NewzIntel.com

Category: Security Intelligence

  • MIL-OSI Security: KC Man Pleads Guilty for Computer Hacking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Mo., man has pleaded guilty for hacking into the computer system at an area nonprofit.

    Nicholas Michael Kloster, 32, admitted during his plea that he caused reckless damage to a protected computer owned by an area nonprofit during unauthorized access. Kloster admitted that he entered the premises of a nonprofit corporation on May 20, 2024. Kloster entered an area that is not available to the public and accessed a computer with access to the company’s network.

    Kloster specifically admitted that he utilized a boot disk to access the computer through multiple user accounts. By accessing the computer in this manner, Kloster was able to circumvent the password requirements by changing the password assigned to one or more users. Kloster was then able to install a virtual private network on this computer. Since Kloster’s intrusion into its computer and its network, the company has sustained significant losses in an attempt to remediate the effects from this intrusion.

    Under federal statutes, Kloster is subject to a sentence of up to five years’ imprisonment in federal prison without parole, a fine of up to $250,000, up to three years of supervised release, and an order of restitution. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Heberle and Patrick D. Daly. It was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas City, Missouri Police Department.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Murder Charge Filed Against Teen Who Struck Another Person with a Car

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Kyree Young, 17, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged with first degree murder while armed – felony murder, that occurred on the morning of May 7, 2025, in Northwest D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

                Young made his initial appearance before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Robert J. Hildum today, where Judge Hildum found probable cause that Young committed the offense of first-degree murder while armed – felony murder and ordered that Young be held without bond pending trial. The United States is still investigating Young’s accomplices. 

                According to court documents, Young followed the victim from an ATM and struck him with a vehicle, robbed him, and tried to access his financial accounts at the same ATM he had been using earlier. The victim died at the scene.  Police later recovered the vehicle and gathered other evidence that led to Young’s identification.

                This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington Field Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Carter.

                These charges are 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: Murder Charge Filed Against Teen Who Struck Another Person with a Car

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Kyree Young, 17, of Washington, D.C., was arrested and charged with first degree murder while armed – felony murder, that occurred on the morning of May 7, 2025, in Northwest D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. 

                Young made his initial appearance before Superior Court Magistrate Judge Robert J. Hildum today, where Judge Hildum found probable cause that Young committed the offense of first-degree murder while armed – felony murder and ordered that Young be held without bond pending trial. The United States is still investigating Young’s accomplices. 

                According to court documents, Young followed the victim from an ATM and struck him with a vehicle, robbed him, and tried to access his financial accounts at the same ATM he had been using earlier. The victim died at the scene.  Police later recovered the vehicle and gathered other evidence that led to Young’s identification.

                This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington Field Division. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jamie Carter.

                These charges are 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: Utah Businessman Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding the COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program Out of Over $628,000

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Utah entrepreneur was sentenced today to 18 months’ imprisonment after he fraudulently obtained $628,307 from a COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan in 2021 by submitting a fraudulent loan application in the name of his business.

    The COVID-19 PPP Loans were provided to small businesses for funding to meet specific obligations, including payroll and rent during the pandemic.

    Marcelo Federico Torre, 42, of Draper, Utah, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, and possession of stolen mail on April 10, 2025. In addition to his sentence, and credit for time served, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups sentenced Torre to three years’ supervised release and ordered him to pay $628,307 in restitution. Torre also forfeited a money judgement in the amount of $628,307.

    According to court documents and statements made at Torre’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, from April 27, 2021 to May 5, 2021, Torre fraudulently submitted a PPP Loan application through U.S. Bank for approximately $628,307 on behalf of his company, Offerworks Inc., a company he owned and controlled. By fraudulently submitting the Loan application, he lied to U.S. Bank and the United States government in order to be approved for the PPP Loan. Some of the false statements Torre made on the PPP Loan application included that his company, Offerworks Inc., had been in operation as of February 15, 2020, when it had not; his company had 37 employees, when it did not; and that Offerworks Inc., had an average monthly payroll of $251,323 in 2020, when it did not.

    “The amount of money Mr. Torre stole from the U.S. government and taxpayers, which was intended to keep businesses open and provide salaries for employees and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic, is significant and his fraud and will not go unpunished,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah. “It is our hope Mr. Torre’s sentence will deter him and others who seek to take criminal advantage of government programs meant to help honest and hardworking business owners and their employees during a crisis.”

    The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Postal Investigation Service, Draper City Police Department, U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office, Salt Lake City Police Department, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).

