NewzIntel.com

Category: Security

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Concern for welfare – Search and Rescue Operation – Darwin Harbour

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    The Search and Rescue Section are actively searching for Brendon Doherty, a 55-year-old male, who voluntarily jumped off the Channel Island Bridge last night accompanied by work mates.

    About 9:42pm, the Joint Emergency Services Communication Centre received reports of the male drifting away after several minutes of him laughing and active within the water after jumping off the bridge. It is alleged Mr Doherty was unable to swim back to shore, despite his friends’ attempts to encourage him. He was last seen in the middle of the channel, drifting toward Darwin City in strong tidal currents. Witnesses observed him for approximately two minutes before losing sight of him.

    He was last seen wearing steel cap boots, shorts and a dark shirt.

    The Search and Rescue Section deployed and overnight have done an extensive search of the Elisabeth River in the East Arm area. Police are urging anyone who may witnesses a male floating or along the shore in the harbour to provide aid and call Triple Zero immediately.

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Father and son indicted for providing material support to Mexican cartel engaged in terrorism following ICE Rio Grande Valley, federal partner investigation

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    BROWNSVILLE, Texas – Two family members with ties to South Texas have been charged with allegedly conspiring to materially support a Mexican cartel previously designated as a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy to commit money laundering and related smuggling charges, following an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the DEA and the FBI with substantial assistance of IRS CI along with Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Marshals Service and Texas Department of Public Safety.

    The superseding indictment, returned May 22, alleges Maxwell Sterling Jensen, 25, Draper, Utah, and James Lael Jensen, 68, Sandy, Utah, conspired to provide material support to the Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generación in the form of U.S. currency. The Secretary of State designated CJNG as a foreign terrorist organization Feb. 20.

    “This case underscores the more aggressive and innovative approach we are taking towards combatting the scourge of drug cartels,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei from the Southern District of Texas. “This strategy focuses not just on the traffickers and trigger-pullers directly employed by the cartels but also targeting their confederates and enablers. Whether you are handing the cartel a gun, providing a car or safehouse for smugglers, or putting money in the cartel’s pocket, you will be held to account.”

    The Jensen’s allegedly operated Arroyo Terminals, an enterprise based in Rio Hondo, Texas.

    Both are also charged with allegedly conspiring to conduct financial transactions to conceal and disguise the nature and source of the proceeds of illegally smuggled goods, crude oil. They also aided and abetted the fraudulent entry of approximately 2,881 shipments of the oil in violation of the Tariff Act, according to the charges.

    “Cases like this highlight the often-dangerous relationships between alleged unscrupulous U.S. businesses and terrorist organizations,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Antonio Special Agent in Charge Craig Larrabee. “Through strong collaborations and relentless investigative work, we and our partners exposed a possible large-scale operation that allegedly attempted to move millions in illicit crude oil and launder the proceeds. HSI remains committed to protecting our economy and holding offenders accountable.”

    “What began as a Drug Enforcement Administration drug trafficking investigation evolved into a multifaceted case involving an alleged complex criminal operation generating millions of dollars from crude oil – the largest funding source for Mexican drug cartels,” said acting Special Agent in Charge William Kimbell of DEA – Houston. “Given the charges have profound implications for both the United States and Mexico, we will continue to explore all leads and identify any believed to be involved. The collaboration with federal law enforcement, prosecutors, and state agencies proved critical to unraveling these alleged crimes and will continue until such operations are destroyed.”

    “It is a top priority of the FBI to eliminate foreign terrorist organizations by depriving them of the funding they need to operate and by seizing their most valued assets,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Aaron Tapp of the San Antonio Field Office. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will use every resource and capability at our disposal to ensure violent cartels and anyone who corruptly facilitates their operations are held accountable to the American people and unable to establish a foothold in our communities.”

    “Our commitment to taking down drug cartels and organized crime leverages IRS Criminal Investigation’s specialty in forensic accounting that identifies the alleged money trail and shuts down the flow of cash, just like we did in this case,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Lucy Tan, of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Houston Field Office. “Some of our best special agents are using their law enforcement expertise to build unshakeable cases to ensure criminals are taken off the streets and their ill-gotten gains are returned to the American people.”

    At the time of the initial arrests, authorities seized four tank barges containing crude oil, three commercial tanker trucks, an Arroyo Terminal pickup truck and one personal vehicle. The Arroyo Terminal property in Rio Hondo, crude oil contained Arroyo Terminal storage tanks and additional real properties are also sought for forfeiture. The superseding indictment also contains notice that the United States will seek a $300 million money judgment upon conviction.

    The conspiracies to provide material support and to commit money laundering both carry a possible prison term of up to 20 years. If convicted of aiding and abetting the smuggling of goods into the United States and doing so by means of false statements, both men could also face up to 10 and five years, respectively. James Jensen also faces one count of money laundering spending which carries an additional 10 years in prison, upon conviction.

    With the exception of the money laundering charge which has the possibility of up to a $500,000 fine or twice the value of the property involved, the remaining counts carry a maximum $250,000 potential fine.

    Operation Liquid Death involved the combined efforts of ICE HSI, DEA, FBI, and IRS CI and others and 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 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 and Project Safe Neighborhood.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Sturgis and Laura Garcia from the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case. AUSAs Mary Ellen Smyth and Tyler Foster are handling seizure and forfeiture matters.

    An indictment is a formal accusation of criminal conduct, not evidence. A defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted through due process of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pennsylvania Man Sentenced to Prison for Fraudulent Refund Scheme

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – Louis Perpignan, 33, of  Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on May 27, 2025, by United States District Judge Diane J. Humetewa to 42 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Perpignan was also ordered to pay more than $2.6 million in restitution. Perpignan previously pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud.

    Between May 2016 and May 2021, Perpignan operated an online refund scheme called the “Members Only Refund Service,” through which he charged individuals a fee to “return” purchased items, ranging from televisions to handbags, from a variety of retailers across the country. To accomplish the scheme, Perpignan would pose as the customer and use various methods to trick the retailer into issuing a refund without returning the product. For example, Perpignan would convince the retailer that the item either never arrived or had already been returned. The customer would then be refunded the full purchase price but keep the item. Perpignan, in turn, received a fee of up to 25% of the item’s purchase price from the customer.

    Perpignan admitted to defrauding at least 31 retailers out of more than $2.6 million through the scheme. With his portion of the funds, Perpignan supported his extravagant lifestyle and purchased at least eight vehicles, including a $176,000 Lamborghini Huracan.

    This case was investigated by the Darknet Marketplace and Digital Currency Task Force, with specific contribution from the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation and Homeland Security Investigations. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

    CASE NUMBER:           CR-23-01398-DJH
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2025-085_Perpignan

    # # #

    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: Two Foreign Nationals Indicted for Directing Interstate Stalking and Harassment Scheme and Conspiring to Procure Sensitive U.S. Military Technology

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Bilal Essayli, United States Attorney for the Central District of California announced that federal grand juries in Milwaukee, WI and Los Angeles, CA each returned indictments charging two foreign nationals, Cui Guanghai, 43, of China, and John Miller, 63, of the United Kingdom and a U.S. lawful permanent resident, with interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit interstate stalking (Los Angeles) and conspiracy, smuggling, and violations of the Arms Export Control Act (Milwaukee).

    “As alleged, the defendants targeted a U.S. resident for exercising his constitutional right to free speech and conspired to traffic sensitive American military technology to the Chinese regime,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This is a blatant assault on both our national security and our democratic values. This Justice Department will not tolerate foreign repression on U.S. soil, nor will we allow hostile nations to infiltrate or exploit our defense systems. We will act decisively to expose and dismantle these threats wherever they emerge.”

    “The defendants allegedly plotted to harass and interfere with an individual who criticized the actions of the People’s Republic of China while exercising their constitutionally protected free speech rights within the United States of America,” said FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. “The same individuals also are charged with trying to obtain and export sensitive U.S. military technology to China. I want to commend the good work of the FBI and our partners in the U.S and overseas in putting a stop to these illegal activities.”

    Allegations in the Eastern District of Wisconsin

    According to court documents, beginning in November 2023, Miller and Cui solicited the procurement of U.S. defense articles, including missiles, air defense radar, drones, and cryptographic devices with associated crypto ignition keys for unlawful export from the United States to the People’s Republic of China from two individuals (Individual 5 and Individual 6).   

    In connection with the scheme, Cui and Miller discussed with Individuals 5 and 6 ways to export a cryptographic device from the United States to the People’s Republic of China, including concealing the device in a blender, small electronics, or motor starter, and shipping the device first to Hong Kong. Cui and Miller paid approximately $10,000 as a deposit for the cryptographic device via a courier in the United States and a wire transfer to a U.S. bank account.

    Allegations in the Central District of California

    According to court documents, beginning in October 2023, Cui and Miller enlisted two individuals (Individual 1 and Individual 2) inside the United States to carry out a plot to prevent the Victim from protesting President Xi’s appearance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November 2023. The Victim had previously made public statements in opposition to the policies and actions of the PRC government and President Xi.

    “The indictment alleges that Chinese foreign actors targeted a victim in our nation because he criticized the Chinese government and its president,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “My office will continue to use all legal methods available to hold accountable foreign nationals engaging in criminal activity on our soil.”

    Unbeknownst to Cui and Miller, Individual 1 and Individual 2 were affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI.

    In the weeks leading up to the APEC summit, Cui and Miller directed and coordinated an interstate scheme to surveil the Victim, to install a tracking device on the Victim’s car, to slash the tires on the Victim’s car, and to purchase and destroy a pair of artistic statues created by the Victim depicting President Xi and President Xi’s wife.

    A similar scheme took place in the spring of 2025, after the Victim announced that he planned to make public an online video feed depicting two new artistic statues of President Xi and his wife. In connection with these plots, Cui and Miller paid two other individuals (Individual 3 and Individual 4), approximately $36,500 to convince the Victim to desist from the online display of the statues. Unbeknownst to Cui and Miller, Individual 3 and Individual 4 were also affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI.

    If convicted, Cui and Miller face the following maximum penalties: five years for conspiracy; five years for interstate stalking; twenty years for violation of the Arms Export Control Act; ten years for smuggling.

    The FBI is investigating the case.  The United States is coordinating with Serbian authorities regarding the pending extraditions of Cui and Miller in Serbia.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin Taibleson for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and David Ryan and Amanda B. Elbogen for the Central District of California, along with Trial Attorneys Leslie Esbrook and Menno Goedman of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the cases, with valuable assistance provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

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

    # # #

    For Additional Information Contact:

    Public Information Officer

    Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

    414-297-1700

    Follow us on Twitter

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Collin County physician agrees to pay $3.5 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations of billing false claims to the COVID-19 Uninsured Program for evaluation & management services not rendered

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PLANO, Texas – A Frisco physician has agreed to pay $3.5 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.

    Samad Khan, M.D. has agreed to pay the United States $3.5 million to resolve allegations that he violated the False Claims Act by knowingly submitting or causing the submission of false claims to the Health Resources & Services Administration COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement to Health Care Providers and Facilities for Testing, Treatment, and Vaccine Administration for the Uninsured Program (the “Uninsured Program”) for evaluation and management services that were not performed.

    Between approximately May 2020 and April 2022, the Uninsured Program reimbursed eligible providers for COVID-19 tests, testing-related items and services, treatment, and vaccines performed on uninsured individuals.  Khan is a physician who owns SK Primary Care, PLLC (“SK Primary Care”), a medical clinic in Frisco.  During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (“PHE”), SK Primary Care provided healthcare services, including specimen collection for COVID-19 tests.  The settlement announced today resolves allegations that from April 2020 through October 2021, Khan knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to the Uninsured Program by billing evaluation and management services (E/M Services) that were not performed.

    As alleged by the United States, claims for E/M Services, sometimes referred to as “office visits,” are submitted under Current Procedural Terminology (“CPT”) Codes, and vary in level of complexity. Higher level codes reflect increased complexity, such as a higher level of decision-making, more detailed history, or longer duration of time.  E/M Services levels 2 through 5 (e.g. CPT Codes 99202 through 99205, and 99212 through 99215) (“Higher Level E/M Services”) can only be performed by physicians or other qualified health care professionals (“QHPs”).  These professionals are distinct from clinical staff, such as medical assistants. A level 1 E/M Service, under CPT Code 99211, may not require the presence of a physician or other QHP. During the PHE, CMS approved the use of CPT Code 99211 for COVID-19 test specimen collection. Physicians and non-physician practitioners, such as nurse practitioners (NPs) were required to use CPT Code 99211 to bill for COVID-19 specimen collection billed by clinical staff incident to their services.

