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Category: Security

  • MIL-OSI: Business First Bancshares, Inc. Appoints Alejandro M. Sanchez to its Board of Directors

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    BATON ROUGE, La., April 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Business First Bancshares Inc. (Nasdaq: BFST), the holding company for b1BANK, has announced the appointment of Alejandro M. Sanchez to the Business First Bancshares, Inc. Board of Directors and b1BANK Board of Directors, effective March 27, 2025.

    Sanchez is the president and CEO of Salva Financial Group of Florida, a consulting group advising financial institutions on strategic planning, regulatory compliance and crisis management. He also serves as an executive advisor to Nasdaq and holds board positions with Popular, Inc. (Nasdaq: BPOP), the holding company for Popular Bank and Republic Bancorp, Inc. (Nasdaq: RBCAA), the holding company for Republic Bank & Trust, contributing expertise in governance, risk management and audit oversight.

    Sanchez led the Florida Bankers Association as president and CEO from 1998 to 2023, advocating for the state’s banking industry. He was nominated by President George W. Bush as one of three Presidential appointees for the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board from 2002 to 2010 and was invited by President Obama to serve an additional two years.

    “Alex’s deep experience guiding financial institutions through complex regulatory environments and strategic transformations aligns closely with our growth strategy and governance objectives,” said Jude Melville, chairman and CEO of b1BANK. “His leadership and seasoned perspective will help us thoughtfully navigate opportunities and challenges, enhancing our capacity to serve our clients and communities effectively.”

    “It is an honor to join the Business First Bancshares board,” said Sanchez. “I look forward to contributing to the company’s strategic vision and ongoing success.”

    Sanchez holds a Doctorate from the University of Iowa College of Law and a Bachelor of Science from Troy University. He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1976 to 1981.

    About Business First Bancshares Inc.

    As of March 31, 2025, Business First Bancshares, Inc., (Nasdaq: BFST) through its banking subsidiary b1BANK, has $7.8 billion in assets, $7.1 billion in assets under management through b1BANK’s affiliate Smith Shellnut Wilson, LLC (SSW) (excludes $0.9 billion of b1BANK assets managed by SSW) and operates Banking Centers and Loan Production Offices in markets across Louisiana and Texas providing commercial and personal banking products and services. b1BANK is a 2024 Mastercard “Innovation Award” winner and multiyear winner of American Banker Magazine’s “Best Banks to Work For.” Visit b1BANK.com for more information.

    Media Contact: Misty Albrecht
    b1BANK
    225.286.7879
    Misty.Albrecht@b1BANK.com

    A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1b9e3cc0-4786-4497-9e7c-ce188ece6be6

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congresswoman Tenney’s Bill to Rename Post Office for Fallen Officer Mazurkiewicz Advances from Committee Markup

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-22)

    Washington, DC – Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) today announced her bill to rename the post office facility located at 80 Prospect Street in Avon, New York, in honor of fallen Police Officer Anthony Mazurkiewicz has passed the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s markup.

    This legislation was supported by nearly the entire New York Congressional Delegation, including Representatives Joseph Morelle (NY-25), Nick LaLota (NY-1), Andrew Garbarino (NY-2), Thomas Suozzi (NY-3), Laura Gillen (NY-4), Gregory Meeks (NY-5), Grace Meng (NY-6), Nydia Velazquez (NY-7), Yvette Clarke (NY-9), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Jerry Nadler (NY-12), Adriano Espillat (NY-13), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), George Latimer (NY-16), Michael Lawler (NY-17), Patrick Ryan (NY-18), Josh Riley (NY-19), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Elise Stefanik (NY-21), John Mannion (NY-22), Nicholas Langworthy (NY-23), and Tim Kennedy (NY-26).

    Officer Mazurkiewicz, a native of Avon, New York, began his law enforcement career in 1988 as a Jail Deputy with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department before joining the Rochester Police Department in 1993. He served in the Clinton and Goodman Sections as a Patrol Officer and moved to the Tactical Unit in 2002. Throughout his career, he earned numerous honors, including the Life Saving Award, Officer of the Month, 17 Excellent Police Service Awards, and 32 Chief’s Letters of Commendation. Tragically, Officer Mazurkiewicz was killed in the line of duty in July 2022. He is survived by his wife, four children, three grandchildren, parents, brother, and sister.

    “Officer Mazurkiewicz was an American hero who dedicated 35 years of his life to upholding justice and the rule of law until he was tragically killed in the line of duty while serving our community. Renaming the Avon Post Office in his honor will not fill the gaping hole left in our community and his family’s hearts, but it will serve as a lasting tribute to his service and legacy. We are thrilled that this legislation has passed the Oversight Committee Markup and look forward to its consideration on the House Floor,” said Congresswoman Tenney. 

    “My husband exemplified the true meaning of public service, dedicating his life each day to protecting his community. We are deeply grateful to see this legislation move forward and sincerely thank Congresswoman Tenney for her leadership. Having the post office where our Tony grew up named in his honor will be a deeply meaningful tribute for our family,” said the wife of Officer Mazurkiewicz, Lynn Mazurkiewicz.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: News 04/30/2025 Blackburn Launches Inquiry with Tech Companies on Efforts to Protect Kids Online Following Decline in Reports to CyberTipline

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn)

    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent letters to Google, Microsoft, Discord, and X regarding the puzzling and alarming decrease in reports of child sexual abuse material, online enticement, and child sex trafficking submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) CyberTipline in 2024.

    Last year, Senator Blackburn’s REPORT Act was signed into law, requiring platforms to submit reports of online enticement and child sex trafficking to the CyberTipline. These reports are crucial to law enforcement’s investigations of online child exploitation.  

    Reported Incidents of Suspected Child Exploitation by Several Tech Companies Have Notably and Concerningly Dropped

    “The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) CyberTipline is the preeminent online mechanism for members of the public and electronic service providers to report incidents of suspected child exploitation. The CyberTipline has received hundreds of millions of reports of online child sexual exploitation, and federal law requires online platforms to report known incidents of child sexual abuse material (child pornography), online enticement and child sex trafficking to NCMEC. Despite this important legal obligation, there has been a notable drop in reports to the CyberTipline from several platforms.”

    Blackburn’s REPORT Act Requires Online Platforms to Report Instances of Child Sex Trafficking

    “Last year, my bipartisan legislation—the Revising Existing Procedures on Reporting via Technology (REPORT) Act… was signed into law. This critical bill supports NCMEC in its core mission to protect our children online and assists law enforcement in their investigative efforts. Importantly, the law closed a gap in federal child exploitation laws by mandating that online platforms—including yours—report instances of child sex trafficking and enticement, which was not previously required under federal law. To ensure compliance with this requirement, the REPORT Act also increases the maximum fines for providers who knowingly and willfully fail to submit these reports to NCMEC.”

    Tech Companies Must Fulfill Legal Obligation to Report Heinous Crimes Against Children

    “Despite these requirements, recent testimony by NCMEC’s President and CEO to the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism and data provided by NCMEC indicates that there has been a sharp decline in the number of reports that Google, [Discord, Microsoft, and X have] submitted to the CyberTipline since the passage of the REPORT Act… This notable decrease in reports to NCMEC is both puzzling and deeply troubling. It is crucial that your company fulfill its legal obligations to report these heinous crimes that occur on your platform. Our children deserve nothing less.”

    Click here to read the letter to Google.

    Click here to read the letter to Microsoft.

    Click here to read the letter to Discord.

    Click here to read the letter to X.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Kennedy, Blumenthal champion bipartisan bill to protect animals, penalize abusers

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator John Kennedy (Louisiana)

    WASHINGTON – Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today reintroduced the Better Collaboration, Accountability, and Regulatory Enforcement (CARE) for Animals Act to protect livestock and other animals from abuse by strengthening law enforcement’s ability to penalize abusers.

    “Far too often, researchers, breeders and dealers who mistreat animals get away with their crimes. I’m proud to help introduce the Better CARE for Animals Act to make sure law enforcement has the authority to rescue innocent creatures from dangerous environments and punish people who have a hand in the mishandling of animals,” said Kennedy. 

    “Our bipartisan, bicameral measure protects animals from mistreatment and neglect by holding bad actors accountable for their abuse. Civil penalties and suspensions of abusers’ licenses will go a long way in strengthening Animal Welfare Act enforcement and keeping vulnerable animals out of harm’s way,” said Blumenthal.

    The Better CARE for Animals Act would:

    • Strengthen the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ability to enforce the Animal Welfare Act by clarifying that the DOJ has the same authority that the U.S. Department of Agriculture wields under the Animal Welfare Act, including the ability to seek license suspensions, revocations and civil penalties.
    • Expand on the Animal Welfare Act by granting the DOJ forfeiture authority to seize and remove animals experiencing harmful treatment.

    Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.) and Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) introduced the companion bill in the House of Representatives. 

    “I’m proud to support the bipartisan and bicameral Better CARE for Animals Act which will hold abusers accountable for their mistreatment of innocent animals. Millions of animals have already suffered, and we must ensure the U.S. Department of Justice has the tools it needs to crack down on those responsible—to protect the welfare of animals and prevent future abuse,” said Malliotakis.

    “The Better CARE for Animals Act provides the Justice Department with the necessary authority to combat animal abuse, making them an equal partner to the USDA. As co-chair of the Congressional Animal Protection Caucus, I am proud to join my colleagues in improving enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act,” said Quigley.

    “The Better CARE for Animals Act provides for important animal protections, encourages stronger collaboration between departments, and empowers our law enforcement to combat abusers. As a member of the Animal Protection Caucus, I’m proud to support this legislation and advocate for the better treatment of innocent animals,” said Reschenthaler.

    “No animal should suffer because bad actors know they can get away with it. I’m proud to help introduce this bipartisan bill to ensure stronger enforcement and greater accountability for those who abuse animals. The Better CARE for Animals Act gives us the tools we need to support more humane treatment across the country,” said Davids. 

    The Humane World Action Fund supports the Better CARE for Animals Act. 

    “For too long, derelict dog breeders, subpar research facilities, and roadside zoos that make a mockery of animals have put profits over animals’ care and wellbeing by exploiting holes in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s enforcement of the law. The reintroduction of the Better CARE for Animals Act will give the Department of Justice tools to crack down on scofflaws harming animals and provide USDA better support. No animal deserves to be sacrificed due to a critical lack of enforcement. We call on Congress to pass the bill now to create a new era of better care for animals,” said Sara Amundson, president of the Humane World Action Fund.

