NewzIntel.com

Category: Security Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Security: Maui Man Pleads Guilty to Illegally Possessing Explosive Device and Powders

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    HONOLULU – United States Attorney Clare E. Connors announced that Robert Francis Dumaran, 47, of Kahului, Maui, pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to possessing explosive powders as a convicted felon and possessing an unregistered destructive device. Dumaran’s sentencing is set for February 2, 2025, before United States District Judge Jill A. Otake.

    According to court documents and information presented in court, Dumaran admitted he attempted to detonate a homemade firework at the intersection of Lono Avenue and Hina Avenue on Maui, Hawaii, during either the late evening of July 22, 2024, or the early morning of July 23, 2024. Dumaran’s homemade firework contained black powder (gunpowder) and flash powder. As a convicted felon, Dumaran was prohibited from possessing explosives. The Maui Police Department (“MPD”) discovered and rendered safe Dumaran’s homemade firework in the morning of July 23, as reported in a prior press release.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”) later searched Dumaran’s residence and discovered an improvised hand grenade. Dumaran admitted he crafted and possessed that grenade for use as a defensive weapon capable of causing destruction and death.

    Dumaran is not charged in connection with improvised explosive devices recovered on August 7, 2024, in Kula, Maui or the August 8, 2024 explosion in Pukalani, Maui.

    The case was investigated by the FBI and MPD. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan D. Slack and Wayne A. Myers are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Merrillville Doctor Sentenced to Prison and Ordered to Pay Restitution

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    FBI Marks One Year Since October 7, 2023, Hamas Attack

    The United States continues to be in a heightened threat environment, and the FBI is fully engaged to detect and stop any potential threats to the American people. As we mark one year since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East calls for vigilance by the FBI, our law enforcement partners, and members of the public.

    ALEKSANDR RYZHENKOV

    Conspiracy to Commit Fraud and Related Activity in Connection with Computers; Intentional Damage to a Protected Computer; Transmitting a Demand in Relation to Damaging a Protected Computer; Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

    Capitol Violence

    The FBI is seeking to identify individuals involved in the violent activities that occurred at the U.S. Capitol and surrounding areas on January 6, 2021. View photos and related information here. If you have any information to provide, visit tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: California Tax Preparer Sentenced for Preparing False Returns

    Source: United States Attorneys General 7

    A California man was sentenced yesterday to six years in prison for preparing false tax returns for clients.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Salvador Gonzalez, of Corona, operated for more than a decade Grace’s Lighthouse Resource Center Inc., a return-preparation business.

    During that time, on thousands of returns he prepared for clients, Gonzalez consistently claimed false deductions like charitable donations and medical expenses, which reduced the amount of income taxes his clients paid. Gonzalez also directed his clients to create sham corporations and fraudulently deduct personal expenses — such as their mortgage, car and utility payments — as business expenses on the tax returns filed for these phony corporations. These fabricated losses flowed through to the clients’ individual income tax returns, thereby fraudulently reducing the amount of individual income taxes they paid.

    In total, Gonzalez caused a tax loss to the IRS of at least $28 million.

    In addition to his prison sentence, the court ordered Gonzalez to serve one year of supervised release and to pay $403,908 in restitution to the United States.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

    Trial Attorney Lauren K. Pope of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Eli A. Alcaraz for the Central District of California prosecuted the case.

    Consistent with the plea agreement, the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Tax Section filed a civil complaint against Gonzalez in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The complaint seeks to permanently enjoin Gonzalez from preparing, assisting in, directing or supervising the preparation or filing of federal tax returns, amended tax returns or other related documents or forms for others. The civil complaint alleges that over a period of years, Gonzalez prepared tax returns that understate the federal income-tax liability of his customers using a scheme which has harmed the United States, the IRS, his customers and the public. Yesterday, Gonzalez consented to the entry of the civil judgment and permanent injunction.

    Taxpayers seeking a return preparer should remain vigilant against unscrupulous tax preparers. The IRS has information on its website for choosing a tax return preparer and has launched a free directory of federal tax preparers. The IRS also offers tips to recognize tax scams and fraud.

    In the past decade, the Justice Department has obtained injunctions against hundreds of unscrupulous tax preparers. Information about these cases is available on the Justice Department’s website. An alphabetical listing of persons enjoined from preparing returns and promoting tax schemes can be found on this page. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ocala Man Indicted for Armed Robbery

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    Ocala, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of a two-count indictment charging Johnisaac Felix (22, Ocala) with interference with commerce by robbery and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. If convicted of the robbery offense, Felix faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison. The firearm offense carries a minimum mandatory sentence of 7 years, up to life, in federal prison which must be served consecutively to any prison term imposed for the robbery.  

    According to the indictment, on June 16, 2024, Felix robbed an employee of gas station in Ocala using actual and threatened force, violence, and fear of injury to the employee. During that robbery, Felix also brandished a firearm.

    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 Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ocala Police Department. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Belkis H. Callaos.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: NH Learning Solutions Corporation Agrees to Pay $975,000 to Resolve False Claims Act Suit for Allegedly Inflating Post 9/11 GI-Bill Tuition Benefits

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    The Justice Department announced today that NH Learning Solutions Corp. (NHLS) has agreed to pay $975,000 to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for inflated educational assistance benefits under the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Post-9/11 GI Bill). The United States filed suit against NHLS under the False Claims Act (FCA) in December 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Detroit-based NHLS provided technology-focused, non-college degree programs at locations across the Midwest and Northeast.

    “The Post-9/11 GI Bill was designed to support the educational needs of our veterans, not to permit schools to illegally profit at the expense of the American taxpayers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Today’s settlement shows that the Justice Department will hold schools accountable for violating program requirements and submitting inflated claims for payment.”

    “The Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits are part of our nation’s promise to the brave men and women who have served our country,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan. “My office is committed to protecting the integrity of our federal programs to ensure the assistance reaches the intended beneficiaries.”

    “Safeguarding Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefit funds reserved for deserving veterans remains a priority, and our investigators are working diligently in the field to ensure these programs are not exploited for financial gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Gregory Billingsley of the VA’s Office of Inspector General (VA OIG)’s Central Field Office. “The VA OIG thanks the Justice Department for its efforts in this investigation.”