    The United States contends that during the PHE, SK Primary Care provided services at dozens of COVID-19 testing sites in Texas, operated by SK Primary Care and its management company, the majority of which were walk up or drive through testing sites (the “COVID test sites”).   Patients could register to receive a test at the COVID test sites by registering online through a website called “GoGetTested.Com.” The United States alleges that the COVID test sites were staffed with medical assistants who performed specimen collection services through nasal swabs on patients for COVID-19 tests. Khan knew that the appropriate CPT Codes for the services provided at the COVID test sites were specimen collection codes, including CPT Code 99211, but instead submitted claims under CPT Codes for Higher Level E/M Services. The United States contends that patients who went to the COVID test sites were never seen by Khan or any other QHP, and at no time was Khan or any other QHP providing any E/M Services to patients at the COVID test sites either in person or by audiovisual means.  From April 2020 through October 2021, for the services provided at the COVID test sites, Khan submitted or caused the submission of approximately 400,000 claims by SK Primary Care to the Uninsured Program for Higher Level E/M Services, the majority of which were level 2 and 3 E/M services.  Khan is the only rendering provider listed on SK Primary Care’s claims.

    The United States further alleges that Khan, in conjunction with and at the direction of SK Primary Care’s management company, coded the COVID specimen collection services as Higher Level E/M Services.  Reimbursements for E/M Services were substantially higher than reimbursements for specimen collection.  Moreover, in conjunction with and at the direction of SK Primary Care’s management company, SK Primary Care and Khan often submitted two claims for E/M Services for COVID-19 test specimen collection—the first “encounter” for the test, and a second “encounter” for providing results. The second “encounter” of providing results was not Khan providing E/M Services. Instead, an employee or contractor of SK Primary Care or SK Primary Care’s management company, such as nurse practitioners (NPs) and medical assistants, would provide tests results via telephone based on a courtesy call script.  NPs were not providing medical services, did not have any audiovisual connection to patients, and in many instances never even spoke to the patients to provide results, which were emailed or sent by text message.  As a result of these false claims for payment for E/M Services that were not performed, Khan received payments from the Uninsured Program to which he was not entitled.

    “The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic required both beneficiaries and the government to place their trust in front-line healthcare providers, even more than usual,” said Jay R. Combs, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Texas. “Unfortunately, some of those providers abused that trust and instead took advantage of the crisis to artificially inflate profits. It is these individuals that the Eastern District of Texas will hold accountable for their greed.”

    “When health care professionals receive payments for false claims they submit to federal health care programs, they erode public trust and divert taxpayer-funded resources away from those who truly need them,” said Special Agent in Charge Jason E. Meadows of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).  “This settlement demonstrates our steadfast commitment to safeguarding taxpayer funds and working with our law enforcement partners to use all tools in our arsenal to hold accountable those who steal from the American public.”

    The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Texas with assistance from HHS-OIG.  This matter was handled by Civil Division Fraud Section Trial Attorney Elizabeth J. Kappakas and by Assistant U.S. Attorneys James Gillingham and Kevin McClendon.

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

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: OVW Fiscal Year 2025 Campus Program Pre-Application Information Session

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    OVW conducted a pre-application information session for its Fiscal Year 2025 Grants to Reduce Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking on Campus program. During the presentation, OVW staff reviewed this NOFO’s requirements and discussed the program.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle to participate in Portland Rose Festival

    Source: United States Coast Guard

    U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 05/30/2025 05:15 PM EDT

    News Release  

    U.S. Coast Guard 13th District PA Detachment Astoria
    Contact: Coast Guard PA Detachment Astoria
    Office: (503) 861-6380
    After Hours: (206) 220-7237
    PA Detachment Astoria online newsroom

     

    05/30/2025 04:46 PM EDT

    U.S. Coast Guard Barque Eagle (WIX 327) will participate in Rose Festival and Fleet Week festivities, June 5-8.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: MediPharm Labs Refuses to Answer Direct Questions Regarding Credible Securities Fraud Allegations Says Apollo Capital

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Demands Management’s Board Nominees John Medland and Emily Jameson Withdraw Immediately or Face Public Complicity in Ongoing Alleged Systemic Violations of Securities Laws

    URGES SHAREHOLDERS TO VOTE THE GOLD PROXY CARD “FOR” APOLLO CAPITAL’S SIX DIRECTOR NOMINEES AND DISREGARD MEDIPHARM LABS’ GREEN PROXY CARD

    TORONTO, May 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Apollo Technology Capital Corporation (“Apollo Capital”), which together with its affiliates and associates collectively is one of the largest shareholders of MediPharm Labs Corp. (TSX: LABS) (OTCQB: MEDIF) (FSE: MLZ) (“MediPharm”, “MediPharm Labs”, or the “Company”), owning approximately 3% of the Company’s common stock, today condemned MediPharm Labs and its leadership team for their blatant failure and outright refusal to answer simple, direct, and highly serious questions concerning credible allegations of alleged extensive securities act disclosure violations committed by the MediPharm Labs’ Board of Directors (the “Board”) and management team.

    In a deeply troubling display of evasion and obfuscation, MediPharm Labs’ senior management and current board—including Chairman Chris Taves (Managing Director and Head of Capital Markets for Asia at BMO), CEO David Pidduck (former CEO of OxyContin® Manufacturer Purdue Pharma), Shelley Potts, Chris Halyk, Keith Strachan, and recently resigned Audit Committee Chair Michael Bumby—have persistently refused to respond meaningfully to allegations of systemic and intentional securities fraud.

    Apollo Capital asks incoming MediPharm Labs Board nominees John Medland and Emily Jameson: How long will you continue standing for election to a board that consistently refuses to answer basic questions about credible allegations of securities fraud? Are you prepared to potentially permanently stain your professional reputations by associating yourselves with an entity that has been accused of deliberately evading accountability and transparency?

    Apollo Capital demands immediate, straightforward answers from MediPharm’s directors to the following questions:

    Has MediPharm Labs changed its revenue recognition practices from those in place two years ago?

    Is any purported growth simply a result of creative accounting designed to deceive shareholders?

    Given the undeniable gravity and credible evidence surrounding these allegations, Apollo Capital reiterates its urgent call for an immediate, comprehensive investigation by regulatory authorities including the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC), the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

    Earlier this week, Apollo Capital raised broader concerns about the current Board’s commitment to ethical conduct, asking its fellow shareholders if they felt like Chairman Chris Taves properly fulfilled his fiduciary and moral duties and obligations to make them fully aware of David Pidduck’s history as CEO and VP of Marketing for OxyContin® Manufacturer Purdue Pharma, and whether they felt like details of Pidduck’s very recent past were MATERIAL facts that Chairman Taves should have made crystal clear before asking them on multiple occasions to vote in favour of Pidduck’s outrageous and off-market compensation package.

    Apollo Capital’s nominees, experienced professionals known for corporate turnarounds, have clearly outlined their mission: to root out any corporate rot, restore credibility, and return value to shareholders.

    MediPharm Labs shareholders deserve accountability, transparency and competent leadership—not empty claims, evasive tactics and an almost complete destruction of investor value.

    Previous Apollo Capital press releases detailing allegations of fraudulent and unethical activities at MediPharm Labs can be accessed here:

    MediPharm Labs Shareholders can visit www.CureMediPharm.com, to sign up for important campaign updates.

    VOTE THE GOLD PROXY CARD “FOR” APOLLO CAPITAL’S SIX DIRECTOR NOMINEES AND DISREGARD MEDIPHARM LABS’ GREEN PROXY CARD

    To access Apollo Capital’s Circular and related proxy materials, including a proxy or voting instruction form, visit SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca.

    Contacts

    For Shareholders:
    Carson Proxy
    North American Toll-Free Phone: 1-800-530-5189
    Local or Text Message: 416-751-2066 (collect calls accepted)
    E: info@carsonproxy.com

    For Media:
    CureMediPharm@gasthalter.com

    Legal Disclosures

    Information in Support of Public Broadcast Exemption under Canadian Law

    In connection with the Annual Meeting, Apollo Capital has filed an amended and restated dissident information circular (the “Circular”) in compliance with applicable corporate and securities laws. Apollo Capital has provided in, or incorporated by reference into, this press release the disclosure required under section 9.2(4) of NI 51-102 – Continuous Disclosure Obligations (“NI 51-102”) and the corresponding exemption under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario), and has filed the Circular, available under MediPharm’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The Circular contains disclosure prescribed by applicable corporate law and disclosure required under section 9.2(6) of NI 51-102 in respect of Apollo Capital’s director nominees, in accordance with corporate and securities laws applicable to public broadcast solicitations. The Circular is hereby incorporated by reference into this press release and is available under MediPharm’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. The registered office of the Company is 151 John Street, Barrie, Ontario, Canada L4N 2L1.

    SHAREHOLDERS OF MEDIPHARM ARE URGED TO READ THE CIRCULAR CAREFULLY BECAUSE IT CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and shareholders are able to obtain free copies of the Circular and any amendments or supplements thereto and further proxy circulars at no charge under MediPharm’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca. In addition, shareholders are also able to obtain free copies of the Circular and other relevant documents by contacting Apollo Capital’s proxy solicitor, Carson Proxy Advisors Ltd. (“Carson Proxy”) at 1-800-530-5189, local (collect outside North America): 416-751-2066 or by email at info@carsonproxy.com.

    Proxies may be revoked in accordance with subsection 110(4) of the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) by a registered shareholder of Company shares: (a) by completing and signing a valid proxy bearing a later date and returning it in accordance with the instructions contained in the accompanying form of proxy; (b) by depositing an instrument in writing executed by the shareholder or by the shareholder’s attorney authorized in writing; (c) by transmitting by telephonic or electronic means a revocation that is signed by electronic signature in accordance with applicable law, as the case may be: (i) at the registered office of the Company at any time up to and including the last business day preceding the day the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting is to be held, or (ii) with the chair of the Annual Meeting on the day of the Annual Meeting or any adjournment or postponement of the Annual Meeting; or (d) in any other manner permitted by law. In addition, proxies may be revoked by a non-registered holder of Company shares at any time by written notice to the intermediary in accordance with the instructions given to the non-registered holder by its intermediary. It should be noted that revocation of proxies or voting instructions by a non-registered holder can take several days or even longer to complete and, accordingly, any such revocation should be completed well in advance of the deadline prescribed in the form of proxy or voting instruction form to ensure it is given effect in respect of the Annual Meeting.

    The costs incurred in the preparation and mailing of any circular or proxy solicitation by Apollo Capital and any other participants named herein will be borne directly and indirectly by Apollo Capital. However, to the extent permitted under applicable law, Apollo Capital intends to seek reimbursement from the Company of all expenses incurred in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the election of its director nominees at the Annual Meeting.

    This press release and any solicitation made by Apollo Capital is, or will be, as applicable, made by such parties, and not by or on behalf of the management of the Company. Proxies may be solicited by proxy circular, mail, telephone, email or other electronic means, as well as by newspaper or other media advertising and in person by managers, directors, officers and employees of Apollo Capital who will not be specifically remunerated therefor. In addition, Apollo Capital may solicit proxies by way of public broadcast, including press release, speech or publication and any other manner permitted under applicable Canadian laws, and may engage the services of one or more agents and authorize other persons to assist it in soliciting proxies on their behalf.

    Apollo Capital has entered into an agreement with Carson Proxy Advisors (“Carson Proxy”) for solicitation and advisory services in connection with the solicitation of proxies for the Meeting, for which Carson Proxy will receive a fee not to exceed $250,000, together with reimbursement for reasonable and out-of-pocket expenses. Apollo Capital has also engaged Gasthalter & Co. LP (“G&Co”) to act as communications consultant to provide Apollo Capital with certain communications, public relations and related services, for which G&Co will receive a minimum fee of US$75,000 in addition to a performance fee of US$250,000 in the event that Apollo Capital’s nominees make up a majority of the Board following the Annual Meeting, plus excess fees, related costs and expenses.

    No member of Apollo Capital nor any of their associates or affiliates has or has had any material interest, direct or indirect, in any transaction since the beginning of the Company’s last completed financial year or in any proposed transaction that has materially affected or will or would materially affect the Company or any of the Company’s affiliates. No member of Apollo Capital nor any of their associates or affiliates has any material interest, direct or indirect, by way of beneficial ownership of securities or otherwise, in any matter to be acted upon at the Annual Meeting, other than setting the number of directors, the election of directors, the appointment of auditors and the approval of the ordinary resolution approving, among other things, the Company’s amended and restated equity incentive plan dated May 8, 2025 and the unallocated awards available thereunder.

    Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains forward‐looking statements. All statements contained in this filing that are not clearly historical in nature or that necessarily depend on future events are forward‐looking, and the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “estimate,” “plan,” and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward‐looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of Apollo Capital and currently available information. They are not guarantees of future performance, involve certain risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict, and are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. All forward-looking statements contained herein are made only as of the date hereof and Apollo Capital disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that subsequently occur, or of which Apollo Capital hereafter becomes aware, except as required by applicable law.

    Hashtags: #ShareholderActivism #CorporateGovernance #InvestorProtection #Investor Alert #Investor Fraud #FinancialRegulation #CorporateCrime #FinancialCrime #HomelandSecurity #DHS #OpioidCrisis #OpioidEpidemic #OpioidLitigation #OpioidVictims #BMO #DEA #ONDCP

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Suburban Chicago Businessman Charged with Swindling Investors Out of $3.6 Million

    Source: US FBI

    CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago businessman has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly swindling investors in his purported refining business out of at least $3.6 million.

