NewzIntel.com

Category: Security Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Security: North Battleford  — North Battleford CRT-GTF seize firearms, cocaine and methamphetamine

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    On October 22, 2024 at approximately 9:15 p.m., Saskatchewan RCMP’s North Battleford Crime Reduction Team – Gang Task Force (CRT-GTF) executed search warrants at two residences, one on 109 street and one on 110 street in North Battleford, SK. The warrants were executed as part of an ongoing drug trafficking investigation.

    At the residences, officers located and seized a loaded handgun, a rifle, approximately 81 grams of methamphetamine, approximately 58 grams of crack cocaine, ammunition, a sum of cash and drug trafficking paraphernalia.

    As a result of investigation, two adult males and an adult female were arrested at the residences.

    21-year-old Enricko Thompson from North Battleford is charged with:

    • one count, possession of a firearm when knowing possession unauthorized, Section 92(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession of restricted firearm/prohibited weapon with ammunition without license/registration, Section 95(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, unsafe storage of firearms, Section 86(2), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, Section 88(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession of property obtained by crime less than $5000, Section 354(1)(a), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine, Section 5(2), Controlled Drugs and Substances Act; and
    • one count, possession for the purpose of trafficking – methamphetamine, Section 5(2), Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

    39-year-old Justin Fraser from North Battleford is charged with:

    • one count, possession of a firearm when knowing possession unauthorized, Section 92(1), Criminal Code;
    • one count, unsafe storage of firearms, Section 86(2), Criminal Code;
    • one count, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, Section 88(1), Criminal Code; and
    • one count, possession for the purpose of trafficking – methamphetamine, Section 5(2), Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

    20-year-old Chloe Bates was arrested on an outstanding warrant from Battlefords RCMP for charges including failure to comply with probation order and failure to appear in court.

    Enricko Thompson and Justin Fraser appeared in court in North Battleford on October 24.

    Saskatchewan RCMP’s Critical Incident Response Team and Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) Tactical Support Unit assisted in this investigation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Chicago Rapper Lil Durk Arrested on Complaint Alleging He Ordered Murder Attempt that Resulted in Fatal Shooting Near Beverly Center

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – A Grammy Award-winning Chicago rapper has been arrested on a federal criminal complaint alleging he conspired with others to murder a rival rapper, resulting in a shooting and murder that took place at a gas station near the Beverly Center shopping mall in Los Angeles in August 2022 – an attack that resulted in a family member of the rival being shot and killed, the Justice Department announced today.

    Durk Banks, 32, a.k.a. “Lil Durk,” was arrested near Miami International Airport late Thursday on a complaint charging him with conspiracy to use interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death.   

    He made his initial appearance this afternoon in United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida and remains in federal custody. His arraignment is expected to occur in Los Angeles federal court in the coming weeks.

    “Mr. Banks is charged with orchestrating a cold-blooded murder that resulted in the death of a rival’s family member,” said United States Attorney Martin Estrada. “Not only that, the shooting occurred in the open, at a gas station at a busy intersection, endangering many others in the area. Violent gun crime of this sort is devastating to our community and we will have zero-tolerance for those who perpetrate such callous acts of violence.” 

    “The apprehension of Mr. Banks as he attempted to leave the United States is once again proof that the FBI and our extraordinary partners at the Los Angeles Police Department have a long reach” said Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office. “No excuse can justify this violent act and let me be clear: While you’re going about your life, thinking you ‘got away with it,’ the FBI is piecing together the facts that will serve as your undoing.”

    “Cases like these that span multiple states and jurisdictions are complicated and can oftentimes only be resolved through the collaboration of multiple departments,” said Los Angeles Police Chief Dominic Choi. “This arrest is the culmination of the combined efforts of our partners in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the FBI, and LAPD’s Operation West Bureau Homicide detectives who discovered that Durk D a.k.a. Lil Durk was involved in this heinous murder. The hundreds of hours spent on the investigation included surveillance, authoring numerous search warrants, using forensic technology, and tireless investigative travel and collaboration alongside our federal partners led to this arrest. I am appreciative of the dedication of those involved.”

    According to the complaint filed Thursday night, Banks is the leader of the Chicago-based rap collective known as “Only the Family” or “OTF.” Law enforcement believes OTF also acts as a group of individuals who engage in violence – including murder and assault – at Banks’ direction and to maintain their status in OTF.

    Banks feuded with a victim, identified in court documents as “T.B.” The feud stemmed from a November 6, 2020, murder in which an associate of T.B. shot and killed an OTF rapper named Dayvon Bennett, a.k.a. “King Von.” Bennett and Banks were close friends. 

    In response to Bennett’s murder, Banks allegedly put a bounty on T.B.’s life.

    On August 19, 2022, several OTF members and associates used two vehicles and worked in tandem to track, stalk, and attempt to murder T.B. for hours, culminating in a shooting at a gasoline station located near the Beverly Center mall. The co-conspirators fired at least 18 rounds at T.B.’s vehicle, striking and killing a victim identified in court documents as “S.R.,” who was T.B.’s family member who had been traveling with T.B.

    Banks allegedly ordered T.B.’s murder and the hitmen used money from Banks and OTF-related finances to carry out the hit. Bank and flight records show that an OTF member and close associate of Banks coordinated and paid for five co-conspirators to travel from Chicago to California on the day before the murder. Around the time the one-way flights were purchased, Banks told the OTF associate booking the flights, “Don’t book no flights under no names involved wit [sic] me.”

    The same day the hitmen traveled from Chicago to California, Banks also traveled to California in a private jet with another conspirator, Kavon London Grant, 28, a.k.a. “Cuz” and “Vonnie.” Later that day, Grant allegedly purchased ski masks for the shooters to use to commit the murder and paid – using a credit card in Banks’ name – for the other co-conspirators’ hotel room.

    On Thursday morning, federal and local law enforcement in the Chicago area arrested Grant and four other defendants charged in a four-count federal grand jury indictment alleging their roles in the murder-for-hire plot. After law enforcement made the arrests and executed search warrants in Chicago, the FBI learned that Banks had been booked on three international flights scheduled to leave the United States on Thursday. When banks arrived near one of the departing airports – in Miami, specifically – law enforcement personnel arrested him.

    In additional to Grant, the defendants charged in the separate indictment, which a grand jury returned on October 17, are:

    • Deandre Dontrell Wilson, 33, a.k.a. “DeDe,” of Chicago;
    • Keith Jones, 33, a.k.a. “Flacka,” of Gary, Indiana;
    • David Brian Lindsey, 33, a.k.a. “Browneyez,” of Addison, Illinois; and
    • Asa Houston, 36, a.k.a. “Boogie,” of Chicago.

    These four defendants along with Grant are charged with one count of conspiracy, one count of use of interstate facilities to commit murder-for-hire resulting in death, and one count of using, carrying and discharging firearms and a machine gun and possession of such firearms in furtherance of a crime of violence resulting in death. Jones faces and additional count of possession of a machine gun.

    These defendants made their initial appearances on Thursday in the Northern District of Illinois and are expected to be arraigned in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles in the coming weeks. 

    A complaint and indictment contain allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty in court.

    If convicted, Banks and the five defendants charged in the separate indictment each would face a statutory maximum sentence of life in federal prison.