    Under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the VA pays tuition and fees directly to qualifying schools on behalf of enrolled students. For veteran students properly enrolled in a course, the VA pays the actual net cost for tuition and fees charged by the school, after it has applied any scholarships, waivers, grants or other assistance designed to defray the cost of tuition and fees, which is known as the “last payer rule.” The rule ensures that the VA is the payer of last resort and receives the benefit of any tuition-based, financial support available to a student.

    The government’s amended complaint alleged that NHLS knowingly submitted false claims for inflated tuition and fees, in violation of the last payer rule, at five NHLS locations in Illinois, Ohio and Michigan. More specifically, the government alleged that NHLS repeatedly reported tuition and fees to the VA on student invoices, where it failed to deduct the tuition scholarships, grants or waivers it provided to certain veterans, thereby causing the VA to overpay NHLS for educational assistance benefits under the Post-9/11 GI-Bill for these veterans.  

    The lawsuit is captioned United States v. NH Learning Solutions Corp. No. 2:22-cv-13045 (EDMI). The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan, with substantive assistance from VA OIG.

    Senior Trial Counsel Christopher Wilson of the Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony C. Gentner for the Eastern District of Michigan handled the matter.

    The claims asserted against defendant are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

    Settlement

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Hacheyville — 81-year-old woman dies following single-vehicle crash

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    An 81-year-old woman from Tracadie, N.B., has died following a single-vehicle crash in Hacheyville, N.B.

    On October 7, 2024, at approximately 2 p.m., members of the Tracadie RCMP detachment responded to a report of a single-vehicle crash on Route 135 in Hacheyville. An 81-year-old woman, who was a passenger in the vehicle, died at the scene as a result of her injuries. The driver, and only other occupant of the vehicle, was transported to hospital with what is believed to be minor injuries.

    The crash is believed to have occurred when the vehicle lost control, drove into the ditch, and struck a culvert.

    Members of the Saint-Isidore and Paquetville Fire Departments, and Ambulance New Brunswick attended the scene. A member of the New Brunswick Coroner’s office and an RCMP Collision Reconstructionist are assisting with the ongoing investigation.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Saint John  — Individual charged following child pornography investigation

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    The New Brunswick RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit has charged a 39-year-old man from Saint John, N.B., with possession of child pornography, and transmitting child pornography.

    The investigation began in May 2023 when police received information from RCMP’s National Child Exploitation Crime Centre.

    On November 2, 2023, members of the ICE Unit, along with the Saint John Police force and the RCMP’s Digital Forensic Services executed a search warrant at a residence in Saint John as part of the investigation. Police seized several electronic devices and a 39-year-old man was arrested at the scene. He was later released on conditions pending a future court appearance.

    On October 4, 2024, 39-year-old Jimmy Davis was charged with possession of child pornography and transmitting child pornography. He is scheduled to appear back in court on November 13, 2024.

    The New Brunswick RCMP’s Internet Child Exploitation Unit includes members from the Saint John Police Force and the Kennebecasis Regional Police Force.

    If you are a victim, or have any information related to similar crimes, please contact your local police. If you have information that may assist an investigation and would like to remain anonymous, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by downloading the secure P3 Mobile App, or by Secure Web Tips at http://www.crimenb.ca.

    The investigation is ongoing.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Wakpala Woman Sentenced for Child Abuse

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    ABERDEEN – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Wakpala, South Dakota, woman convicted of Child Abuse. The sentencing took place on September 30, 2024.

    Sheyenne Cadotte, 28, was sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. One of her conditions of supervised release prohibits Cadotte from living with children or contacting her own children unless approved in writing by her probation officer.

    Cadotte was indicted for Child Abuse by a federal grand jury in June of 2022. She pleaded guilty on May 16, 2024.

    In 2021, Cadotte lived with her four-year-old daughter in Kenel, South Dakota, which lies within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. Cadotte’s daughter is a profoundly delayed non-verbal child who requires a feeding tube for sustenance. During the summer and fall of 2021, Cadotte starved her daughter, routinely skipping scheduled feedings and swapping whole milk for formula. Due to this neglect, the girl’s weight dropped from 34 pounds in May to 25 pounds in December, when she was removed from Cadotte’s care. The child is currently thriving in an institutional setting.

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

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs- Office of Justice Services and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: McLaughlin Man Sentenced for Voluntary Manslaughter

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    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 Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on September 30, 2024.

    Johnathan Guggolz, 48, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    Guggolz was indicted by a federal grand jury in October of 2023. He pleaded guilty on July 8, 2024.

    On the afternoon of August 29, 2023, in McLaughlin, South Dakota, within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation, a 62-year-old man pulled into the school driveway to pick his wife up from work. Guggolz pulled up next to the man and confronted him about his driving, mocking and belittling him. The man eventually exited his car, secured a pair of duct-taped homemade nunchucks to protect himself, and squared up with Guggolz, a former amateur boxer. After a few moments of posturing, the man thrust the nunchucks towards Guggolz’ hip. Guggolz then punched the man in the face, knocking him unconscious. The man fell backwards and struck his head on the concrete. Guggolz glanced down at the man, now lying helpless on the driveway, then returned to his pickup and drove away. The man subsequently died of a traumatic brain injury incurred in the assault.

    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, the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, and the Mobridge Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Drug Distribution and Firearm Possession on Menominee Indian Reservation Leads to Eight-Year Prison Sentence for Former Keshena Man

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on October 4, 2024, Anthony Brown, Jr. (age: 50), a former resident of Keshena on the Menominee Indian Reservation, received an eight-year federal prison sentence following convictions for possession with intent to distribute cocaine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.  Brown will also face five years of supervised release once he completes his sentence.  The sentence, imposed by Senior United States District Judge William C. Griesbach, was the result of a guilty plea entered by the defendant on June 14, 2024.

    According to court records, during the early morning hours of January 1, 2024, investigators with the Menominee Tribal Police Department observed the defendant in his vehicle as he engaged in a hand-to-hand drug transaction in the parking lot of a business on the Menominee Indian Reservation. After a brief interaction, the defendant was arrested and searched.  Law enforcement recovered over 15 grams of cocaine and approximately $4400 in U.S. currency from his person and recovered a loaded .380 caliber semiautomatic handgun from the vehicle.  The firearm had the defendant’s DNA on it.