    An indictment returned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges AWAD ODEH, 41, of Palos Hills, Ill., with four counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.  Arraignment in federal court has not yet been scheduled.

    According to the indictment, Odeh operated North American Refinery (NAR) in Bridgeview, Ill.  The company was purportedly in the business of precious metals refining.  From 2017 to 2020, Odeh fraudulently obtained funds from multiple investors by falsely representing that they would receive guaranteed annualized returns on their investments of ten to 50%.  Odeh also falsely told victims that in the event NAR defaulted in making payments to investors, he would personally repay the full amount of their investments and their returns, the indictment states.  In support of his fraudulent representations, Odeh allegedly provided investors with false documents that made it appear NAR was financially sound and able to meet its financial commitments.

    In reality, the indictment states that investor funds were not used for NAR’s purported precious metals business.  Odeh instead fraudulently used the funds for personal use and other non-NAR-related purposes, including funding an unrelated car company that Odeh owned and operated in Burr Ridge, Ill., the indictment states.

    The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago, and Matthew Scarpino, Special Agent-in-Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Prashant Kolluri.

    The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Member of Pagan’s Motorcycle Club Pleads Guilty for Involvement in Theft of Firearm from Rival Club Member

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former member of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays for his involvement in the armed theft of a firearm from a member of a rival motorcycle club.

    Michael R. Browell, also known as “Dirtbag,” 35, of Savannah, Mo., pleaded guilty today to one count of aiding and abetting in the possession of a stolen firearm.

    On April 25, 2023, a member of the Border Saints Motorcycle Gang was chased down and confronted by Pagan’s Saint Joseph Chapter President Jeremiah Z. Hahn, a/k/a “Pass Out,” and former Pagan’s St. Joseph Chapter Sergeant at Arms Michael Browell, in Saint Joseph, Mo.  The Border Saints member (“victim”) had previously been requested by Hahn and other Pagan’s members to set up a meeting with the Outlaws Motorcycle Gang over their possible presence in the Saint Joseph area. The Border Saints were a support club for the Outlaws and the victim was deemed responsible by the Pagan’s for arranging the meeting.  After the victim said that he had failed to do so, Hahn and Browell told the victim to remove his Outlaws support shirt.  The victim refused.  Browell then got an axe handle from his motorcycle and threatened the victim with it. As the victim was giving up his support shirt, Hahn took the victim’s firearm from him.  The firearm was a Smith & Wesson, model M&P Shield, .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun. Thereafter, Hahn and Browell left with the firearm and support shirt.  Hahn was later found in possession of the firearm when arrested by the Missouri State Highway Patrol on May 3, 2023.

    On May 20, 2025, Hahn pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of the firearm, one count of assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and one count of attempting to commit assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering.

    Under federal statutes, Browell is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in prison without parole. 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 Bradley K. Kavanaugh and Robert Smith. It was investigated by the FBI, the Independence, Mo., Police Department, the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department.

    Project Safe Neighborhoods

    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.

    Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Defendants Plead Guilty to Two Murders and a Third Non-Fatal, Drive-By Shooting in Southeast, Washington D.C.

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Each of the Defendants, who are members of a Henson Ridge Crew called “Get Back Gang” and/or “the Z,” also pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Murder or Armed Crime of Violence

               WASHINGTON – Derrico Johnson, 21, Ronald Henderson, 19, Daveon Robinson, 18, and Demarco Robinson, 22, each pleaded guilty today in connection with three different day-time shootings that occurred in Southeast Washington, D.C. between April 2022 and January 2023, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). 

               Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan scheduled sentencing for September 12, 2025. Each of the four defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder or armed crime of violence, after admitting to their membership in a Henson Ridge based crew referred to by many names, including “Get Back Gang” and “the Z.” This crew is part of a broader group driving violence in Washington, D.C. over the past several years, known as “Fox 5 Gang.”

               Additionally, Derrico Johnson pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter while armed for the killing of Clayton Marshal and assault with a dangerous weapon for the shooting of a second person, in connection with a drive-by shooting at Shipley Market at approximately 12:20 p.m. on April 12, 2022. Neither Clayton Marshall nor the second victim appear to have been the intended target.

               Derrico Johnson and Ronald Henderson also both pleaded guilty to second degree murder while armed for the May 26, 2022, killing of 16-year-old Justin Johnson, also known as “23 Rackz.” This shooting occurred at approximately 11:20 a.m. on May 26, 2022, in the Savannah Circle located in the 2200 block of Savannah Terrace SE.

               Finally, Ronald Henderson and Daveon Robinson both pleaded guilty to two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with a third, non-fatal, drive-by shooting at Alabama Convenience Store, which injured two bystanders and occurred at approximately 4:48 p.m. on January 2, 2023.

               These pleas, which are contingent upon the Court’s approval at sentencing, call for an agreed-upon sentence between 19.5 and 23 years for Derrico Johnson; an agreed-upon sentence between 18 and 23 years for Ronald Henderson; and an agreed-upon sentence between six and 10 years for Daveon Robinson, while Demarco Robinson will be sentenced to a concurrent sentence in relation to a federal firearms case he was previously sentenced for in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Case Number 23-cr-250.

               This case is being investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Sellinger.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Title Company Owner Pleads Guilty To Wire Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces that Jonathan Yasko (46, Winter Springs) has pleaded guilty to wire fraud. Yasko faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

    According to the court documents, Yasko owned or controlled various title companies that conducted real estate settlement services and issued title insurance policies on behalf of title insurance underwriters. Each of Yasko’s title companies was required to deposit the funds it received from the lenders, buyers, and homeowners into an escrow account to segregate these monies from its own funds. The title companies were also legally required to disburse the lender’s funds in the manner specified in the instructions sent by the financial institutions. Yasko’s title companies also had a fiduciary duty to the financial institutions and were required to act in the best interests of the party providing the funds, rather than using these funds for its own self-interest.

    From January 2021 through August 2023, Yasko engaged in a scheme to defraud financial institutions using interstate wires. As part of his scheme, Yasko promised to keep the financial institution’s funds segregated in escrow accounts prior to closing in according with Florida law. He also promised to disburse the financial institution’s funds that were sent via interstate wire transfers in accordance with the financial institution’s closing instructions. Yasko initiated fraudulent interstate wire transfers of the lender funds from the segregated escrow accounts to other escrow accounts that had insufficient funds to conduct separate closings and initiated fraudulent interstate wire transfers of lender funds from the segregated escrow accounts to Yasko’s title company operating accounts for illicit purposes such as paying off personal credit cards, home renovation expenses, and payments to personal credit cards. Yasko embezzled the mortgage lenders funds, which prevented the real estate settlement from taking place. As a result, the title insurance underwriter paid out settlements to the victim financial institutions. Several of the botched real estate closings involved mortgage loans purchased or owned by Freddie Mac.

    In exchange for his role in the scheme, Yasko also received ill-gotten title insurance premiums. Yasko has agreed to forfeit $201,004.57, the proceeds of the charged criminal conduct.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Housing Finance Agency – Office of Inspection General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Franklin County Couple Admit Recording Sexual Abuse of Toddler

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ST. LOUIS – A couple from Franklin County, Missouri have admitted producing pictures and videos containing child sexual abuse material, including the sexual abuse of a one-year-old.

    William Burns, 41, pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography, three counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. His wife, 34-year-old Rachel Burns, pleaded guilty on May 22 to the conspiracy count and two counts of production of child pornography.

    On July 30, 2023, William and Rachel Burns were arrested by the University City Police Department with two small children in their car. They were charged in St. Louis County Circuit Court with attempted enticement of a child. Rachel Burns told investigators that her husband had child sexual abuse material on multiple electronic devices, leading to a court-approved search by the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies found electronic devices, as well as whips, numerous sexual devices and a 3-foot-7-inch tall silicone sex doll made to resemble a prepubescent female, their plea agreements say.

    Investigators found 13,954 image and video files depicting child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on a computer and digital storage devices. William Burns used a WhatsApp social media account to exchange CSAM with other WhatsApp users. Investigators then found a 2022 video showing the couple sexually abusing a one-year-old. They also found other videos and images from 2022 and 2023 showing that victim, the couple admitted in their plea agreements.

    Rachel Burns is scheduled to be sentenced on August 25. The U.S. Attorney’s office has agreed to recommend no more than 35 years in prison. William Burns is scheduled to be sentenced on September 3. The U.S. Attorney’s office has agreed to recommend between 35 and 40 years for him.

    The University City Police Department, the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office and the St. Louis County Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Hayes is prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bergen County Man Sentenced to Twenty Months in Prison for COVID-19 Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEWARK N.J. – A New Jersey man was sentenced to 20 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining approximately $149,900 in federal Economic Injury Disaster Loans (“EIDL”) loans, U.S. Alina Habba announced.

    George Leguen, 51, of Paramus, New Jersey, previously plead guilty before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo to an information charging him with wire fraud and money laundering. Judge Arleo imposed the sentence in Newark federal court.

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

    From August 2020 through January 2021, Leguen participated in a scheme to defraud and receive COVID-19 emergency relief funds meant for distressed small businesses under the EIDL program. Leguen applied to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) on behalf of a business he owned and controlled. He falsified information that he submitted in support of that application, including the number of employees, annual gross revenue figures, and fraudulent federal tax returns. Based on this false information, Leguen was approved for and received an EIDL loan in the amount of $149,900. After receiving the EIDL funds, he diverted the proceeds for his personal gain.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Arleo sentenced Leguen to 3 years of supervised release, forfeiture was ordered in the amount of $149,900, and restitution in the amount of $174,426.37.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation, Newark Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer Piovesan; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Cheryl Ortiz of the New Jersey Field Division; special agents of the U.S. Secret Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Aaron Hatley, Newark Field Office; and special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of the Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone, Northeast Region, with the investigation.

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

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fatime Meka Cano of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

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

                                                                           ###

    Defense counsel: Jeffrey Lichtman, Esq. and Matthew Cohan, Esq. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Blumenthal Fight To Continue Funding For Emergency Housing Voucher Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy

    WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Representative Maxine Waters (D-Calif.-43), and nearly 100 lawmakers in urging Congressional Appropriations leadership to include robust funding for the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program as part of Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding legislation. Tens of thousands of Americans depend on this vital program for safe, stable, and affordable housing. The letter comes as the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced in March that the program will soon run out of money due largely to rents rising at the fastest pace in decades.

    “[Public Housing Agencies] in every state have benefited from the improved voucher issuance and utilization that the EHV program provides, as have the people and communities they serve,” wrote the lawmakers. “Congress must provide sufficient and robust funding to ensure that the families who rely on EHVs don’t lose their housing.”

    “The EHV program provides rental assistance to help end and prevent homelessness. At a time when housing costs and homelessness continue to rise, we respectfully request that you provide adequate funding in the FY26 THUD Appropriations bill to renew all EHVs to ensure that those who have been served by the program do not lose their housing support and to ensure landlords continue receiving the rental payments they depend on to maintain their properties,” the lawmakers concluded.

    As of April, this critical program supports 107,000 individuals who are mostly children under five years old, older adults, individuals with disabilities, and domestic violence survivors. In Connecticut, hundreds of families rely on EHVs for housing, but the program is now at risk. Support for the program is especially important as the Trump Administration cuts vital HUD funding and support staff. The EHV program was established in 2021 through the American Rescue Plan. Congress originally authorized $5 billion in funding for 70,000 vouchers through September 2030, with increased flexibilities for public housing authorities that made the program more successful than typical housing vouchers.

    Several leading national housing groups — including the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA), Public Housing Authorities Directors Association (PHADA), National Association of Housing Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO), National Alliance to End Homelessness (NAEH), Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), the Moving-to-Work (MTW) Collaborative, and the National Housing Law Project (NHLP) — wrote a separate letter to Congressional appropriations leadership pushing for adequate funding and flexibilities for the EHV program.

    In addition to Murphy, Blumenthal, Padilla, Warren, and Waters, the bicameral letter was also signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), as well as Representatives Alma Adams (D-N.C.-12), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.-03), Becca Balint (D-Vt.-AL), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.-44), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio-03), Donald Beyer (D-Va.-08), Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.-02), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.-01), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.-26), Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.-05), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.-24), André Carson (D-Ind.-07), Greg Casar (D-Texas-35), Gilbert Cisneros (D-Calif.-31), Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-Mo.-05), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.-09), Joe Courtney (D-Conn.-02), Sharice Davids (D-Kan.-03), Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.-07), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.-03), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas-37), Cleo Fields (D-La.-06), Bill Foster (D-Ill.-11), Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.-04), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.-30), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-Ill.-04), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas-29), Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.-10), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.-02), Al Green (D-Texas-09), Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.-05), James Himes (D-Conn.-04), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.-04), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.-04), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.-01), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.-51), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.-07), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.-02), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.-17), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio-01), John Larson (D-Conn.-01), Sam Liccardo (D-Calif.-16), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.-36), Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.-08), Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.-03), James McGovern (D-Mass.-02), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.-10), Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.-05), Dave Min (D-Calif.-47), Gwen Moore (D-Wis.-04), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.-15), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.-12), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-AL), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.-14), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.-05), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.-19), Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.-07), Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.-AL), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.-07), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.-03), Luz Rivas (D-Calif.-29), Raul Ruiz (D-Calif.-25), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.-06), Linda Sánchez (D-Calif.-38), Janice Schakowsky (D-Ill.-09), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.-10), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.-13), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), Derek Tran (D-Calif.-45), Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.-07), Nikema Williams (D-Ga.-05), and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.-24).