    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Screen Australia empowers 100+ distinctive Australian narratives

    Source: AMP Limited

    01 05 2025 – Media release

    All The Boys Are Here writer/director Goran Stolevski and It’s All Going Very Well No Problems At All writer/director/producer/star Tilda Cobham-Hervey (Tilda photo credit Matt Loxton).  
    Screen Australia has today announced a significant investment for local scripted projects, reflecting the agency’s commitment to rich Australian narrative content and meaningful creator pathways.
    Across feature film, television and online, $7.6 million has been shared across more than 100 projects, contributing a substantial amount to the overall direct production and development funding provided in the 24/25 financial year so far. The mix of projects showcases a wide range of themes and formats, speaking to the evolving scripted landscape and highlighting the importance of reaching Australian audiences where they are watching.
    Among the projects is the debut feature film from writer/director/producer/star Tilda Cobham-Hervey set in an aged care home, It’s All Going Very Well No Problems At All; animated children’s series Jidoo & Ibis, about the relationship between a grumpy Grandpa and Australia’s beloved bin chicken; comedy series for TikTok CEEBS about two friends on a mission to save their local youth centre from imminent closure; and a series inspired by a true story, DIVA, about 21-year-old Elly who balances his strict, religious Samoan life with ambitions of becoming a professional wrestler in drag.
    Screen Australia Director of Narrative Content Louise Gough said, “Screen Australia is uniquely positioned to support a thriving pipeline of Australian stories that connect with audiences across multiple platforms and genres. This funding reflects our commitment to both emerging and established creatives, reinforcing the strength and diversity of our industry.”
    “Demand on Screen Australia funding remains high, and our recent survey was a reminder of the value that the sector places on our direct funding. In an ever-changing landscape, one thing remains constant – Australian screen storytelling is a vital cultural force that continues to resonate with audiences here at home and across the world. We’re proud to back this extensive collection of distinct and ambitious projects,” said Gough.
    Screen Australia has also supported 11 major television series for production to be announced in coming months, sharing in $12 million of direct funding and with a total production value of over $117 million. The agency has recently supported Stan Original Series’ He Had it Coming and comedy-horror Gnomes. Also recently announced is Bus Stop Films’ first feature film Boss Cat, beginning production in June and starring Olivia Hargroder, Penny Downie and Julia Savage.
    The supported projects include:

    It’s All Going Very Well No Problems At All: This drama is the debut feature film from writer/director Tilda Cobham-Hervey (A Field Guide to Being a 12 Year Old Girl, I am Woman) and is produced by Liam Heyen (Jimpa, Latecomers), Dev Patel (Lion, Monkey Man), Jomon Thomas (Hotel Mumbai, Monkey Man) and Cobham-Hervey, with Natalya Pavchinskaya and Cyna Strachan executive producing. The film follows Audrey (Cobham-Hervey), a young artist teetering on the edge of a quiet collapse, who finds solace and understanding through a profound connection with Harold, an elderly resident at the care home where she works. Major production investment from Screen Australia and S’ya Concept in association with the South Australian Film Corporation, with support from the Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund. Local distribution by Kismet. The film is a Mad Ones and Minor Realm production.
    Jidoo & Ibis: Inspired by the real-life shenanigans between the creator’s father and the hungry bin chickens who flock to his garden, Jidoo & Ibis is from writer/producer Wendy Hanna (Beep & Mort) with writers Michael Drake (Beep & Mort) and Clare Madsen (Little J & Big Cuz). It is a 40-part animated series in development for young pre-schoolers about unexpected problems and unexpected friendships – told through the relationship between grumpy Grandpa Jidoo and an all too familiar larrikin, Ibis.
    CEEBS: This 18-part comedy for TikTok is from director Harry Lloyd (Rock Island Mysteries) and writers Betiel Beyin and Leigh Lule, some of the team behind Turn up the Volume. Nikki Tran (Girl, Interpreted) and Amie Batalibasi (Blackbird) are producing. CEEBS follows recent high-school graduates, Zion and Ruby, as they run for ‘Youth President’ to save their local youth centre from imminent closure – all while trying to ensure their lifelong friendship doesn’t get caught in the crossfire. It has received principal production funding from Screen Australia in association with VicScreen.
    DIVA: Inspired by a true story, DIVA is created by producer Jessica Magro (Bad Ancestors) and executive producer Jason Dewhurst, working alongside producer Lauren Brown (Thou Shalt Not Steal) and writer Nick Coyle (Bump, It’s Fine, I’m Fine). It is also executive produced by Charlie Aspinwall and Daley Pearson. This eight-part series in development from Ludo Studio and Purple Carrot Entertainment follows 21-year-old Elly as he attempts to balance his strict, religious Samoan life and his secret queer identity as a professional wrestler in drag.
    Dreamboat: A feature comedy in development celebrating the enduring power of BFFs, second chances, and embracing life’s next chapter, from writer Joan Sauers (Ladies in Black, Wakefield), producers Courtney Botfield and Kate Riedl, script editor Megan Simpson Huberman and script consultant Zoë Coombs Marr. In Dreamboat, Suzy’s plans for a cruisy retirement are capsized when best friend, Val, takes her on a cruise to Antarctica.
    All The Boys Are Here: From Causeway Films (Talk to Me), this queer romance feature film is created by writer/director Goran Stolevski (Of An Age, You Won’t Be Alone) and produced by Kristina Ceyton and Samantha Jennings of Talk to Me. It is about a New York novelist who, while attending a family funeral in Vienna, discovers a German relative’s illicit queer love affair with a Jewish man during WW2 – sending him on a journey through the past that changes his future. It has received major production investment from Screen Australia in association with the Polish Film Institute, with Maslow Entertainment distributing and New Europe Film Sales and Charades managing international sales.
    A Model Family: A 10-part comedy in development for the whole family from some of the team behind The Disposables, including creator/writers Keir Wilkins and Sonia Whiteman, creator/writer/producer Renny Wijeyamohan, creator/producer/executive producer Karen Radzyner, producer Linda Micsko (The Office Australia) and executive producer Oliver Lawrance, with Guy Edmonds (Spooky Files) and Emmanuelle Mattana (Fwends) attached as writers. In A Model Family, five ultra-lifelike AIs have escaped from a secret research facility in the Australian countryside and must pass for a human ‘nuclear’ family to survive.
    Fear is the Rider: This horror-thriller is from the team behind The Forgiven, including writer/director/producer John Michael McDonagh, producers Elizabeth Eves, Kate Glover, Nick Gordon and Trevor Matthews, and executive producer Natalie Coleman. In Fear is the Rider, a lone woman searching for her missing mother is pursued into the Australian Outback by a terrifying family of cannibalistic serial killers, with only an ex-con and a young girl willing to help her. Major production investment from Screen Australia and financed with support from Screen NSW’s Made in NSW Fund. Local distribution by Umbrella Entertainment, with international sales by Film Constellation and CAA.
    After All: From writer/director/producer Jess Murray (Moments of Clarity) and writers Tom Ward and Declan O’Byrne-Inglis, After All is a six-part comedic adult YouTube animation set against a post-apocalyptic wasteland. After living in a bunker for most of their lives, mutant filmmakers Flynn and Marshall venture out to make “the best movie ever made”, but quickly realise that stardom is not as important as friendship. It has received principal production funding from Screen Australia and financed with assistance from Screen Tasmania.
    Bluebottle: A thriller-comedy feature film from director Jim Weir and writer/director Jack Clark of Birdeater, producers Gal Greenspan (Moja Vesna), Rachel Forbes (Strange Creatures) and Ryan Bartecki (The Novice), and executive producers Joel Edgerton (Boy Swallows Universe), Ari Harrison (Lesbian Space Princess, The Moogai) and Jane Badler. During the final night of ‘Schoolies’ in an isolated coastal town, three local dropouts battle three handsome older men for the affection of three private school girls – tackling social issues of class, consent and identity. Major production investment from Screen Australia, with Co Created Media co-financing and Umbrella Entertainment distributing locally.

    CEEBS
    For the list of announced projects funded across the Narrative Content Department this financial year, visit:

    For more information about Screen Australia funding and to apply, click here.
    Download PDF
    Media enquiries
    Maddie Walsh | Publicist
    + 61 2 8113 5915  | [email protected]
    Jessica Parry | Senior Publicist (Mon, Tue, Thu)
    + 61 428 767 836  | [email protected]
    All other general/non-media enquiries
    Sydney + 61 2 8113 5800  |  Melbourne + 61 3 8682 1900 | [email protected]

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Kingsmill report cannot be the end

    Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

    Statement by Cusher Councillor and TUV party Chairman Keith Ratcliffe

    “The findings of the Police Ombudsman’s report into the Kingsmill Massacre have laid bare fundamental and deeply troubling failings in the original investigation. The report makes it clear that the resources allocated to the case were wholly insufficient. It identifies a failure to arrest and interview key suspects, and a failure to pursue clear ballistic links that might have brought justice much closer.

    “These are not minor oversights. They raise serious and unavoidable questions about the decisions made at the time—questions that should have been asked decades ago, and which now demand answers.

    “But amidst the investigative failures, we must keep our focus on one unchanging truth: it was not the security services or the state that committed this atrocity. It was a gang of cowardly Provisional IRA terrorists — driven by bloodlust and by a deep, unrestrained hatred for their Protestant neighbours.

    “The report also firmly puts to rest any suggestion of collusion. And tellingly, the one group that has contributed nothing to the investigation — at any stage and on any level — are Republicans. Even now, they continue to maintain the fiction that this was not an IRA massacre, despite the mountain of evidence proving otherwise.

    “Yet it is Sinn Féin, the political wing of the very movement that committed these murders, who presume to lecture the rest of us on truth and justice.

    “It is a mark of how far we have strayed from moral clarity that Northern Ireland has a First Minister who cannot even bring herself to condemn the IRA’s campaign of terror. More than that — she has publicly glorified it, as recently as this past Easter.

    “How can anyone who justifies such acts — who believes they were “necessary” — be considered fit for public office, let alone the highest office in our land?

    “This report must not mark the end of the matter. It should ignite a renewed focus on accountability. If failings occurred at the time — and clearly they did — then what can now be done to bring justice and closure for the families?

    “Are any of those who should have been questioned still alive? What about the leadership of the IRA who presided over and sanctioned this slaughter? Will they finally be held to account?

    “These questions are obvious —yet they are rarely asked. Too often, we have been conditioned by the so-called “process” to accept that justice for victims of republican violence is simply off the table.

