heights Cove in West Memphis, Arkansas. With the assistance of the West Memphis Police Department, deputy marshals and task force officers found Walker at the residence and took him into custody without incident. He was transported to the Crittenden County Jail where he is being held pending extradition back to Tennessee.

    The U.S. Marshals Service Two Rivers Violent Fugitive Task Force is a multi-agency task force within Western Tennessee. The TRVFTF has offices in Memphis and Jackson, and its membership is primarily composed of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Shelby, Fayette, Tipton, and Gibson County Sheriff’s Deputies, Memphis and Jackson Police Officers, Tennessee Department of Correction Special Agents and the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Since 2021, the TRVFTF has captured approximately 3,000 violent offenders and sexual predators.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: 12 Indicted in Multi-Million Dollar Business Email Compromise Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Columbia returned a 12-count indictment alleging conspiracy, wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering against 12 individuals for defrauding multiple victims in a nationwide scheme.

    The indictment alleges that the defendants listed below were involved in a business email compromise scheme that defrauded the victims out of millions of dollars. These types of fraud target both companies and individuals.

    • Demani Jawara Bosket, 50, of Saluda
    • Nkem Ajoku 55, of Pflugerville, Texas
    • Walter Clayron Ruff Jr., 51, of Gaston
    • Tanya Lawshawn Bosket, 51, of Saluda
    • Jahbir Rolando Fowle, 45, of Charlotte, North Carolina
    • Anthony Jerome Savage, 46, of Charlotte, North Carolina
    • Micheal Raymond Bevans-Silva, 38, of Savannah, Georgia
    • Carlise Raymion Roland, 32, of Jacksonville, Florida,
    • Daniel Alexander Edwards, 51, of Jacksonville, Florida,
    • Danny Heard II, 41, of Jacksonville, Florida,
    • Raymone Tyshay Scott Sr., 48, of Jacksonville, Florida,
    • Jamian Joshaun Butler, 45, of Jacksonville, Florida,

    The perpetrators of these types of frauds typically employ the use of “spoofed” emails that appear to be the genuine email address of a legitimate business or banking institution. In reality, the email address is a slight variation of the true email address, and the victim is instead communicating with perpetuators of the scheme.

    The indictment alleges that the defendants accessed the victims’ computer systems to monitor email communications for potential financial transactions and bank transfers.  The defendants used this information to identify the victims’ points of contact, financial accounts, communications, and business practices. The defendants then used spoofed emails to impersonate internal personnel, business partners, vendors, or other interested parties. The defendants would then initiate payments or direct financial transfers to bank accounts they controlled. The defendants then shared and intermixed the stolen funds between their own bank accounts, before sending a portion of the money out of the country. The defendants are alleged to have victimized multiple individuals and businesses, including construction companies, private equity firms, title companies, and law firms in South Carolina, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Japan.

    The defendants face a maximum penalty of 30 years imprisonment and fines of $1,000,000. The defendants are scheduled to be arraigned on Feb. 4, 2025, at 10 a.m. before the Honorable Paige J. Gossett.

    The case was investigated by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, and the U.S. Secret Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lothrop Morris and T. DeWayne Pearson are prosecuting the case. 

    All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    ###

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Cushing Man Sentenced to Serve Five Years in Federal Prison after Firearm and Stolen Truck, Log Splitter, and Other Items are Found on Property

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OKLAHOMA CITY – JIM BOB STORY, 49, of Cushing, has been sentenced to serve 60 months in federal prison for illegal possession of a firearm after a previous felony conviction and receiving and concealing stolen property, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    On April 3, 2024, a federal Grand Jury returned a two-count Indictment against Story, charging him with being a felon in possession of a firearm and receiving and concealing stolen property. According to public record, on February 21, 2024, officers with the Sac and Fox Nation Tribal Police Department received information that a stolen vehicle was being kept on Story’s property. After executing a search warrant, authorities recovered a rifle and ammunition, as well as other items previously reported as being stolen out of Cushing including a welder and a log splitter.

    Public record further reflects that Story has a lengthy criminal history that includes felony convictions for second-degree burglary in case number CF-2003-82 and possession of a controlled dangerous substance in case number CF-2002-204, both in Payne County District Court, and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in Lincoln County District Court case number CF-2004-195.