    Full text of the letter is available here and below:

    Dear Chair Hyde-Smith, Ranking Member Gillibrand, Chair Womack, and Ranking Member Clyburn:

    As you develop the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, we respectfully request that you include funding to ensure that the nearly 60,000 households who are currently being served by the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program do not fall into homelessness.

    During the pandemic, Congress appropriated $5 billion in mandatory funding for the EHV program to help people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, including survivors of domestic violence and victims of human trafficking, access safe, stable and affordable housing during a moment of crisis.

    Since 2021, the success of the EHV program and its design, which includes critical administrative flexibilities that are responsive to a tumultuous housing market, cannot be overstated. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported that EHVs are leasing at a rate faster than any previous housing voucher program within HUD and drove unprecedented collaboration among public housing agencies (PHAs), homeless services organizations, and victim services organizations to provide rapid and effective housing assistance to vulnerable populations. PHAs in every state have benefited from the improved voucher issuance and utilization that the EHV program provides, as have the people and communities they serve. Congress must provide sufficient and robust funding to ensure that the families who rely on EHVs don’t lose their housing.

    We understand that the Subcommittee must make difficult decisions. However, the EHV program provides rental assistance to help end and prevent homelessness. At a time when housing costs and homelessness continue to rise, we respectfully request that you provide adequate funding in the FY26 THUD Appropriations bill to renew all EHVs to ensure that those who have been served by the program do not lose their housing support and to ensure landlords continue receiving the rental payments they depend on to maintain their properties. Thank you for your consideration of this request and your continued support for the most vulnerable Americans.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: United States Secures the Extraditions of Individuals Accused of Violent and Other Serious Crimes from Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius,

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    United States Also Returned International Fugitives Wanted for Terrorism, Murder, Attempted Murder and Child Sexual Abuse to Canada, India, and Mexico

    Note: The defendants whose names are underlined hyperlink to press releases.

    WASHINGTON — Extensive coordination between the Justice Department and law enforcement authorities in Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom (UK) resulted in the extraditions in April and May of dozens of individuals. The defendants returned to the United States are alleged to have committed crimes — including child sexual abuse and rape, murder, hate crimes, assault, narcoterrorism, drug trafficking, alien smuggling, cybercrime, money laundering, fraud, aggravated robbery and extortion — in a number of U.S. states and federal districts, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia.

    The fugitives extradited to the United States include:

    • Michail Chkhikvishvili, also known as Mishka, Michael, Commander Butcher, and Butcher, 21, a Georgian national and alleged leader of a white supremacist group, was extradited from Moldova to face charges in the Eastern District of New York for soliciting hate crimes and planning a mass casualty attack in New York City. As the alleged leader of the white supremacist group “Maniac Murder Cult,” an international, racially motivated violent extremist group that adheres to a neo-Nazi ideology and promotes violence against racial minorities, the Jewish community, and other groups that it deems “undesirables,” Chkhikvishvili allegedly traveled to Brooklyn in 2022 and actively solicited acts of mass violence with a person who was, unbeknownst to Chkhikvishvili, an undercover FBI employee. In November 2023, Chkhikvishvili allegedly began planning a mass casualty attack to take place on New Year’s Eve, which would involve an individual dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to racial minorities. In January 2024, as alleged, the scheme evolved and Chkhikvishvili specifically directed the undercover FBI employee to target the Jewish community, Jewish schools, and Jewish children in Brooklyn.

    • Liridon Masurica, also known as @blackdb, 33, a national of Kosovo and alleged administrator of an online criminal marketplace, was extradited from Kosovo to face charges of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and fraudulent use of 15 or more unauthorized access devices in the Middle District of Florida.

    • Adrian Alberto Cano Gomez, also known as Andrea, 45, a national of Colombia and an alleged member of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), a designated foreign terrorist organization, was extradited from Colombia to face charges in the Southern District of Texas of narco-terrorism and distributing kilogram quantities of cocaine from Colombia.

    • Aler Baldomero Samayoa-Recinos, also known as Chicharra, 58, a national of Guatemala and alleged leader of a prolific Guatemalan drug trafficking organization, was extradited from Guatemala to face charges in the District of Columbia of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms of cocaine for importation to the United States.

    • Daniel Flores, 49, a national of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face charges of first-degree murder for the 1995 killing of two brothers, both U.S. Marines, ages 22 and 19, in Cook County, Illinois.

    • Manuel Alejandro Vasquez, 47, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face a charge of murder in Ventura County, California. Vasquez’s two co-defendants were convicted in 1999 and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1998 murder of a man in his home over an alleged unpaid debt. Vasquez fled to Mexico before charges could be filed against him.

    • Tyler Buchanan, 23, a UK national, was extradited from Spain to face charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft in the Central District of California. Among other crimes, Buchanan and his co-conspirators allegedly stole cryptocurrency worth millions of dollars following phishing attacks on over 45 companies based in the United States, Canada, and the UK.

    • Felix Manuel Mejia-Gonzalez, 33, a Dominican citizen, was extradited from the Dominican Republic to face charges of fentanyl trafficking in the District of New Hampshire.

    • Samuel Steven Huggler, 28, a U.S. citizen, was extradited from Spain, to face charges relating to the alleged murder and attempted murders of three of his siblings in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. Huggler is charged with aiding, inducing, or causing murder, three counts of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of aiding, inducing, or causing attempted murder, and possession of an altered firearm. 

    • Michel Patrick Desalles, 54, a Mauritian national, was extradited from Mauritius to face a charge of murder in the second degree in the State of New York. Desalles allegedly choked his employer to death with zip ties and immediately fled the United States in 2017.

    • Juan Miguel Roman-Balderas, 45, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face two charges of murder in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Roman-Balderas is alleged to have stabbed to death his 28-year-old ex-girlfriend in April 2014 in Greenbelt, Maryland.

    • Rody L. Wilcox, 50, a U.S. citizen, was extradited from Georgia to face charges of lewd conduct with a minor under 16 years of age filed in Latah County, Idaho. Wilcox allegedly sexually assaulted a six-year-old child on multiple occasions in 2023. In 2024, Wilcox fled Idaho while on bond. Through OIA’s cooperation with the FBI, U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service and Georgian authorities, Wilcox was arrested in Georgia on Aug. 16, 2024, while en route to the Russian Federation.

    • Miguel Angel Urbano-Vazquez, 48, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face charges of aggravated first-degree murder and rape in Pierce County, Washington. Urbano-Vazquez is alleged to have raped four victims between March and October 2002, one of whom he is also alleged to have murdered in the course of rape.

    • Gilberto Gutierrez, 46, a citizen of El Salvador, was extradited from El Salvador to face charges of rape, child abuse, and related sex offenses in Wicomico County, Maryland. Gutierrez allegedly repeatedly sexually abused two girls under the age of 10 years old between approximately 1999 and 2004.

    • Ramon Manriquez Castillo, 68, a dual U.S. and Mexican citizen; Edgar Rodriguez Ruano, 29, a Mexican citizen; Fernando Javier Escobar Tito, 48, an Ecuadorian citizen; and Anderson Jair Gamboa Nieto, 30, a Colombian citizen, were surrendered by Guinea-Bissau to face drug trafficking charges in the Southern District of Florida. The co-defendants are alleged members of a transnational drug trafficking organization comprised of several cartels in Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela, and they allegedly conspired to distribute large quantities of cocaine through Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Guinea-Bissau using a U.S.-registered airplane, with a U.S. citizen onboard, from about November 2023 to September 2024. They are also charged with distributing cocaine in these countries using an airplane with a U.S. citizen onboard.

    • Artem Aleksandrovych Stryzhak, 35, a Ukrainian national, was extradited from Spain to face charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion, and related activity in connection with computers in the Eastern District of New York and the Middle District of Florida. According to the charges in the Eastern District of New York, Stryzhak is one of the administrators of the Nefilim ransomware gang. The Middle District of Florida charges allege that Stryzhak used the Hive ransomware to engage in a computer hacking and extortion scheme that targeted businesses in the United States and abroad. The Hive ransomware group is estimated to have attacked approximately 1,500 victims and extorted approximately $110 million in ransom payments.

    The fugitives extradited by the United States include:

    • Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 64, a Canadian citizen, native of Pakistan, and convicted terrorist, was extradited to India to stand trial on 10 criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed 160 people, including six Americans, and wounded hundreds more.

    • Aaron Seth Juarez, 26, a U.S. citizen, was extradited to Mexico to be prosecuted for femicide for the 2019 killing of his approximately 31-year-old stepmother, whose body he allegedly buried in the backyard of her Tijuana home. 

    The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA), along with the U.S. Marshals Service, provided significant assistance in securing the defendants’ arrests and extraditions. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central District of California and the Eastern District of California litigated with OIA the successful outgoing extradition cases for Rana and Juarez, respectively. OIA and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions from Colombia. The Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) also provided assistance with the extraditions from Guatemala and Kosovo. The Justice Department thanks and acknowledges the instrumental role of its law enforcement partners in Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom for making these extraditions possible.

    An indictment and criminal complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Final Two Men Sentenced for Conspiracy that Seized 29 Kilos of Fentanyl

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

    COLUMBIA, S.C. — Javaris Latrey Johnson, 37, and Thomas Anthony Perry, 33, both of York County, were sentenced to more than 12 years and eight years in federal prison, respectively, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Evidence presented to the court showed that in August 2022, a codefendant sold approximately 5,000 pills to a confidential informant. Following the purchase and further investigation, agents focused on a property in York County which they suspected was being used to manufacture illicit fentanyl pills.  On Oct. 19, 2022, agents executed a search warrant at a trailer on the property and found Johnson and Perry and two codefendants inside the trailer. Law enforcement immediately determined the trailer was being used as a clandestine lab.  After clearing the trailer and rendering it safe to search, agents found multiple bags of powder and multiple containers containing over 150,000 pills, totaling over 29 kilograms of fentanyl, approximately 1,890 grams of cocaine, 690 grams of methamphetamine, and 1,500 grams of heroin.  In addition to the drugs, agents found several pill press machines, a large amount of cash, various drug paraphernalia.

    United States District Judge Sherri A. Lydon sentenced Johnson to 151 months imprisonment and sentenced Perry to 97 months imprisonment both to be followed by a term of supervised release. The co-defendants were sentenced in April. There is no parole in the federal system.

    This investigation 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. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

    The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the York County Multijurisdictional Drug Enforcement Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Major is prosecuting the case.  

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressman Jonathan L. Jackson on the Commutation of Larry Hoover’s Federal Sentence

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Jonathan Jackson – Illinois (1st District)

    CHICAGO, IL — Congressman Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01) released the following statement today regarding the commutation of Larry Hoover’s federal prison sentence:

    “Larry Hoover has been confined behind bars for 50 long years. His journey began with a murder conviction in 1973, and since 1974, he has been an inmate at Dixon Correctional Center in Illinois. 

    In 1997, he was sentenced to six life sentences, totaling more than 200 years—an extraordinarily harsh punishment imposed during a deeply flawed era of our justice system. But what is most heartbreaking is that for nearly 27 of these years—more than half of his time in prison—he has been kept in solitary confinement.

    Within a concrete cell that measures just 7 feet by 12 feet—barely larger than a parking space—Mr. Hoover has spent 23 hours each day completely alone. No human touch, no meaningful social interaction. No access to sunlight or fresh air. For nearly three decades, his existence has been governed by silence and isolation, not hope. This is not just imprisonment; it is human suffering on an unimaginable scale.

    The commutation of Mr. Hoover’s federal sentence corrects an excessive and inhumane punishment. But it is not a release. He remains in custody under a separate sentence from the State of Illinois. His continued incarceration is now in the hands of state authorities, and the next chapter in his case will be determined not by the federal government, but by our state.

    At the same time, we must confront the broader moral question: what does justice look like after five decades behind bars? Mr. Hoover is now over 70 years old. After half a century in prison and decades of isolation, it is time for Illinois to consider whether continued imprisonment serves the public interest—or whether compassion is now the more just response.

    I also want to speak directly to the families in Chicago whose lives were touched by the violence of past decades. Their pain is real and lasting, and our compassion must begin with them. A commutation cannot undo the past. But it can reflect a society that values proportionality, responsibility, and human dignity—even in the face of serious wrongdoing.

    I urge Governor J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Prisoner Review Board to carefully review the cases of elderly incarcerated individuals—those who have served decades, demonstrated rehabilitation, and pose no threat to public safety. Justice should not be reduced to endless punishment. There must be room for mercy.

    Mr. Hoover still has a debt to pay to the people of Illinois. But justice should be guided by more than retribution. It should also be guided by wisdom, hope, and the belief that people can change. After 50 years, that question deserves thoughtful and compassionate consideration.