    “That must change.

    “It is the moral duty of any society to pursue justice — not selectively, not politically, but consistently. And that duty remains unfinished.

    “My thoughts remain with all those affected by the horror that unfolded at Kingsmill in 1976. Your pain has never been forgotten. Your questions remain valid. And your demand for truth and justice must never be silenced.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Attorney General Pamela Bondi Tours Forensic Laboratory for a Fentanyl Demonstration at the Drug Enforcement Administration Headquarters (DEAHQ)

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    On April 29, 2025 Attorney General Pamela Bondi toured the Drug Enforcement Administration Headquarters (DEAHQ) for a firsthand look at how experts detect and disrupt the spread of illicit fentanyl. In just 100 days, the DEA has seized more than 22 million fentanyl-laced pills – preventing overdoses and saving countless lives.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: Landmark Bancorp, Inc. Announces Growth in First Quarter 2025 Net Earnings of 43.2%. Declares Cash Dividend of $0.21 per Share

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    Manhattan, KS, April 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Landmark Bancorp, Inc. (“Landmark”; Nasdaq: LARK) reported diluted earnings per share of $0.81 for the three months ended March 31, 2025, compared to $0.57 per share in the fourth quarter of 2024 and $0.48 per share in the same quarter last year. Net income for the first quarter totaled $4.7 million, compared to $3.3 million in the prior quarter and $2.8 million in the first quarter of 2024. For the three months ended March 31, 2025, the return on average assets was 1.21%, the return on average equity was 13.71% and the efficiency ratio(1) was 64.1%.

    First Quarter 2025 Performance Highlights

    • Loan growth totaled $22.6 million or an annualized increase of 8.7% over the prior quarter.
    • Net interest margin improved 25 basis points to 3.76% compared to 3.51% in prior quarter.
    • Deposits increased $42.3 million, or 3.3%, from the same quarter last year and $7.1 million, or 2.2%, from prior quarter.
    • Other borrowed funds decreased $11.8 million compared to the prior quarter.
    • Non-interest expenses declined $1.1 million compared to the prior quarter.
    • Credit quality remained stable with net charge-offs totaling $23,000 in the first quarter.
    • Ratio of equity to assets increased to 9.04% this quarter.

    In making this announcement, Abby Wendel, President and Chief Executive Officer of Landmark, commented, “I am pleased to report strong growth in net income this quarter driven by growth in net interest income, lower expenses and excellent credit quality. We continued to experience solid loan demand in the first quarter 2025, especially for commercial real estate and residential mortgage loans. In the first quarter 2025, total gross loans increased by $22.6 million or 8.7% (annualized) with growth in most loan categories. Total deposits also increased in the first quarter by $7.1 million, exceeding the typical seasonal decline in money market and interest checking accounts. Over the last two quarters, deposits have increased over $60 million. Other borrowed funds declined by $11.8 million, which reduced interest expense and improved our net interest margin. Growth in our balance sheet, plus the shift in our funding position led to net interest income growth of 22.1% over the previous year and net interest margin expansion of 25 basis points to 3.76%. Non-interest expense also declined this quarter by $1.1 million compared to the prior quarter. Credit quality remained solid overall with minimal net charge-offs, and no provision for credit losses was taken this quarter. These strong results are a tribute to the associates who work hard every day to make Landmark the bank of choice for our customers and stockholders.”

    Landmark’s Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.21 per share, to be paid June 4, 2025, to common stockholders of record as of the close of business on May 21, 2025.

    Management will host a conference call to discuss the Company’s financial results at 9:30 a.m. (Central time) on Thursday, May 1, 2025. Investors may participate via telephone by dialing (833) 470-1428 and using access code 866149. A replay of the call will be available through May 8, 2025, by dialing (866) 813-9403 and using access code 282640.

    Net Interest Income

    Net interest income in the first quarter of 2025 amounted to $13.1 million representing an increase of $720,000, or 5.8%, compared to the previous quarter. The increase in net interest income resulted from a combination of both higher interest income on loans and lower interest expense on deposits and other borrowed funds (FHLB, repurchase agreements and other debt). Net interest margin increased to 3.76% during the first quarter from 3.51% during the prior quarter. Compared to the previous quarter, interest income on loans increased $440,000 to $16.4 million due to higher average balances combined with higher yields on loans. Average loan balances increased $38.4 million, while the average tax-equivalent yield on the loan portfolio increased 6 basis points to 6.34%. Interest on investment securities declined slightly due to lower balances, partially offset by higher earning rates. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, interest on deposits decreased $114,000, or 2.1%, due to lower rates as average interest-bearing deposit balances increased by $34.8 million. Interest on other borrowed funds declined by $216,000, due to lower rates and average balances. The average rate on interest-bearing deposits decreased 8 basis points to 2.17% while the average rate on other borrowed funds decreased 15 basis points to 5.09% in the first quarter.

    Non-Interest Income

    Non-interest income totaled $3.4 million for the first quarter of 2025, a decrease of $13,000 from the previous quarter. The decrease in non-interest income during the first quarter of 2025 was primarily due to a $704,000 decline in bank owned life insurance income relating to one-time benefits recorded in the fourth quarter, coupled with a $322,000 decline in fees and service charges relating to lower deposit related fee income, partially due to fewer days in the quarter. Partially offsetting those declines was a $1.0 million loss on the sales of lower yielding investment securities in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared to a loss of only $2,000 in the first quarter of 2025.

    (1) Non-GAAP financial measure. See the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section of this press release for a reconciliation.

    Non-Interest Expense

    During the first quarter of 2025, non-interest expense totaled $10.8 million, a decrease of $1.1 million compared to the prior quarter. The decrease in non-interest expense was primarily due to decreases of $350,000 in other non-interest expense, $298,000 in occupancy and equipment and $298,000 in professional fees. The decreases in other non-interest expenses and occupancy and equipment were primarily related to branch closures in 2024 and associated cost savings in 2025. The decrease in professional fees this quarter was primarily due to higher consulting costs in the prior quarter related to several initiatives.

    Income Tax Expense (Benefit)

    Landmark recorded income tax expense of $1.0 million in the first quarter of 2025 compared to an income tax benefit of $886,000 in the fourth quarter of 2024. The effective tax rate was 17.8% in the first quarter of 2025. The fourth quarter of 2024 included the recognition of $1.0 million of previously unrecognized tax benefits, which significantly reduced the effective tax rate.

    Balance Sheet Highlights

    As of March 31, 2025, gross loans totaled $1.1 billion, an increase of $22.6 million, or 8.7% annualized since December 31, 2024. During the quarter, loan growth was primarily comprised of commercial real estate (growth of $14.4 million), one-to-four family residential real estate (growth of $3.4 million) and construction and land loans (growth of $3.3 million). Investment securities decreased $16.5 million during the first quarter of 2025 mainly due to maturities. Pre-tax unrealized net losses on the investment securities portfolio decreased from $20.9 million at December 31, 2024, to $17.1 million at March 31, 2025, mainly due to lower market rates for these securities at March 31, 2025.

    Period end deposit balances increased $7.1 million to $1.3 billion at March 31, 2025. The increase in deposits was driven by increases in non-interest-bearing demand deposits (increase of $16.9 million), certificates of deposit (increase of $10.0 million) and savings (increase of $3.7 million), partially offset by a decline in money market and checking accounts (decrease of $23.5 million). The decrease in money market and checking accounts was mainly driven by a seasonal decline in public fund deposit account balances. Total borrowings decreased $11.8 million during the first quarter 2025. At March 31, 2025, the loan to deposits ratio was 79.5% compared to 78.2% in the prior quarter.

    Stockholders’ equity increased to $142.7 million (book value of $24.69 per share) as of March 31, 2025, from $136.2 million (book value of $23.59 per share) as of December 31, 2024. The increase in stockholders’ equity was due mainly to a decrease in accumulated other comprehensive losses (lower unrealized net losses on investment securities) along with net earnings from the quarter. The ratio of equity to total assets increased to 9.04% on March 31, 2025, from 8.65% on December 31, 2024.

    The allowance for credit losses totaled $12.8 million, or 1.19% of total gross loans on March 31, 2025, compared to $12.8 million, or 1.22% of total gross loans on December 31, 2024. Net loan charge-offs totaled $23,000 in the first quarter of 2025, compared to $219,000 during the fourth quarter of 2024. No provision for credit losses on loans was recorded in the first quarter of 2025 compared to a provision of $1.5 million recorded in the fourth quarter of 2024.

    Non-performing loans totaled $13.3 million, or 1.24% of gross loans, at March 31, 2025, compared to $13.1 million, or 1.25% of gross loans, at December 31, 2024. Loans 30-89 days delinquent totaled $10.0 million, or 0.93% of gross loans, as of March 31, 2025, compared to $6.2 million, or 0.59% of gross loans, as of December 31, 2024.

    About Landmark

    Landmark Bancorp, Inc., the holding company for Landmark National Bank, is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “LARK.” Headquartered in Manhattan, Kansas, Landmark National Bank is a community banking organization dedicated to providing quality financial and banking services. Landmark National Bank has 29 locations in 23 communities across Kansas: Manhattan (2), Auburn, Dodge City (2), Fort Scott (2), Garden City, Great Bend (2), Hoisington, Iola, Junction City, La Crosse, Lawrence (2), Lenexa, Louisburg, Mound City, Osage City, Osawatomie, Overland Park, Paola, Pittsburg, Prairie Village, Topeka (2), Wamego and Wellsville, Kansas. Visit www.banklandmark.com for more information.