    The FBI and the Los Angeles Police Department are investigating this matter. 

    Assistant United States Attorneys Ian V. Yanniello of the General Crimes Section and Daniel H. Weiner of the International Narcotics, Money Laundering, and Racketeering Section are prosecuting this case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Saskatchewan  — Saskatchewan RCMP asks public to report sightings of Brenden Yew

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Saskatchewan RCMP’s Warrant Enforcement and Suppression Team (WEST) and the Offender Management Unit are asking members of the public to report sightings of 29-year-old Brenden Yew.

    Earlier this month, Saskatchewan RCMP received a report that a male failed to report to a probation officer after he was released from custody. Further investigation determined he was not complying with a court-ordered 24-hour electronically-monitored curfew, nor residing at his court-approved address.

    As a result of investigation, Saskatchewan RCMP has charged Brenden Yew of Meadow Lake, SK with three counts, fail to comply with release order condition, Section 145(5)(a), Criminal Code. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

    WEST and other Saskatchewan RCMP units are actively working to locate him and ask the public to immediately report all sightings of Brenden Yew or information on his whereabouts.

    Brenden Yew is described as 5’10” and approximately 220 lbs. He has brown eyes and black hair. He has flowers tattooed on his right hand and a rosary tattooed on his left arm.

    Investigators have reason to believe Brenden Yew could be in the Edmonton, Meadow Lake, Beauval, Canoe Narrows, and Flying Dust First Nation areas, but his current whereabouts are unknown.

    If you see Brenden Yew, do not approach him.

    Report sightings or information on his whereabouts to your local police service. You can reach your local RCMP detachment by dialling 310-RCMP (7267) and information can also be submitted anonymously by contacting Saskatchewan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or http://www.saskcrimestoppers.com.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Meadow Lake — Meadow Lake RCMP CRT seizes illicit drugs, firearms during search

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    On October 20, 2024, Saskatchewan RCMP’s Meadow Lake Crime Reduction Team (CRT) conducted a search of a residence in Meadow Lake, SK as part of an ongoing investigation.

    During a search of the residence, officers located and seized 500 grams of methamphetamine, 68 grams of cocaine, four modified firearms (two of which are prohibited and one that was loaded), ammunition, a significant sum of currency and drug trafficking paraphernalia. An adult male was arrested at the scene.

    As a result of investigation, 36-year-old Lindsay Bouvier of Meadow Lake is charged with:

    • one count, possession for the purpose of trafficking – cocaine, Section 5(2), Controlled Drugs and Substances Act;
    • one count, possession for the purpose of trafficking – methamphetamine, Section 5(2), Controlled Drugs and Substances Act;
    • one count, possession of weapon for dangerous purposes, Section 88(1), Criminal Code;
    • two counts, possession of restricted firearm/prohibited weapon with ammo without licence/registration, Section 95(1), Criminal Code;
    • two counts, unsafe storage of firearms, Section 86(2), Criminal Code;
    • two counts, possession of a firearm when knowing possession unauthorized, Section 92(1), Criminal Code;
    • four counts, weapons possession contrary to order and fail to surrender authorization Section 117.01(1), Criminal Code;
    • three counts, fail to comply with release order condition, Section 145(5)(a), Criminal Code; and
    • one count, possession of property obtained by crime less than or equal $5,000, Section 355(b), Criminal Code.

    He appeared in Meadow Lake Provincial Court on October 23, 2024. He will make his next appearance on October 28, 2024.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Speaks at AFCEA’s TechNet Indo-Pacific Conference

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    HONOLULU, Hawaii  –  

    Adm. Samuel J. Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, speaks at AFCEA’s TechNet Indo-Pacific in Honolulu, Oct. 24, 2024. 

    Part of a three-day conference by AFCEA International and AFCEA Hawaii, the event focuses on new and complex challenges facing a joint multi-domain environment, emerging and evolving technology capabilities, and the potential impact of regional defense issues on industry and government with an emphasis on varied perspectives from across the region. 

    Cyber military representatives from USINDOPACOM, Defense Information Systems Agencies Pacific Command and U.S. Pacific Fleet, among others, participated in panels and demonstrations on innovation and implementation of cyber throughout the region, to include rapid deployment of trusted networks and private 5G in compromised environments, synchronizing and integrating cyber effects in defense, leveraging AI as essential force multiplier, and challenges to a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific.

    Throughout events, leaders emphasized the continued importance of leading, training, and cultivating signal and cyber teams for competition and conflict.

    USINDOPACOM is committed to enhancing stability in the Indo-Pacific region by promoting security cooperation, encouraging peaceful development, responding to contingencies, deterring aggression and, when necessary, fighting to win. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Investigation under way following stabbing in Dagenham

    Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police

    An investigation is under way following a stabbing in Dagenham.

    Police were called at approximately 17:35hrs on Friday, 25 October to reports of three people injured in First Avenue, Dagenham.

    Officers, London Ambulance Service and London’s Air Ambulance attended.

    A woman, believed to be aged in her 30s, and two children, a girl believed aged eight and a boy believed aged two, were found suffering stab injuries – they have been taken to hospital for treatment.

    We await a condition update for the woman and the two-year-old boy. The eight-year-old girl’s injuries are not life threatening.

    A man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. He was also taken to hospital after being taken unwell. After being assessed he has been discharged into police custody.

    Detective Superintendent Lewis Basford, responsible for policing in Barking and Dagenham, said:

    “This is a truly shocking attack and I want to thank local residents for their assistance and patience while we deal with this incident.

    “At this early stage, we believe those involved were known to each other and we are not looking for anyone else in connection with this incident.

    “A crime scene will remain in place for some time while our officers carry out vital work and you will see an increased policing presence in the area over the coming days. If you have any concerns or information that could assist police then please speak to an officer or call police on 101.”

    Anyone with information is asked to call 101 or ‘X’ @MetCC and quote CAD5931/25Oct. You can also provide information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Preliminary Injunction Entered in Justice Department Suit to Stop Virginia’s Systematic Removal of Voters from Registration Rolls

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    Virginia is Required to Stop Removals Between Now and Election Day and Must Return Unlawfully Canceled Voters to the Voter Rolls

    A federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia has entered an order requiring the Commonwealth of Virginia to cease a program to remove voters from Virginia’s voting rolls between now and the Nov. 5 general election. The court further ordered the Commonwealth to issue guidance to all Virginia general registrars to immediately restore voters whose registrations were canceled because of the program unless those voters requested removal or are subject to removal for other reasons.

    The department filed a lawsuit against the Commonwealth of Virginia, its State Board of Elections and its Commissioner of Elections on Oct. 11 alleging that the Commonwealth’s voter list maintenance program, as announced by Virginia’s Governor on Aug. 7, violated Section 8(c)(2) of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) by conducting a program intending to systematically remove ineligible voters within 90 days of a federal election. The court’s order requires the Commonwealth of Virginia to send a remedial mailing to each registrant canceled as part of the voter removal process who has not submitted a request to be removed from the voter rolls and alert these voters that they have been returned to the voter rolls.

    The injunction also requires the Commonwealth to ensure that affected voters are notified that their inclusion in the Commonwealth’s wayward removal program does not establish their ineligibility to vote or subject them to criminal prosecution for registering to vote or for voting. The remedial mailing ordered by the court must advise all registrants canceled as part of the voter removal process that if they are a U.S. citizen and otherwise meet voter qualifications, they have the right to vote.