    Also, according to court records, law enforcement had an additional contact with Brown on January 15, 2024. Brown was arrested after being found passed out at the wheel of a car stopped in Keshena. Brown had cocaine on his person. Officers applied for and obtained a search warrant for the defendant’s residence, which led to the discovery of 380 grams of cocaine, paraphernalia associated with drug use and packaging, ammunition, a ledger containing names, amounts, and prices, and a Glock 21 .45 caliber handgun.

    Investigators seized numerous items which the defendant agreed were proceeds or facilities of illegal drug activity, including $7000 in cash, a 2016 Chevrolet Corvette, a 1999 Porsche Boxster, a 2019 Ford F250 pickup, a 2014 Jeep Wrangler, and a 2017 Kawasaki sport bike style motorcycle. Investigators also seized 216 pairs of luxury shoes. These items were ordered forfeited as part of his sentence.

    During the sentencing hearing, Judge Griesbach noted the seriousness of the crime and the need to deter those who might consider similar actions to protect the community from the destructive effects of controlled substance abuse. Judge Griesbach also observed the need to incapacitate the defendant for a lengthy period, particularly considering Brown’s previous convictions for drug dealing.

    The Menomonee Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigations investigated the case as part of the Safe Trails Task Force (STTF) and the Native American Drug and Gang Initiative (NADGI). NADGI and STTF partner federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement to combat drug trafficking and violent crime on the Menominee Indian Reservation. STTF members are deputized federal officers who identify and target for prosecution individuals who are involved in distribution of dangerous drugs on the Menominee Indian Reservation. Coordination of state resources through NADGI permits efficient communication and evidence processing, which are essential to swift and fair prosecution of offenders. Assistant United States Attorney Andrew J. Maier prosecuted the case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Rapid City Man Sentenced for Involuntary Manslaughter

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

    RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on October 2, 2024.

    Lionel Morrison, age 53, was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    Morrison was indicted for the charge by a federal grand jury in July of 2023. He pleaded guilty on June 7, 2024.

    In May of 2023, Morrison, who was intoxicated, was driving a vehicle just north of Pine Ridge when he lost control of the vehicle. After losing control of the vehicle, Morrison overcorrected the path of the vehicle causing it to roll three times causing the front passenger to be ejected from the vehicle. The victim ultimately succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital.

    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 Oglala Sioux Tribe – Department of Public Safety and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Justice Department Sues LA Fitness for Disability Discrimination at Its Gym and Fitness Clubs

    Source: United States Attorneys General 9

    The Justice Department today sued Fitness International LLC, also called LA Fitness, for discriminating against people with disabilities at its gym and fitness clubs. LA Fitness is the largest chain of owner-operated gym and fitness clubs in the United States, with nearly 700 locations across the country.

    The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, alleges LA Fitness violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits public accommodations, including gym and fitness clubs, from discriminating against people with disabilities. The ADA requires LA Fitness to give people with disabilities equal access to LA Fitness’ services and facilities, remove architectural barriers to make its facilities accessible to people with disabilities and maintain accessible features. The ADA also prohibits LA Fitness from charging extra fees to people with disabilities.

    Yet, as the department’s lawsuit alleges, LA Fitness gym and fitness clubs have many barriers that prevent LA Fitness members with disabilities from accessing the clubs or using the clubs’ pools and fitness equipment. Common barriers include broken pool lifts and broken elevators.  Sometimes, these issues left people with mobility disabilities unable to get into clubs or pools at all. Other times, people with disabilities have gotten stuck dangling over the water on broken pool lifts, have had to call LA Fitness staff to help them get in and out of pools or have had to crawl out of pools. Even after members with disabilities complained about these issues, LA Fitness did not fix them for long periods of time.

    “Access to physical fitness activity is crucial for promoting the health and well-being of all Americans, including those with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “For over 30 years, the ADA has prohibited gyms and fitness clubs like LA Fitness from denying patrons with disabilities the opportunity to use and enjoy facilities enjoyed by patrons without disabilities. Through this lawsuit, the Justice Department seeks to eliminate LA Fitness’s discriminatory barriers and ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to fully participate at their local LA Fitness gym and fitness clubs.”

    “Ensuring accessibility is key to safeguarding civil rights for all Americans,” said U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California. “Our office is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities have access to public accommodations by enforcing the protections afforded by the Americans with Disabilities Act. When we support those with disabilities, our entire community benefits.”

    Through the lawsuit, the department asks the court to stop LA Fitness from discriminating against people with disabilities, including by requiring LA Fitness to make its facilities and equipment accessible. The department also seeks monetary damages for people harmed by LA Fitness’ discrimination. This includes people who were directly harmed by LA Fitness’ barriers to access and broken equipment, as well people who need help to use LA Fitness’ clubs and were charged extra fees to have a friend, nurse or personal assistant help them use LA Fitness facilities.

    If you or someone you know had trouble accessing an LA Fitness gym or fitness club because of a disability, including due to a broken pool lift or elevator, or if you were charged an extra fee to have someone help you access LA Fitness’ equipment, please call 1-888-392-5417 (toll-free), or email Claims.LAFitness@usdoj.gov. For more information on the ADA, please call the department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 1-800-514-0301 (TDD 800-514-0383) or visit http://www.ada.gov. For more information on the Civil Rights Division, please visit http://www.justice.gov/crt.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: HPL Gang Members Sent to Prison for Attempting to Sell Machine Guns to Cartel

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    FBI Marks One Year Since October 7, 2023, Hamas Attack

    The United States continues to be in a heightened threat environment, and the FBI is fully engaged to detect and stop any potential threats to the American people. As we mark one year since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East calls for vigilance by the FBI, our law enforcement partners, and members of the public.

    ALEKSANDR RYZHENKOV

    Conspiracy to Commit Fraud and Related Activity in Connection with Computers; Intentional Damage to a Protected Computer; Transmitting a Demand in Relation to Damaging a Protected Computer; Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

    Capitol Violence

    The FBI is seeking to identify individuals involved in the violent activities that occurred at the U.S. Capitol and surrounding areas on January 6, 2021. View photos and related information here. If you have any information to provide, visit tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Family members sent to prison for sex trafficking women in cantina backroom

    Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

    HOUSTON – A Mexican national illegally residing in Houston and a relative have been sentenced following their convictions of several sex trafficking crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

    Maria Botello-Morales, 57, and her son Edgar Adrian Botello, 31, Houston, pleaded guilty in 2023.