    Contact:
    Mark A. Herpich
    Chief Financial Officer
    (785) 565-2000
     

    Special Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 with respect to the financial condition, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business of Landmark. Forward-looking statements, which may be based upon beliefs, expectations and assumptions of our management and on information currently available to management, are generally identifiable by the use of words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “intend,” “estimate,” “may,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should” or other similar expressions. Additionally, all statements in this press release, including forward-looking statements, speak only as of the date they are made, and Landmark undertakes no obligation to update any statement in light of new information or future events. A number of factors, many of which are beyond our ability to control or predict, could cause actual results to differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements. These factors include, among others, the following: (i) the strength of the local, state, national and international economies and financial markets, including the effects of inflationary pressures and future monetary policies of the Federal Reserve in response thereto; (ii) changes in local, state and federal laws, regulations and governmental policies concerning the Company’s general business, including changes in interpretation or prioritization of such laws, regulations and policies; (iii) changes in interest rates and prepayment rates of our assets; (iv) increased competition in the financial services sector and the inability to attract new customers, including from non-bank competitors such as credit unions and “fintech” companies; (v) timely development and acceptance of new products and services; (vi) changes in technology and the ability to develop and maintain secure and reliable electronic systems; (vii) our risk management framework; (viii) interruptions in information technology and telecommunications systems and third-party services; (ix) effects on the U.S. economy resulting from the threat or implementation of, or changes to, existing policies and executive orders, including tariffs, immigration policy, regulatory and other governmental agencies, foreign policy and tax regulations; (x) the economic effects of severe weather, natural disasters, widespread disease or pandemics, or other external events; (xi) the loss of key executives or employees; (xii) changes in consumer spending; (xiii) integration of acquired businesses; (xiv) the commencement, cost and outcome of litigation and other legal proceedings and regulatory actions against us or to which the Company may become subject; (xv) changes in accounting policies and practices, such as the implementation of the current expected credit losses accounting standard; (xvi) the economic impact of past and any future terrorist attacks, acts of war, including ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, or threats thereof, and the response of the United States to any such threats and attacks; (xvii) the ability to manage credit risk, forecast loan losses and maintain an adequate allowance for loan losses; (xviii) fluctuations in the value of securities held in our securities portfolio; (xix) concentrations within our loan portfolio, concentration large loans to certain borrowers, and large deposits from certain clients (including commercial real estate loans); (xx) the concentration of large deposits from certain clients who have balances above current FDIC insurance limits and may withdraw deposits to diversify their exposure; (xxi) the level of non-performing assets on our balance sheets; (xxii) the ability to raise additional capital; (xxiii) the occurrence of fraudulent activity, breaches or failures of our or our third-party vendors’ information security controls or cybersecurity-related incidents, including as a result of sophisticated attacks using artificial intelligence and similar tools or as a result of insider fraud; (xxiv) declines in real estate values; (xxv) the effects of fraud on the part of our employees, customers, vendors or counterparties; (xxvi) the Company’s success at managing and responding to the risks involved in the foregoing items; and (xxvii) any other risks described in the “Risk Factors” sections of reports filed by Landmark with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These risks and uncertainties should be considered in evaluating forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. Additional information concerning Landmark and its business, including additional risk factors that could materially affect Landmark’s financial results, is included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

    LANDMARK BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES  
    Consolidated Balance Sheets (unaudited)  
                                   
    (Dollars in thousands)   March 31,     December 31,     September 30,     June 30,     March 31,  
        2025     2024     2024     2024     2024  
    Assets                              
    Cash and cash equivalents   $ 21,881     $ 20,275     $ 21,211     $ 23,889     $ 16,468  
    Interest-bearing deposits at other banks     3,973       4,110       4,363       4,881       4,920  
    Investment securities available-for-sale, at fair value:                                        
    U.S. treasury securities     58,424       64,458       83,753       89,325       93,683  
    Municipal obligations, tax exempt     101,812       107,128       112,126       114,047       118,445  
    Municipal obligations, taxable     70,614       71,715       75,129       74,588       75,371  
    Agency mortgage-backed securities     125,142       129,211       140,004       142,499       149,777  
    Total investment securities available-for-sale     355,992       372,512       411,012       420,459       437,276  
    Investment securities held-to-maturity     3,701       3,672       3,643       3,613       3,584  
    Bank stocks, at cost     6,225       6,618       7,894       9,647       7,850  
    Loans:                                        
    One-to-four family residential real estate     355,632       352,209       344,380       332,090       312,833  
    Construction and land     28,645       25,328       23,454       30,480       24,823  
    Commercial real estate     359,579       345,159       324,016       318,850       323,397  
    Commercial     190,881       192,325       181,652       178,876       181,945  
    Agriculture     101,808       100,562       91,986       84,523       86,808  
    Municipal     7,082       7,091       7,098       6,556       5,690  
    Consumer     31,297       29,679       29,263       29,200       28,544  
    Total gross loans     1,074,924       1,052,353       1,001,849       980,575       964,040  
    Net deferred loan (fees) costs and loans in process     (426 )     (307 )     (63 )     (583 )     (578 )
    Allowance for credit losses     (12,802 )     (12,825 )     (11,544 )     (10,903 )     (10,851 )
    Loans, net     1,061,696       1,039,221       990,242       969,089       952,611  
    Loans held for sale, at fair value     2,997       3,420       3,250       2,513       2,697  
    Bank owned life insurance     39,329       39,056       39,176       38,826       38,578  
    Premises and equipment, net     19,886       20,220       20,976       20,986       20,696  
    Goodwill     32,377       32,377       32,377       32,377       32,377  
    Other intangible assets, net     2,426       2,578       2,729       2,900       3,071  
    Mortgage servicing rights     3,045       3,061       3,041       2,997       2,977  
    Real estate owned, net     167       167       428       428       428  
    Other assets     24,894       26,855       23,309       28,149       29,684  
    Total assets   $ 1,578,589     $ 1,574,142     $ 1,563,651     $ 1,560,754     $ 1,553,217  
                                             
    Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity                                        
    Liabilities:                                        
    Deposits:                                        
    Non-interest-bearing demand     368,480       351,595       360,188       360,631       364,386  
    Money market and checking     613,459       636,963       565,629       546,385       583,315  
    Savings     149,223       145,514       145,825       150,996       154,000  
    Certificates of deposit     204,660       194,694       203,860       192,470       191,823  
    Total deposits     1,335,822       1,328,766       1,275,502       1,250,482       1,293,524  
    FHLB and other borrowings     48,767       53,046       92,050       131,330       74,716  
    Subordinated debentures     21,651       21,651       21,651       21,651       21,651  
    Repurchase agreements     6,256       13,808       9,528       8,745       15,895  
    Accrued interest and other liabilities     23,442       20,656       25,229       20,292       20,760  
    Total liabilities     1,435,938       1,437,927       1,423,960       1,432,500       1,426,546  
    Stockholders’ equity:                                        
    Common stock     58       58       55       55       55  
    Additional paid-in capital     95,148       95,051       89,532       89,469       89,364  
    Retained earnings     60,422       56,934       60,549       57,774       55,912  
    Treasury stock, at cost     –       –       (396 )     (330 )     (249 )
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (12,977 )     (15,828 )     (10,049 )     (18,714 )     (18,411 )
    Total stockholders’ equity     142,651       136,215       139,691       128,254       126,671  
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity   $ 1,578,589     $ 1,574,142     $ 1,563,651     $ 1,560,754     $ 1,553,217  
    LANDMARK BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES  
    Consolidated Statements of Earnings (unaudited)  
       
    (Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)   Three months ended,  
        March 31,     December 31,     March 31,  
        2025     2024     2024  
    Interest income:                        
    Loans   $ 16,395     $ 15,955     $ 14,490  
    Investment securities:                        
    Taxable     2,180       2,210       2,428  
    Tax-exempt     719       738       764  
    Interest-bearing deposits at banks     48       49       63  
    Total interest income     19,342       18,952       17,745  
    Interest expense:                        
    Deposits     5,236       5,350       5,457  
    FHLB and other borrowings     565       737       1,022  
    Subordinated debentures     357       389       412  
    Repurchase agreements     65       77       107  
    Total interest expense     6,223       6,553       6,998  
    Net interest income     13,119       12,399       10,747  
    Provision for credit losses     –       1,500       300  
    Net interest income after provision for credit losses     13,119       10,899       10,447  
    Non-interest income:                        
    Fees and service charges     2,388       2,710       2,461  
    Gains on sales of loans, net     562       522       512  
    Bank owned life insurance     272       976       245  
    Losses on sales of investment securities, net     (2 )     (1,031 )     –  
    Other     138       194       182  
    Total non-interest income     3,358       3,371       3,400  
    Non-interest expense:                        
    Compensation and benefits     6,154       6,264       5,532  
    Occupancy and equipment     1,252       1,550       1,390  
    Data processing     396       452       481  
    Amortization of mortgage servicing rights and other intangibles     239       240       412  
    Professional fees     745       1,043       647  
    Valuation allowance on real estate held for sale     –       –       129  
    Other     1,975       2,325       1,960  
    Total non-interest expense     10,761       11,874       10,551  
    Earnings before income taxes     5,716       2,396       3,296  
    Income tax expense (benefit)     1,015       (886 )     518  
    Net earnings   $ 4,701     $ 3,282     $ 2,778  
                             
    Net earnings per share (1)                        
     Basic   $ 0.81     $ 0.57     $ 0.48  
     Diluted     0.81       0.57       0.48  
    Dividends per share (1)     0.21       0.20       0.20  
    Shares outstanding at end of period (1)     5,778,610       5,775,198       5,747,560  
    Weighted average common shares outstanding – basic (1)     5,777,593       5,775,227       5,743,452  
    Weighted average common shares outstanding – diluted (1)     5,814,650       5,789,764       5,748,595  
                             
    Tax equivalent net interest income   $ 13,291     $ 12,574     $ 10,925  
                             
    (1) Share and per share values at or for the periods ended March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2024 have been adjusted to give effect to the 5% stock dividend paid during December 2024.
    LANDMARK BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    Select Ratios and Other Data (unaudited)
                 
    (Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)   As of or for the
    three months ended,
        March 31,   December 31,   March 31,
        2025   2024   2024
    Performance ratios:                        
    Return on average assets (1)     1.21 %     0.83 %     0.72 %
    Return on average equity (1)     13.71 %     9.54 %     8.88 %
    Net interest margin (1)(2)     3.76 %     3.51 %     3.12 %
    Effective tax rate     17.8 %     -37.0 %     15.7 %
    Efficiency ratio (3)     64.1 %     70.8 %     72.1 %
    Non-interest income to total income (3)     20.4 %     25.0 %     24.1 %
                             
    Average balances:                        
    Investment securities   $ 377,845     $ 409,648     $ 456,933  
    Loans     1,048,585       1,010,153       945,737  
    Assets     1,574,295       1,568,821       1,555,662  
    Interest-bearing deposits     979,787       944,969       935,417  
    FHLB and other borrowings     48,428       57,507       72,618  
    Subordinated debentures     21,651       21,651       21,651  
    Repurchase agreements     8,634       12,212       14,371  
    Stockholders’ equity   $ 139,068     $ 136,933     $ 125,846  
                             