    Individuals who are eligible voters and believe that they may have been wrongly removed from the voter rolls as a result of Virginia’s — or any other state’s — systematic removal process should contact the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section through the internet reporting portal at http://www.civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931. More information about voting and elections, including guidance documents on the NVRA and other statutes, is available at http://www.justice.gov/voting. Learn more about the NVRA and other federal voting laws at http://www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section. Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted at http://www.civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: McLaughlin Man Sentenced for Assault

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ABERDEEN – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on October 21, 2024.

    Ronald Long Feather, 25, was sentenced to 34 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    Long Feather was indicted by a federal grand jury in November of 2023. He pleaded guilty on July 23, 2024.

    Shortly before 7:00 p.m. on March 9, 2023, in McLaughlin, which lies within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, a belligerent and intoxicated man hurled a plastic snow shovel at Long Feather’s front door, damaging the screen. Long Feather, heavily intoxicated himself, stepped outside and confronted him on the stoop. During the ensuing scuffle, Long Feather stabbed the man in the neck. The man fled on foot to his uncle’s home, who turned him away, opining the blood would scare the children. No one called 911. The man wandered the snow-covered streets of McLaughlin until Good Samaritans rendered aid and called for an ambulance. The man’s heart stopped twenty minutes before reaching the Mobridge Hospital. Resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

    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 FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

    Long Feather was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sioux Falls Man Found Guilty of Attempted Enticement of a Minor and Sex Trafficking of a Child

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SIOUX FALLS – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Gerber David Santos Gonzalez, age 25, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet and Sex Trafficking of a Child by Force or Coercion following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Sioux Falls. The verdict was returned on October 23, 2024.

    The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, up to life of supervised release, and a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    Santos Gonzalez was indicted by a federal grand jury in April of 2024.

    Santos Gonzalez used his cell phone and the Facebook Messenger app to try to convince who he believed was a 15-year-old girl to have a sexual encounter with him and offered her $100 to do so. The 15-year-old girl was actually an undercover law enforcement officer. Santos Gonzalez arranged to meet the 15-year-old girl persona at a park in Sioux Falls, where he was apprehended by authorities and taken into custody.

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

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Sioux Falls Police Department, Watertown Police Department, Tea Police Department, Rapid City Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case.

    A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Calera Resident Sentenced To 25 Years For Child Exploitation Crimes

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Ryan John Capps, age 25, of Calera, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 300 months in prison for one count of Coercion and Enticement, and 300 months in prison for one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child/Use of a Child to Produce a Visual Depiction.  Capps was also sentenced to 180 months in prison for one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country.  The sentences were ordered to be served concurrently.

    The charges arose from an investigation by the Durant Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    On May 1, 2024, Capps was found guilty of the charges by a federal jury.  According to investigators, in the autumn of 2022, while employed as a teacher and coach at Durant Middle School, Capps enticed a minor student to produce child sexual abuse material and engage in sexual activity.  The crimes occurred in Bryan County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation of Oklahoma, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

    “This defendant abused his position of trust as a teacher and coach by sexually exploiting a student he was supposed to protect,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater.  “I’m grateful for the dedicated efforts of the FBI, the Durant Police Department, and the US Attorney’s Office to remove this predator from the lives of innocent children through the justice system.”

    “The defendant violated the trust placed in him as a teacher in order to exploit the victim for his own prurient interests,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson.  “The jury’s verdict and the sentences imposed by the Court are a resounding message that those who commit these deplorable acts will be subjected to the justice system and severely punished.”

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.

    We encourage anyone who suspects or has information regarding child sexual exploitation, trafficking of minors, sextortion, child pornography, or any other means of child exploitation to immediately contact law enforcement.  You can file a report on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)’s website at http://www.cybertipline.com, call 1-800-843-5678, contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324), or call 877-4-HSI TIP.

    The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing in Muskogee.  Capps will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve a non-paroleable sentence of incarceration.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Jessie K. Pippin and Jessica Bove represented the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Customs and Border Protection Officer Sentenced for Receiving Bribes to Allow Drug-Laden Vehicles and Unauthorized Immigrants to Enter the U.S.

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SAN DIEGO – Former U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer Leonard Darnell George was sentenced in federal court today to 23 years in prison for accepting bribes to allow unauthorized migrants and vehicles containing methamphetamine and other illicit drugs to pass through the border into the U.S.

    “What’s important to remember about the story of Leonard George is that his corruption was discovered and defeated.” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “Our commitment to the integrity of the badge brought justice to a corrupt officer in this case who will spend decades behind bars.”

    “Public corruption as in this case is the betrayal of trust that erodes the foundation of the very principals of law enforcement and undermines the public’s perception of those held to a higher standard,” said Shawn Gibson, special agent in charge for HSI San Diego. “Today’s sentencing is a result of HSI’s commitment to investigating transnational criminal organizations and holding all individuals that aid these criminals accountable for their actions. The success of this multiagency investigation is due to everyone’s commitment of honor and integrity.”

    “Mr. George should have used his position of authority and trust to protect the United States; however, he used it for his own financial gain,” said FBI San Diego Special Agent in Charge Stacey Moy. “The entire law enforcement profession is tarnished when an officer betrays the oath to protect and serve. The FBI will always vigorously and relentlessly investigate anyone who violates that sacred oath.”

    “CBP does not tolerate misconduct within its ranks,” said Special Agent in Charge Elizabeth Cervantes of CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility, San Diego Field Office. “OPR’s efforts in this case and this latest court decision are a testament to CBP’s commitment to preserving the honor of its overwhelmingly professional workforce, and to its core values of Vigilance, Integrity, and Service to country.”

    Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., said, “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that federal employees who violate the law will be held accountable. DHS Office of Inspector General is grateful for our continued partnership with our law enforcement partners as we fight corruption along the Southern Border.”

    During the trial, several witnesses testified that George agreed to allow drug-laden vehicles to enter the U.S. through his lane in late 2021. George would notify members of a drug trafficking organization when he was at work, what lane he was on, and that they had one hour to reach his lane. However, in February 2022, after an alert placed by law enforcement agents on a suspected drug smuggling vehicle was flagged entering George’s Lane, George was forced to send the vehicle to secondary inspection, later revealing approximately 222 pounds of methamphetamine.

    Undeterred, George allowed a second drug-laden vehicle affiliated with the drug trafficking organization and traveling directly behind the flagged vehicle to enter the U.S. with over 200 pounds of drugs. Text messages sent by George the following day reveal he received approximately $13,000 for the vehicle he allowed to enter the U.S. On the same day he received his bribe payment, George purchased a 2020 Cadillac CT5 for an associate of the drug trafficking organization as a gift. George delivered the Cadillac CT5 to the associate in Ensenada on Valentine’s Day.

    Over the course of six months, George continued to allow vehicles containing undocumented individuals to enter the U.S. through his lane. George repeatedly omitted passengers and the true names of drivers coming through his lane, instead entering the names of others to conceal his criminal activities. Law enforcement agents and prosecutors identified approximately 19 crossings associated with the criminal organizations during the six-month time period. Text messages confirmed George agreed to allow vehicles through his lane for $17,000 per vehicle, $34,000 for two vehicles, $51,000 for three vehicles, or $65,000 for four vehicles. One text message confirmed that George received $68,000 after he allowed four vehicles from one organization to enter his lane in June 2022.