    It is time to free Larry Hoover and all those who have paid their debts to society. Only then can we move toward reconciliation and forge a more perfect union.

    It’s time to come home.” 

    ####

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Secretary-General’s remarks to the Africa Dialogue Series High-Level Policy Dialogue [bilingual as delivered; scroll down for all-English and all-French]

    Source: United Nations secretary general

    This year’s dialogue focuses on “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations”.

    This is also the African Union’s theme for 2025, as it was already said.

    And it is a call gathering momentum around the world – from Freetown to Bridgetown. 

    Understandably so.

    Africa is a continent of boundless energy and possibility.

    But for too long, the colossal injustices inflicted by enslavement, the transatlantic slave trade, and colonialism have been left unacknowledged and unaddressed.

    I deeply regret that these wrongs were perpetrated by many countries, including my own.

    And they continue to distort our world today.

    Decolonization did not free African countries, or people of African Descent, from the structures and prejudices that made those projects possible.

    When African countries gained their independence, they inherited a system built to serve others — not them. 

    The inherited economic model and years of neglect in social and institutional investments during the colonial era created lasting challenges, shaping post-independence reality.

    Structures based on exploitation persisted.

    So did racism. 

    And the long shadow of colonialism can be felt in many of the continent’s current conflicts and governance challenges.

    Many African countries were under colonial domination when today’s multilateral institutions were created.

    And that injustice is reflected to this day.

    Excellencies,

    We point to the poisoned legacies of enslavement and colonialism, not to sow divisions but to heal them.

    Reparatory justice frameworks are critical – to redress historic wrongs, address today’s challenges, and ensure the rights and dignity of all.

    Such frameworks encompass a broad range of measures.

    We need a comprehensive approach, developed with the participation of affected communities, to achieve accountability and redress.

    And we must be clear-eyed about the fact that attempts to repair the past ring hollow unless they also seek to dismantle its manifestations in the present:

    From racism, to extraction of African resources, to the injustices embedded in structures, institutions, and global governance.

    Animated by honesty and justice, we can transform the legacies of slavery and colonialism into equal and respectful partnerships:

    Partnerships that ensure African countries take their rightful place in shaping global decision-making…

    That help to deliver on the priorities of African and Caribbean countries, and people of African descent…

    And that help to ensure that all Africans – and the African diaspora – have the opportunity to thrive.

    We must push for the Second International Decade for People of African Descent to deliver on reparatory justice, equal rights, and the Durban Declaration – the world’s blueprint to tackle racism and racial discrimination.

    Yes, these are turbulent times:

    Times of trade barriers…

    Deep cuts to lifesaving assistance…

    And international cooperation itself called into question.

    But that does not alter the truth that justice for Africa, for the Caribbean, and for all people of African descent requires global action and global partnerships.

    We need partnerships to reform global governance.

    The Pact for the Future agreed last year drove progress. I thank African countries sincerely for their support in getting an ambitious text over the line.

    And we must keep pushing for fair representation within international institutions – including permanent African representation on the United Nations Security Council.

    We need partnerships for peace founded on the principles of justice and international law, as set out in the United Nations Charter.

    The international community must play its part – in preventing and ending conflicts, relieving their appalling effects, and ensuring justice for victims.

    And the United Nations will never relent in pursuing peace for the great continent of Africa.

    We need partnerships to advance sustainable development. 

    The Pact for the Future includes important commitments: 

    To advance an SDG stimulus…

    To reform the international financial architecture…

    And to take action on debt – which is suffocating economies and sapping investment in many countries in Africa and the Caribbean.

    The upcoming Financing for Development Conference in Sevilla is an important opportunity to push this agenda forward.  

    We need concrete commitments on debt: to lower the cost of borrowing, improve debt restructuring, and prevent crises from taking hold.
                       
    We will keep pushing to boost the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks, making them bigger and bolder, able to mobilise far more private finance at reasonable cost to the African continent and the Caribbean. 

    And we need action to unleash a surge in finance across the board.  

    Developed countries must keep their promises on development spending…

    Governments must strengthen domestic resource mobilization…

    And we must keep working towards an inclusive, effective global tax regime able to meaningfully reduce tax evasion and to fight elicit financial flows and money laundering that is so dramatically impacting the African continent. 

    Enfin, nous avons besoin de partenariats pour la justice climatique.

    Les pays africains ne sont pas à l’origine de la crise climatique.

    Pourtant, les effets du réchauffement planétaire font des ravages sur tout le continent :

    Ils aggravent la faim, poussent les populations à l’exil, fragilisent les économies, détruisent les moyens de subsistance et fauchent des vies.

    Les Caraïbes sont elles aussi touchées de manière disproportionnée.

    Il est grand temps de mettre fin à cette injustice :

    Il faut que, parallèlement à des sources de financement innovantes, des contributions conséquentes soient versées au nouveau Fonds visant à faire face aux pertes et dommages.

    Il faut que le financement de l’adaptation connaisse un véritable bond et, notamment, que les pays développés honorent l’engagement qu’ils ont pris de verser au moins 40 milliards de dollars par an – dès cette année.

    Il faut également des investissements massifs dans les énergies propres.

    L’Afrique concentre 60 % des meilleures ressources solaires du monde et près d’un tiers des minéraux essentiels à la révolution des énergies renouvelables.

    Pourtant, les installations présentes sur le continent ne représentent que 1,5 % des capacités solaires mondiales.

    Près de 600 millions de personnes sont toujours privées d’électricité.

    Et les pays et les populations d’Afrique sont relégués au bas de la chaîne de valeur des minéraux critiques, tandis que d’autres tirent largement profit de ces ressources.

    L’exploitation séculaire des ressources naturelles du continent, source de conflits et de misère, doit cesser.

    Nous devons agir pour permettre à l’Afrique d’occuper la place qui lui revient, celle d’un leader mondial des énergies propres…

    Pour stimuler les investissements et réduire les risques pour les investisseurs…

    Et pour que les pays et les populations d’Afrique tirent le meilleur parti de leurs minéraux critiques.

    Les nouveaux plans nationaux d’action pour le climat, ou contributions déterminées au niveau national, qui seront présentés cette année, doivent être conformes à l’objectif de limiter le réchauffement planétaire à 1,5 degré Celsius, surtout dans les pays qui sont les grand pollueurs.

    Ces plans représentent une formidable occasion d’agir.

    J’exhorte les dirigeants africains à ne pas la laisser passer. Et à intégrer dans ces nouveaux plans des objectifs en matière de climat, d’énergie et de développement durable afin d’attirer les investissements.

    Et j’exhorte les pays, les entreprises et toutes les parties intéressées à collaborer avec nous pour appliquer les recommandations formulées par le Groupe chargé de la question des minéraux critiques pour la transition énergétique – et ainsi faire en sorte que les droits humains, la justice et l’équité soient garantis tout au long de la chaîne de valeur, et que les pays d’Afrique soient les premiers à tirer parti de ces ressources.

    Excellences,

    Dans tous ces grands domaines, mobilisons-nous pour qu’aucune personne, aucun pays et aucun continent ne soit laissé de côté.

    Et ensemble, faisons en sorte que justice soit rendue à l’Afrique et aux personnes d’ascendance africaine.

    Je vous remercie.

    *****
    [all-English]

    This year’s dialogue focuses on “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations”.

    This is also the African Union’s theme for 2025, as it was already said.

    And it is a call gathering momentum around the world – from Freetown to Bridgetown. 

    Understandably so.

    Africa is a continent of boundless energy and possibility.

    But for too long, the colossal injustices inflicted by enslavement, the transatlantic slave trade, and colonialism have been left unacknowledged and unaddressed.

    I deeply regret that these wrongs were perpetrated by many countries, including my own.

    And they continue to distort our world today.

    Decolonization did not free African countries, or people of African Descent, from the structures and prejudices that made those projects possible.

    When African countries gained their independence, they inherited a system built to serve others — not them. 

    The inherited economic model and years of neglect in social and institutional investments during the colonial era created lasting challenges, shaping post-independence reality.

    Structures based on exploitation persisted.

    So did racism. 

    And the long shadow of colonialism can be felt in many of the continent’s current conflicts and governance challenges.

    Many African countries were under colonial domination when today’s multilateral institutions were created.

    And that injustice is reflected to this day.

    Excellencies,

    We point to the poisoned legacies of enslavement and colonialism, not to sow divisions but to heal them.

    Reparatory justice frameworks are critical – to redress historic wrongs, address today’s challenges, and ensure the rights and dignity of all.

    Such frameworks encompass a broad range of measures.

    We need a comprehensive approach, developed with the participation of affected communities, to achieve accountability and redress.

    And we must be clear-eyed about the fact that attempts to repair the past ring hollow unless they also seek to dismantle its manifestations in the present:

    From racism, to extraction of African resources, to the injustices embedded in structures, institutions, and global governance.

    Animated by honesty and justice, we can transform the legacies of slavery and colonialism into equal and respectful partnerships:

    Partnerships that ensure African countries take their rightful place in shaping global decision-making…

    That help to deliver on the priorities of African and Caribbean countries, and people of African descent…

    And that help to ensure that all Africans – and the African diaspora – have the opportunity to thrive.

    We must push for the Second International Decade for People of African Descent to deliver on reparatory justice, equal rights, and the Durban Declaration – the world’s blueprint to tackle racism and racial discrimination.

    Yes, these are turbulent times:

    Times of trade barriers…

    Deep cuts to lifesaving assistance…

    And international cooperation itself called into question.

    But that does not alter the truth that justice for Africa, for the Caribbean, and for all people of African descent requires global action and global partnerships.

    We need partnerships to reform global governance.

    The Pact for the Future agreed last year drove progress. I thank African countries sincerely for their support in getting an ambitious text over the line.

    And we must keep pushing for fair representation within international institutions – including permanent African representation on the United Nations Security Council.

    We need partnerships for peace founded on the principles of justice and international law, as set out in the United Nations Charter.

    The international community must play its part – in preventing and ending conflicts, relieving their appalling effects, and ensuring justice for victims.

    And the United Nations will never relent in pursuing peace for the great continent of Africa.

    We need partnerships to advance sustainable development. 

    The Pact for the Future includes important commitments: 

    To advance an SDG stimulus…

    To reform the international financial architecture…

    And to take action on debt – which is suffocating economies and sapping investment in many countries in Africa and the Caribbean.

    The upcoming Financing for Development Conference in Sevilla is an important opportunity to push this agenda forward.  

    We need concrete commitments on debt: to lower the cost of borrowing, improve
    debt restructuring, and prevent crises from taking hold.

    We will keep pushing to boost the lending capacity of Multilateral Development Banks, making them bigger and bolder, able to mobilise far more private finance at reasonable cost to the African continent and the Caribbean. 

    And we need action to unleash a surge in finance across the board.  

    Developed countries must keep their promises on development spending…

    Governments must strengthen domestic resource mobilization…

    And we must keep working towards an inclusive, effective global tax regime able to meaningfully reduce tax evasion and to fight elicit financial flows and money laundering that is so dramatically impacting the African continent. 

    Finally, we need partnerships for climate justice.

    African countries did not cause the climate crisis. 

    Yet the effects of our heating planet are wreaking havoc across the continent:

    Fuelling hunger and displacement, hobbling economies, destroying livelihoods, and taking lives.

    The Caribbean is also suffering disproportionately.

    Justice is long overdue:

    We need significant contributions – together with innovative sources of financing – to the new fund for responding to loss and damage.

    We need a boom in adaptation finance – starting with developed countries honouring their commitment to at least $40 billion a year by this year.

    And we need massive investments in clean energy.

    Africa is home to 60 percent of the world’s best solar resources and around a third of the minerals critical to the renewable energy revolution.

    Yet the continent has just 1.5 percent of global installed solar capacity.

    Around 600 million people remain without power.

    And African countries and communities are pushed to the bottom of the critical minerals value chain, while others feast on their resources.

    The centuries-old exploitation of the continent’s natural resources – which fuels conflict and misery – must end.

    We need action for Africa to take its rightful place as the clean powerhouse of the world…

    To derisk and boost investment…

    And to ensure African countries and communities receive maximum benefit from their critical minerals. 

    New national climate action plans, or NDCs – must be submitted this year and align with limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius, especially in countries that are the major polluters.

    These represent an immense opportunity.

    I urge African leaders to take it. And to use these new plans to bring together climate, energy, and sustainable development goals to attract investment.

    And I urge countries, companies and more, to work with us to deliver on the recommendations of our Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals – to ensure human rights, justice and equity through the value chain, and to retain maximum benefit in African countries.

    Excellencies,

    Across all these critical fronts, let’s work to leave no person, no country and no continent behind. 

    And together, let’s deliver justice for Africa and people of African Descent.

    Thank you.

    ******
    [all-French]

    Le dialogue de cette année a pour thème « Justice pour les Africains et les personnes d’ascendance africaine grâce aux réparations ».

    C’est également le thème retenu par l’Union africaine pour 2025, comme il a déjà été dit.

    Cet appel prend de l’ampleur dans le monde entier, de Freetown à Bridgetown.

    Cela n’a rien d’étonnant.