    U.S. District Judge Andrew S. Hanen has now imposed a 280-month-term of imprisonment for Botello-Morales, while Botello received a total of 180 months. Restitution will be determined at a later date. Not a U.S. citizen, Botello-Morales is expected to face removal proceedings following her imprisonment, while Botello will serve 15 years on supervised release following completion of his prison term. During that time, he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. Both will also be ordered to register as sex offenders.

    “Cantina cases shine a light on a unique form of trafficking where mostly undocumented women are sexually exploited for the financial benefit of the traffickers,” said Hamdani. “These individuals stole the American dream from the victims. This form of trafficking takes advantage of the fear these victims live in and we are grateful for the hard work of the Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission (TABC) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in bringing them justice.”

    “TABC is proud to work with the Office of the U.S. Attorney and our other partners in the effort to end human trafficking in Texas,” said TABC Chairman Kevin J. Lilly. “We join our fellow Texans in denouncing this heinous crime and reaffirming our pledge to help free the victims of human trafficking.”

    At the time of the pleas, Botello-Morales admitted to sex trafficking with force, fraud or coercion and conspiracy to do so as well as sex trafficking of a minor. Botello pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking with force, fraud or coercion, two counts of sex trafficking of adults as well as possession of child pornography.

    In 2007, Botello-Morales recruited a minor female from Mexico. She caused the minor to engage in commercial sex and took payment directly from the commercial sex buyers.

    Botello-Morales ran Puerto Algre with Botello and others from 2015 to 2020. Puerto Algre was a cantina where numerous females were forced to engage in commercial sex in backrooms built specifically for that purpose. Botello-Morales, Botello and others threatened and intimidated these victims with violence to manipulate them into engaging in commercial sex for their own financial benefits.

    The victims reported they started at the bar as waitresses. However, Botello-Morales soon told them they had to engage in commercial sex. If they refused, she threatened them with violence.  

    Some witnessed violence and weapons at the bar and in the back area where the sex acts occurred. Each described how they had to take customers to the backrooms through a door and hidden from view of the bar. They were given a condom wrapped in a paper towel, were to spend no more than 15 minutes in the room and charge approximately $70. On the way out, they had to turn the money over to whoever was guarding the room.

    During the investigation, one victim also explained when she refused to come to work, Botello-Morales sent someone to physically assault her.

    The victims explained that Botello, who regularly carried a weapon, was the enforcer. He would also pass out the condoms and collect the money. During the execution of a search warrant at the home Botello-Morales and Botello shared, law enforcement found several loaded firearms in his room along with a computer containing child pornography.

    Another co-conspirator, Esteban Toribio, 65, Houston, pleaded guilty June 17 and held the liquor license for the bar. Toribio reported the conduct to authorities in an attempt to help him gain control of the cantina. Also convicted in relation to the conspiracy was Arian Botello, 26, the nephew of Botello-Morales.

    Both will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    TABC and HSI conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Houston Police Department (HPD) as part of the Human Trafficking Rescue Alliance (HTRA). Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherri L. Zack prosecuted the case.

    HTRA law enforcement includes members of the HPD; FBI; HSI; Texas Attorney General’s Office; IRS-Criminal Investigation; Department of Labor (DOL); DOL – Wage and Hour Division; Department of State; Federal Air Marshals; TABC; Texas Department of Public Safety; Texas Rangers; Texas Parks and Wildlife; Social Security Administration – OIG; Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation; Texas Department of Family and Protective Services as well as police departments in Houston Independent School District (ISD), Conroe ISD and Missouri City; Harris County constables offices – Precincts one and four; sheriff’s offices in Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend, Brazoria and Waller counties in coordination with District Attorney’s offices in Harris, Montgomery, Fort Bend and Galveston counties. They work in coordination with victim service providers such as YMCA, United Against Human Trafficking and Texas Forensic Nurse Examiners.

    Established in 2004, the United States Attorney’s office in Houston formed HTRA to combine resources with federal, state and local enforcement agencies and prosecutors, as well as non-governmental service organizations to target human traffickers while providing necessary services to those that the traffickers victimized. Since its inception, HTRA has been recognized as both a national and international model in identifying and assisting victims of human trafficking and prosecuting those engaged in trafficking offenses.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ukrainian National Pleads Guilty to “Raccoon Infostealer” Cybercrime

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

    FBI Marks One Year Since October 7, 2023, Hamas Attack

    The United States continues to be in a heightened threat environment, and the FBI is fully engaged to detect and stop any potential threats to the American people. As we mark one year since the October 7, 2023, attack by Hamas, the ongoing conflict in the Middle East calls for vigilance by the FBI, our law enforcement partners, and members of the public.

    ALEKSANDR RYZHENKOV

    Conspiracy to Commit Fraud and Related Activity in Connection with Computers; Intentional Damage to a Protected Computer; Transmitting a Demand in Relation to Damaging a Protected Computer; Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering

    Capitol Violence

    The FBI is seeking to identify individuals involved in the violent activities that occurred at the U.S. Capitol and surrounding areas on January 6, 2021. View photos and related information here. If you have any information to provide, visit tips.fbi.gov or call 1-800-CALL-FBI.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI Charge Arizona Woman with Child Abuse

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

    ALBUQUERQUE – An Arizona woman has been charged by indictment on multiple counts of abandonment and abuse of a child for allegedly placing three girls in a dangerous situation earlier this year.

    Avedale Johnson, 40, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, appeared before a federal judge last week and was placed on conditions of release pending trial.

    According to the indictment, on May 4, 2024, Johnson is accused of putting Jane Doe 1, Jane Doe 2, and Jane Doe 3—three children under the age of 18—at significant risk of harm by placing them in a situation that could have endangered their lives and health.

    If convicted, Johnson faces up to three years in prison.