    Testimony from a witness confirmed that George purchased vehicles, motorcycles, and jewelry with the proceeds of his illicit activities. Additionally, on George’s days off, he travelled to Tijuana to visit Hong Kong Gentlemen’s Club where he spent approximately $5,000 per trip. He would stand on the second level of the club and throw cash over the balcony to the dancers below, “showering” them with money. He would also buy bottles of alcohol, and occasionally gifts, for dancers.

    The extent of George’s relationship with traffickers revealed itself when prosecutors admitted a photograph of one of George’s trafficking associates taking a selfie in George’s CBP uniform jacket.

    The case was tried and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bianca Calderon-Peñaloza and Brandon J. Kimura.

    DEFENDANT                                Case Number 23CR1291

    Leonard Darnell George                  Age: 42                          San Diego               

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES                                   

    Receiving Bribe by Public Official – Title 18, U.S.C., Section 201

    Maximum penalty: Fifteen years in prison

    Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances – Title 21 U.S.C., Sections 952, 960, 963

    Maximum penalty: Life in prison with a 10-year mandatory minimum

    Bringing in Certain Aliens for Financial Gain – Title 18 U.S.C., Section 371, Title 8 U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii)

    Maximum Penalty: Ten years in prison

    Bringing in Certain Aliens for Financial Gain – Title 18 U.S.C., Section 371, Title 8 U.S.C., Section 1324(a)(2)(B)(ii)

    Maximum Penalty: Ten years in prison

    INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

    Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

    Department of Homeland Security – Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG)

    Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

    Customs and Border Protection – Office of Professional Responsibility (CBP OPR)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Special Police Officer Arrested on Indictment Charging Unreasonable Use of Force

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant Allegedly Punched and Kicked a Detained Person Without Legal Justification

                WASHINGTON – Ehren Fluellyn, 36, of Temple Hills, Maryland, was arrested today on a one-count federal indictment charging him with violating the constitutional rights of a detained citizen on April 12, 2023, announced United States Attorney Matthew M. Graves and FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge David Geist of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division. 

                According to the indictment, on April 12, 2023, while acting under color of law as a special police officer employed by Capital City Protection Solutions, Fluellyn willfully deprived a person of a right or privilege secured and protected by the Constitution and the laws of the United States; specifically, the right to be from the use of unreasonable force by a law enforcement officer. Fluellyn allegedly assaulted the victim by kicking, punching, and striking the victim, without legal justification, resulting in bodily injury.

                Deprivation of rights under color of law involving bodily injury carries a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes. The sentencing will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

                This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Truscott, of the Fraud, Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tampa Man Indicted For Series Of Robberies In Polk, Marion, And Hillsborough Counties

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the  unsealing of an indictment charging Malcolm Green (29, Tampa) with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, Hobbs Act robbery, and use of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence. If convicted on all counts, Rodriguez faces a maximum penalty of life in federal prison. 

    According to court documents, on May 27, 2024, Green and others robbed a convenience store in Brooksville, stealing approximately $8,000 worth of cigarettes. The following month, on June 24, 2024, Green and others robbed a retail store in Ocala, and another in Brooksville. 

    On June 28, 2024, Green entered a drugstore in Tampa wearing a black hoodie, blue medical mask, and black clothing. He walked behind the counter and lifted his shirt, displaying a pistol with an extended magazine to the clerk. After filling the bag with cigarettes, Green jumped the counter and fled in a sedan. 

    Within two hours of the drugstore robbery, ATF agents and deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office found the sedan used in the commission of the robberies in the parking lot of a store in Tampa. A traffic stop was conducted, and Green attempted to escape, driving onto the sidewalk in front of the business and striking a building column before being taken into custody.

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Diego F. Novaes.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal prosecutors stand ready to address voting rights concerns or election fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HOUSTON – Two Assistant U.S. Attorneys will lead the efforts of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Texas (SDTX) in connection with early voting in Texas, which runs through Nov. 1, and the upcoming Nov. 5 general election, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

    Civil Chief Daniel Hu has been appointed to serve as the election officer for civil matters, while Deputy Criminal Chief Sharad Khandelwal is the criminal election officer. In their capacities, both are responsible for overseeing the SDTX’s handling of election related complaints related to voting rights, such as limiting access to the polls, threats of violence to election officials or staff and election fraud.

    “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election,” said Hamdani. “Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. My office will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”

    The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers and election fraud. The department will address these violations wherever they occur. The department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

    Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input. It also contains special protections for the rights of voters and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice. The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).  

    “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy,” said Hamdani. “We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.”

    In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, Khandelwal and Hu will be on duty in this district while the polls are open and can be reached at 713-567-9345 and 713-567-9518, respectively.

    In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day.  The main number in Houston is 713-693-5000, while South Texas residents can contact the San Antonio office at 210-225-6741.

    Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.

    “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate,” said Hamdani. “It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to DOJ.”

    Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency. 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Third Man Sentenced to Prison for Robbing U.S. Postal Service Letter Carriers

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – A third St. Lucie County man, responsible for a string of robberies of U.S. Postal Service (USPS) letter carriers for their Postal keys, was sentenced to federal prison yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge K. Michael Moore sitting in Ft. Pierce, Fla.  Two other defendants were previously sentenced.

    “The defendants brazenly terrorized loyal public servants, U.S. Postal Service letter carriers working in Florida, at gunpoint for their postal keys with the intent to steal mail from collection boxes. Their sentencing shows that the safety of U.S. Postal Service employees is of the utmost importance,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida. “Armed assaults on letter carriers negatively impact our entire community, which relies on the U.S. Postal Service for the safe delivery of the mail.”

    “The prison sentences handed down to these defendants should serve as a reminder that violent acts committed against U.S. Postal Service employees providing service to the community will not be tolerated and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, along with our law enforcement partners, will ensure that those committing these acts will be pursued and justly punished for their crimes,” said Juan A. Vargas, Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Miami Division.

    Bernard Jerome Davis III, 20, of Port St. Lucie, Fla., was sentenced to 192 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years’ supervised release, after pleading guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, two counts of armed Postal/U.S. property robbery, a single count of brandishing a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence, attempted Hobbs Act robbery, and Hobbs Act robbery.  

    Jalen Dennis Elliott, 19, of Port St. Lucie, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 2 years’ supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery and Hobbs Act robbery.

    Jamal Travon Brown Weathers, 23, of Fort Pierce, was sentenced to 162 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by 3 years’ supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery, armed Postal/U.S. property robbery, and brandishing a firearm during and in furtherance of a crime of violence.

    According to the court record, to include factual proffers in support of the defendants’ guilty pleas, between Nov. 19, 2022, and Oct. 21, 2023, Brown Weathers, Davis and Elliott robbed at least six USPS letter carriers in St. Lucie, Brevard, Orange and Miami-Dade counties in Florida.