    Assistant United States Attorney Todd C. Bouton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

    Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and has seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at Justice.gov/OPA/pr/justice-department-takes-action-against-covid-19-fraud.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Utah Businessman Sentenced to Prison for Defrauding the COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program Out of Over $628,000

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Utah entrepreneur was sentenced today to 18 months’ imprisonment after he fraudulently obtained $628,307 from a COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan in 2021 by submitting a fraudulent loan application in the name of his business.

    The COVID-19 PPP Loans were provided to small businesses for funding to meet specific obligations, including payroll and rent during the pandemic.

    Marcelo Federico Torre, 42, of Draper, Utah, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, and possession of stolen mail on April 10, 2025. In addition to his sentence, and credit for time served, Senior U.S. District Court Judge Clark Waddoups sentenced Torre to three years’ supervised release and ordered him to pay $628,307 in restitution. Torre also forfeited a money judgement in the amount of $628,307.

    According to court documents and statements made at Torre’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, from April 27, 2021 to May 5, 2021, Torre fraudulently submitted a PPP Loan application through U.S. Bank for approximately $628,307 on behalf of his company, Offerworks Inc., a company he owned and controlled. By fraudulently submitting the Loan application, he lied to U.S. Bank and the United States government in order to be approved for the PPP Loan. Some of the false statements Torre made on the PPP Loan application included that his company, Offerworks Inc., had been in operation as of February 15, 2020, when it had not; his company had 37 employees, when it did not; and that Offerworks Inc., had an average monthly payroll of $251,323 in 2020, when it did not.

    “The amount of money Mr. Torre stole from the U.S. government and taxpayers, which was intended to keep businesses open and provide salaries for employees and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic, is significant and his fraud and will not go unpunished,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti of the District of Utah. “It is our hope Mr. Torre’s sentence will deter him and others who seek to take criminal advantage of government programs meant to help honest and hardworking business owners and their employees during a crisis.”

    The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Postal Investigation Service, Draper City Police Department, U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office, Salt Lake City Police Department, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation Division, U.S. Small Business Administration – Office of Inspector General (SBA-OIG), and the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA).

    Assistant United States Attorney Todd C. Bouton of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.

    Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
    The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Since the inception of the CARES Act, the Fraud Section has prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases and has seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds. More information can be found at Justice.gov/OPA/pr/justice-department-takes-action-against-covid-19-fraud.
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Iranian National and Wife Federally Indicted After Wife Threatens to Shoot ICE Officers in Tempe

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – On June 24, 2025, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned an indictment against Iranian national, Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, 40, of Tempe, Arizona for Alien in Possession of a Firearm, and against his wife, Linet Vartanniavartanians, 37, a United States Citizen from Tempe, Arizona, for Threatening to Assault a Federal Officer.

    Documents filed in the case allege that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers went to Eidivand and Vartanniavartanians’ Tempe residence on Saturday, June 21, 2025, to administratively arrest Eidivand for failing to comply with a 2013 removal order. Eidivand, an Iranian national, had challenged the removal order on several occasions, but the Board of Immigration Appeals denied those motions repeatedly. Despite the court order to return to his home country, Eidivand remained in the United States for over a decade.

    When ICE ERO officers arrived at the couple’s residence, they announced themselves and were answered by Vartanniavartanians, who refused to open the door and told the officers to return with a warrant. Shortly thereafter, Tempe Police officers arrived on the scene and told ICE ERO that Vartanniavartanians had called the police and threatened to shoot the federal officers. She claimed that she had a loaded gun and that she would shoot anyone who tried to come inside the house. She also threatened to go outside and shoot ICE officers in the head. When the police dispatcher spoke with Eidivand, he confirmed that there were guns in the home.

    The following day, June 22, 2025, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and officers from ICE ERO executed a federal search warrant on the residence. Inside the home, agents found a loaded firearm on the kitchen counter and a second loaded firearm on a nightstand. Both Vartanniavartanians and Eidivand were arrested at the scene and taken into custody without further incident.

    A conviction for Alien in Possession of a Firearm carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, or both. A conviction for Threatening to Assault a Federal Officer carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, or both.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    HSI Phoenix, ICE, ERO, and the FBI’s Phoenix Office are conducting the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Addison Owen, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:           CR-25-00931-PHX-DGC
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-099_Eidivand, et al.

    # # #

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Iranian National and Wife Federally Indicted After Wife Threatens to Shoot ICE Officers in Tempe

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – On June 24, 2025, a federal grand jury in Phoenix returned an indictment against Iranian national, Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, 40, of Tempe, Arizona for Alien in Possession of a Firearm, and against his wife, Linet Vartanniavartanians, 37, a United States Citizen from Tempe, Arizona, for Threatening to Assault a Federal Officer.