    This case is in federal court because Story is a member of the Sac and Fox Nation and these crimes took place on land held in trust for the Sac and Fox Nation.

    At the sentencing hearing on January 15, 2024, U.S. District Judge Jodi W. Dishman sentenced Story to serve 60 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing her sentence, Judge Dishman noted Story’s extensive criminal history and the need to deter Story from future crimes.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Sac and Fox Nation Tribal Police Department, and the Cushing Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon prosecuted the case.

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information.  

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Fentanyl Death in Indian Country Leads to Lawton Man’s Conviction for Fentanyl Distribution and Drug Conspiracy

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OKLAHOMA CITY – A federal jury has convicted BREON MONTE BELLAMY, 36, of Lawton, Oklahoma, of distribution of fentanyl and drug conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury returned a two-count Superseding Indictment against Bellamy, charging him with distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and drug conspiracy resulting in death. On January 16, 2025, after a four-day trial, a federal jury found Bellamy guilty on the lesser-included offenses of distribution of fentanyl and drug conspiracy. Evidence presented at trial indicated that on August 21, 2023, Bellamy sold fentanyl to Reecy Bench, 22, at a casino in Lawton, Oklahoma.  Bench then gave a portion of the fentanyl to Joanie Wilson, 38, while still at the casino. The federal investigation suggested that some of this fentanyl was then distributed to another Stephens County resident who died of fentanyl and methamphetamine toxicity on August 23, 2023. Both Bench and Wilson have previously pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy and are awaiting sentencing.

    At sentencing, Bellamy faces up to 60 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $2,000,000.

    This case is in federal court, in part, because Bench is a member of the Choctaw Nation, and a portion of the crimes occurred within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Stephens County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lawton Police Department, and demonstrates the importance of the DEA’s “One Pill Can Kill” campaign. More information about “One Pill Can Kill” can be found at https://www.dea.gov/onepill. Further information about the danger associated with fentanyl distribution and use can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16O7TkhFH9k.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kaleigh Blackwell and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Joynes are prosecuting the case.

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Porcupine Man Found Guilty of Shooting Deaths of Girlfriend and Unborn Baby

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted McKenzie Big Crow, age 20, of Porcupine, South Dakota, of Involuntary Manslaughter, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on January 23, 2025.

    The convictions relating to the shooting deaths each carry a maximum penalty of eight years’ imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The firearm conviction carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    A federal grand jury indicted Big Crow in June of 2024 for Second Degree Murder, Unborn Victims of Violence Act, Discharge of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence, and Possession of an Unregistered Firearm.

    On August 20, 2023, near Porcupine, Big Crow was illegally in possession of a Savage Arms Model 62, semiautomatic rifle. The barrel had been sawed off, and the defendant taped components of an Airsoft rifle to the gun to make it appear like an AK-47. Big Crow claimed he put the rifle in a backpack and that the gun discharged when he bumped the bag against a door. The gunshot struck 19-year-old Ashton Provost in the chest, killing her and her unborn child within minutes. The gun was later found hidden under Big Crow’s bed. On the day of the shooting, Big Crow had drugs in his system including marijuana, cocaine, MDMA, and methamphetamine.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant United States Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.

    A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date has been set for April 25, 2025. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Pfizer Agrees to Pay Nearly 60M to Resolve False Claims Allegations Relating to Improper Physician Payments by Subsidiary

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    Note: View the settlement here.

    Pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer), on behalf of its wholly-owned subsidiary Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. (Biohaven), has agreed to pay $59,746,277 to resolve allegations that, prior to Pfizer’s acquisition of the company, Biohaven knowingly caused the submission of false claims to Medicare and other federal health care programs by paying kickbacks to health care providers to induce prescriptions of Biohaven’s drug Nurtec ODT.

    “Through this settlement and others, the government has demonstrated its commitment to ensuring that drug companies do not use kickbacks to influence physician prescribing,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will use every tool at its disposal to prevent pharmaceutical manufacturers from undermining the objectivity of treatment decisions by health care providers.”