    On Nov. 19, 2022, a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail inside an apartment complex in Port St. Lucie. While the carrier was at the mailboxes, Brown Weathers demanded “Give me the key.” Brown Weathers then grabbed and started yanking the letter carrier’s keys, which were attached to her uniform pants. Brown Weathers then brandished a semi-automatic handgun and demanded “Give me the f—— key. You got five seconds to give up the key.” At that point the letter carrier unhooked her arrow key and handed it over to Brown Weathers, who fled in a vehicle driven by Davis. The vehicle, belonging to Brown Weathers’ mother, was later chased by a St. Lucie County Sheriff’s deputy in Fort Pierce. The occupants fled and a K-9 deputy recovered the firearm used in the robbery along the path of flight.

    A Postal arrow key is an accountable property assigned to U.S. Post Office(s) that is only authorized to be used by USPS employees in an official capacity. A Postal arrow key is used by USPS employees to open mail receptacles within a geographic area to collect and deliver mail.

    On May 12, 2023, Brown Weathers and Davis robbed two USPS letter carriers at gunpoint in the Middle District of Florida. At approximately 12:13 p.m., a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail in Melbourne, Fla., when Davis approached the letter carrier with a black firearm and demanded the letter carrier’s Postal arrow key. Once the letter carrier handed over the key, Davis fled the scene in a Nissan Altima that he rented. At approximately 1:20 p.m., another USPS letter carrier was on his mail delivery route in Orlando, Fla., when a Nissan Altima stopped behind his Postal vehicle. Brown Weathers exited the Nissan Altima, ran towards the letter carrier while holding a black firearm, grabbed the letter carrier by the shirt, and demanded the letter carrier give him the arrow key. The letter carrier removed the arrow key from his belt loop and gave it Brown Weathers, who fled in the vehicle rented and driven by Davis.

    On Aug. 1, 2023, a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail in Fort Pierce when a white Pontiac Grand Prix began to follow her and pulled up behind her USPS vehicle. The letter carrier observed Davis carrying a black semi-automatic firearm and walking toward the Postal vehicle.  Fearing a robbery, the letter carrier quickly drove away and called 911. The same white vehicle followed another letter carrier, who also called 911.

    On Oct. 11, 2023, a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail in Fort Pierce when Davis approached the driver’s side of the Postal vehicle brandishing a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded that the letter carrier give him the key. Once the letter carrier handed the Postal arrow key to Davis, he entered a white vehicle and drove away.

    On Oct. 21, 2023, a USPS letter carrier was delivering mail in an apartment community in Miami Beach, Fla. when she was confronted by Davis who shouted, “give me the keys.” Davis ripped the keys, including a Postal arrow key, from the letter carrier’s hand, causing an injury. Davis then fled to a waiting black BMW SUV, driven by Elliott.

    U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Inspector in Charge Juan A. Vargas of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Miami Division, Chief Wayne A. Jones of the City of Miami Beach Police Department, Sheriff Keith Pearson of the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Chief Diane Hobley-Burney of the Fort Pierce Police Department, Sheriff John W. Mina of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and Sheriff Wayne Ivey of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement. 

    The USPIS, Miami Beach Police Department, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Pierce Police Department, Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case. The Port St. Lucie Police Department provided assistance. Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmen M. Lineberger prosecuted the case.

    This case is the result of Project Safe Delivery (PSD), a joint U.S. Postal Service and U.S. Postal Inspection Service initiative aimed at countering postal crime and safeguarding postal employees. Announced in May 2023, in direct response to a rise in threats and attacks on letter carriers and mail theft incidents, PSD seeks to protect Postal employees and the mail stream, prevent incidents through education and awareness, and enforce the laws that protect our nation’s mail stream.  Since the launch of PSD, postal inspectors, working with law enforcement partners, have arrested more than 287 individuals for postal-related robberies through June 30, 2024. In the first six months of the fiscal year, the number of arrests for postal-related robberies rose 72% versus the same period the previous year, while the number of postal-related robberies dropped 21%. Meanwhile, the number of mail theft complaints received during that period decreased 35%, suggesting the PSD approach is achieving the intended result.

    Customers are encouraged to report stolen mail as soon as possible by submitting an online complaint to the Postal Inspection Service at http://www.uspis.gov/report or calling 877-876-2455. The Postal Inspection Service is authorized to issue monetary rewards for the forcible assault, robbery or attempted robbery of any custodian of any mail, money, or other property of the United States under the control and jurisdiction of the Postal Service.  Additionally, individuals are encouraged to report allegations of Postal Service employee misconduct, including attempts to corrupt a Postal Service employee, to the USPS OIG at 1-888-877-7644 or http://www.uspsoig.gov.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 23-cr-14053.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Jury Finds Man Guilty of Shooting a Man in Broad Daylight in Northwest DC

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Cornellius Ruffin, 41, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of assault with significant bodily injury while armed and other charges in a mid-day shooting that took place in Northwest in April of 2021, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

                Ruffin also was found guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a pistol without a license, possession of unregistered firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition. The verdict was returned on October 24, 2024, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Judith Pipe scheduled sentencing for January 10, 2025. Ruffin faces a five-year mandatory minimum prison sentence on the charge of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

                According to the government’s evidence, at approximately 12:30 p.m., on April 12, 2021, Ruffin was standing near the intersection of Q Street, NW, and Florida Avenue, NW, when he fired a handgun four times at the victim. One of the bullets fired by Ruffin struck the victim in the left leg. After the shooting, Ruffin handed the firearm to a nearby woman and then fled the area on a red Capital Bikeshare bicycle.

                Eyewitnesses to the shooting provided police with descriptions and photographs of the shooter and the woman he handed the gun to after the shooting. Minutes after the shooting, police located and stopped the woman and recovered a firearm from one of her bags. Ruffin was located and arrested by police the following day, on April 13, 2021.

                This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin Helfand and Valerie Tsesarenko of the Major Crimes Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Alien Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Armed Drug Trafficking and Unlawful Re-Entry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    MIAMI – On Oct. 24, a federal judge sentenced a Mexican national to 120 months in prison for armed drug trafficking and illegal re-entry.

    Mauricio Villalpando-Gaytan, 34, previously pled guilty to a five-count indictment, which charged him with possession with intent to distribute a detectable amount of cocaine, possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture of cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, possession of a firearm and ammunition by an illegal alien, and illegal re-entry after removal.

    According to the court record, Villalpando-Gaytan sold and attempted to sell cocaine to an undercover law enforcement officer on two separate occasions. Specifically, on Jan. 28, 2024, while attending a local rodeo in Okeechobee County, Fla., Villalpando-Gaytan sold $100 worth of cocaine to an undercover officer. On Jan. 29, 2024, Villalpando-Gaytan was armed with a pistol when he attempted to sell a kilogram of cocaine to the same undercover officer. At the time of his arrest, Villalpando-Gaytan, a Mexican national, had been previously removed from the United States and illegally re-entered the United States without consent.

    U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Markenzy Lapointe, Special Agent in Charge Deanne L. Reuter of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Miami Field Division, and Okeechobee County Sheriff, Noel E. Stephen announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore.

    DEA Miami Field Division and Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Breezye Telfair prosecuted it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Raemy Charest-Turken handled asset forfeiture.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-14008.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Illegal Possession of Ammunition Leads to 15 Year Prison Sentence for Little Rock Man

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

          LITTLE ROCK—James Kasmire, a multi-convicted felon, will spend the next 15 years in federal prison for being a felon in possession of ammunition. Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, announced the sentence, which was handed down today United States District Judge Lee P. Rudofsky.