    Documents filed in the case allege that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) officers went to Eidivand and Vartanniavartanians’ Tempe residence on Saturday, June 21, 2025, to administratively arrest Eidivand for failing to comply with a 2013 removal order. Eidivand, an Iranian national, had challenged the removal order on several occasions, but the Board of Immigration Appeals denied those motions repeatedly. Despite the court order to return to his home country, Eidivand remained in the United States for over a decade.

    When ICE ERO officers arrived at the couple’s residence, they announced themselves and were answered by Vartanniavartanians, who refused to open the door and told the officers to return with a warrant. Shortly thereafter, Tempe Police officers arrived on the scene and told ICE ERO that Vartanniavartanians had called the police and threatened to shoot the federal officers. She claimed that she had a loaded gun and that she would shoot anyone who tried to come inside the house. She also threatened to go outside and shoot ICE officers in the head. When the police dispatcher spoke with Eidivand, he confirmed that there were guns in the home.

    The following day, June 22, 2025, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and officers from ICE ERO executed a federal search warrant on the residence. Inside the home, agents found a loaded firearm on the kitchen counter and a second loaded firearm on a nightstand. Both Vartanniavartanians and Eidivand were arrested at the scene and taken into custody without further incident.

    A conviction for Alien in Possession of a Firearm carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, or both. A conviction for Threatening to Assault a Federal Officer carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, or both.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    An indictment is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    HSI Phoenix, ICE, ERO, and the FBI’s Phoenix Office are conducting the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Addison Owen, District of Arizona, Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:           CR-25-00931-PHX-DGC
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-099_Eidivand, et al.

    # # #

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Salem Man Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Entice and Coerce Children Online

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    EUGENE, Ore.—A Salem, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for requesting sexually explicit materials from undercover law enforcement officers posing as children online and attempting to persuade the purported children to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

    Gary Wade Ronning, 40, was sentenced to 130 months in federal prison and ten years’ supervised release.

    According to court documents, in March 2023, Ronning used Facebook Messenger, an online messaging application, to contact an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 15-year-old girl as part of a broader investigation into online enticement of minors. For months, Ronning engaged in sexually explicit communications with the officer, requested sexually explicit images of the purported child, sent sexually explicit photos and videos of himself, and planned a meeting to engage in illicit sexual conduct. However, when it came time for the meetup, Ronning did not follow through with his plans.

    Between October and November 2023, Ronning communicated with two other undercover officers posing as 13-year-old and 15-year-old children online. Ronning again engaged in sexually explicit conversations, sent sexually explicit images and videos of himself, and attempted to arrange meetups to engage in illicit sexual conduct. During these conversations, Ronning expressed awareness that his actions were illegal and repeatedly reminded the fictitious children not to tell anyone about his plans.

    On January 18, 2024, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a five-count indictment charging Ronning with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, attempting to use a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

    On January 22, 2025, Ronning pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.

    This case was investigated by the FBI and the Redmond Police Department, with assistance from the Salem Police Department. It was prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

    The FBI Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF) conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.

    Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Salem Man Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Federal Prison for Attempting to Entice and Coerce Children Online

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    EUGENE, Ore.—A Salem, Oregon man was sentenced to federal prison today for requesting sexually explicit materials from undercover law enforcement officers posing as children online and attempting to persuade the purported children to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

    Gary Wade Ronning, 40, was sentenced to 130 months in federal prison and ten years’ supervised release.

    According to court documents, in March 2023, Ronning used Facebook Messenger, an online messaging application, to contact an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 15-year-old girl as part of a broader investigation into online enticement of minors. For months, Ronning engaged in sexually explicit communications with the officer, requested sexually explicit images of the purported child, sent sexually explicit photos and videos of himself, and planned a meeting to engage in illicit sexual conduct. However, when it came time for the meetup, Ronning did not follow through with his plans.

    Between October and November 2023, Ronning communicated with two other undercover officers posing as 13-year-old and 15-year-old children online. Ronning again engaged in sexually explicit conversations, sent sexually explicit images and videos of himself, and attempted to arrange meetups to engage in illicit sexual conduct. During these conversations, Ronning expressed awareness that his actions were illegal and repeatedly reminded the fictitious children not to tell anyone about his plans.

    On January 18, 2024, a federal grand jury in Eugene returned a five-count indictment charging Ronning with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, attempting to use a minor to produce a visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct, and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

    On January 22, 2025, Ronning pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor.

    This case was investigated by the FBI and the Redmond Police Department, with assistance from the Salem Police Department. It was prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon.

    Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

    The FBI Child Exploitation Task Force (CETF) conducts sexual exploitation investigations, many of them undercover, in coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. CETF is committed to locating and arresting those who prey on children as well as recovering and assisting victims of sex trafficking and child exploitation.

    Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document the victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the internet, re-victimize and re-traumatize the child victims each time their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.org.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: West Jordan Man Accused of Trafficking Cocaine in the District of Utah

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury returned and indictment today charging a Utah man with drug crimes after federal agents allegedly seized over 4,800 grams of field-tested positive cocaine during an executed search warrant.

    Evar Mahmood Hashim, 25, of West Jordan, Utah, was charged by complaint on June 12, 2025.

    According to court documents, beginning in May 2025, the Davis County Metro Narcotics Strike Force initiated a criminal investigation into members of a drug trafficking organization that was believed to be distributing large quantities of narcotics in Utah. During the investigation, agents identified a vehicle believed to be used by the organization to traffic the suspected narcotics. On June 10, 2025, a search warrant was executed on the vehicle, which was located and secured in Juab County, Utah. At this time, Hashim was the driver of the vehicle. During the search of the vehicle, agents seized approximately 4,836 grams of a white powder, which field-tested positive for cocaine. Hashim was taken into custody.

    Hashim is charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for June 26, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

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

    The case is being investigated jointly by the Davis County Metro Narcotics Strike Force and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

    Special Assistant United States Attorney Kelsy Young of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: West Jordan Man Accused of Trafficking Cocaine in the District of Utah

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A federal grand jury returned and indictment today charging a Utah man with drug crimes after federal agents allegedly seized over 4,800 grams of field-tested positive cocaine during an executed search warrant.

    Evar Mahmood Hashim, 25, of West Jordan, Utah, was charged by complaint on June 12, 2025.

    According to court documents, beginning in May 2025, the Davis County Metro Narcotics Strike Force initiated a criminal investigation into members of a drug trafficking organization that was believed to be distributing large quantities of narcotics in Utah. During the investigation, agents identified a vehicle believed to be used by the organization to traffic the suspected narcotics. On June 10, 2025, a search warrant was executed on the vehicle, which was located and secured in Juab County, Utah. At this time, Hashim was the driver of the vehicle. During the search of the vehicle, agents seized approximately 4,836 grams of a white powder, which field-tested positive for cocaine. Hashim was taken into custody.

    Hashim is charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute. His initial appearance on the indictment is scheduled for June 26, 2025, at 2:00 p.m. in courtroom 8.4 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

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

    The case is being investigated jointly by the Davis County Metro Narcotics Strike Force and the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

    Special Assistant United States Attorney Kelsy Young of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN).

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lone American indicted in international drug trafficking investigation sentenced to five years in prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Local resident conspired with Mexican and Colombian nationals in drug distribution conspiracy

    Seattle – A U.S. citizen deeply enmeshed in an international drug smuggling conspiracy was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to five years in prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Just over a year ago, law enforcement teams from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Seattle Police Department and IRS Criminal Investigation executed 24 search or arrest warrants taking four people into custody who were linked to the drug trafficking conspiracy. 56-year-old Curtis McDaniel was arrested at a Tukwila motel and has been in custody ever since. The drug conspirators arrested on June 5, 2024, have ties to suppliers in Mexico and Colombia.

    In sentencing McDaniel to five years in prison and four years of supervised release to follow his prison term, U.S. District Judge Tana Lin referenced the significant impact that McDaniel’s distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine have upon our community—specifically noting that methamphetamine and cocaine were the second and third most common substances involved in overdose deaths in King County in 2024.

    Lead defendant Ramon Duarte Garcia, 37, a citizen of Mexico who lived in Kent, Washington, was identified as a significant drug supplier when law enforcement stopped him driving back to the Pacific Northwest with 12 pounds of methamphetamine in his vehicle, along with a stolen firearm and $10,000 in drug trafficking proceeds. Duarte Garcia, was sentenced to ten years in prison in May 2025. Defendant Humberto Lopez Rodriguez, 30, a citizen of Mexico, formerly of Renton, Washington, is scheduled for sentencing on July 30, 2025.

    Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized 84,000 fentanyl pills, more than a kilogram of fentanyl powder, 32 kilograms of cocaine, 15 kilograms of methamphetamine nearly three kilograms of heroin, and $71,000 in drug proceeds. They recovered nine guns, including an AK-47.

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

    The investigation is being led by the DEA and Seattle Police Department. The IRS Criminal Investigation and OCDETF Auditor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office are conducting the financial investigation that is focused on the money launderers responsible for the transfer of significant sums of drug trafficking proceeds to sources of supply in Mexico and Colombia. Additional assistance was provided by Renton Police Department, Centralia Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General (HUD OIG), Washington State Patrol, Pierce County and Valley SWAT teams.

    The Colombian National Police (CNP) and Colombian Prosecutor’s Office (Fiscalia General) partnered with U.S. law enforcement on this investigation. The Justice Department’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá provided critical assistance.