    Average tax equivalent yield/cost (1):                        
    Investment securities     3.29 %     3.03 %     2.96 %
    Loans     6.34 %     6.28 %     6.16 %
    Total interest-bearing assets     5.53 %     5.34 %     5.11 %
    Interest-bearing deposits     2.17 %     2.25 %     2.35 %
    FHLB and other borrowings     4.73 %     5.10 %     5.66 %
    Subordinated debentures     6.69 %     7.15 %     7.65 %
    Repurchase agreements     3.05 %     2.51 %     2.99 %
    Total interest-bearing liabilities     2.38 %     2.52 %     2.70 %
                             
    Capital ratios:                        
    Equity to total assets     9.04 %     8.65 %     8.16 %
    Tangible equity to tangible assets (3)     6.99 %     6.58 %     6.01 %
    Book value per share   $ 24.69     $ 23.59     $ 22.04  
    Tangible book value per share (3)   $ 18.66     $ 17.53     $ 15.87  
                             
    Rollforward of allowance for credit losses (loans):                        
    Beginning balance   $ 12,825     $ 11,544     $ 10,608  
    Charge-offs     (108 )     (246 )     (141 )
    Recoveries     85       27       134  
    Provision for credit losses for loans     —       1,500       250  
    Ending balance   $ 12,802     $ 12,825     $ 10,851  
                             
    Allowance for unfunded loan commitments   $ 150     $ 150     $ 300  
                             
    Non-performing assets:                        
    Non-accrual loans   $ 13,280     $ 13,115     $ 3,621  
    Accruing loans over 90 days past due     —       —       —  
    Real estate owned     167       167       428  
     Total non-performing assets   $ 13,447     $ 13,282     $ 4,049  
                             
    Loans 30-89 days delinquent   $ 9,977     $ 6,201     $ 4,064  
                             
    Other ratios:                        
    Loans to deposits     79.48 %     78.21 %     73.64 %
    Loans 30-89 days delinquent and still accruing to gross loans outstanding     0.93 %     0.59 %     0.42 %
    Total non-performing loans to gross loans outstanding     1.24 %     1.25 %     0.38 %
    Total non-performing assets to total assets     0.85 %     0.84 %     0.26 %
    Allowance for credit losses to gross loans outstanding     1.19 %     1.22 %     1.13 %
    Allowance for credit losses to total non-performing loans     96.40 %     97.79 %     299.67 %
    Net loan charge-offs to average loans (1)     0.01 %     0.09 %     0.00 %
                             
    (1) Information is annualized.  
    (2) Net interest margin is presented on a fully tax equivalent basis, using a 21% federal tax rate.
    (3) Non-GAAP financial measures. See the “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” section of this press release for a reconciliation to the most comparable GAAP equivalent.
    LANDMARK BANCORP, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
    Non-GAAP Finacials Measures (unaudited)
                 
    (Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)   As of or for the
    three months ended,
        March 31,   December 31,   March 31,
        2025   2024   2024
                 
    Non-GAAP financial ratio reconciliation:                        
    Total non-interest expense   $ 10,761     $ 11,874     $ 10,551  
    Less: foreclosure and real estate owned expense     (50 )     (13 )     (50 )
    Less: amortization of other intangibles     (152 )     (151 )     (170 )
    Less: valuation allowance on real estate held for sale     —       —       (129 )
    Adjusted non-interest expense (A)     10,559       11,710       10,202  
                             
    Net interest income (B)     13,119       12,399       10,747  
                             
    Non-interest income     3,358       3,371       3,400  
    Less: losses on sales of investment securities, net     2       1,031       —  
    Less: gains on sales of premises and equipment and foreclosed assets     —       (273 )     9  
    Adjusted non-interest income (C)   $ 3,360     $ 4,129     $ 3,409  
                             
    Efficiency ratio (A/(B+C))     64.1 %     70.8 %     72.1 %
    Non-interest income to total income (C/(B+C))     20.4 %     25.0 %     24.1 %
                             
    Total stockholders’ equity   $ 142,651     $ 136,215     $ 126,671  
    Less: goodwill and other intangible assets     (34,803 )     (34,955 )     (35,448 )
    Tangible equity (D)   $ 107,848     $ 101,260     $ 91,223  
                             
    Total assets   $ 1,578,589     $ 1,574,142     $ 1,553,217  
    Less: goodwill and other intangible assets     (34,803 )     (34,955 )     (35,448 )
    Tangible assets (E)   $ 1,543,786     $ 1,539,187     $ 1,517,769  
                             
    Tangible equity to tangible assets (D/E)     6.99 %     6.58 %     6.01 %
                             
    Shares outstanding at end of period (F)     5,778,610       5,775,198       5,747,560  
                             
    Tangible book value per share (D/F)   $ 18.66     $ 17.53     $ 15.87  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Crapo, Risch and Colleagues Introduce Bill to Stand Up for Israel at the UN

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Idaho Mike Crapo

    Washington, D.C.–U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Mike Lee (R-Utah), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina), Dave McCormick (R-Pennsylvania), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), Marsha Blackburn (R- Tennessee), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), Jim Justice (R-West Virginia), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Ashley Moody (R- Florida) and Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), today introduced the Stand with Israel Act that would cut off U.S. funding to United Nations (UN) agencies that expel, downgrade, suspend or otherwise restrict the participation of the State of Israel.

    “America unequivocally backs Israel, our strongest ally in the Middle East, in its right to defend itself against terrorist attacks and ensure the security of its citizens.  This Act will hold the United Nations accountable for antisemitic attempts to restrict Israeli participation in UN agencies as the Trump Administration works to achieve regional stability and peace,” said Senator Crapo.

    Senator Crapo is a staunch ally of Israel who recently joined in introducing the Israel Security Assistance Act, co-sponsored a resolution asserting Israel’s right to self-defense and supported a resolution to strengthen the economic ties between Israel and the United States.

    “Israel is one of America’s greatest allies, and under President Trump’s Administration, we will no longer tolerate—much less fund—the blatant antisemitism at the United Nations.  This bill will send a clear message to the UN and any other antisemitic international organizations: if you want America’s money, you’ll need to respect our Israeli friends,” said Chairman Risch.  “America will always stand with Israel.”

    Background on the Stand with Israel Act:

    • The Stand with Israel Act would cut off U.S. funding to UN agencies that expel, downgrade, suspend or otherwise restrict the participation of the State of Israel.  The bill is modeled after the current prohibition of funding to any UN entities that elevate the status of the Palestinian Authority to a member state.

    The bill text can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Louisiana Man Sentenced to 97 Months in Prison for Traveling to New Jersey to Engage in Sexual Activity with Minor

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TRENTON, N.J. – A Louisiana man was sentenced today to 97 months in prison for traveling to New Jersey for the purpose of engaging in sexual conduct with a minor, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Spencer W. Caudle, 36, of Prairieville, Louisiana, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael A. Shipp in Trenton federal court to an information charging him with travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct.

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

    In or around April 2023, Caudle began interacting on online social media applications with the then-14-year-old victim. Caudle’s communications with the victim were sexual in nature despite the victim informing Caudle of the victim’s minor status.  Caudle even expressed nervousness about being on the show “To Catch a Predator,” but continued informing the victim of his desire to have sex with the victim.  On May 26, 2023, Caudle drove from Louisiana to meet and have sex with the victim in Toms River, New Jersey the following day. On May 27, 2023, Caudle, in fact, committed sexual acts on the victim.  Later that night, Caudle left New Jersey to drive back to Louisiana.

    Local law enforcement became aware of Caudle’s prohibited sexual activity with the victim and began an investigation.  In June 2023, an undercover law enforcement officer assumed the victim’s online and cellular presence and communicated with Caudle.  During these conversations, Caudle confirmed his prior sexual acts with the victim and expressed a desire for further sexual activity.  While communicating with the undercover officer, Caudle made plans to return to New Jersey to commit additional sexual acts on the victim.  On June 16, 2023, Caudle flew from Louisiana to New Jersey, and law enforcement arrested him upon his arrival at the Newark Liberty International Airport.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations Newark, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Ricky J. Patel; the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer; and the Toms River Police Department, under the direction of Police Chief Peter Sundack, with the investigation.

    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 CEOS, 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 Justice.gov/PSC.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard G. Shephard of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division in Trenton. 

                                                                                                                ###

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  • MIL-OSI Security: President of Masonry Contractor Admits Conspiring to Bribe Amtrak Employee in Exchange for Millions of Dollars in Extra Work on 30th Street Station Project, Making a False Claim

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Mark Snedden, 69, of Munster, Indiana, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Wendy Beetlestone to conspiracy to commit federal program bribery and making and presenting a false claim.

    The defendant was charged by information with those offenses last month.

    As presented in the information, on or about December 10, 2015, a masonry restoration contractor (the “Contractor”) was awarded a $58,473,000 contract by Amtrak to be the main contractor on a façade repair and restoration project at Amtrak’s 30th Street Station in Philadelphia.

    Federal funding supplied approximately 90 percent of the money Amtrak used to pay the Contractor for the repair and restoration of the 30th Street Station façade.

    The defendant was the sole owner and President of the Contractor with responsibility to provide executive oversight of the Vice Presidents of the Contractor and the Contractor’s performance on the 30th Street Station façade project.

    Donald Seefeldt, Lee Maniatis, and Khaled Dallo, each charged elsewhere, were Vice Presidents of the Contractor, with responsibility to supervise the Contractor’s performance on the 30th Street Station façade project.

    Amtrak Employee #1 was employed by Amtrak as the Project Manager on the repair and restoration project. In that capacity, Amtrak Employee #1 was responsible for communicating with the Contractor about the work being done on 30th Street Station. Amtrak Employee #1 was also responsible for reviewing the invoices, change orders, and requests for payment that the Contractor submitted to Amtrak. Amtrak Employee #1 had the power to approve or reject these invoices, change orders, and requests for payment. Although Amtrak Employee #1 did not have the singular authority to approve Amtrak payments to the Contractor, his approval was a critical step in that process.

    The contract between Amtrak and the Contractor prohibited Snedden and other Contractor officials from “offer[ing] to any Amtrak employee, agent, or representative any cash, gift, entertainment, commission, or kickback for the purpose of securing favorable treatment with regard to award or performance of any contract or agreement.”

    As detailed in the information and admitted to by the defendant, from in or about May 2016 through in or about November 2019, in Philadelphia, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and elsewhere, the defendant conspired and agreed with others known and unknown to the United States Attorney, including Amtrak Employee #1, Lee Maniatis, Khaled Dallo, and Donald Seefeldt, to commit an offense against the United States, that is, to knowingly and corruptly give, offer, and agree to give, a thing of value to Amtrak Employee #1, intending to influence and reward Amtrak Employee #1 in connection with any business, transaction and series of transactions.