          On January 4, 2023, Kasmire, 46, of Little Rock, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of ammunition. Judge Rudofsky also sentenced Kasmire to three years supervised release. Kasmire was indicted on October 4, 2022, in a superseding indicting on one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

          An investigation revealed that on October 20, 2020, officers from the Sherwood Police Department conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling at a high rate of speed on Jacksonville Cutoff Road. During the stop, officers detected the odor of marijuana and observed several open bottles of alcohol in the vehicle. Officers observed the passenger, Kasmire, who admitted there was marijuana in the vehicle, move his left hand near his seatbelt buckle. For the safety of the officers, he was then asked to step out of the vehicle. While conducting a search of Kasmire, officers located a 9mm Luger ammunition round in his pants pocket that he admitted belonged to him.

          During a search of the vehicle, officers located in the front passenger seat a bag containing methamphetamine and over 13 grams of marijuana. In between the seatbelt buckle and center console, officers located a Star, Bonifacio Echevarria S.A. model 30M1, PPU 9mm Parabellum caliber firearm. 

           Kasmire is classified as an armed career criminal offender due to his criminal history that includes violent and drug-trafficking offenses, including multiple convictions for delivery of cocaine, delivery of  marijuana, possession of cocaine with intent to deliver, conspiracy to deliver cocaine, possession of cocaine, possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, aggravated assault, domestic battery third degree, possession of Xanax, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of Hydrocodone, and possession of firearms by certain persons. There is no parole in the federal system.

           The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives with assistance from the Sherwood Police Department. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Julie Peters.

    # # #

    Additional information about the office of the

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

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    X (formerly known as Twitter):

    @USAO_EDAR 

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard relieves commander and command senior enlisted leader of Sector San Diego

    Source: United States Coast Guard

     

    10/25/2024 06:02 PM EDT

    The U.S. Coast Guard temporarily relieved the commander and command senior enlisted leader of Coast Guard Sector San Diego Friday. Rear Adm. Joseph Buzzella, commander, District Eleven, temporarily relieved Capt. James Spitler and Master Chief Michael Dioquino following an investigation leading to a loss of confidence in both unit leaders.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former postal manager who stole drugs from the mail sentenced on drug and gun charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ROCHESTER, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Ralph Minni, 55, of Rochester, NY, who was convicted of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine, and possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance, was sentenced to serve 72 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean C. Eldridge, who handled the case, stated that on multiple occasions between May 2018, and May 2, 2022, Minni used his position as the Greece Post Office station manager to take parcels containing controlled substances, such as marijuana, out of the mail stream and into his private office, remove the contents, and then return the empty packages back into the mail stream. Minni then transported the controlled substances to his residence, where he would store and redistribute the narcotics to other individuals. On three occasions in March and April of 2022, Minni distributed quantities of cocaine to a coworker, who then proceeded to snort the cocaine off Minni’s office desk in his presence. On May 2, 2022, a search warrant was executed at Minni’s residence during which investigators recovered quantities of marijuana, approximately 700 grams of cocaine, approximately 40 firearms, and over 19,000 rounds of ammunition. Minni was arrested that same day after leaving the Greece Post Office. Officers recovered a quantity of marijuana from inside his vehicle, which he had removed from a mailed package and planned to take back to his residence for subsequent sale and distribution.

    The sentencing is a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia; the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Area Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Modafferi; and the United States Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division, under the direction of Inspector-in-Charge Ketty Larco-Ward. Additional assistance was provided by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, New York Field Division, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller; the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Chief Michael Wood; and the New York State Police, under the direction of Acting Troop Commander Kevin Sucher.

    # # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard establishes first Junior ROTC unit in New England area

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 10/25/2024 07:30 PM EDT

    News Release  

    U.S. Coast Guard 1st District Northeast
    Contact: 1st District Public Affairs
    D1PublicAffairs@uscg.mil
    1st District online newsroom

     

    10/25/2024 07:06 PM EDT

    BOSTON — The Coast Guard and Barnstable High School conducted a commissioning ceremony for the first Coast Guard Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) in the New England area, Friday morning. Click the link to read the full release.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Syracuse Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Firearms Crimes

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

    SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – Uqoeon Lawrence, age 28, of Syracuse pled guilty today to four federal felony offenses that included possession and distribution of fentanyl and methamphetamine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, possession of a firearm and ammunition  by a convicted felon, and interstate firearms trafficking, announced United States Attorney Carla B. Freedman and Bryan Miller, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Division of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

    As part of his plea of guilty today, Uqoeon Lawrence admitted that he sold fentanyl and methamphetamine during two undercover law enforcement operations in June of 2023. He further admitted that he possessed with intent to distribute fentanyl and a loaded 20-gauge pump shotgun and ammunition recovered during the execution of a federal search warrant at his Syracuse apartment on June 26, 2023.  Lawrence also admitted he illegally possessed the shotgun and ammunition after previously being convicted of a felony.

    Uqoeon Lawrence also pled guilty today to separately trafficking handguns sourced in Maine to Syracuse, where he sold them on the street in July 2023.

    Sentencing is scheduled for February 25, 2025, at which time Lawrence faces a mandatory sentence of ten (10) years and up to life imprisonment for his conviction for distribution and possession with intent to distribute of at least 50 grams of methamphetamine and a quantity of fentanyl, as well as a fine of up to $10 million. He faces a mandatory consecutive sentence of 5 years and up to life in federal prison for his conviction for possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking. Lawrence also faces up to 15 years in federal prison for his convictions for possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon, and interstate firearms trafficking as well as a term of at least 5 years of post-incarceration supervised release, and fines of up to $250,000.00.

    A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

    The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Syracuse Police Department-Intelligence Unit (SPD-INTEL) are investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Southwick is prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Coldbrook — Missing youth: Help the RCMP find Emma Goudie

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    October 25, 2024, Coldbrook, Nova Scotia… New Minas RCMP is asking for the public’s help in locating 15-year-old Emma Goudie, who was last seen on October 23 at approximately 7:00 p.m. in Coldbrook.

    Goudie is described as 5-foot-7, approximately 120 pounds. She has blue eyes and blonde hair with red roots. She was last seen wearing a black hoodie and black tights.

    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 respectfully.

    Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Goudie is asked to contact New Minas RCMP at 902-679-5555. Should you wish 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.

    File #: 2024-1572628

    Note to media: A photo of Goudie is attached.

    -30-

    Sgt. Deepak Prasad

    Public Information Officer
    Nova Scotia RCMP
    rcmpns-grcne@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Coldbrook — UPDATE: Missing youth found safe

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    The 15-year-old female who was reported missing earlier today from Coldbrook has been found safe.

    The RCMP thanks Nova Scotians for assisting with missing persons files through social media shares and offering tips.