    The cases from this investigation are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joe Silvio and C. Andrew Colasurdo in the Western District of Washington.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lone American indicted in international drug trafficking investigation sentenced to five years in prison

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Local resident conspired with Mexican and Colombian nationals in drug distribution conspiracy

    Seattle – A U.S. citizen deeply enmeshed in an international drug smuggling conspiracy was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to five years in prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller. Just over a year ago, law enforcement teams from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Seattle Police Department and IRS Criminal Investigation executed 24 search or arrest warrants taking four people into custody who were linked to the drug trafficking conspiracy. 56-year-old Curtis McDaniel was arrested at a Tukwila motel and has been in custody ever since. The drug conspirators arrested on June 5, 2024, have ties to suppliers in Mexico and Colombia.

    In sentencing McDaniel to five years in prison and four years of supervised release to follow his prison term, U.S. District Judge Tana Lin referenced the significant impact that McDaniel’s distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine have upon our community—specifically noting that methamphetamine and cocaine were the second and third most common substances involved in overdose deaths in King County in 2024.

    Lead defendant Ramon Duarte Garcia, 37, a citizen of Mexico who lived in Kent, Washington, was identified as a significant drug supplier when law enforcement stopped him driving back to the Pacific Northwest with 12 pounds of methamphetamine in his vehicle, along with a stolen firearm and $10,000 in drug trafficking proceeds. Duarte Garcia, was sentenced to ten years in prison in May 2025. Defendant Humberto Lopez Rodriguez, 30, a citizen of Mexico, formerly of Renton, Washington, is scheduled for sentencing on July 30, 2025.

    Over the course of the investigation, law enforcement seized 84,000 fentanyl pills, more than a kilogram of fentanyl powder, 32 kilograms of cocaine, 15 kilograms of methamphetamine nearly three kilograms of heroin, and $71,000 in drug proceeds. They recovered nine guns, including an AK-47.

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

    The investigation is being led by the DEA and Seattle Police Department. The IRS Criminal Investigation and OCDETF Auditor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office are conducting the financial investigation that is focused on the money launderers responsible for the transfer of significant sums of drug trafficking proceeds to sources of supply in Mexico and Colombia. Additional assistance was provided by Renton Police Department, Centralia Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of the Inspector General (HUD OIG), Washington State Patrol, Pierce County and Valley SWAT teams.

    The Colombian National Police (CNP) and Colombian Prosecutor’s Office (Fiscalia General) partnered with U.S. law enforcement on this investigation. The Justice Department’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of the Judicial Attaché in Bogotá provided critical assistance.

    The cases from this investigation are being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Joe Silvio and C. Andrew Colasurdo in the Western District of Washington.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Blanchard Woman Sent to Federal Prison for 22 Months, Ordered to Pay $727,300 in Restitution for Filing Fraudulent PPP Loan Application

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    OKLAHOMA CITY – SHERI LYNN VICKERY, 40, of Blanchard, has been sentenced to serve 22 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $727,300 in restitution for making a false statement to a financial institution, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    According to public record, from April 2020 through December 2021, Vickery worked as an office manager for Coil Chem LLC, a chemical manufacturing company based in Washington, Oklahoma. On April 7, 2020, Vickery submitted an application for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) on behalf of Coil Chem. The PPP was a COVID-19 pandemic relief program that provided forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses. The Indictment alleges that Vickery inflated Coil Chem’s total payroll costs and misrepresented what the PPP loan proceeds would be used for, ultimately causing $727,300 to be transferred into Coil Chem’s operating bank account. Vickery then used the proceeds for impermissible purposes, including to pay off a family member’s personal debts.

    On September 10, 2024, Vickery pleaded guilty, and admitted she knowingly submitted a PPP loan application that contained false representations.

    At the sentencing hearing on June 16, 2025, U.S. District Judge Jodi W. Dishman sentenced Vickery to serve 22 months in federal prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and ordered Vickery to pay $727,300 in restitution. In announcing the sentence, the court noted the nature and circumstances and seriousness of the offense.

    This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia E. Barry prosecuted the case.