    The anti‑kickback statute prohibits offering or paying anything of value to induce the referral of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and other federal health care programs. The statute is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives.

    The settlement announced today resolves allegations that from March 1, 2020, through Sept. 30, 2022, Biohaven paid improper remuneration, including in the form of speaker honoraria and meals at high end restaurants, to health care professionals to induce them to prescribe the migraine medication Nurtec ODT in violation of the anti-kickback statute. The United States alleged that Biohaven selected certain health care providers to be part of the Nurtec speaker bureau and provided them paid speaking opportunities with the intent that the speaker honoraria and meals would induce them to prescribe Nurtec ODT. The government further alleged that certain prescribers who attended multiple programs on the same topic received no educational benefit from attending repeat programs and that certain Biohaven speaker programs were attended by individuals with no educational need to attend, such as the speakers’ spouses, family members, or friends, or colleagues from the speakers’ own medical practice. The United States contends that this conduct persisted until October 2022, when Pfizer acquired Biohaven and terminated the Nurtec speaker programs.    

    “Patients deserve to know that their doctor is prescribing medications based on their doctor’s medical judgment, and not as a result of financial incentives from pharmaceutical companies,” said U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross for the Western District of New York. “This settlement reflects our commitment to hold those who violate the laws accountable, regardless of their status or prestige.”

    “Violations of the anti-kickback statute, such as those alleged in this settlement, can unduly influence prescribers and negatively impact taxpayer-funded health care,” said Deputy Inspector General Christian J. Schrank of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue to collaborate with law enforcement partners to ensure that providers and corporations are held accountable if they attempt to bypass laws meant to protect the integrity of federal health care programs.”

    “Investigating schemes that undermine the integrity of TRICARE, the health care system for military members and their families, is a top priority for the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS),” said Special Agent in Charge Patrick J. Hegarty of the DCIS Northeast Field Office. “Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to work with our partner agencies and the Department of Justice to pursue corporations that attempt to corrupt the TRICARE system.”

    The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Patrica Frattasio, a former sales representative at Biohaven. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. Patricia Frattasio v. Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd., No. 6:21-CV-06539 (W.D.N.Y.). Approximately $50.2 million of the settlement constitutes the federal portion of the recovery and approximately $9.5 million constitutes a recovery for State Medicaid programs. Ms. Frattasio will receive approximately $8.4 million as her share of the federal recovery in this case.   

    The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York.

    Trial Attorney Jessica Sarkis of the Justice Department’s Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney David M. Coriell for the Western District of New York handled the matter.

    The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Nuclear Energy in the Clean Energy Transition

    Source: International Atomic Energy Agency – IAEA

    Dispatchable energy

    Unlike wind and solar, nuclear power plants and hydropower offer dispatchable energy, meaning they are able to adjust their output to meet electricity demand. Additionally, the expanded use of nuclear power for non-electric applications, including district heating, hydrogen production, desalination and heat for industrial processes, offers further options to reduce emissions.

    To support this increasing nuclear energy demand, the IAEA is actively assisting countries by providing technical expertise and capacity building to help them establish or expand nuclear power plants.

    Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Reviews (INIR) are an example where the IAEA assists countries to assess the status of their national infrastructure as they embark on establishing nuclear power plants. INIR missions enable countries to engage in discussions and receive guidance from experts about recommendations and best practices in nuclear power infrastructure development.

    These missions ensure that the infrastructure necessary for the safe, secure and sustainable use of nuclear power is developed and implemented in a responsible and orderly manner.

    In 2009, the IAEA conducted the first INIR Mission to a country initiating the use of nuclear power. Since then, INIR missions have been hosted by various states including the United Arab Emirates, that has successfully established the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant. This year, it is expected to supply around 25 per cent of the UAE’s electricity, up from its current contribution of 20 per cent, reducing the country’s carbon emissions by 22 million tonnes annually.

    Similarly, countries like Sweden, France and Finland have utilized nuclear energy combined with hydro and renewables to largely decarbonize their electricity production.  France has an extremely low level of CO2 emissions from electricity generation, since over 90 per cent of its electricity is from low-carbon sources, 70 per cent of that from nuclear power. And 94 percent of Sweden’s electricity comes from low carbon sources in Sweden with more than a third coming from nuclear, according to the IEA.