    File: 2024-1572628

    -30-

    Sgt. Deepak Prasad

    Public Information Officer
    Nova Scotia RCMP
    rcmpns-grcne@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Jamestown man pleads guilty to meth charge

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Willie C. Graham, 43, of Jamestown, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, which carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a maximum of imprisonment of 40 years, and a fine of $5,000,000.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Donna M. Duncan, who is handling the case, stated that on September 6, 2023, Jamestown Police officers initiated a traffic stop on a car that Graham was a passenger in. Officers located numerous items of drug paraphernalia in the car, as well as a quantity of fentanyl on Graham’s person.

    On March 2, 2024, Graham was a passenger in a car that fled from law enforcement officers trying to conduct a traffic stop. A subsequent search of the vehicle resulted in the recovery of 11.6 grams of methamphetamine drug paraphernalia, and $1,134.00 cash.

    On April 30, 2024, Jamestown Police officers located and arrested Graham. At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of 10 assorted bank and benefit cards, some of which were issued to individuals other than Graham, a quantity of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and $185.

    The plea is a result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia.

    Sentencing is scheduled for February 20, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. before Judge Sinatra.

    # # # #

     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney Ross appoints 2024 District Election Officer

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Bonanno will lead the efforts of her Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 5, 2024, general election. AUSA Bonanno has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Western District of New York, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

    U.S. Attorney Ross said, “Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted in a fair and free election.  Similarly, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence. The Department of Justice will always work tirelessly to protect the integrity of the election process.”

    The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud.  The Department will address these violations wherever they occur.  The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

    Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.  It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice.  The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English).   

    U.S. Attorney Ross stated that: “The franchise is the cornerstone of American democracy.  We all must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise can exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice.  In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO Bonanno will be on duty in this District while the polls are open. He can be reached by the public at the following telephone number: 716-843-5700.”

    In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at 716-856-7800.

    Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ or by phone at 800-253-3931.

    U.S. Attorney Ross said, “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the assistance of the American electorate. It is important that those who have specific information about voting rights concerns or election fraud make that information available to the Department of Justice.”

    Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Monroe, Washington, man sentenced to 10 years in prison for role as “right hand man” in deadly drug distribution ring

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Seattle – A 42-year-old Monroe, Washington resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to ten years in prison for conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, announced U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Humberto Garcia was convicted in April 2024 following a week-long trial. Garcia was arrested in December 2020 with seven other defendants tied to a drug trafficking ring distributing heroin, methamphetamine, and fentanyl throughout the Puget Sound region. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones said, “Despite the fact that you had addiction you were involved in distributing very dangerous drugs.” Judge Jones also noted that Garcia was willing to provide a gun to the drug ring boss who sought to use violence to settle scores. “You were a willing and capable participant with loyalty to the drug ring leader,” Judge Jones said.

    “Mr. Garcia played an important role in the conspiracy, acting as a drug redistributor, local guide, interpreter, and link to other drug dealers,” said U.S. Attorney Gorman. “He continued to distribute fentanyl even after learning of a customer overdose death. His conduct contributed to the huge spike of fentanyl overdoses in our community.”

    According to records filed in the case and testimony at trial, Garcia’s car was searched on October 3, 2020, after drug ringleader Jose Luis Ibarra-Valle, 40, asked Garcia to get him a firearm to kill another drug distributor who owed him money. A few weeks later, Ibarra-Valle was stopped returning from a drug run to California. In the car authorities found approximately 10,000 pills that contained fentanyl, more than eight kilograms of methamphetamine, and more than a kilogram of heroin. These drug amounts count towards Garcia’s conviction as part of the conspiracy.

    When Garcia was arrested a few weeks later, he was found to have a firearm that matched the one he agreed to provide to Ibarra-Valle during the intercepted phone call mentioned above.

    Ibarra-Valle and the other coconspirators entered guilty pleas. Last year, Ibarra-Valle was sentenced to nine years in prison. The remaining coconspirators have been sentenced, with a range of sentences from time served, to over six years in prison. Garcia is the final defendant in this case and the only one who went to trial.

    Over the course of the investigation law enforcement seized 16,000 suspected fentanyl pills, 30 pounds of suspected methamphetamine, and six pounds of suspected heroin.

    In asking for a lengthy prison sentence, prosecutors wrote to the court, “The wiretap revealed that Ibarra-Valle had excellent connections to sources of supply in California and/or Mexico for drugs, but little to no local knowledge of the drug market or customers here in Western Washington and no English skills. Garcia, by contrast, knew the area, knew the local drug market, and speaks both English and Spanish. As such, he was ideally placed to help Ibarra-Valle sell his product here in this District… Garcia’s possession of a firearm of course increased the danger he posed to the community.”

    Following prison, Garcia will be on five years of supervised release.

    This case 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 .

    The investigation was led by the Drug Enforcement Administration in partnership with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Whatcom Gang and Drug Task Force, Washington State Patrol, Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force, United States Border Patrol, Customs and Border Protection, Skagit County Interlocal Drug Enforcement Unit, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, the Lake Stevens Police Department and Tulalip Police Department.

    The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Vince Lombardi and Michael Harder.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: East Bay Man Sentenced To Two Years In Federal Prison For Fraud And Identity Theft

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OAKLAND – Freddie Lee Davis III, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, was sentenced to 24 months and a day in federal prison.  The sentence was handed down on Oct. 24, 2024, by the Hon. Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, United States District Judge.  Davis’ co-defendant, Sene Malepeai, also pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, and has yet to be sentenced.

    Davis and Malepeai, both 27, were charged by criminal complaint on June 30, 2023.  Davis was remanded to federal custody on Aug. 31, 2023, and has remained in custody since then.  Both defendants were charged by superseding information on July 19, 2024, with one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.

    The criminal complaint describes that on June 17, 2021, officers responded to a report of a robbery in the parking lot of a Costco in San Leandro. The victim of the robbery was an Asian female (identified in the complaint as “Q.D.”). The robbery took place in the store’s parking lot after the victim exited Costco. As she was walking to her vehicle, a car drove alongside Q.D. and an individual reached out of a window and grabbed hold of her purse from the moving car.  Q.D. held onto her purse and was dragged the width of several cars.  The car then sped away and Q.D. let go of her purse and fell to the ground, resulting in bodily injuries, including abrasions to her leg and swelling on her hand.  Several witnesses heard Q.D. scream, heard her body hit the asphalt, and saw a black Honda speed away from the incident.  Surveillance cameras revealed that the car had a license plate number registered to Davis.

    On Aug. 1, 2024, Davis pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.  In Davis’ plea agreement, he acknowledged this robbery and admitted that he received some of the stolen items, including Q.D.’s MasterCard credit card.  Davis further admitted that days after the robbery, he knowingly and unlawfully possessed the credit card knowing it belonged to Q.D., and possessed it in relation to a violation of wire fraud.  In particular, he and co-defendant Malepeai used Q.D.’s credit card, while misrepresenting Malepeai as the lawful user of the credit card, to fraudulently purchase merchandise at a shoe store in San Leandro and make a number of other fraudulent purchases.

    In addition to sentencing Davis to 24 months and a day in federal prison, Judge Gonzalez Rogers ordered him to pay restitution in an amount to be determined and to serve three years of supervised release to begin after his prison term is completed.  

    “Community members should be able to live their lives without fear of being robbed and having items stolen from them used fraudulently,” said United States Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey.  “We will vigorously prosecute these crimes and make sure that defendants like Mr. Davis face serious consequences for their misconduct.”