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pacific Partnership 2025 Conducts Mission Stop in Nuku’Alofa, Tonga, June 25, 2025 [Image 1 of 9]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on

    NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (June 25, 2025) U.S. Army Capt. Levi Jackson, left, and Spc. Bryson Joens, both assigned to 72nd Medical Detachment Veterinary Service Support, provide pet ownership and care lessons to the students of the Acts Community School during Pacific Partnership 2025 in Nuku’Alofa, Tonga, June 25, 2025. Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/Released)

    Date Taken: 06.25.2025
    Date Posted: 06.26.2025 00:03
    Photo ID: 9132588
    VIRIN: 250625-N-ED646-1456
    Resolution: 7996×5331
    Size: 7.43 MB
    Location: NUKU’ALOFA, TO
    Web Views: 0
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  • MIL-OSI Security: Pacific Partnership 2025 Conducts Mission Stop in Nuku’Alofa, Tonga, June 25, 2025 [Image 1 of 9]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on

    NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (June 25, 2025) U.S. Army Capt. Levi Jackson, left, and Spc. Bryson Joens, both assigned to 72nd Medical Detachment Veterinary Service Support, provide pet ownership and care lessons to the students of the Acts Community School during Pacific Partnership 2025 in Nuku’Alofa, Tonga, June 25, 2025. Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/Released)

    Date Taken: 06.25.2025
    Date Posted: 06.26.2025 00:03
    Photo ID: 9132588
    VIRIN: 250625-N-ED646-1456
    Resolution: 7996×5331
    Size: 7.43 MB
    Location: NUKU’ALOFA, TO
    Web Views: 0
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    This work, Pacific Partnership 2025 Conducts Mission Stop in Nuku’Alofa, Tonga, June 25, 2025 [Image 9 of 9], by PO2 Moises Sandoval, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Pacific Partnership 2025 Conducts Mission Stop in Nuku’Alofa, Tonga, June 25, 2025 [Image 8 of 9]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on

    NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (June 25, 2025) U.S. Army Capt. Levi Jackson, center, assigned to 72nd Medical Detachment Veterinary Service Support, distributes participation prizes to students of the Acts Community School during a pet ownership and care lecture as part of Pacific Partnership 2025 in Nuku’Alofa, Tonga, June 25, 2025. Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/Released)

    Date Taken: 06.25.2025
    Date Posted: 06.26.2025 00:03
    Photo ID: 9132595
    VIRIN: 250625-N-ED646-5990
    Resolution: 7427×4967
    Size: 7.86 MB
    Location: NUKU’ALOFA, TO
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  • MIL-OSI Security: Pacific Partnership 2025 Conducts Mission Stop in Nuku’Alofa, Tonga, June 25, 2025 [Image 8 of 9]

    Source: United States Navy (Logistics Group Western Pacific)

    Issued by: on

    NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga (June 25, 2025) U.S. Army Capt. Levi Jackson, center, assigned to 72nd Medical Detachment Veterinary Service Support, distributes participation prizes to students of the Acts Community School during a pet ownership and care lecture as part of Pacific Partnership 2025 in Nuku’Alofa, Tonga, June 25, 2025. Now in its 21st iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Pacific Partnership works collaboratively with host and partner nations to enhance regional interoperability and disaster response capabilities, increase security and stability in the region, and foster new and enduring friendships in the Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/Released)

    Date Taken: 06.25.2025
    Date Posted: 06.26.2025 00:03
    Photo ID: 9132595
    VIRIN: 250625-N-ED646-5990
    Resolution: 7427×4967
    Size: 7.86 MB
    Location: NUKU’ALOFA, TO
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  • MIL-OSI Security: 1-2 SBCT Transfers Authority to 1-4 SBCT

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    CAMP CASEY, South Korea – U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, uncased their colors, and the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, cased theirs during a Korea Rotational Force transfer of authority ceremony held June 18, on Camp Casey.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: 1-2 SBCT Transfers Authority to 1-4 SBCT

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    CAMP CASEY, South Korea – U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, uncased their colors, and the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, cased theirs during a Korea Rotational Force transfer of authority ceremony held June 18, on Camp Casey.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S., Indonesian navies commence Exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Indonesia 2025

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    SURABAYA, INDONESIA — The United States Navy, the Indonesian Navy (Tentara Nasional Indonesia – Angkatan Laut, or TNI-AL) and the Indonesian Marine Corps commenced Exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Indonesia 2025 on June 23, at TNI-AL 2nd Fleet Command in Surabaya.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: PHOTO RELEASE: Secretary Noem Visits Costa Rica

    Source: US Department of Homeland Security

    SAN JOSÉ, COSTA RICA – Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem traveled to Costa Rica to reinforce the importance of international cooperation in preventing violent criminal illegal aliens from entering the United States. During her visit, she met with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Joint Security Program Team, toured the Los Lagos Detention Center, and held discussions with Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves.  

    On Tuesday, Secretary Noem met with members of CBP’s Joint Security Program Team, which operates in Costa Rica and makes significant contributions to bolstering border security efforts. The team, composed of CBP personnel and Costa Rican counterparts, works to enhance security measures at key border points and combat illicit activities such as smuggling and trafficking. At the meeting, Secretary Noem received a briefing on the team’s operations, including their use of advanced technology, intelligence-sharing protocols, and joint initiatives.  