    Specifically, the information alleges, Donald Seefeldt, Lee Maniatis, Khaled Dallo, and others known to the United States Attorney, with Snedden’s knowledge and agreement, provided Amtrak Employee #1 with gifts and other things of value totaling approximately $323,686, including, among other things, paid vacations, jewelry, cash, dinners, entertainment, a dog, training for that dog, and transportation, to ensure that Amtrak Employee #1 used his power and influence to benefit the Contractor during the performance of the 30th Street Station Repair and Restoration Project.

    In return for these gifts and other things of value, Amtrak Employee #1 used his position at Amtrak to access internal agency information available only to Amtrak employees about the 30th Street Station Project and shared this internal information with the defendant and other officials with the Contractor.

    The information further alleges that Amtrak Employee #1 used his position at Amtrak to approve additional, more expensive changes to the 30th Street Station Repair and Restoration Project, thereby increasing the amount and value of the work to be performed by the Contractor. These additional expenses were reflected in a series of change orders or contract modifications. In total, Amtrak Employee #1 approved over $52 million of additional payments from Amtrak to the Contractor. Amtrak Employee #1 and officials with the Contractor falsely inflated the true costs of some of the work to be performed by the Contractor under these change orders, causing Amtrak to be substantially overbilled by over $2 million for the completion of the 30th Street Station Repair and Restoration Project.

    Snedden is scheduled to be sentenced on August 13 and faces a maximum possible term of 10 years’ imprisonment.

    The case was investigated by the FBI, the Amtrak Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason Grenell.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: School official pleads guilty in $2.9M Scheme to defraud veterans’ education programs

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The career services manager for a Virginia school offering job training programs to veterans pled guilty today to wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of nearly $3 million.

    According to court documents, Jeffrey Williams, 37, of Alexandria, used false records to defraud the VA of millions of dollars from approximately July 2022 to May 2024. During that time, the defendant was a career services manager at an educational institution offering veterans educational programs in cyber that could be paid for by the VA. As part of the scheme, Williams created fraudulent employment offer letters, falsified certifications, and forged veterans’ signatures to make it appear as if veterans had attained the meaningful employment needed for the educational institution to receive tuition payments from the government. Williams caused the submission of hundreds of false documents to the VA, claiming approximately $2.9 million in fraudulent tuition payments for at least 189 veterans.

    Williams is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 17 and faces up to 20 years in prison. Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The VA Office of Inspector General is investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey for the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Lauren Archer of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.   

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-122.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Wethersfield Woman Admits Role in Scheme that Defrauded Connecticut’s Medicaid Program of More Than $1.8 Million

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that SUHAIL APONTE, 38, of Wethersfield, waived her right to be indicted and pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to a health care fraud offense related to a Medicaid fraud scheme.

    The Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CTMAP) is a Connecticut Department of Social Services-administered program that provides medical assistance to low income persons.  CTMAP’s benefit packages, referred to as “HUSKY” or “Connecticut Medicaid,” are jointly funded by the State of Connecticut and the federal government.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, Aponte was the sole principal and registered agent of Minds Cornerstone LLC, dba Minds Cornerstone Behavior Therapy Services (“Minds Cornerstone”), an Autism Specialist Group, which was registered with the State of Connecticut in June 2021.  Beginning in approximately November 2021, Aponte, who is not a licensed provider, was involved in a scheme in which she and a co-conspirator used Minds Cornerstone to defraud the Connecticut Medicaid Program by submitting fraudulent claims for applied behavior analysis (“ABA”) services to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (“ASD”).  The scheme involved billing for Medicaid for services purportedly rendered to patients when company payroll records indicate employees were not compensated for the associated services; direct supervision services purportedly provided by a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (“BCBA”) of a behavioral technician, when the corresponding procedure code for behavioral technician services was not billed; services purportedly rendered to patients who were actually in an inpatient hospital; and services purportedly rendered when parents of patients and former employees of Minds Cornerstone confirmed those services did not occur.

    Between November 2021 and January 2025, Aponte and her co-conspirator submitted or caused to be submitted to Medicaid fraudulent claims that resulted in a loss of approximately $1,876,617 to the Connecticut Department of Social Services.

    From approximately May 2022 until November 2024, Aponte was also employed by the State of Connecticut in the Office of Policy and Management.

    Aponte pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 10 years.

    As part of her plea, Aponte has agreed to the forfeiture of approximately $459,000 in funds seized from various bank accounts she controlled, as well as her interest in additional bank accounts and two parcels of land in Hartford.

    Judge Underhill scheduled sentencing for July 30.

    Aponte has been released on a $100,000 bond since her arrest on January 16, 2025.

    This investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Social Services.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Hardin woman arraigned on charges for sex trafficking a minor

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BILLINGS – A Hardin woman accused of sex trafficking a minor appeared today for arraignment, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

    The defendant, Veronica Clarice Baker, 29, pleaded not guilty to an indictment charging her with one count of sex trafficking of a minor. If convicted of the crime charged in the indictment, Baker faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years, a maximum term of life, a $250,000 fine, and five years to lifetime supervised release.

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Cavan presided. Baker was detained pending further proceedings.

    The indictment alleges that in or before August 2022, in Billings, the defendant knowingly recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, obtained, advertised, maintained, patronized, and solicited, by any means an individual, Jane Doe 1, knowing and in reckless disregard that Jane Doe 1 was under the age of 18, to engage in a commercial sex act.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus is prosecuting the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.

    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 CEOS, 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 Justice.gov/PSC.

    The charging document is merely an accusation and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    PACER case reference. 25-43.

    The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Eight-time illegal reentry felon imprisoned for unlawfully reentering U.S. again

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HOUSTON – A 30-year-old Mexican citizen with a felony criminal history has been sentenced for illegally reentering the United States after eight previous removals, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Julio Cesar Corona-Corona pleaded guilty Oct. 7, 2024.

    U.S. District Judge Yvonne Ho has now ordered Corona-Corona to serve 37 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is expected to again face removal proceedings following his imprisonment.

    At the hearing, the court heard how Corona-Corona was arrested in 2022 for smuggling aliens after he fled from police in a vehicle carrying eight others, creating dangerous conditions for the vehicle occupants as well as the community. In handing down the sentence, Judge Ho noted Corona-Corona’s motivation to come to the United States, be it for work or family residing here – is not unique. The court added that, despite prior court warnings not to do so, Corona-Corona was determined to unlawfully reenter the United States, as evidenced by his repeated encounters with immigration authorities. Corona-Corona also received a three-year-term of supervised released to commence after completion of his prison sentence as an added deterrent to unlawful reentry into the United States. 

    Corona-Corona has felony convictions for illegal reentry as well as human smuggling. He was first removed from the United States Jan. 25, 2014, and returned illegally eight times between 2014 and April 2020. In fact, authorities had removed him six times alone between 2017-2018.

    Corona-Corona will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    “What those outside our country need to understand is that despite what they may have heard in the past, our immigration laws are being strictly enforced,” said Ganjei. “If somebody breaks our laws by sneaking across the border, they are going to be prosecuted, jailed, and then deported. The sooner that message spreads, the better it will be for everyone.”

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation with the assistance of Houston Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Wirsing prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations 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.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: 04.30.2025 Sens. Cruz, Ossoff Introduce Bill to Extend Civil Rights Cold Case Review Board Term

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Texas Ted Cruz
    WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a member of the Judiciary Committee, and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) introduced The Civil Rights Cold Cases Records Collection Reauthorization Act. This bill would extend the term of the Civil Rights Cold Case Review Board by four years. The board is tasked with investigating criminal investigations from the Civil Rights Era, led by a panel of private citizens appointed by the President.
    Sen. Cruz said, “Civil Rights cold case victims and their families deserve justice. Giving the review board more time to investigate these unsolved cases is essential to delivering long-overdue accountability. I urge my colleagues to move quickly to pass this bill so the review board can continue its work.”
    Sen. Ossoff said, “For too long, families of Civil Rights cold case victims have waited for answers and justice. Our bipartisan bill is an opportunity to pursue justice and truth on behalf of those who were killed. There’s no expiration date on justice; that’s why this effort must continue.”
    Companion legislation was introduced in the House by Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.-12), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.-01), and Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.-17).
    Read the full text of the bill here.
    BACKGROUND
    In 2019, Sen. Cruz and former Democrat Sen. Doug Jones of Alabama wrote and passed into law a bill, requiring federal agencies to turn over any remaining cold case records to the Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board, established by the National Archives and Records Administration, to help shed light on these unsolved cases.
    In 2022, Sens. Cruz and Ossoff wrote and passed into law the Civil Rights Cold Case Investigations Support Act of 2022, which extended the board.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Fischer, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Stand Up for Israel at United Nations

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Nebraska Deb Fischer
    Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) joined Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), in introducing the Stand with Israel Act to cut off U.S. funding to United Nations agencies that expel, downgrade, suspend, or otherwise restrict the participation of the State of Israel.“Despite receiving billions of dollars every year from the United States, the United Nations has allowed antisemitism to spread unchecked within its ranks. The Stand with Israel Act reaffirms America’s commitment to Israel, holds the United Nations accountable, and sends a clear message to Israel’s adversaries: standing against Israel means standing against the United States,” said Fischer.“Israel is one of America’s greatest allies, and under President Trump’s Administration, we will no longer tolerate—much less fund—the blatant antisemitism at the United Nations. This bill will send a clear message to the UN and any other antisemitic international organizations: if you want America’s money, you’ll need to respect our Israeli friends. America will always stand with Israel,” said Risch.Background on the Stand with Israel Act:
    The Stand with Israel Act would cut off U.S. funding to UN agencies that expel, downgrade, suspend, or otherwise restrict the participation of the State of Israel. The bill is modeled after the current prohibition of funding to any UN entities that elevate the status of the Palestinian Authority to a member state.
    Bill text of the Stand with Israel Act can be found here.
    Joining Fischer and Risch in introducing the Stand with Israel Act are Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Shelly Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Jim Justice (R-W. Va.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Ashley Moody (R-Fla.).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dominican Man Sentenced for Being in the United States Illegally After Having Been Previously Removed by Immigration Officials

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Rutland, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Vermont stated that on April 29, 2025, Luis Edison Capellan-Ortiz, 49, of the Dominican Republic was sentenced by United States District Judge Mary Kay Lanthier to time served. The defendant, who had been detained since his arrest on October 20, 2024, previously pleaded guilty to illegally reentering the United States after having been removed.