    Newcomer countries

    The IAEA is also supporting newcomer countries and developing countries in their transition to nuclear energy, with trainings, technical assistance, and technology transfer of tools and methodologies to help them evaluate the role of different technologies in meeting their future energy needs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. 

    “A few years ago, discussions might have been about phasing out nuclear energy. Today, at the World Economic Forum, we’re on the road to tripling nuclear capacity. This shows a shift in how nuclear energy is increasingly seen as essential for net-zero and energy transition,” said Mr Grossi this week at the first ever public session on nuclear energy at the World Economic forum Annual Meeting in Davos.

    The IAEA’s latest projections indicate that world nuclear capacity will increase 2.5 times the current capacity by 2050. At present, 31 countries operate power plants, with 419 reactors in operation, a combined electrical capacity of 378.1 gigawatt GW, producing about 10 per cent of the world’s electricity.  Additionally, over 62 reactors are currently under construction, highlighting the growing adoption of nuclear energy worldwide.

    “I am confident 2025 will see commitments translated into concrete projects. Nuclear energy is still providing the world with a quarter of its low-carbon power and supporting the roll out of intermittent renewables like solar and wind. In future we will see even more nuclear deliver the clean, reliable, and secure power the world needs. As always, IAEA will be there to assist countries in making it happen,” said Mr Grossi.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Sentence for Illegal Re-entry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HAMMOND –Eulises Yobani Rafael-Garcia, age 28, a citizen of Mexico and resident of Gary, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon following his plea of guilty to  the felony charge of illegal re-entry.

    Rafael-Garcia, who has been in custody since his arrest on April 5, 2024, was sentenced to time served and ordered transferred to the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for removal proceedings.

    According to documents in the case, Rafael-Garcia was previously removed from the United States three times and has a prior conviction for misdemeanor illegal entry.  Additionally, during the investigation, Rafael-Garcia admitted to having previous ties to drug-trafficking organizations.

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with support from the National Park Service Law Enforcement Rangers and assistance from the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the United States Marshals Service, Great Lakes Regional Fugitive Task Force.  This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Sohn.  

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Midlevel leader of drug distribution ring sentenced to 12 years in prison for distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant kept distributing despite knowing fentanyl was causing people to overdose

    Tacoma – A 46-year-old Spanaway, Washington man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to 12 years in prison for his leadership role in a drug distribution ring selling fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Puget Sound region, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Sean Michael Moinette has been in custody since March 2023, in connection with the arrest of over two dozen conspirators, including some with ties to an Aryan prison gangs. At the sentencing hearing Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo said, “the impact [of drug trafficking] on our community is almost immeasurable.”

    “This defendant was deeply involved in distributing drugs, arranging couriers, and seeking various sources of supply. But when confronted with the information that his fentanyl was too strong and causing overdoses, he did not skip a beat and continued to scheme about moving his poison in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Gorman.

    According to records filed in the case, Moinette was identified as a mid-level manager of a drug distribution cell tied to the Aryan Family and Omerta prison gangs. A wiretap investigation in summer of 2022 revealed that Moinette was buying large quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl powder, and fentanyl-laced pills multiple times per week. Moinette continued to distribute large quantities of fentanyl powder even after discussions with his supplier that their customers were “dropping like flies.”

    In other wiretap calls, he discussed using women as “live shipping containers” to transport fentanyl out of state. In sentencing Moinette, Judge Estudillo said, “Talking about using mules and transportation of drugs through airplanes up to Alaska . . . It’s hard to believe that’s just talk.”

    When a drug redistributor was stopped and her car impounded, Moinette was heard on the wire scheming to break into the police impound yard to try to get the drugs out of the vehicle. The break-in did not occur.