    On Wednesday, Secretary Noem also toured the Los Lagos Detention Center and was briefed on Costa Rican authorities’ detainment of known or suspected terrorists. The tour provided insights into Costa Rica’s efforts to address illegal migration. Accompanied by Costa Rican officials, Noem observed the facility’s operations, including its infrastructure, security protocols, and detainee management practices.  

    On Wednesday, Secretary Noem also met with President Rodrigo Chaves Robles in San José to reaffirm the strong partnership between the United States and Costa Rica. The discussion focused on deepening bilateral ties through enhanced collaboration on security issues, including countering transnational crime, drug trafficking, and illegal migration. Both leaders emphasized their commitment to joint initiatives promoting regional stability and prosperity. They explored opportunities to align policies and share resources to address shared challenges, such as strengthening border security while supporting lawful trade and travel.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: [Kaahn Quest 2025] 125th Finance Battalion Leads Combined Operations Center

    Source: United States INDO PACIFIC COMMAND

    FIVE HILLS TRAINING AREA, Mongolia — As the Army Forces Command element for Khaan Quest 25, the 125th Finance Battalion, 8th Military Police Brigade, 8th Theater Sustainment Command is taking the lead on more than just contracting and finance operations, from June 14 – 29, 2025, here.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fugitive’s Accomplice Killed as U.S. Marshals, Puerto Rico Police Arrest Most Wanted in Mayaguez

    Source: US Marshals Service

    Hato Rey, PR – One person was killed as the U.S. Marshals Violent Offenders Task Force and Puerto Rico Police early Monday arrested in Mayaguez a man wanted for attempted murder and other charges on a warrant that carried a bail of $1.2 million.

    Jose M. Rodriguez-Torres, aka “La J,” 26, the subject of the arrest and one of Puerto Rico’s 10 Most Wanted fugitives, was wanted on a state warrant for attempted murder, possession, transportation and use of firearms without a license, and tampering with an electronic monitoring device.

    Rodríguez-Torres had removed his electronic monitoring bracelet during his trial for the 2021 attempted murder of the chief executive of the company Flan-es-Cedó. He had been convicted in absentia for a June 27, 2021, massacre on PR-3345 in the Lavadero neighborhood of Hormigueros, where two brothers were killed, and was sentenced to 229 years in prison for that case. In addition, he had an active federal warrant issued in 2023 for drug trafficking and firearms charges.

    While law enforcement officers were executing the arrest warrant, they identified Rodríguez-Torres, along with two other individuals in a car. When the fugitive spotted the agents, he attempted to flee, driving against traffic until crashing into an official vehicle.

    According to preliminary reports, one of the rear passengers brandished a black firearm, prompting agents to return fire. The individual was identified as José A. Chevrés Ramos, 29, a resident of Cabo Rojo with a prior criminal record for robbery. He was fatally shot by agents during the pursuit. Chevrés Ramos also had pending warrants for his arrest.

    The FBI and the Puerto Rico Special Investigations Bureau assisted in the investigation but did not assume jurisdiction. The Criminal Investigation Corps of the Puerto Rico Police Department is handling the investigation, and the state prosecutor’s office has formally filed charges with the court. The judge found cause for all the charges filed against Rodríguez-Torres and Eliezer Graniela-Barreto (also a passenger in the vehicle), including attempted murder of federal agents and pointing a firearm at law enforcement.

    A bail bond of $4,200,000 was set but not posted, and both individuals were subsequently booked into state prison.

    Three firearms were seized from the vehicle and will be analyzed by the Forensic Sciences Institute’s ballistics laboratory. Two of the three weapons had been modified to fire automatically.

    “Our communities can trust that our Deputy U.S. Marshals, together with our partners from the Puerto Rico Police Department, will not relent in their efforts to remove violent offenders from our streets and bring them to justice,” said Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra, U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico. “Enforcing the law and ensuring public safety is dangerous work, and unfortunately, incidents like these are sometimes the result. We always urge fugitives to surrender, accept responsibility, and face the consequences of their actions. However, we will not stop. We will continue to search for them and fulfill our mission as agents of law and order.”