    On Sept. 17, 2024, Davis’ co-defendant Malepeai also pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.  Malepeai admitted that, on the day of the robbery, she was a passenger in a vehicle with three other individuals.  As detailed in Malepeai’s plea agreement, earlier that day, the three other occupants of the vehicle had discussed “going to Chinatown to rob Asian women with purses or jewelry.”  They first drove to Chinatown to look for Asians with purses, then went to the parking lot of a retail store, and eventually ended up at a Costco in San Leandro.  Two of the occupants in the vehicle had previously stated that they “preferred robbing Asians because they thought they have more money, and because Asians are ‘easy targets’ who don’t fight back,” according to Malepeai’s plea agreement.  After the robbery, the three other occupants of the vehicle divided up the stolen goods from Q.D.’s purse, including cash, credit cards, a checkbook, and two cell phones, as Malepeai admitted.  Malepeai further admitted to using Q.D.’s credit card, while misrepresenting herself as the lawful user of the credit card, to fraudulently purchase merchandise at a shoe store in San Leandro and make a number of other fraudulent purchases.

    Malepeai’s next hearing before Judge Gonzalez Rogers is set for Nov. 7, 2024.  

    The mandatory minimum penalty for aggravated identity theft is two years in prison, and the maximum statutory penalty for wire fraud is 20 years in prison.  However, any sentence following a conviction is imposed by a court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

    The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Ismail J. Ramsey and FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Tripp.

    Assistant United States Attorneys Eric Cheng and Molly Priedeman are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Mimi Lam. The prosecution is the result of an investigation by the FBI with assistance from the San Leandro Police Department.  
     

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Multiple Massachusetts Fugitives Arrested in Maine

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Portland, ME – The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) in Maine, announce the arrest of multiple Massachusetts fugitives in the towns of Madison and Skowhegan, Maine.

    On October 24, 2024, the USMS, Maine Violent Offender Task Force (MVOTF) located and apprehended a fugitive following a vehicle stop in Madison, Maine. The fugitive, identified as a juvenile, had warrants issued out of Bristol County, Massachusetts Superior Court for carrying a loaded firearm without license, carrying a firearm without license, assault & battery with a firearm, discharging a firearm within 500ft of a building, vandalizing property, and malicious damage to a motor vehicle. A firearm and an alleged
    quantity of drugs were also recovered.

    Today, Oct 25th, Kvon Brooks, 18, was located and apprehended in Skowhegan, Maine, on warrants issued out of Fall River, Massachusetts District Court for attempted murder, strangulation or suffocation, assault & battery on a family/household member, assault & battery on a pregnant victim, and vandalizing property. Brooks was a passenger in a vehicle stopped by U.S. Marshal Task Force members earlier this morning.

    Concurrent to Brooks’ arrest, another passenger, identified as a juvenile, was found to have outstanding warrants out of Bristol County, Massachusetts Superior Court for carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded firearm without license, possession of ammunition without FID card, possession of large capacity firearm, and trespass.

    The Massachusetts, the USMS New England HIDTA (High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area) Fugitive Task Force, Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section (VFAS), and the New Bedford, Massachusetts Police Department, worked collaboratively and provided information to the U.S. Marshals, Maine Violent Offender Task Force. All three subjects were arrested without incident and charged as fugitives from justice.

    The USMS, Maine Violent Offender Task Force is comprised of members of the U.S. Marshals Service, Maine Department of Corrections, Biddeford Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Maine National Guard Counterdrug Task Force.

    If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of any state or federal fugitive, please contact the United States Marshals Service at MED.TIPLINE@usdoj.gov, or submit a web tip.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: 7th Air Force joins ROKAF to host Freedom Flag 24-1

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea  –  

    The Seventh Air Force and Republic of Korea Air Force Operations Command are hosting a combined large force exercise, Freedom Flag 24-1, with U.S., Republic of Korea, and Royal Australian Air Force participants Oct. 21 – Nov. 1, 2024.

    The event is part of an annual training schedule designed to enhance the combined readiness and interoperability of combined air component forces, with large scale, integrated training on advanced, high-end tactics, techniques and procedures against an advanced adversary.

    “Freedom Flag demonstrates the strength of the ROK-U.S. Alliance and the shared commitment of the ROK and U.S. air forces to the defense of the Korean peninsula and the United States,” said Lt. Gen. David Iverson, Seventh Air Force commander. “It enables us to work together to build the readiness we need, to deter our adversaries, and if that deterrence fails, to be ready to prevail quickly in any type of conflict.”

    As Seventh Air Force adapts and adjusts its training focus to ensure continued preparedness, it is shifting its fall and spring major flying training events to be flag-level air exercises, modeled after the U.S. Red Flag exercises, to provide complex, scalable training opportunities to air and joint commanders in the Indo-Pacific region.

    The name Freedom Flag was chosen to demonstrate the shared U.S. and ROK commitment to freedom and peace on the Korean peninsula.

    “Freedom Flag represents the past, present, and future of the U.S.-ROK alliance,” said ROK Lt. Gen Kim Hyoung Soo, AFOC commander.  “The ROK Air Force has been protecting the airspace of the Republic of Korea and safeguarding the freedom and peace of the Korean peninsula based on a strong U.S.-ROK combined defense posture.”

    This year’s exercise seeks to improve multinational airpower in two phases, focusing on high-quality, face-to-face planning sessions Oct. 21 to 25, and then executing complex flying scenarios Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, featuring offensive and defensive counter-air, air interdiction, close air support, combat search and rescue, air drops, and aerial medical evacuation missions.

    Military personnel from the ROK Air Force, USAF, U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and Royal Australian Air Force, assigned to units from across the Indo-Pacific region including the U.S. Special Operations Command Korea and ROK Special Warfare Command, plan to participate in the training. RAAF support will not only include aircraft and aircrew – RAAF air battle managers will also join U.S. and ROKAF air controllers in the Korean Air Operations Center for the first time.

    “Many nations value freedom for their people, and the international, rules-based order,” said Iverson. “Freedom Flag provides a valuable opportunity to train together and raise our readiness to defend those ideals.”

    U.S. aircraft scheduled to participate include the F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-35B Lightning II, A-10 Thunderbolt II, E-3 Sentry, U-2 Dragon Lady, MQ-9 Reaper, MQ-1C Grey Eagle, KC-135 Stratotanker, C-130J Super Hercules, MC-130J Command II, and AH-64 Apache, coming from locations both on and off the Korean peninsula. The RAAF will be providing aerial refueling support with a KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport, while ROKAF aircraft will participate with their F-35A Lighting II, F-15K Slam Eagle, KF-16 Fighting Falcon, FA-50 Fighting Eagle, F-5 Freedom Fighter, KA-1 light attack aircraft, C-130H Hercules, CASA CN-235 and KC-330. Various U.S. and ROK intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft will also join the training.

    “This exercise will play an important role in enhancing the readiness of the ROK and U.S. air forces to deter enemy threats through high-level training,” Iverson said. “Although we focus on deterrence, every single day we are ready to defend both the Republic of Korea and the United States together with thousands of Airmen and hundreds of combat aircraft.”

    Combined flying training events like Freedom Flag 24-1 are focused on readiness, not related to any current real-world situations, and are not intended to be threatening or provocative toward any other country.

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