    Law enforcement arrested members of the drug distribution conspiracy on March 22, 2023, in a coordinated takedown involving ten swat teams and more than 350 law enforcement officers. On that day alone officers seized 177 firearms, more than ten kilos of methamphetamine, 11 kilos of fentanyl pills and more than a kilo of fentanyl powder, three kilos of heroin, and more than $330,000 in cash from eighteen locations in Washington and Arizona.  Those seizures are in addition to the estimated 223 pounds of methamphetamine, 830,000 fentanyl pills, multiple-pound quantities of fentanyl powder, cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, $338,000 of suspected drug proceeds, and 48 firearms law enforcement seized from members of the conspiracy during the two-year investigation.

    Asking for a 13-year prison sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court that Moinette “continued to distribute fentanyl despite knowing that his fentanyl was having deadly consequences, and he forced his mules to transport this deadly substance using suppositories through the omni-present threat of violence that led one of his couriers to immediately respond “I know” when he threatened to stab her.”

    Moinette is the eighth member of the drug conspiracy to be sentenced. Some defendants have received prison sentences of as much at 13 years in prison. Less culpable defendants have been sentenced to 14-50 months in prison. Drug ringleader Jesse James Bailey pleaded guilty last November and is scheduled for sentencing on February 28, 2025.

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

    This investigation was led by the FBI with critical investigative teamwork from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Washington State Department of Corrections and significant local assistance from the Tacoma Police Department, Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, and the Thurston County Narcotics Task Force, led by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office. Throughout this investigation the following agencies assisted the primary investigators: Washington State Patrol, Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine, Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, Lakewood Police Department, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Max Shiner, Zach Dillon, and Jehiel Baer.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Beloit Man Sentenced to 5 ½ Years for Fentanyl Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Jerry Tate, 52, Beloit, Wisconsin, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to 5 ½ years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl and for possessing 50 grams or more of fentanyl and methamphetamine intended for distribution. Tate pleaded guilty to these charges on October 28, 2024.

    From September 2022 through May 2023, Tate traveled to La Crosse County, Wisconsin, where he stayed at various hotels for days at a time. During that time, he sold methamphetamine and fentanyl to a confidential informant (CI). Over the course of five controlled purchases, Tate sold the CI over 33 grams of fentanyl and over 13 grams of methamphetamine. On May 5, 2023, law enforcement arrested Tate and searched the hotel room where he was staying in Onalaska, Wisconsin. Law enforcement found over 100 grams of fentanyl and methamphetamine, items for drug distribution, and over $1,500 in U.S. currency. Following Tate’s arrest for trafficking fentanyl, he was out on bond for state charges and was arrested again for continuing to traffic fentanyl.

    At sentencing, Judge Peterson found that a lengthy sentence was warranted given the duration of Tate’s fentanyl trafficking and fentanyl’s known toxicity. Judge Peterson also noted that the quantity Tate was dealing went beyond just supporting his own substance abuse, and that Tate’s criminal history demonstrated a potential to reoffend.

    The charges against Tate were the result of an investigation conducted by the La Crosse, Campbell, and Onalaska Police Departments, as well as the La Crosse County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Ayala prosecuted this case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Savage Woman Pleads Guilty for Her Role in $250 Million Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MINNEAPOLIS – A Savage woman pleaded guilty for her role in the fraud scheme that exploited a federally funded child nutrition program during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick.

    According to court documents, Ayan Farah Abukar, 43, and her co-defendants participated in a massive scheme to defraud the Federal Child Nutrition Program by obtaining, misappropriating, and laundering millions of dollars in program funds that were intended as reimbursements for the cost of serving meals to children. The defendants exploited changes in the program intended to ensure underserved children received adequate nutrition during the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than feed children, the defendants enriched themselves by fraudulently misappropriating millions of dollars in Federal Child Nutrition Program funds.

    According to court documents, Abukarwas the founder and executive director of Action for East African People, a non-profit which she enrolled in the Federal Child Nutrition Program under the sponsorship of Feeding Our Future and Sponsor A. Between October 2020 through 2022, Abukar falsely claimed to be serving as many as 5,000 children a day at her various sites in Bloomington, Minneapolis, Savage, and St. Paul. In total, Abukar fraudulently received approximately $5.7 million in fraudulent Federal Child Nutrition Program funds. As part of the scheme to defraud, Abukar also paid more than $330,000 in kickbacks to a Feeding Our Future employee. Abukar spent millions on real estate, including a 37-acre commercial property in Lakeville and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase an aircraft in Nairobi, Kenya.