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

    The Farmington Resident Agency of the FBI’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Caitlin L. Dillon is prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Security News: Bob Dean Jr. and Affiliated Corporate Entities Agree to $8.2M Consent Judgment to Resolve Allegations of Financial Misconduct Stemming from Evacuation of Nursing Homes During Hurricane Ida

    Source: United States Department of Justice 2

    Bob Dean Jr. and several companies that he owned and operated have agreed to an $8.2 million consent judgment to resolve allegations that they violated the National Housing Act of 1934 (NHA), by misappropriating and misusing the assets and income of four nursing homes in Louisiana before and after Hurricane Ida’s landfall in August 2021. The four nursing homes, all of which were owned and operated by Dean and his companies, and had loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), are Maison De’Ville Nursing Home in Houma; Maison De’Ville Nursing Home in Harvey; Maison Orleans Healthcare in New Orleans; and West Jefferson Health Care Center in Harvey.

    The FHA, part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), provides mortgage insurance on loans that cover residential care facilities, such as nursing homes, pursuant to the NHA. To encourage lenders to make loans to such facilities, FHA mortgage insurance provides lenders with protection against losses that result from borrowers defaulting on their mortgage loans. To obtain such FHA-insured loans, loan recipients must enter into regulatory agreements with the FHA that provide, among other requirements, that the assets and income of an FHA-insured nursing home may only be spent on goods and services that are reasonable and necessary to the operation of the nursing home. The NHA permits the United States to recover twice the amount of any assets and income of FHA-insured nursing homes that were improperly distributed or misspent.

    In 2023, the government filed a complaint against Dean and his corporate entities alleging that they misspent the nursing homes’ assets and income. The United States alleged that in the five years leading up to Hurricane Ida, Dean funneled money that should have been used to prepare an evacuation site for nursing home residents to his personal bank accounts, leaving his nursing homes — and, more importantly, the nursing homes’ residents — unprepared for a hurricane. As a result, when Hurricane Ida made landfall in August 2021, the residents of Dean’s nursing homes had to ride out the storm in an overcrowded and ill-prepared industrial warehouse Dean owned through a corporate entity. The United States alleged that at Dean’s evacuation center, his nursing homes’ residents languished in squalor and did not receive adequate care, leading to the Louisiana Department of Health evacuating the nursing home residents from Dean’s warehouse and revoking Dean’s nursing homes’ licenses. The United States further alleged that, following the hurricane, Dean did not use the homes’ income and assets solely to operate or maintain the nursing homes, but instead to purchase personal goods and services, including antiques, firearms and cars.

    “This settlement demonstrates the department’s continuing commitment to holding accountable those who put their own financial gain over the needs of our nation’s seniors,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to take action to protect the integrity of federal programs designed to ensure that nursing home residents, who are among our most vulnerable citizens, receive appropriate care.”

    “As the residents of Louisiana well know, hurricanes and natural disasters can devastate people’s lives,” said U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe Jr for the Middle District of Louisiana. “Nursing home operators like Mr. Dean have an obligation to protect their residents during such events, particularly if they are going to rely on federal programs to support or sustain their businesses. This settlement will ensure that those individuals charged with caring for our community’s most vulnerable residents take seriously their duty to have proper safeguards and plans in place to avoid tragedies like the one we saw in Independence, Louisiana, after Hurricane Ida.”

    “Nursing home providers have obligations to protect the health, safety, and welfare of residents entrusted to their care,” said HUD General Counsel Damon Smith. “Owners of FHA-insured nursing homes should be on notice that we will hold them accountable when we learn of allegations that they have failed to meet those obligations.”

    “By the time Hurricane Ida bore down on the vulnerable nursing home residents at properties operated by Mr. Dean, he illegally skimmed funding from those facilities and failed to maintain sanitation and adequately equip the warehouse he designated as the evacuation site,” said HUD Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis. “He unfairly enriched himself while residents under his charge endured horrid conditions including insufficient food and medical care. HUD OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to hold accountable those who misappropriate funds at the expense of vulnerable populations.”

    The Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana handled the case, with substantial assistance from HUD and HUD’s Office of Inspector General. Trial Attorneys Christopher Reimer and Samuel Robins of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Davis Rhorer Jr. and Chase Zachary for the Middle District of Louisiana handled the matter.

    The United States’ complaint stemmed from an investigation that the Justice Department initiated as part of its Elder Justice Initiative, which supports the efforts of state and local prosecutors, law enforcement and other elder justice professionals to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation, with the development of training, resources and information. Learn more about the Justice Department’s Elder Justice Initiative at http://www.justice.gov/elderjustice.

    The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Readout of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti’s Meeting with Chief of Naval Staff of Nigeria Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla

    Source: United States Navy

    Chief of Naval Operations Spokesperson Cmdr. Desiree Frame provided the following readout:

    Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti met Chief of Naval Staff of Nigeria Vice Adm. Emmanuel Ogalla for a formal bilateral engagement during the 14th Trans-Regional Seapower Symposium in Venice, Italy, today.

    The two leaders discussed their enduring partnership, how U.S Navy ship visits and collaboration demonstrate their shared commitment to security and stability in the region, and opportunities to increase maritime cooperation and counter piracy efforts in the Gulf of Guinea.

    Franchetti thanked Ogalla for Nigeria’s leadership in promoting maritime cooperation during exercises such as Obangame Express.    

    The CNO also discussed her recently-released strategic guidance: the Navigation Plan for America’s Warfighting Navy, and ways to advance their shared interests, specifically with an increased focus on Maritime Operations Centers and the use of Robotic and Autonomous Systems to enhance maritime domain awareness.

    The United States and Nigeria are strong partners committed to fostering regional stability and enhancing collective security efforts.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News: Readout of Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti’s Meeting with Chief of the Italian Navy Adm. Enrico Credendino

    Source: United States Navy

    Chief of Naval Operations Spokesperson Cmdr. Desiree Frame provided the following readout:

    Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti met with Chief of the Italian Navy Adm. Enrico Credendino for a formal bilateral engagement during the 14th Trans-Regional Seapower Symposium (TRSS) in Venice, Italy, today.

    The two leaders discussed strengthening their naval partnership through increased interoperability, ongoing security cooperation in the Middle East, European and Pacific theaters, and the importance of the NATO alliance.  

    Franchetti thanked Credendino for hosting TRSS, for their robust participation in the latest BALTOPS exercise, and their steadfast commitment to many U.S. Navy and Marina Militare operations around the globe, most recently during the USS Abrahm Lincoln Carrier and the ITS Cavour Carrier Strike Groups’ first-ever bilateral Multi-Large Deck Event.