    L’énergie et le potentiel du continent africain sont sans limites.

    Mais pendant trop longtemps, les immenses injustices engendrées par l’esclavage, la traite transatlantique des esclaves et le colonialisme n’ont pas été reconnues ni prises en compte.

    Je regrette profondément que ces injustices aient été commises par de nombreux pays, dont le mien.

    Elles continuent de nos jours à peser sur le monde.

    La décolonisation n’a pas libéré les pays africains, ni les personnes d’ascendance africaine, des structures et des préjugés qui ont rendu ces projets possibles.

    Lorsque les pays africains ont accédé à l’indépendance, ils ont hérité d’un système conçu pour servir d’autres qu’eux.

    Le modèle économique hérité et des années de négligence en matière d’investissements sociaux et institutionnels pendant l’ère coloniale ont créé des problèmes durables qui ont façonné la réalité de l’après-indépendance.

    Les structures fondées sur l’exploitation ont persisté.

    Le racisme aussi.

    L’ombre du colonialisme plane sur nombre des conflits et difficultés de gouvernance que connaît le continent de nos jours.

    De nombreux pays d’Afrique étaient sous domination coloniale lorsque les institutions multilatérales actuelles ont été créées.

    Cette injustice est toujours visible aujourd’hui.

    Excellences,

    Si nous pointons du doigt l’héritage empoisonné de l’esclavage et du colonialisme, ce n’est pas pour semer la division, mais pour soigner les blessures du passé.

    Les cadres de justice réparatrice sont essentiels – pour réparer les torts historiques, relever les défis d’aujourd’hui et garantir les droits et la dignité de toutes et tous.

    Ces cadres englobent un large éventail de mesures.

    Nous avons besoin d’une stratégie globale, développée avec la pleine participation des populations affectées, pour faire appliquer le principe de responsabilité et assurer l’octroi de réparations.

    Nous devons nous montrer lucides : il est vain de vouloir réparer les erreurs du passé sans s’attaquer aussi à leurs répercussions actuelles :

    Du racisme à l’extraction des ressources africaines, en passant par les injustices ancrées dans les structures, les institutions et la gouvernance mondiale.

    C’est dans un esprit d’honnêteté et de justice que nous pourrons transformer les séquelles de l’esclavage et du colonialisme en partenariats fondés sur l’égalité et le respect.

    Des partenariats qui garantissent que les pays africains occupent la place qui leur revient dans le processus décisionnel mondial…

    Qui permettent de répondre aux priorités des pays d’Afrique et des Caraïbes, et des personnes d’ascendance africaine…

    Et qui contribuent à faire en sorte que tous les Africains – et la diaspora africaine – aient la possibilité de prospérer.

    Nous devons tout faire pour que la deuxième Décennie internationale des personnes d’ascendance africaine aboutisse à une justice réparatrice, à l’égalité des droits et à la réalisation de la Déclaration de Durban – le plan mondial de lutte contre le racisme et la discrimination raciale.

    Nous vivons, certes, des temps agités :

    Des temps où se dressent des barrières commerciales…

    Où l’aide vitale fait l’objet de coupes sombres…

    Et où la coopération internationale elle-même est remise en question.

    Il n’en demeure pas moins que la justice pour l’Afrique, pour les Caraïbes et pour toutes les personnes d’ascendance africaine nécessite une action et des partenariats mondiaux.

    Nous avons besoin de partenariats pour réformer la gouvernance mondiale.

    Le Pacte pour l’avenir, adopté l’année dernière, a permis certaines avancées. Je remercie sincèrement les pays africains du soutien qu’ils ont apporté à l’adoption de ce texte ambitieux.

    Nous devons continuer d’œuvrer en faveur d’une représentation équitable au sein des institutions internationales, et notamment d’une représentation permanente de l’Afrique au Conseil de sécurité de l’ONU.

    Nous avons besoin de partenariats pour la paix fondés sur les principes de la justice et du droit international, tels qu’ils sont énoncés dans la Charte des Nations Unies.

    La communauté internationale doit jouer son rôle – en prévenant les conflits et en y mettant fin, en atténuant leurs effets épouvantables et en garantissant la justice pour les victimes.

    Les Nations Unies ne relâcheront jamais leurs efforts en faveur de la paix sur le grand continent africain.

    Nous avons besoin de partenariats pour faire progresser le développement durable.

    Le Pacte pour l’avenir comprend des engagements importants :

    Promouvoir un plan de relance des objectifs de développement durable…

    Repenser l’architecture financière internationale…

    Et prendre des mesures concernant la dette, qui étouffe les économies et sape l’investissement dans de nombreux pays d’Afrique et des Caraïbes.

    La prochaine Conférence sur le financement du développement, qui se tiendra à Séville, est une occasion importante de faire avancer ce dossier.

    Nous avons besoin d’engagements concrets à cet égard, en vue d’abaisser le coût de l’emprunt, de faciliter la restructuration de la dette et d’empêcher les crises de s’installer.

    Nous poursuivrons l’action menée pour renforcer la capacité de prêt des banques multilatérales de développement, les rendre plus imposantes et plus audacieuses et leur donner les moyens de mobiliser bien plus de financements privés à un coût raisonnable au continent africain et aux Caraïbes.

    Nous devons prendre des mesures pour stimuler le financement dans tous les domaines.

    Les pays développés doivent tenir leurs promesses en matière de dépenses de développement…

    Les Gouvernements doivent accroître la mobilisation de ressources nationales…

    Et nous devons continuer d’œuvrer en faveur d’un régime fiscal mondial inclusif et efficace, qui permette de réduire l’évasion fiscale de manière significative et de lutter contre les flux financiers illicites et le blanchiment d’argent cela a un impact si dramatique sur le continent africain.

    Enfin, nous avons besoin de partenariats pour la justice climatique.

    Les pays africains ne sont pas à l’origine de la crise climatique.

    Pourtant, les effets du réchauffement planétaire font des ravages sur tout le continent :

    Ils aggravent la faim, poussent les populations à l’exil, fragilisent les économies, détruisent les moyens de subsistance et fauchent des vies.

    Les Caraïbes sont elles aussi touchées de manière disproportionnée.

    Il est grand temps de mettre fin à cette injustice :

    Il faut que, parallèlement à des sources de financement innovantes, des contributions conséquentes soient versées au nouveau Fonds visant à faire face aux pertes et dommages.

    Il faut que le financement de l’adaptation connaisse un véritable bond et, notamment, que les pays développés honorent l’engagement qu’ils ont pris de verser au moins 40 milliards de dollars par an – dès cette année.

    Il faut également des investissements massifs dans les énergies propres.

    L’Afrique concentre 60 % des meilleures ressources solaires du monde et près d’un tiers des minéraux essentiels à la révolution des énergies renouvelables.

    Pourtant, les installations présentes sur le continent ne représentent que 1,5 % des capacités solaires mondiales.

    Près de 600 millions de personnes sont toujours privées d’électricité.

    Et les pays et les populations d’Afrique sont relégués au bas de la chaîne de valeur des minéraux critiques, tandis que d’autres tirent largement profit de ces ressources.

    L’exploitation séculaire des ressources naturelles du continent, source de conflits et de misère, doit cesser.

    Nous devons agir pour permettre à l’Afrique d’occuper la place qui lui revient, celle d’un leader mondial des énergies propres…

    Pour stimuler les investissements et réduire les risques pour les investisseurs…

    Et pour que les pays et les populations d’Afrique tirent le meilleur parti de leurs minéraux critiques.

    Les nouveaux plans nationaux d’action pour le climat, ou contributions déterminées au niveau national, qui seront présentés cette année, doivent être conformes à l’objectif de limiter le réchauffement planétaire à 1,5 degré Celsius, surtout dans les pays qui sont les grand pollueurs.

    Ces plans représentent une formidable occasion d’agir.

    J’exhorte les dirigeants africains à ne pas la laisser passer. Et à intégrer dans ces nouveaux plans des objectifs en matière de climat, d’énergie et de développement durable afin d’attirer les investissements.

    Et j’exhorte les pays, les entreprises et toutes les parties intéressées à collaborer avec nous pour appliquer les recommandations formulées par le Groupe chargé de la question des minéraux critiques pour la transition énergétique – et ainsi faire en sorte que les droits humains, la justice et l’équité soient garantis tout au long de la chaîne de valeur, et que les pays d’Afrique soient les premiers à tirer parti de ces ressources.

    Excellences,

    Dans tous ces grands domaines, mobilisons-nous pour qu’aucune personne, aucun pays et aucun continent ne soit laissé de côté.

    Et ensemble, faisons en sorte que justice soit rendue à l’Afrique et aux personnes d’ascendance africaine.

    Je vous remercie.

    MIL OSI United Nations News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: House and Senate Democrats Send Letter Calling on GAO to Investigate Federal Worker Firings

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Steny H Hoyer (MD-05)

    WASHINGTON, DC –  In response to the Trump Administration’s unprecedented purge of tens of thousands of federal workers without cause, Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on FSGG Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Senator Gary Peters (D-MI), Acting Ranking Member on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Rep. Stephen F. Lynch (MA-08), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations Rep. Kweisi Mfume (MD-07), and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Delivering On Government Efficiency (DOGE) Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01) led more than 30 Democrats in sending a letter to Comptroller General of the United States Gene L. Dodaro calling on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to provide Congress with regular updates on how the Trump Administration’s personnel actions are affecting the federal workforce.

    “Over the past several months, the civil service has undergone an unprecedented level of change as tens of thousands of federal employees have been terminated, resigned, or placed on administrative leave,” the Members wrote. “Americans are already feeling the consequences – longer wait times for Social Security assistance, delayed veterans’ benefits, and disrupted disaster response are just a few examples of how these personnel actions are impacting people across the country. We are deeply concerned about the impact these actions will have on our government’s capacity to design, develop and deliver efficient services that connect agencies with the people they serve and meet the needs of the public.”

    Signatories include: Senator Angela D. Alsobrooks; Rep. Yassamin Ansari; Rep. Wesley Bell; Rep. Donald Beyer; Rep. Sanford D. Bishop, Jr.; Senator Richard Blumenthal; Rep. Shontel Brown; Rep. Greg Casar; Rep. Jasmine Crockett; Rep. Sarah Elfreth; Rep. Maxwell Frost; Rep. Robert Garcia; Rep. Glenn Ivey; Senator Timothy Kaine; Rep. Ro Khanna; Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi; Rep. Summer Lee; Rep. April McClain Delaney; Rep. Jennifer McClellan; Rep. Dave Min; Senator Patty Murray; Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton; Senator Alex Padilla; Rep. Emily Randall; Rep. Jamie Raskin; Senator Bernard Sanders; Senator Brian Schatz; Rep. Lateefah Simon; Rep. Suhas Subramanyam; Rep. Rashida Tlaib; Rep. Eugene Vindman; and Senator Mark R. Warner.

    The full text of the letter is included below:
     

    May 29, 2025
     

    The Honorable Gene L. Dodaro
    Comptroller General of the United States
    Government Accountability Office
    441 G Street, N.W.
    Washington D.C. 20548

    Dear Comptroller General Dodaro:

    The 2 million federal employees who work across our country are the backbone of our federal government and are responsible for delivering vital services to the American people. These individuals dedicate their lives to public service and ensure our government fulfills its mission to make our country safer, healthier and more prosperous.

    Over the past several months, the civil service has undergone an unprecedented level of change as tens of thousands of federal employees have been terminated, resigned, or placed on administrative leave. Americans are already feeling the consequences – longer wait times for Social Security assistance, delayed veterans’ benefits, and disrupted disaster response are just a few examples of how these personnel actions are impacting people across the country. We are deeply concerned about the impact these actions will have on our government’s capacity to design, develop and deliver efficient services that connect agencies with the people they serve and meet the needs of the public.

    To assist our oversight of the federal government’s personnel actions, we request that the Government Accountability Office provide us with regular briefings to ensure Congress has timely data and information on the status of the federal workforce. Specifically, we request that GAO begin providing the information following each quarter through the end of fiscal year 2028 to be scheduled in coordination with applicable staff. Information on the total number of the following groups of federal employees in the 24 CFO agencies categorized by agency of employment, location, occupation and tenure by quarter –

    a. All terminated federal employees who are separated for any reason;

    b. Federal employees who took the deferred resignation program offer;

    c. Federal employees in their probationary period;

    d. Federal employees in their probationary period who were terminated;

    e. Federal employees on administrative leave.

    f. Federal employees hired.

    Any difficulties experienced by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in its collection, analysis, and publication of human capital data.

    Thank you for your attention to this matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: IAM Union and Bipartisan Lawmakers Push to Sustain C-130J Production

    Source: US GOIAM Union

    WASHINGTON, May 30, 2025 – The IAM Union and over 70 members of Congress are leading the charge on Capitol Hill to support strong funding and production levels for the C-130J Program in Fiscal Year 2026. IAM Local 709 members at Lockheed Martin in Marietta, Ga., proudly build the aircraft.

    A bipartisan letter to House appropriators calling for robust Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) funding for the C-130J Super Hercules program has secured the support of 77 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.