    Abukar pleaded guilty today in U.S District Court before Chief Judge Schiltz to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

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

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican Citizen Sentenced to 10 Months in Prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HAMMOND – Oscar Valdivia-Salas, age 35, a citizen of Mexico and resident of Merrillville, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Philip P. Simon after pleading guilty to a felony charge of Illegal Reentry, announced Acting United States Attorney Tina L. Nommay.

    Valdivia-Salas was sentenced to 10 months in prison, 1 year of supervised release and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment.

    According to documents in the case, Valdivia-Salas has a previous felony conviction for Illegal Reentry out of the Western District of Missouri and was removed from the United States in 2018.

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Enforcement and Removal Operations.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Emily Morgan.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Delaware Man Sentenced to 135 Months in Federal Prison for Second Conviction Involving Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WILMINGTON, Del. – Melvin Janvier, 37, of Newark, Delaware was sentenced on January 23, 2025, to 135 months in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material (“CSAM”), announced Shannon T. Hanson, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Delaware.  Following his time in prison, he will spend 15 years on federal supervised release.  U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika pronounced the sentence.

    According to court documents, the FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Unit, with the assistance of State of Delaware Probation and Parole, arrested Janvier after an FBI Child Exploitation Task Force investigation indicated Janvier was in possession of and sending CSAM from Janvier’s cellphone through the Internet in July 2021. 

    Law enforcement later found over 2,000 files containing CSAM on Janvier’s phone.  The files found on the device included images and videos of prepubescent minors, to include infants and toddlers, and materials portraying bondage and bestiality.  Janvier had previously been convicted in 2016 in the State of Delaware for possession of and dealing in CSAM and served four years in prison.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Hanson stated, “Our office is committed to protecting children and prosecuting those engaged in the sexual exploitation of minors through the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material.  I wish to thank the FBI and our Delaware law enforcement partners who tirelessly pursed this case.”

    “There is nothing that can excuse Melvin Janvier’s sick behavior. Every one of the more than 2,000 images he possessed re-victimizes a child,” said FBI Baltimore SAC William J. DelBagno. “FBI Baltimore’s Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force is committed to putting predators like Janvier behind bars where they can no longer hurt others.”

    The FBI Baltimore Field Office, with the assistance from the FBI Washington Field Office and the State of Delaware Probation and Parole, investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel S. Frey and Briana Knox prosecuted the case. 

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Delaware. Related court documents and information is located on the website of the District Court for the District of Delaware or on PACER by searching for Case No. 22-CR-78-MN.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the country and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Colombian Narco Trafficker Sentenced to 78 Months for Conspiring to Import Thousands of Kilos of Cocaine into the U.S.

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Aldemar Soto-Charry, 64, a highly ranked member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 78 months in federal prison for conspiring to distribute thousands of kilos of cocaine for importation into the United States. The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. for the District of Columbia, DEA Special Agent in Charge Eugene L. Crouch of the DEA Andean Division, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Veltri of the FBI’s Miami Field Office.

                Soto-Charry, aka “El Ingeniero” (“the Engineer”), pleaded guilty on October 11, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine for importation into the United States and aiding and abetting in the same. As part of the plea agreement, Soto-Charry acknowledged he was accountable for engaging in a conspiracy on behalf of the FARC to transport over 1,000 kilos of cocaine on a regular basis to a Mexican cartel, ultimately knowing that the cocaine would be transported into the United States.

                In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta ordered Soto-Charry to serve four years of supervised release.

                According to court documents, in 2018 the DEA commenced a targeted operation against large-scale drug traffickers in Colombia, including those connected to the FARC. In July 2018,  the DEA learned that Soto-Charry had claimed that FARC leadership was exploring opportunities to launder proceeds of drug sales, including through the purchase of real estate in Panama. The DEA enlisted confidential sources to meet with Soto-Charry and his co-conspirators.