    The U.S. Marshals Service encourages the community to continue to collaborate with our deputies on tips that help find the whereabouts of a fugitive by contacting our local office at (787) 766-6540, calling the U.S. Marshals Service Communication Center at 1 (800) 336-0102, or submitting tips using the USMS Tips App.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy departs Seattle for months-long Arctic deployment

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 06/25/2025 06:30 PM EDT

    News Release

    		  

    U.S. Coast Guard 17th District Alaska
    Contact: 17th District Public Affairs
    Office: (907) 463-2065
    After Hours: (907) 463-2065
    17th District online newsroom

     

    06/25/2025 06:07 PM EDT

    SEATTLE — The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy (WAGB 20) departed Seattle Thursday, beginning its annual Arctic deployment. The crew aboard Healy, a 420-foot icebreaker, will support two distinct high-latitude missions to study the formation and movement of sea ice and the pathways followed by Atlantic and Pacific waters in the Arctic, and ocean circulation patterns in the East Siberian and Laptev seas.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Blue Ridge Departs Guam Following Port Visit

    Source: United States Navy Pacific Fleet 1

    APRA HARBOR, Guam – The U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) and embarked 7th Fleet staff departed Guam following a scheduled port visit, June 14-17. This port visit marked the first time Blue Ridge has visited Guam since 2020.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Texas Business Owner Sentenced for COVID-19 Relief Fraud

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    A Texas woman was sentenced today to three years and five months in prison for her participation in a scheme to file fraudulent applications for loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that the Small Business Administration (SBA) guaranteed under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

    According to court documents, between around May 2020, and March 2021, Shantelle Hawkins, 43, of DeSoto, conspired to submit 17 fraudulent PPP loan applications on behalf of companies she or her relatives owned or controlled. The applications contained false statements about payroll and tax information, which the SBA used to calculate the amount of PPP funds to which the applicant-companies would be entitled. Hawkins used some of the money she obtained from the loans for personal expenses, including to pay off her 2015 Maserati Ghibli luxury car and to purchase property in the greater Dallas area.

    Hawkins pleaded guilty on Oct. 8, 2024, to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.  At sentencing, Hawkins was ordered to pay more than $1.8 million in restitution and to forfeit the residence purchased with proceeds from the fraud.

    Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy E. Larson for the Northern District of Texas; and Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office made the announcement.

    The FBI is investigating the case.

    Trial Attorneys Dermot Lynch and Kashan Pathan of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elyse Lyons for the Northern District of Texas is handling asset forfeiture.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Reinbeck Methamphetamine Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison for Second Time

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

    A Reinbeck man who obtained a significant quantity of methamphetamine from a source of supply that he had met in federal prison was sentenced June 23, 2025, to 20 years in federal prison.  

    Austin David Hansen, age 39, from Reinbeck, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 23, 2024 guilty plea to one count of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance after having previously been convicted of a serious drug felony.  

    Information disclosed at Hansen’s sentencing hearing and other hearings related to this case showed that, beginning in December 2023, and continuing to May 22, 2024, Hansen worked with a California source of supply that Hansen had met in federal prison to ship methamphetamine and marijuana packages in the mail to post office boxes in Reinbeck, Dike, and Waterloo, Iowa.  After the methamphetamine and marijuana packages arrived at the Iowa post office boxes, Hansen worked with others to distribute the methamphetamine and marijuana to individuals in the Northern District of Iowa.  Hansen then sent packages containing thousands of dollars of drug proceeds to the source of supply in California.  In total, the California source of supply sent at least 37 packages to the Northern District of Iowa, and Hansen sent the source of supply over $260,000 of drug proceeds.    

    During the investigation, law enforcement seized a package from California and intended for one of the post office boxes, and it contained over 5,000 grams of methamphetamine.  On May 22, 2024, officers executed several search warrants in this case, including at Hansen’s residence.  At Hansen’s residence, officers seized over 600 grams of methamphetamine, a firearm, over $12,000 in United States currency, and receipts of all the money packages Hansen sent to the source of supply in California.  

    Hansen had previously been convicted of a federal drug trafficking crime and sentenced to federal prison in November 2011.  

    Hansen was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Hansen was sentenced to 240 months’ imprisonment, and he must also serve a ten‑year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

    Hansen is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

     The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dillan Edwards and investigated by the United States Postal Service; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Tri‑County Drug Enforcement Task Force consisting of the Waterloo Police Department, Cedar Falls Police Department, Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office, Evansdale Police Department, Waverly Police Department, Hudson Police Department, La Porte City Police Department, and the Bremer County Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Mid‑Iowa Drug Task Force; the Grundy County Sheriff’s Office; the Iowa State Patrol; and the Santa Ana, California Police Department.  

    Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

    The case file number is 24‑CR‑00044‑CJW.

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense News in Brief: National Defense Area established in South Texas

    Source: United States Spaceforce

    The U.S. Air Force will manage a new NDA covering approximately 250 miles of the Rio Grande River in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties, Texas, on land transferred from the International Boundary and Water Commission through the General Services Administration.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: National Defense Area established in South Texas

    Source: United States Air Force

    The U.S. Air Force will manage a new NDA covering approximately 250 miles of the Rio Grande River in Cameron and Hidalgo Counties, Texas, on land transferred from the International Boundary and Water Commission through the General Services Administration.

    MIL Security OSI –