    Led by Reps. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), David Scott (D-Ga.), and Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.), the letter urges the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee to continue investing in the C-130J, the only U.S.-manufactured military airlift currently in production.

    The letter recommends the following additions to the FY26 Defense Appropriations bill:

    +8 C-130J aircraft for the Air National Guard (ANG) and Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC)

    +3 to +5 KC-130J aircraft for the Navy Reserve (USNR) to continue the C/KC-130T recapitalization

    +2 LC-130J ski-equipped aircraft for the ANG

    +2 KC-130J aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps to replace operational losses

    +$100 million for fleetwide Diminishing Manufacturing Sources (DMS)

    +$71 million for non-recurring engineering for the ANG’s LC-130J variant

    “The C-130J is the only U.S.-made airlift currently in production, and a stable and efficient production line is vital in supporting current and future Department of Defense and allied nation airlift requirements,” said IAM Union International President Brian Bryant. “The C-130J production line provides for thousands of high-skilled Machinists Union jobs and supports more than 27,000 jobs across its nationwide supply chain.”

    The IAM Union applauds the growing bipartisan support and strongly encourages all members of Congress to join in securing the future of this critical national security asset.

    Read the complete letter here. 

    The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across the United States and Canada.

    goIAM.org | @IAM_Union

    The post IAM Union and Bipartisan Lawmakers Push to Sustain C-130J Production appeared first on IAM Union.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: United States Secures the Extraditions of Individuals Accused of Violent and Other Serious Crimes from Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius,

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    United States Also Returned International Fugitives Wanted for Terrorism, Murder, Attempted Murder and Child Sexual Abuse to Canada, India, and Mexico

    Note: The defendants whose names are underlined hyperlink to press releases.

    WASHINGTON — Extensive coordination between the Justice Department and law enforcement authorities in Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom (UK) resulted in the extraditions in April and May of dozens of individuals. The defendants returned to the United States are alleged to have committed crimes — including child sexual abuse and rape, murder, hate crimes, assault, narcoterrorism, drug trafficking, alien smuggling, cybercrime, money laundering, fraud, aggravated robbery and extortion — in a number of U.S. states and federal districts, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia.

    The fugitives extradited to the United States include:

    • Michail Chkhikvishvili, also known as Mishka, Michael, Commander Butcher, and Butcher, 21, a Georgian national and alleged leader of a white supremacist group, was extradited from Moldova to face charges in the Eastern District of New York for soliciting hate crimes and planning a mass casualty attack in New York City. As the alleged leader of the white supremacist group “Maniac Murder Cult,” an international, racially motivated violent extremist group that adheres to a neo-Nazi ideology and promotes violence against racial minorities, the Jewish community, and other groups that it deems “undesirables,” Chkhikvishvili allegedly traveled to Brooklyn in 2022 and actively solicited acts of mass violence with a person who was, unbeknownst to Chkhikvishvili, an undercover FBI employee. In November 2023, Chkhikvishvili allegedly began planning a mass casualty attack to take place on New Year’s Eve, which would involve an individual dressing up as Santa Claus and handing out candy laced with poison to racial minorities. In January 2024, as alleged, the scheme evolved and Chkhikvishvili specifically directed the undercover FBI employee to target the Jewish community, Jewish schools, and Jewish children in Brooklyn.

    • Liridon Masurica, also known as @blackdb, 33, a national of Kosovo and alleged administrator of an online criminal marketplace, was extradited from Kosovo to face charges of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and fraudulent use of 15 or more unauthorized access devices in the Middle District of Florida.

    • Adrian Alberto Cano Gomez, also known as Andrea, 45, a national of Colombia and an alleged member of the Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), a designated foreign terrorist organization, was extradited from Colombia to face charges in the Southern District of Texas of narco-terrorism and distributing kilogram quantities of cocaine from Colombia.

    • Aler Baldomero Samayoa-Recinos, also known as Chicharra, 58, a national of Guatemala and alleged leader of a prolific Guatemalan drug trafficking organization, was extradited from Guatemala to face charges in the District of Columbia of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms of cocaine for importation to the United States.

    • Daniel Flores, 49, a national of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face charges of first-degree murder for the 1995 killing of two brothers, both U.S. Marines, ages 22 and 19, in Cook County, Illinois.

    • Manuel Alejandro Vasquez, 47, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face a charge of murder in Ventura County, California. Vasquez’s two co-defendants were convicted in 1999 and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the 1998 murder of a man in his home over an alleged unpaid debt. Vasquez fled to Mexico before charges could be filed against him.

    • Tyler Buchanan, 23, a UK national, was extradited from Spain to face charges of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft in the Central District of California. Among other crimes, Buchanan and his co-conspirators allegedly stole cryptocurrency worth millions of dollars following phishing attacks on over 45 companies based in the United States, Canada, and the UK.

    • Felix Manuel Mejia-Gonzalez, 33, a Dominican citizen, was extradited from the Dominican Republic to face charges of fentanyl trafficking in the District of New Hampshire.

    • Samuel Steven Huggler, 28, a U.S. citizen, was extradited from Spain, to face charges relating to the alleged murder and attempted murders of three of his siblings in Vanderburgh County, Indiana. Huggler is charged with aiding, inducing, or causing murder, three counts of conspiracy to commit murder, two counts of aiding, inducing, or causing attempted murder, and possession of an altered firearm. 

    • Michel Patrick Desalles, 54, a Mauritian national, was extradited from Mauritius to face a charge of murder in the second degree in the State of New York. Desalles allegedly choked his employer to death with zip ties and immediately fled the United States in 2017.

    • Juan Miguel Roman-Balderas, 45, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face two charges of murder in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Roman-Balderas is alleged to have stabbed to death his 28-year-old ex-girlfriend in April 2014 in Greenbelt, Maryland.

    • Rody L. Wilcox, 50, a U.S. citizen, was extradited from Georgia to face charges of lewd conduct with a minor under 16 years of age filed in Latah County, Idaho. Wilcox allegedly sexually assaulted a six-year-old child on multiple occasions in 2023. In 2024, Wilcox fled Idaho while on bond. Through OIA’s cooperation with the FBI, U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service and Georgian authorities, Wilcox was arrested in Georgia on Aug. 16, 2024, while en route to the Russian Federation.

    • Miguel Angel Urbano-Vazquez, 48, a citizen of Mexico, was extradited from Mexico to face charges of aggravated first-degree murder and rape in Pierce County, Washington. Urbano-Vazquez is alleged to have raped four victims between March and October 2002, one of whom he is also alleged to have murdered in the course of rape.

    • Gilberto Gutierrez, 46, a citizen of El Salvador, was extradited from El Salvador to face charges of rape, child abuse, and related sex offenses in Wicomico County, Maryland. Gutierrez allegedly repeatedly sexually abused two girls under the age of 10 years old between approximately 1999 and 2004.

    • Ramon Manriquez Castillo, 68, a dual U.S. and Mexican citizen; Edgar Rodriguez Ruano, 29, a Mexican citizen; Fernando Javier Escobar Tito, 48, an Ecuadorian citizen; and Anderson Jair Gamboa Nieto, 30, a Colombian citizen, were surrendered by Guinea-Bissau to face drug trafficking charges in the Southern District of Florida. The co-defendants are alleged members of a transnational drug trafficking organization comprised of several cartels in Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela, and they allegedly conspired to distribute large quantities of cocaine through Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, the Bahamas, and Guinea-Bissau using a U.S.-registered airplane, with a U.S. citizen onboard, from about November 2023 to September 2024. They are also charged with distributing cocaine in these countries using an airplane with a U.S. citizen onboard.

    • Artem Aleksandrovych Stryzhak, 35, a Ukrainian national, was extradited from Spain to face charges of conspiracy to commit fraud, extortion, and related activity in connection with computers in the Eastern District of New York and the Middle District of Florida. According to the charges in the Eastern District of New York, Stryzhak is one of the administrators of the Nefilim ransomware gang. The Middle District of Florida charges allege that Stryzhak used the Hive ransomware to engage in a computer hacking and extortion scheme that targeted businesses in the United States and abroad. The Hive ransomware group is estimated to have attacked approximately 1,500 victims and extorted approximately $110 million in ransom payments.

    The fugitives extradited by the United States include:

    • Tahawwur Hussain Rana, 64, a Canadian citizen, native of Pakistan, and convicted terrorist, was extradited to India to stand trial on 10 criminal charges stemming from his alleged role in the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai that killed 160 people, including six Americans, and wounded hundreds more.

    • Aaron Seth Juarez, 26, a U.S. citizen, was extradited to Mexico to be prosecuted for femicide for the 2019 killing of his approximately 31-year-old stepmother, whose body he allegedly buried in the backyard of her Tijuana home. 

    The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA), along with the U.S. Marshals Service, provided significant assistance in securing the defendants’ arrests and extraditions. The U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Central District of California and the Eastern District of California litigated with OIA the successful outgoing extradition cases for Rana and Juarez, respectively. OIA and the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia provided significant assistance in securing the arrests and extraditions from Colombia. The Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) also provided assistance with the extraditions from Guatemala and Kosovo. The Justice Department thanks and acknowledges the instrumental role of its law enforcement partners in Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Georgia, Guatemala, Germany, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Israel, Kenya, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Panama, Peru, Spain, Thailand, Türkiye, Ukraine and the United Kingdom for making these extraditions possible.

    An indictment and criminal complaint are merely allegations. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: British and Chinese Nationals Indicted for Alleged Plot to Silence U.S. Dissident and Smuggle U.S. Military Technology to China

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LOS ANGELES – Federal grand juries in Los Angeles and Milwaukee each have returned indictments charging two foreign nationals, Cui Guanghai, 43, of China, and John Miller, 63, of the United Kingdom and a U.S. lawful permanent resident, with interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit interstate stalking (Los Angeles) and conspiracy, smuggling, and violations of the Arms Export Control Act (Milwaukee), the Justice Department announced today.

    “As alleged, the defendants targeted a U.S. resident for exercising his constitutional right to free speech and conspired to traffic sensitive American military technology to the Chinese regime,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This is a blatant assault on both our national security and our democratic values. This Justice Department will not tolerate foreign repression on U.S. soil, nor will we allow hostile nations to infiltrate or exploit our defense systems. We will act decisively to expose and dismantle these threats wherever they emerge.”

    “The defendants allegedly plotted to harass and interfere with an individual who criticized the actions of the People’s Republic of China while exercising their constitutionally protected free speech rights within the United States of America,” said FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. “The same individuals also are charged with trying to obtain and export sensitive U.S. military technology to China. I want to commend the good work of the FBI and our partners in the U.S and overseas in putting a stop to these illegal activities.”

    • Central District of California (Los Angeles)

    According to court documents, beginning in October 2023, Cui and Miller enlisted two individuals (Individual 1 and Individual 2) inside the United States to carry out a plot to prevent the Victim from protesting President Xi’s appearance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November 2023. The victim had previously made public statements in opposition to the policies and actions of the PRC government and President Xi.

    “The indictment alleges that Chinese foreign actors targeted a victim in our nation because he criticized the Chinese government and its president,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “My office will continue to use all legal methods available to hold accountable foreign nationals engaging in criminal activity on our soil.”

    “The FBI will not tolerate transnational repression targeting those in the United States who express dissenting opinions about foreign leaders,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Both defendants face serious stalking charges in Los Angeles and my office intends to hold them accountable for bullying a victim, a critic of the PRC, and targeting him with violence.”

    Unbeknownst to Cui and Miller, Individual 1 and Individual 2 were affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI.

    In the weeks leading up to the APEC summit, Cui and Miller directed and coordinated an interstate scheme to surveil the victim, to install a tracking device on the victim’s car, to slash the tires on the victim’s car, and to purchase and destroy a pair of artistic statues created by the victim depicting President Xi and President Xi’s wife.

    A similar scheme took place in the spring of 2025, after the victim announced that he planned to make public an online video feed depicting two new artistic statues of President Xi and his wife. In connection with these plots, Cui and Miller paid two other individuals (Individual 3 and Individual 4), approximately $36,500 to convince the victim to desist from the online display of the statues. Unbeknownst to Cui and Miller, Individual 3 and Individual 4 were also affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI.

    • Eastern District of Wisconsin (Milwaukee)

    According to court documents, beginning in November 2023, Miller and Cui solicited the procurement of U.S. defense articles, including missiles, air defense radar, drones, and cryptographic devices with associated crypto ignition keys for unlawful export from the United States to the People’s Republic of China from two individuals (Individual 5 and Individual 6). 

    In connection with the scheme, Cui and Miller discussed with Individuals 5 and 6 ways to export a cryptographic device from the United States to the People’s Republic of China, including concealing the device in a blender, small electronics, or motor starter, and shipping the device first to Hong Kong. Cui and Miller paid approximately $10,000 as a deposit for the cryptographic device via a courier in the United States and a wire transfer to a U.S. bank account.

    ***

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

    If convicted, Cui and Miller face the following maximum penalties: five years in prison for conspiracy; five years in prison for interstate stalking; 20 years in prison for violation of the Arms Export Control Act; and 10 years in prison for smuggling.