                In October 2018, Soto-Charry was introduced to the CSs, one who posed as an individual with business connections in Panama and the other as a facilitator for large-scale drug transactions with the Mexican Gulf Cartel, which sought thousands of kilograms of cocaine for exportation abroad, including the United States. Soto-Charry detailed the FARC’s illicit business ventures, including laundering $10 million of cocaine proceeds through the construction of a medical clinic in Panama. Soto-Charry said he could organize drug deals using cocaine that was being processed at FARC-controlled cocaine laboratories in the jungles of Colombia. During a later meeting, Soto-Charry said the FARC could provide up to 2,000 kilograms of cocaine every few weeks.

                Between October 3, 2018, and July 25, 2019, the CSs regularly met with Soto-Charry and his co-conspirators to discuss the details of a potential deal for significant quantities of cocaine. During the meetings, Soto-Charry discussed FARC-related drug trafficking activities, cocaine pricing, cocaine purity, drug trafficking routes out of Colombia, and other logistical matters related to large-scale cocaine sales. As part of these discussions, Soto-Charry’s co-conspirators ultimately helped deliver a five-kilogram sample of cocaine and discussed how to transport it to the U.S.

                Soto-Charry was arrested in Colombia on August 8, 2019, and extradited to the United States on August 9, 2024. In his plea agreement, he accepted responsibility for conspiring to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of cocaine. He has been in custody since the date of his arrest in Colombia.

                His co-defendant Mauricio Mazabel-Soto was sentenced to 73 months. Co-defendant Alfredo Molina-Cutiva received a sentence of 70 months.

                This case was investigated by the DEA and FBI. The Colombian Attorney General’s Office, specifically the Dirección Especializada contra el Narcotráfico, also provided valuable assistance. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Iris McCranie and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ernesto J. Alvarado of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses (VRTO) Section. Valuable assistance was also provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin L. Rosenberg, who indicted and previously handled the case.

    19cr233

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Law Enforcement Cooperation Between United States and Mexico Leads to Mexican Takedown of Significant Fentanyl Trafficker

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TUCSON, Ariz. – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona announced today that extensive bilateral cooperation between the United States and Mexico resulted in Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office, Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), conducting a significant enforcement operation last week in Nogales, Sonora to dismantle a prolific transnational drug trafficking organization operating along the U.S.-Mexico border. The operation resulted in the arrest of two individuals in Mexico including the leader of the organization, Heriberto Jacobo Perez, and another member of the organization, Jesus Bernardo Rodriguez. Mexican authorities also seized four vehicles, two buildings, two firearms currency, a large number of fentanyl pills, and other controlled substances.  

    Six U.S.-based coordinators and operators with alleged ties to the same drug trafficking organization have been indicted. Rafael Alonso Arriaga, Fernando Garcia-Ibarra, Socorro Rascon, Emmanuel Sotelo-Salazar, Jostan Nathanae Vega-Ochoa, and Rosa Elena Peralta-Marrufo, were indicted by a federal grand jury on drug trafficking charges on July 24, 2024. Sotelo-Salazar was also indicted for the possession and distribution of a foreign pill press to fabricate fake pills.  Garcia-Ibarra and Vega-Ochoa remain fugitives. Another member of the organization, Eva Angelina De La Torre, was arrested on November 19, 2024, after she was caught attempting to smuggle fentanyl pills into the United States at the Mariposa Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona.

    “Dismantling transnational crime requires cross-border cooperation,” said United States Attorney Gary Restaino.  “This is simply tremendous work by career civil servants with the Department of Justice in coordinating efforts with Mexican prosecutors to take down this criminal organization on both sides of the border.”

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

    Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) – Nogales led the investigation in the United States, working in concert with Homeland Security Investigations – Nogales, the United States Marshals Service, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Support by DEA-Mexico City, and FGR’s Agencia de Investigación Criminal was critical in providing coordination between United States and Mexican law enforcement agencies. Through funding support from the Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, the Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training provided valuable assistance. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Tucson, is prosecuting the seven individuals named above.
     

    CASE NUMBER:           CR-24-04681-TUC-JGZ
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-110_Heriberto Jacobo Perez, et al.

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    For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
    Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

    2025-110_Heriberto Jacobo Perez, et al.

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