    Italy is a key NATO ally, leader for global security and shares a long-standing and vital partnership with the United States. Franchetti last met Credendino in January 2024 during the Paris Naval Conference.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Longtime Department of Veterans Affairs Supervising Engineer Convicted at Trial of Defrauding the Agency of Nearly $1 Million

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

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

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Ahmed Hassan, 70, of Collegeville, Pennsylvania, was convicted today by a federal jury on 22 counts of wire fraud arising from Hassan’s misuse of his position as a federal employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs (“the VA”) to defraud the agency of nearly $1 million over a seven-year period.

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

    From approximately 2013 through October 2017, Hassan schemed to defraud the VA by drafting and submitting for payment, false invoices of a company called HT Mechanical. Unbeknownst to VAMC management, and in violation of Hassan’s duties to the VA, HT Mechanical was nothing but a shell that Hassan had secretly set up with his paramour, Lynn Hanrahan[1] — a social worker with no knowledge of, or expertise in, HVAC or mechanical systems — in order to carry out the scheme.

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

    Hassan is scheduled to be sentenced on January 15, 2025. He faces a maximum possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison for each count on which he was convicted.

    “For the better part of a decade, for his own benefit, Ahmed Hassan siphoned almost a million dollars from Philadelphia’s VA Medical Center,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “In misusing his position to do so, he betrayed his colleagues, U.S. taxpayers, and, most egregiously, the veterans the VA serves. My office and our partners will bring to justice anyone padding their pockets like this at the federal government’s expense.”

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

    [1] Hanrahan was charged in a related scheme, pleaded guilty, and is awaiting sentencing.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Announces Sentencing of Albuquerque Man for Violent Crime Spree

    Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (c)

    ALBUQUERQUE – An Albuquerque man has been sentenced to 200 months in prison for a violent crime spree that included a series of armed robberies and assaults across New Mexico, culminating in the carjacking and shooting of a 62-year-old veteran.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court documents, on November 12, 2021, Procopio Montoya Atkinson, 26, robbed a Dollar General store in Northwest Albuquerque. Atkinson feigned a cash purchase of flavored water, and when the female cashier opened the register to give him change, he reached over the counter to take the money. When she shut the drawer, Atkinson escalated his actions by walking behind the counter and demanding money while pointing a firearm at her. Atkinson discharged the firearm toward the ceiling, causing panic. The manager complied with Atkinson’s demands as he began a verbal countdown. Ultimately, Atkinson took $192 from the register and fled.

    The crime spree continued on December 6, 2021, when Atkinson shoplifted clothing and an entire display case full of pocketknives from a Love’s Travel Stop in Belen. Atkinson was confronted by two female employees outside and physically assaulted them while attempting to hit them with his vehicle. Just three days later, on December 9, Atkinson assaulted another female employee at a Walmart in Belen after loading a cart with clothing and tools.

    Atkinson approaching the display case full of pocketknives.

    Atkinson picking up the display case full of pocketknives.

    The discarded display case.

    On December 13, law enforcement obtained an arrest warrant for Atkinson related to the armed robbery from November 12. On December 17, members of the U.S. Marshals Service fugitive task force established surveillance on his home for his arrest. As they moved in to apprehend him at a gas station, Atkinson displayed awareness of their presence by retrieving binoculars to monitor law enforcement movements. Atkinson drove toward one task force officer while pointing a pistol at him before abandoning his pursuit when backup arrived.

    The crime spree culminated on December 20 when John Doe 3 was driving alone in his vintage Chevrolet truck with his wife and daughter following behind in another vehicle. They were stopped at a traffic light when Atkinson approached John Doe 3’s wife and daughter with a pistol and demanded they exit their vehicle. After they refused to open their doors, Atkinson turned his attention to John Doe 3’s truck, a beautifully restored ’62 Chevrolet. He opened the passenger door and, after a brief struggle, shot John Doe 3 in the back.

    A photo of the scene.

    Responding officers successfully blocked the truck in following an unsuccessful escape attempt by Atkinson and John Doe 3 was airlifted to the hospital.

    John Doe 3 survived his injuries, but the emotional toll of that day has left lasting scars; he experiences ongoing pain and anxiety whenever near that intersection or driving through similar situations, and his beloved truck now sits dormant.

    Upon his release from prison, Atkinson 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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, made the announcement today.

    The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the United States Marshal Service, Belen Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, Albuquerque Police Department, Rio Rancho Police Department and the New Mexico State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Trembley is prosecuting the case.

    # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Readout of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr.’s Phone Call with the United Kingdom’s Chief of the Defence Staff Adm. Sir Tony Radakin

    Source: US Defense Joint Chiefs of Staff

    Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Affairs

    October 8, 2024

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Joint Staff Spokesperson Navy Capt. Jereal Dorsey provided the following readout:

    Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., spoke with the United Kingdom’s Chief of the Defence Staff Adm. Sir Tony Radakin today by phone.

    The military leaders discussed current security assistance efforts for Ukraine and the need to deescalate tensions in the Middle East.

    The U.S. and United Kingdom are strong military partners and share a special relationship rooted in longstanding mutual support and cooperation.

    For more Joint Staff news, visit: www.jcs.mil.
    Connect with the Joint Staff on social media: 
    Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube,
    LinkedIn and Flickr.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Connecticut Man Arrested for Felony Civil Disorder and Other Charges During January 6 Capitol Breach

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

               WASHINGTON — A Connecticut man has been arrested for civil disorder during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His alleged actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

               James Roe Cleary, 56, of Waterford, Connecticut, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with a felony offense of obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder.

               In addition to the felony, Cleary is charged with misdemeanor offenses of simple assault, entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and engaging in physical violence in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building.

               The FBI arrested Cleary today in Waterford, and he will make his initial appearance in the District of Connecticut.

               According to court documents, Cleary was identified in open-source and video footage near the opening of the Lower West Terrace Tunnel on Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C., during a period of intense fighting between rioters and police. The Tunnel was the site of some of the most violent attacks against law enforcement on that day.