    The FBI is investigating the case. The United States is coordinating with Serbian authorities regarding the pending extraditions of Cui and Miller from Serbia.

    Assistant United States Attorneys David Ryan, Chief of the National Security Division and Amanda B. Elbogen of the Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, both of the Central District of California, Benjamin Taibleson of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Trial Attorneys Leslie Esbrook and Menno Goedman of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the cases, with valuable assistance provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Hosts Elder Fraud Prevention Forum

    Source: US FBI

    MIAMI – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida hosted a public outreach event and interactive discussion, in partnership with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), focused on preventing crimes against senior citizens on May 15, 2025 at Century Village in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Participants included the U.S. Attorney’s Office, FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Florida’s Office of Financial Regulation, Broward State Attorney’s Office, the Wilton Manors Police Department, and AARP Florida.

    The program discussed common schemes affecting senior citizens, investment fraud, lottery, and inheritance fraud, along with a local law enforcement panel with local fraud and abuse case examples.

    This program is part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida’s Elder Justice Initiative. For more information about the Justice Department’s efforts to help American seniors please visit the Elder Justice Initiative webpage at justice.gov/elderjustice and for information regarding how the FBI can help the public, visit https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/elder-fraud.

    To report an elder fraud scam, please call 1-800-CALL-FBI, submit a tip at  https://www.ic3.gov/Home/EF, or contact your local field office. The National Elder Fraud Hotline is also available for reports at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).

    You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Two Foreign Nationals Indicted for Plot to Silence U.S. Dissident and Smuggle U.S. Military Technology to China

    Source: US State Government of Utah

    Defendants Charged in Los Angeles and Milwaukee with Interstate Stalking, Arms Export Violations, and Smuggling

    Federal grand juries in Milwaukee and Los Angeles each returned indictments charging two foreign nationals, Cui Guanghai, 43, of China, and John Miller, 63, of the United Kingdom and a U.S. lawful permanent resident, with interstate stalking and conspiracy to commit interstate stalking (Los Angeles) and conspiracy, smuggling, and violations of the Arms Export Control Act (Milwaukee).

    “As alleged, the defendants targeted a U.S. resident for exercising his constitutional right to free speech and conspired to traffic sensitive American military technology to the Chinese regime,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This is a blatant assault on both our national security and our democratic values. This Justice Department will not tolerate foreign repression on U.S. soil, nor will we allow hostile nations to infiltrate or exploit our defense systems. We will act decisively to expose and dismantle these threats wherever they emerge.”

    “The defendants allegedly plotted to harass and interfere with an individual who criticized the actions of the People’s Republic of China while exercising their constitutionally protected free speech rights within the United States of America,” said FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino. “The same individuals also are charged with trying to obtain and export sensitive U.S. military technology to China. I want to commend the good work of the FBI and our partners in the U.S and overseas in putting a stop to these illegal activities.”

    Allegations in the Central District of California

    According to court documents, beginning in October 2023, Cui and Miller enlisted two individuals (Individual 1 and Individual 2) inside the United States to carry out a plot to prevent the Victim from protesting President Xi’s appearance at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in November 2023. The victim had previously made public statements in opposition to the policies and actions of the PRC government and President Xi.

    “The indictment alleges that Chinese foreign actors targeted a victim in our nation because he criticized the Chinese government and its president,” said U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli for the Central District of California. “My office will continue to use all legal methods available to hold accountable foreign nationals engaging in criminal activity on our soil.”

    Unbeknownst to Cui and Miller, Individual 1 and Individual 2 were affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI.

    In the weeks leading up to the APEC summit, Cui and Miller directed and coordinated an interstate scheme to surveil the victim, to install a tracking device on the victim’s car, to slash the tires on the victim’s car, and to purchase and destroy a pair of artistic statues created by the victim depicting President Xi and President Xi’s wife.

    A similar scheme took place in the spring of 2025, after the victim announced that he planned to make public an online video feed depicting two new artistic statues of President Xi and his wife. In connection with these plots, Cui and Miller paid two other individuals (Individual 3 and Individual 4), approximately $36,500 to convince the victim to desist from the online display of the statues. Unbeknownst to Cui and Miller, Individual 3 and Individual 4 were also affiliated with and acting at the direction of the FBI.

    Allegations in the Eastern District of Wisconsin

    According to court documents, beginning in November 2023, Miller and Cui solicited the procurement of U.S. defense articles, including missiles, air defense radar, drones, and cryptographic devices with associated crypto ignition keys for unlawful export from the United States to the People’s Republic of China from two individuals (Individual 5 and Individual 6).  

    In connection with the scheme, Cui and Miller discussed with Individuals 5 and 6 ways to export a cryptographic device from the United States to the People’s Republic of China, including concealing the device in a blender, small electronics, or motor starter, and shipping the device first to Hong Kong. Cui and Miller paid approximately $10,000 as a deposit for the cryptographic device via a courier in the United States and a wire transfer to a U.S. bank account.

    ***

    If convicted, Cui and Miller face the following maximum penalties: five years in prison for conspiracy; five years in prison for interstate stalking; 20 years in prison for violation of the Arms Export Control Act; and 10 years in prison for smuggling.

    The FBI is investigating the case. The United States is coordinating with Serbian authorities regarding the pending extraditions of Cui and Miller from Serbia.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Ryan and Amanda B. Elbogen for the Central District of California, Benjamin Taibleson for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Trial Attorneys Leslie Esbrook and Menno Goedman of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the cases, with valuable assistance provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: USNS Comfort Departs Norfolk in Support of Continuing Promise 2025

    Source: United States SOUTHERN COMMAND

    The U.S. Navy Mercy-class hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) departed Naval Station Norfolk to begin its summer deployment to the U.S. Southern Command area of operation in support of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S.4th Fleet’s Continuing Promise 2025, May 30.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Amherst — Cumberland County District RCMP charges man with 18 offences after police car stolen in New Brunswick

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Cumberland County District RCMP has charged a man with more than 20 offences after an RCMP police car was reported stolen in New Brunswick and driven into Nova Scotia.

    On May 16, at approximately 2:32 p.m., Cumberland County District RCMP and Amherst Police Department (APD) responded to a report by New Brunswick RCMP dispatch that a stolen RCMP police car was entering Nova Scotia.

    The movements of the car were being monitored through the car’s GPS system by the RCMP operational communications centre (OCC) in New Brunswick. The RCMP OCC in Nova Scotia took over monitoring the vehicle’s movements once it entered the province.

    APD officers attempted to stop the vehicle on Hwy. 2 in Upper Nappan, but the driver fled towards Amherst Point on the Southampton Rd. APD and RCMP officers pursued the car. Minutes later, officers deployed a spike belt on Southampton Rd., damaging the suspect vehicle.

    The suspect entered onto Hwy. 104 westbound as officers followed. At approximately 2:49 p.m., officers safely forced the car off the highway near the Fort Lawrence overpass and took the suspect into custody.

    No one was injured during the arrest.

    Highway 104 was closed for approximately six hours in support of the operation.

    The RCMP police car was stolen on May 16 while an RCMP officer responded to a report of an unwanted person at a hotel in Sackville, New Brunswick.

    Kyle Douglas Smith, 37, of Moncton, has been charged in Nova Scotia with:

    • Assaulting a Peace Officer with a Weapon
    • Assaulting a Peace Officer
    • Operation While Prohibited
    • Flight from a Peace Officer
    • Dangerous Operation
    • Operation while Impaired
    • Possession of Property Obtained by Crime
    • Failure to Comply with a Release Order
    • Possession of a Weapon for a Dangerous Purpose (two counts)
    • Unauthorized Possession of a Firearm
    • Possession of a Firearm Knowing Its Possession is Unauthorized (two counts)
    • Unauthorized Possession in Motor Vehicle (two counts)
    • Possession of a Prohibited or Restricted Firearm with Ammunition
    • Possession of Weapon Obtained by Commission of Offence
    • Mischief

    Smith appeared in Amherst Provincial Court on May 21 and was remanded into custody. He’s scheduled to next appear in Amherst Provincial Court on June 16.

    Smith is also facing charges in New Brunswick.

    The RCMP in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia were prepared to issue an alert through the Alert Ready system; the suspect, however, was then apprehended quickly and safely.

    File #: 2025-662879

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Head of Jeddore — RCMP charges a man with sexual offences against a youth victim

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment (HRD) has charged a man with sexual offences committed against a youth victim known to him.

    Yesterday evening, in relation to an ongoing sexual assault investigation, RCMP officers, assisted by the RCMP/HRP Integrated Criminal Investigation Division and the RCMP Emergency Response Team, executed a warrant to enter a residence near the 9500 block of Hwy. 7.

    Inside the home, officers located and safely arrested a 30-year-old Dartmouth man involved in a sexual assault, and two other men for unrelated matters. At the scene, a stolen motorcycle was also recovered.

    Codie Kenneth Bruce Horne has been charged with:

    • Uttering Threats
    • Sexual Assault
    • Sexual Interference
    • Invitation to Sexual Touching
    • Failure to Comply with a Release Order (two counts)
    • Intimidation of a Justice System Participant

    Horne was held in custody and will appear in Dartmouth Provincial Court today.

    File: 25-47019, 25-74832

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Elizabeth Man Charged with Making Antisemitic Threat to Injure Local Public Official

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Edward Arthur Owens Jr., 29, a resident of Elizabeth, Pennsylvania, has been charged by federal criminal complaint with making a threat to injure a local public official, Acting United States Attorney Troy Rivetti announced today. Owens was arrested on the criminal complaint this morning by agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    According to the complaint, on May 20, 2025, Owens knowingly and willfully transmitted via a social media messaging app the following threat to injure a local public official: “We’re coming for you [emoji of person raising right hand] [German flag emoji] be afraid. Go back to Israel or better yet, exterminate yourself and save us the trouble. 109 countries for a reason. We will not stop until your kind is nonexistent.” The complaint explains that the reference to “109 countries,” according to the Anti-Defamation League, is an antisemitic assertion that Jews have been expelled from 109 different countries; it is used by antisemites to call for the expulsion of Jews from other countries and otherwise to promote hatred. The recipient of the message is a local official who regularly engages with the public.

    The United States has filed a request for detention of the defendant pending trial, asserting that he is a danger to the community and should be held without bail. A hearing on the government’s motion will be held June 5, 2025, at 10 a.m.

    Assistant United States Attorney Carl J. Spindler is prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation leading to the criminal complaint against Owens.

    A criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Luján Leads Senate Democrats Urging Additional Funding to Keep Communities Safe

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico)
    Washington D.C. – U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) led 29 Senate Democrats in urging the Senate Committee on Appropriations to fund the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program at a minimum of $270 million for Fiscal Year 2026. Amid a nationwide shortage of police officers, the COPS Hiring Program is critical for keeping communities safe and reducing taxpayer costs related to crime by providing funding directly to law enforcement agencies to increase their community policing capacity and crime prevention efforts.
    “The COPS Hiring Program represents a fiscally responsible solution to ensure that our communities remain safe. CHP provides funds directly to law enforcement agencies to hire new or rehire additional career law enforcement officers and to increase their community policing capacity and crime-prevention efforts,” the lawmakers wrote.
    “When officers establish a presence on their patrols using community-policing principles, they can develop positive relationships with the communities they serve.  In turn, these relationships increase law enforcement’s ability to solve local crimes and resolve public safety problems,” the lawmakers continued. “This proactive approach to policing prevents crime from occurring, saving taxpayers the high societal costs associated with crime, incarceration, and services for victims.”
    Led by Senator Luján, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).
    The full text of the letter can be found HERE and below: 
    Dear Chairman Moran and Ranking Member Van Hollen:
    As you consider funding levels for Fiscal Year 2026, we urge you to fund the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program at a minimum of $270 million.
    The COPS Hiring Program represents a fiscally responsible solution to ensure that our communities remain safe. CHP provides funds directly to law enforcement agencies to hire new or rehire additional career law enforcement officers and to increase their community policing capacity and crime-prevention efforts. When officers establish a presence on their patrols using community-policing principles, they can develop positive relationships with the communities they serve.  In turn, these relationships increase law enforcement’s ability to solve local crimes and resolve public safety problems.  This proactive approach to policing prevents crime from occurring, saving taxpayers the high societal costs associated with crime, incarceration, and services for victims.
    To date, the COPS Office has been appropriated more than $20 billion to advance community policing including grants awarded to more than 15,000 state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of more than 136,000 officers. In 2024, the program awarded 235 grants across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In total, the program allowed for the funding of 1193 officer positions. COPS Hiring plays an essential role in our federal government’s support for local law enforcement and should therefore receive the highest possible level of funding.
    We are supported in this request by law enforcement organizations including the National Fraternal Order of Police, National Association of Police Organizations, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, and the Major Cities Chiefs Association.  We appreciate the hard work and leadership that you have shown on these issues. Ongoing crime and violence across the country demonstrates the vital need for increased police protection in our communities.  Therefore, as you determine the funding levels for this program, we ask that you support funding for the COPS Hiring Program at the highest possible level.
    Thank you for your consideration of this request.

    MIL OSI USA News –