    According to court records, Capellan-Ortiz unlawfully entered the United States by walking across the United States-Canada border on October 20, 2024 in the area of Jay, Vermont, where United States Border Patrol agents encountered and arrested him. Border Patrol agents discovered that Capellan-Ortiz had previously been ordered removed by a United States Immigration Judge in May 2023. Capellan-Ortiz had been removed to the Dominican Republic that same month. Because Capellan-Ortiz had not obtained permission to re-enter the United States, his presence in the country was in violation of U.S. law.

    Acting United States Attorney Michael P. Drescher commended the investigatory efforts of the U.S. Border Patrol.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew C. Gilman. Capellan-Ortiz was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Sara M. Puls.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican citizen sentenced for illegally reentering the country for third time

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BROWNSVILLE, Texas – A 42-year-old man from Aldamas, Tamaulipas, Mexico, has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of illegal reentry into the United States, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Alfredo Balderas-Rivera pleaded guilty Aug. 29, 2024.

    U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera has now ordered Balderas-Rivera to serve 50 months in federal prison. Not a U.S. citizen, he is again expected to face removal proceedings following his imprisonment. At the hearing, Balderas-Rivera also admitted he violated his supervised release for his original offense of illegal reentry. In handing down the sentence, the court noted his prior criminal record and that there is no excuse or reasoning to enter the United States illegally.

    Balderas-Rivera has a conviction for illegal reentry. He was first removed in 2016 with a subsequent removal in 2018 and 2023.

    Authorities found Balderas-Rivera in Cameron County March 30, 2024. He had been in custody for allegedly committing fraud  and assault bodily injury.

    Balderas-Rivera admitted he was a citizen of Mexico who had entered the United States illegally in March 2024. He had no immigration documents to be legally present or remain in the United States.

    Balderas-Rivera has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

    Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Coronado prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations 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.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Salem County Resident Admits Filing False Tax Returns

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CAMDEN, N.J. – A former resident of Salem County admitted to filing false tax returns and causing a tax loss of approximately $590,000, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced.

    Michael DiPaolo, Jr., 47, of Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel to an information charging him with one count of filing a false income tax return.

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

    From 2018 through 2022, DiPaolo was the manager of a restaurant in Salem County, New Jersey, and received income from the restaurant.  DiPaolo received and failed to report more than $1,700,000 in income from 2018 through 2022.  By failing to report the income, DiPaolo avoided approximately $590,000 in federal income taxes.

    The count of filing a false tax return is punishable by a maximum of 3 years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000, or twice the gross loss or gain, whichever is greatest.

    Sentencing is scheduled for September 3, 2025.

    U.S. Attorney Habba credited special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan, with the investigation leading to this guilty plea.

    The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel A. Friedman of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Criminal Division.

                                                                           ###

    Defense counsel:

    Michael S. Adelman, Esq., Cherry Hill, New Jersey

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Real Estate Developer Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Prison for Embezzling Millions From the Failed Washington Federal Bank in Chicago

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    CHICAGO — A federal judge in Chicago has sentenced a real estate developer to more than six years in prison for participating in a conspiracy that embezzled millions of dollars from the failed Washington Federal Bank for Savings in Chicago.

    Washington Federal, which was based in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood, was shut down in 2017 after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency determined that the bank was insolvent and had at least $66 million in nonperforming loans. For more than a decade, developer MIROSLAW KREJZA was part of a conspiracy that embezzled millions of dollars in bank funds.  The embezzled funds were disguised as purported real estate development loan disbursements to Krejza and others.  The conspirators were not required to repay these purported loans, and they never did.

    A federal jury in 2023 convicted Krejza, 67, of Chicago, of conspiring to commit embezzlement and falsify bank records, and aiding and abetting embezzlement by bank employees.  On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Kendall sentenced Krejza to six years and eight months in prison and ordered him to pay more than $2 million in restitution.

    The sentence was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Vincent R. Zehme, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Region of the FDIC’s Office of Inspector General; Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; Machelle L. Jindra, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Inspector General in Chicago; Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation in Chicago; Korey Brinkman, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Central Region of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Office of Inspector General; Andrea Peacock, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of the Treasury, Office of Inspector General; Deborah Witzburg, City of Chicago Inspector General; and Kathryn B. Richards, Chicago Housing Authority Inspector General.  Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Trustee Program.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michelle Petersen, Kristin Pinkston, and Jeffrey Snell, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Netols.

    The federal investigation into the collapse of Washington Federal led to criminal charges against 16 defendants, including the bank’s Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and other high-ranking employees, for conspiring to embezzle at least $31 million in bank funds.   Krejza and three others were convicted after jury trials, while ten defendants pleaded guilty and two entered into deferred prosecution agreements.

    Much of the embezzled money was transferred to Chicago attorney ROBERT M. KOWALSKI, real estate developer MAREK MATCZUK, and other individuals outside the bank without all of the required documentation and often without any documentation whatsoever.  A jury convicted Robert Kowalski on bankruptcy fraud, bank embezzlement, and tax charges, while Matczuk was convicted of conspiring to commit embezzlement and falsify bank records, as well as aiding and abetting embezzlement by bank employees.  Judge Kendall last year sentenced Robert Kowalski to 25 years in federal prison and Matczuk to nearly 13 years.

    Robert Kowalski’s sister, JAN R. KOWALSKI, also an attorney, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to more than three years in prison for fraudulently enabling her brother to conceal more than $357,000 from creditors and the trustee in his bankruptcy case.

    Three former members of Washington Federal’s Board of Directors pleaded guilty to conspiring to falsify bank records to deceive the OCC.  WILLIAM M. MAHON was sentenced to 18 months in prison; GEORGE F. KOZDEMBA was sentenced to a year in prison; and JANICE M. WESTON was sentenced to three months in prison.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Stay well this summer

    Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services

    Staying well-hydrated is essential in hot weather.

    In brief:

    • Hot weather can bring a range of health concerns.
    • There are ways to prepare and protect yourself against getting sick.
    • Read on for advice on health issues commonly experienced in summer.

    From sunburn to salmonella, hot weather can present a range of health concerns.

    Seek medical help if you or someone you know becomes unwell.

    Beat the heat

    Signs of heat exhaustion include nausea and vomiting, dizziness, fainting, and headaches.

    In extreme heat, be sure to do the following.

    • Wear sunscreen and a hat.
    • Plan your day around the heat. Stay out of the sun between 11am and 3pm.
    • Drink plenty of water. Talk to your GP about how much water you should drink in hot weather if they normally limit your fluid intake.
    • Pack a drink bottle. Remember there are water refill stations in public places like shopping centres and parks.
    • Go somewhere where there is air conditioning. If it’s too hot at home, ACT libraries are a great place to stay cool while also keeping young ones entertained. You could also consider shopping centres or museums.
    • Check in with friends and family.

    Who is at higher risk?

    Some people are at higher risk of heat-related illness. These include babies, young children, those who are older, pregnant or have medical conditions and people who work outdoors. Don’t forget to look out for your pets too.

    If you’re at higher risk, talk to your GP about how to prepare for extreme heat.

    Find more tips on the ACT Health website.

    Keep aware of air quality

    In the warmer months, air quality can decrease due to bushfire and grassfire smoke, dust storms and elevated pollen levels.

    Some people are more sensitive to dust and smoke, including:

    • people with a heart or lung condition
    • people with diabetes
    • babies and children
    • older people
    • pregnant people.

    Prepare by chatting to your GP. Make sure your prescription medicines are up to date and to have an action plan in case your symptoms flare up.

    Stay indoors and close your doors and windows during periods of poor air quality.

    Take note of prescribed burns

    It’s worth noting the ACT Government conducts several prescribed burns each year to manage fire risk across the region. Plan ahead and find out when prescribed burns are happening in your area. Check the ESA website to see a list of active incidents. And if you see a fire unattended, call triple-zero (000).

    You can check Canberra’s current air quality on the ACT Health website.

    You can also monitor pollen levels by downloading the free AirRater app or by visiting the Canberra Pollen Count and Forecast Service website.

    Be aware of thunderstorm asthma

    If you have asthma, or even hay fever, you’re probably aware of thunderstorm asthma.

    While rare, it can sudden, serious and even life-threatening. Thunderstorms can cause some people to develop severe asthma symptoms very quickly.

    To be as prepared as possible, ensure your hay fever and /or asthma action plan is up to date. If you have asthma or have had it in the past, always carry a reliever (puffer).

    Protect against mosquito bites

    To protect yourself against mozzie bites and reduce the risk of exposure to the diseases they may carry:

    • cover up with a light-coloured, loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt, long pants and covered shoes when outside
    • apply mosquito repellent and reapply it regularly
    • take special care during peak mosquito biting hours (in the ACT most mosquitoes become active at dawn and dusk, and into the evening)
    • remove potential mosquito breeding sites from around the home
    • use flyscreens on windows and doors.

    Learn more about mosquito risk and prevention.

    Be mindful of food preparation and storage safety

    The risk of food poisoning is higher in summer. Many Canberrans entertain outdoors, attend barbecues away from home and enjoy festive leftovers.

    Bacteria in food multiply faster in warm environments. Refrigerating and disposing of food appropriately is important to reduce the chance of becoming unwell.

    Christmas ham, for example, lasts up to 14 days (depending on how you store it). It also takes up precious room in your fridge, so be sure to bin it once it’s past its prime.

    Prevent illness by keeping hands and utensils clean, cooking foods, like meats, thoroughly and discarding food that has been left out for more than four hours.

    View the ACT Health’s Food safety in hot weather web page for more details.

    Check recreational water quality

    It’s important to check the conditions of recreational waterways before swimming or playing in lakes and ponds.

    Microorganisms like bacteria, viruses, parasites and algae are often found in waterways.

    If you or your family drink water in recreational waterways while swimming or camping, for example, you can become sick.

    The most common illness from poor water quality is gastroenteritis.

    More information

    Visit the ACT Government website for health advice during spring and summer.

    If you feel unwell, or are concerned about your health, see your GP, visit a Walk-in Centre or consult another healthcare professional.

    Get ACT news and events delivered straight to your inbox, sign up to our email newsletter:


    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: School Official Pleads Guilty to 2.9M Scheme to Defraud Veterans’ Education Programs

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    A Virginia career services manager for a school offering job training programs to veterans pleaded guilty today for his role in a scheme to defraud the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) of nearly $3 million.