               It is alleged that Cleary moved towards the mouth of the Tunnel as intense physical clashes continued between police guarding the Tunnel entrance and rioters trying to force their way through the entrance. By approximately 4:26 p.m., Cleary positioned himself at the mouth of the Tunnel, where he quickly moved his body towards the interior of the Tunnel and made a swiping motion at the head of a police officer. Police body-worn camera shows that roughly ten seconds later, Cleary helped to pull a rioter out of the Tunnel. He then returned to the mouth of the Tunnel and allegedly made another swiping or grabbing gesture with his hand toward police officers.

               Court documents say that at about 4:27 p.m., a Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer was pushed to the ground, and rioters attempted to pull the officer’s body out of the Tunnel and into the mob. Cleary was filmed on body-worn camera allegedly clambering across the bodies of a fallen rioter and the downed officer and grabbing a baton on the ground. Cleary then quickly handed the baton off to another rioter in the mob and then returned to the front of the Tunnel.

               At about 4:28 p.m., Cleary helped pull a second rioter out of the Tunnel who had been filming and become trapped and moved north alongside the Capitol building and stood beneath a window as rioters began to break the glass panes. Video footage and images showed that Cleary remained near the window and watched as rioters passed furniture through the broken window to other rioters closer to the mouth of the Tunnel.

               While standing near the broken window, Cleary grabbed and shoved an individual carrying camera equipment. Open-source video showed Cleary leaving the immediate area shortly afterward.

               This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut.

               This case is being investigated by the FBI’s New Haven and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.

               In the 44 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,504 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 560 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

               Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

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

    ###

    Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube

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

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

    Vanessa Roberts Avery, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Robert Fuller, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that CANYON BEASLEY, 21, of Gresham, Oregon, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with child exploitation offenses, including traveling to Connecticut to engage in sexual activity with a minor.

    Beasley was arrested on September 30, 2024.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stacie F. Beckerman in Portland, Oregon, and was ordered detained.  A detention hearing is scheduled for October 29 in New Haven.

    As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, Beasley and a minor victim in Connecticut engaged in an online relationship, communicating through Snapchat, TikTok, and through text messaging, for more than a year, and exchanged sexually explicit images through these online platforms.  In June 2024, Beasley traveled to Connecticut to engage in sexual activity with the minor victim.

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

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

    This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with the assistance of the Cheshire Police Department and the Connecticut State Police.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Lembo.

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

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Microsoft Releases October 2024 Security Updates

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    Microsoft released security updates to address vulnerabilities in multiple products. A cyber threat actor could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to take control of an affected system.

    CISA encourages users and administrators to review the following and apply necessary updates:

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bob Dean Jr. and Affiliated Corporate Entities Agree to $8.2M Consent Judgment to Resolve Allegations of Financial Misconduct Stemming from Evacuation of Nursing Homes During Hurricane Ida

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    Bob Dean Jr. and several companies that he owned and operated have agreed to an $8.2 million consent judgment to resolve allegations that they violated the National Housing Act of 1934 (NHA), by misappropriating and misusing the assets and income of four nursing homes in Louisiana before and after Hurricane Ida’s landfall in August 2021. The four nursing homes, all of which were owned and operated by Dean and his companies, and had loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), are Maison De’Ville Nursing Home in Houma; Maison De’Ville Nursing Home in Harvey; Maison Orleans Healthcare in New Orleans; and West Jefferson Health Care Center in Harvey.

    The FHA, part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), provides mortgage insurance on loans that cover residential care facilities, such as nursing homes, pursuant to the NHA. To encourage lenders to make loans to such facilities, FHA mortgage insurance provides lenders with protection against losses that result from borrowers defaulting on their mortgage loans. To obtain such FHA-insured loans, loan recipients must enter into regulatory agreements with the FHA that provide, among other requirements, that the assets and income of an FHA-insured nursing home may only be spent on goods and services that are reasonable and necessary to the operation of the nursing home. The NHA permits the United States to recover twice the amount of any assets and income of FHA-insured nursing homes that were improperly distributed or misspent.

    In 2023, the government filed a complaint against Dean and his corporate entities alleging that they misspent the nursing homes’ assets and income. The United States alleged that in the five years leading up to Hurricane Ida, Dean funneled money that should have been used to prepare an evacuation site for nursing home residents to his personal bank accounts, leaving his nursing homes — and, more importantly, the nursing homes’ residents — unprepared for a hurricane. As a result, when Hurricane Ida made landfall in August 2021, the residents of Dean’s nursing homes had to ride out the storm in an overcrowded and ill-prepared industrial warehouse Dean owned through a corporate entity. The United States alleged that at Dean’s evacuation center, his nursing homes’ residents languished in squalor and did not receive adequate care, leading to the Louisiana Department of Health evacuating the nursing home residents from Dean’s warehouse and revoking Dean’s nursing homes’ licenses. The United States further alleged that, following the hurricane, Dean did not use the homes’ income and assets solely to operate or maintain the nursing homes, but instead to purchase personal goods and services, including antiques, firearms and cars.

    “This settlement demonstrates the department’s continuing commitment to holding accountable those who put their own financial gain over the needs of our nation’s seniors,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will continue to take action to protect the integrity of federal programs designed to ensure that nursing home residents, who are among our most vulnerable citizens, receive appropriate care.”

    “As the residents of Louisiana well know, hurricanes and natural disasters can devastate people’s lives,” said U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe Jr for the Middle District of Louisiana. “Nursing home operators like Mr. Dean have an obligation to protect their residents during such events, particularly if they are going to rely on federal programs to support or sustain their businesses. This settlement will ensure that those individuals charged with caring for our community’s most vulnerable residents take seriously their duty to have proper safeguards and plans in place to avoid tragedies like the one we saw in Independence, Louisiana, after Hurricane Ida.”

    “Nursing home providers have obligations to protect the health, safety, and welfare of residents entrusted to their care,” said HUD General Counsel Damon Smith. “Owners of FHA-insured nursing homes should be on notice that we will hold them accountable when we learn of allegations that they have failed to meet those obligations.”

    “By the time Hurricane Ida bore down on the vulnerable nursing home residents at properties operated by Mr. Dean, he illegally skimmed funding from those facilities and failed to maintain sanitation and adequately equip the warehouse he designated as the evacuation site,” said HUD Inspector General Rae Oliver Davis. “He unfairly enriched himself while residents under his charge endured horrid conditions including insufficient food and medical care. HUD OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to hold accountable those who misappropriate funds at the expense of vulnerable populations.”