    According to court documents, Jeffrey Williams, 37, of Alexandria, used false records to defraud the VA of millions of dollars from approximately July 2022 to May 2024. During that time, the defendant was a career services manager at an educational institution offering veterans educational programs in cyber that could be paid for by the VA. As part of the scheme, Williams created fraudulent employment offer letters, falsified certifications, and forged veterans’ signatures to make it appear as if veterans had attained the meaningful employment needed for the educational institution to receive tuition payments from the government. Williams caused the submission of hundreds of false documents to the VA, claiming approximately $2.9 million in fraudulent tuition payments for at least 189 veterans.

    Williams pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The VA Office of Inspector General is investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney Lauren Archer of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Harvey for the Eastern District of Virginia are prosecuting the case.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Cumberland County Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center Agrees to Pay $19.75 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Camden, N.J. – Summit BHC New Jersey, LLC, d/b/a Seabrook, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility in Bridgeton, New Jersey, has agreed to pay $19.75 million to resolve allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act, U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced today. As alleged, Seabrook submitted claims to the Community Care Program of Veterans Health Administration (“VHA”) and New Jersey’s Medicaid program for short-term residential treatment and partial hospitalization care for which it was not properly licensed or contracted and misled State inspectors.

    The settlement resolves allegations relating to the care provided and billed by Seabrook, principally to the VHA Community Care Program.  The United States alleged that, during the period from January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2024, Seabrook provided services for which it had no license; sought to conceal those improperly performed services from state inspectors; failed to employ a sufficient number of properly-credentialed caregivers; failed to employ a sufficient number of caregivers credentialed in treating patients with both mental health and addiction issues; provided the same care to veterans it provided to other patients, while claiming to be providing specialized care; and kept false, inconsistent, and inadequate records of the care provided to veterans and other patients.

    “Today’s resolution demonstrates once again this Office’s commitment to ensure that America’s veterans receive the care they deserve and for which the government has paid.  Veterans and Medicaid recipients must receive care from fully qualified, licensed providers in facilities that meet state law in all respects.  We stand ready to enforce these standards and protect the Americans who need this care.” 

    – U.S. Attorney Alina Habba

    “This civil settlement reinforces the VA OIG’s commitment to safeguarding the integrity of VA’s healthcare programs and preserving taxpayer funds,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher Algieri with the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office. “Providers who participate in the VA Community Care Program must be licensed and follow state and federal law when billing the VA. The VA OIG will continue to work with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and other law enforcement partners to thoroughly investigate providers who fail to meet these standards in providing healthcare to our nation’s veterans.”

    “Our federal health care systems serve vulnerable populations, and by not providing the level of care they deserve that purpose is undermined,” stated Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).  “HHS-OIG, together with our law enforcement partners, will continue to vigorously pursue those who exploit government health programs.”

    The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by a former Seabrook employee. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery.  In this matter, the relator is receiving at least approximately $3,555,137.28 as her share of the recovery in this case.

    Seabrook cooperated in the investigation and resolution of this matter, including by independently investigating the matter, implementing remedial measures, and disciplining responsible individuals.

    The resolution was the result of efforts by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey and the Offices of Inspectors General for the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Health and Human Services.

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

    The matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul W. Kaufman of the Health Care Fraud Unit in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

    The case is captioned United States ex rel. Coulter and the State of New Jersey v. Seabrook House, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 23-cv-00451 (D.N.J.).

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

                                                               ###

    Counsel for Seabrook: Richard Westling, Epstein Becker Green, P.C. and Matthew Curley, Bass, Berry, & Sims, PLC

    Counsel for Relator Jennifer Coulter: Ross Begelman and Marc Orlow, Javerbaum Wurgaft Hicks Kahn Wikstrom & Sinins, P.C.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Tigerton Man Sentenced for Shotgun Assault on a Postal Carrier

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Richard G. Frohling, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on April 30, 2025, Benjamin L. Joos (age 44) of Tigerton, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for firing a shotgun at a U.S. Postal Carrier while she was on duty, injuring her and damaging her vehicle.

    According to court records, the victim was delivering mail at approximately 3:00 p.m. on September 24, 2024, when she heard her passenger side window shatter and felt pain in her arms. She observed Joos holding a shotgun which was pointed at her. Joos was yelling “get away from my box” and “leave my mail alone.” The victim quickly left the area and notified law enforcement. By his own admission, Joos had consumed “4 to 5 whisky and cokes” prior to the incident. Hours later his blood alcohol level was determined to be 0.178 g/100ml, more than twice the legal limit for a presumption of intoxication.

    At the sentencing hearing, Senior U.S. District Court Judge William C. Griesbach noted Joos’s lack of criminal record, strong community engagement, and a positive work history. However, Judge Griesbach determined that the serious nature of the offense and the profound effect his actions had on the victim required a prison term. Following his 18-month prison sentence, Joos will serve 3 years on supervised release. He was also ordered to pay over $10,000 in restitution to the victim.

    This case was investigated by the Shawano County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Daniel R. Humble.

    # #  #

    For Additional Information Contact:

    Public Information Officer

    Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

    414-297-1700

     

    Follow us on Twitter

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Sentenced for Illegally Reentering the United States After Being Deported

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    A man who illegally returned to the United States after being deported was sentenced today to more than two months in federal prison.

    Jose Solis-Alvarado, age 34, a citizen of Mexico illegally present in the United States and residing in Traer, Iowa, received the prison term after a March 10, 2025 guilty plea to one count of illegal reentry into the United States after having been deported.

    At the guilty plea, Solis-Alvarado admitted he had previously been deported from the United States and illegally reentered the United States without the permission of the United States government.  Solis-Alvarado was previously deported in 2010.  On February 4, 2025, immigration officials learned Solis‑Alvarado had illegally returned to the United States and found him at the Benton County Jail following his arrest on state charges for operating while under the influence.

    Solis-Alvarado was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams.  Solis-Alvarado was sentenced to 85 days’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a one-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

    Solis-Alvarado is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be turned over to immigration officials.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam J. Vander Stoep and was investigated by Enforcement and Removal Operations of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement. 

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

    The case file number is 25-CR-9.

    Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Cherokee, Iowa, Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Roger Strickland, age 62, from Cherokee, Iowa, pled guilty on April 25, 2025, to two counts of possession of child pornography in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa. 

    Evidence at the plea hearing showed that from June 2022, through May 2023, Strickland received and possessed child pornography.  Agents searched Strickland’s home on May 25, 2023, and seized several pieces of evidence.  Agents asked to speak to whomever at the home was downloading child pornography and Strickland replied, “It’s me.”  Then, while agents were awaiting results of the forensic analysis of Strickland’s electronic devices, law enforcement was again notified Strickland was receiving and possessing child pornography.  Strickland admitted that between August 2023, through February 2024, Strickland received and possessed more child pornography despite knowing he was actively being investigated.  In total, over 225 videos and 8,000 images of child pornography were discovered on his electronic devices.  Strickland further admitted that the images and videos involved material portraying sadistic or masochistic conduct as well as prepubescent children, infants, and toddlers.  

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

    Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Strickland remains in custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.  On each count, Strickland faces a possible maximum sentence of not more than 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

    The case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Cherokee Police Department and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.

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

    The case file number is CR24-4067.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Teacher Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Student

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

      Samantha Meyer-Davis, 32, from Rutland, Iowa, pled guilty in federal court April 30, 2025, to sexual exploitation of a child.

    At the plea hearing, Meyer-Davis admitted that from May 2022, through November 2023, she was engaged in sexually exploiting a student as well as disseminating and exhibiting obscene materials to the victim.  Meyer-Davis was a middle school teacher at the time of the incidents and met with school administrators on several occasions and denied any inappropriate relationship.  Administrators reminded Meyer-Davis of her professional and ethical obligations to her students and encouraged her to cease and desist any inappropriate relationship with the student.  When interviewed by law enforcement, Meyer-Davis continued to deny any inappropriate relationship until she was confronted with photographic evidence of her kissing the student who was in a state of undress.  Evidence further showed that Meyer-Davis and the victim exchanged over 130 photographs, and over 60 videos related to and depicting child pornography, including materials that portrayed sadistic and masochistic conduct.    

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

    Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Meyer-Davis remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Meyer-Davis faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 30 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

    The case was investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa Special Enforcement Operations Bureau, and the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.  

    Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 24-3028.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fort Hall Man Sentenced to 100 Months in Federal Prison for Fentanyl Distribution

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    POCATELLO – Creston Dale Kindness, 42, of Fort Hall, was sentenced to 100 months in federal prison for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott announced today. 

    According to court records, on January 21, 2024, officers observed Kindness driving at a high rate of speed. A lengthy pursuit followed, and the vehicle stopped when it became stuck in the snow. Officers arrested Kindness and took him to jail. At the jail, a sheriff’s deputy observed Kindness make a video call to a female friend. Kindness told the friend that he threw a bag with her name on it out of the car window during the pursuit. Kindness gave her the location and told her to go get the bag. Officers responded and found the bag. The bag contained a large amount of cash and 350 grams of fentanyl pills.

    Kindness pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl on June 24, 2024. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Kindness to serve five years of supervised release following his prison sentence. 

    Acting U.S. Attorney Whatcott commended the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office, the Bingham, Blackfoot, Shelley Investigation Unit, the Bannock County Sheriff’s Office, the Fort Hall Police Department, and the Idaho State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Haycock prosecuted the case.

    ###

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Mason City Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Cleon Mitchell, Jr., 46, from Mason City, Iowa, pled guilty April 30, 2025, in federal court in Sioux City to possession of child pornography.

    At the plea hearing, Mitchell admitted that from August 2022, through April 2024, he used the Kik and Snapchat applications to receive and possess visual depictions of child pornography which involved a prepubescent minor or minor under the age of 12.  Snapchat reported Mitchell’s account to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children who in turn reported the information to law enforcement.  Law enforcement connected the account back to Mitchell and obtained a search warrant for his home and electronics.  During the execution of the search warrant, Mitchell admitted he had received and possessed child pornography, and it would be located on his phone.  Forensic analysis of his electronics showed that Mitchell possessed 30 videos and 50 images of child pornography including materials that portrayed sadistic or masochistic conduct as well as prepubescent children and toddlers.    

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

    Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Mitchell, Jr. remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing.  Mitchell, Jr. faces a possible maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

    The case was investigated by the Mason City Police Department and the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit.  

    Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.  The case file number is 24-3038.  Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.

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