    The Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana handled the case, with substantial assistance from HUD and HUD’s Office of Inspector General. Trial Attorneys Christopher Reimer and Samuel Robins of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Davis Rhorer Jr. and Chase Zachary for the Middle District of Louisiana handled the matter.

    The United States’ complaint stemmed from an investigation that the Justice Department initiated as part of its Elder Justice Initiative, which supports the efforts of state and local prosecutors, law enforcement and other elder justice professionals to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial exploitation, with the development of training, resources and information. Learn more about the Justice Department’s Elder Justice Initiative at http://www.justice.gov/elderjustice.

    The claims settled by this agreement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard Station Rio Vista to have temporary delay in response to search and rescue

    Source: United States Coast Guard

     

    10/07/2024 07:15 PM EDT

    Coast Guard Station Rio Vista will be delayed in response times for search and rescue from Suisun Bay to Sacramento River north towards Sacramento. Coast Guard Station Rio Vista’s facilities have been temporarily closed due to necessary emergency repairs. Out of concern for the health and safety concerns of Coast Guard members at the unit, the station has temporarily assumed a degraded readiness posture. Other Coast Guard assets, including aircraft from Air Station San Francisco, and partner agencies, maintain their capabilities. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco will leverage every available asset to respond to mission demands, including search and rescue cases.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard sets port conditions for Georgia, South Carolina

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 10/07/2024 09:00 PM EDT

    News Release  

    U.S. Coast Guard 7th District PA Detachment Jacksonville
    Contact: Coast Guard PA Detachment Jacksonville
    Office: 904-714-7606/7607
    After Hours: 786-393-4138
    PA Detachment Jacksonville online newsroom

     

    10/07/2024 08:54 PM EDT

    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Coast Guard captains of the ports (COTP) set port conditions, Tuesday, for the Ports of Brunswick, Savannah, coastal South Carolina and all other terminals and facilities due to forecasted sustained tropical storm force winds generated by Hurricane Milton that may arrive within 24 to 48 hours.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: DHS Statement on Safety and Enforcement During Hurricane Milton

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    During emergency events, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) works with its federal, state, local, and non-governmental partners to support the needs of the people in the areas that may be impacted.

    In such circumstances, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) remind the public that sites that provide emergency response and relief are considered protected areas. To the fullest extent possible, ICE and CBP do not conduct immigration enforcement activities at protected areas such as along evacuation routes, sites used for sheltering or the distribution of emergency supplies, food or water, or registration sites for disaster-related assistance or the reunification of families and loved ones.

    At the request of FEMA or local and state authorities, ICE and CBP may help conduct search and rescue, air traffic de-confliction and public safety missions. ICE and CBP provide emergency assistance to individuals regardless of their immigration status. DHS officials do not and will not pose as individuals providing emergency-related information as part of any enforcement activities.

    DHS is committed to ensuring that every individual who seeks shelter, aid, or other assistance as a result of a natural disaster or emergency event is able to do so regardless of their immigration status.

    DHS carries out its mission without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or gender identity, ethnicity, disability or political associations, and in compliance with law and policy.

    For information about filing a complaint with the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties about these matters, please visit our Make a Civil Rights Complaint page.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: DoD Announces Health Care Supplement Program Pilot for DOD Civilian Employees in Japan

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    The Department of Defense (DoD) today announced a one-year pilot program to provide no-cost supplemental health support services to DoD civilian employees serving in Japan after a yearlong effort to identify and address concerns regarding access to medical care.

    “The Department recognizes the significant contributions of our DoD civilian workforce around the world,” said Ashish Vazirani, who is performing the duties of the Undersecretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. “In keeping with Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III’s commitment to taking care of all our people, we owe it to our civilians to facilitate access to health care no matter where they are. The support from this pilot program will help enhance the patient experience for the approximately 11,000 civilians stationed in Japan through the new pilot.”

    This pilot is called the Pilot Health Insurance Enhancement for DoD Civilian Employees in Japan and will assist eligible civilian employees with health care navigation and upfront costs associated with accessing Japan’s healthcare system.

    To be eligible, the employee must be enrolled in a participating health plan through the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. The enrollment window for eligible employees will be the Federal Benefits Open Season, which runs this year Nov. 11 through Dec. 9. Federal Benefits Open Season allows federal civilians to enroll in or change health care options.

    The services provided under this pilot will begin Jan. 1, 2025, when participants can use the services and access support through a call center. The call center will be open 24/7 and staffed with bilingual service representatives who will assist callers with identifying their needs, make appointments with provider offices, and issue payment guarantees up front. Dependents are not eligible for services during the pilot, which runs through Sept. 29, 2025.

    Employees working in Japan with the following military departments, defense agencies and DoD field activities are eligible for this supplemental coverage:

    • Department of the Air Force
    • Department of the Army
    • Department of the Navy
    • Defense Information Systems Agency
    • Defense Logistics Agency
    • Department of Defense Education Activity
    • Defense Commissary Agency
    • Defense Contract Management Agency
    • Defense Finance and Accounting Service
    • Defense Health Agency
    • Defense Media Activity
    • Defense Threat Reduction Agency
    • National Security Agency
    • Defense Intelligence Agency
    • National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

    “We are excited to offer this program,” said Seileen Mullen, who is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. “This is a no-cost supplemental service, and we encourage civilian employees in Japan to use it.”

    The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs will oversee the pilot program and has awarded a $4.2 million contract to International SOS Government Services Inc., which is also the prime contractor for the TRICARE Overseas Program. The contract for this pilot is being funded by the military departments, defense agencies and DoD field activities that have civilian employees working in Japan.

    Active-duty service members and TRICARE Prime beneficiaries have prioritized access to health care in military hospitals and clinics based on current federal law and DoD policy. DoD civilians who are not TRICARE beneficiaries may use military health facilities on a space-available basis.

    Agreements with FEHB insurance carriers who currently provide coverage for DoD civilian employees in Japan will be established to provide direct billing agreements. Non-appropriated Fund (NAF) employees are eligible for this program if enrolled in an Aetna International plan.

    Additional details dedicated to this pilot program will be announced before Federal Benefits Open Season begins. This information will also be posted to web sites for military hospitals and clinics in Japan in their “Getting Care” section.

    MIL Security OSI –