NewzIntel.com

Category: Security

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federally Licensed Firearms Dealer And Two Conspirators Sentenced To Federal Prison For Trafficking Firearms

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

    Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced three individuals for their roles in a gun trafficking conspiracy. Matthew L. Stephen Easton (35, Melrose) was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in federal prison for firearms trafficking. Ernesto Vazquez (23, Kissimmee) and Derick Yamir Perez Diaz (22, Orlando) were each sentenced to 11 years in federal prison for conspiracy to traffic firearms. All three previously pleaded guilty.

    According to the plea agreements, Easton, a federally licensed firearms dealer, supplied Perez Diaz with large quantities of firearms, despite knowing that Perez Diaz was dealing in firearms without a license. Perez Diaz, in turn, trafficked those firearms to Vazquez who resold them to an individual who smuggled them out of the country. Between October and December 2023, more than 100 Glock pistols and AK-47 rifles were trafficked, including those pictured below:

    Additionally, Vazquez and Perez Diaz admitted to trafficking machinegun conversion devices:

    On April 18, 2024, agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant at Vazquez’s residence. Inside, they found multiple firearms, stockpiles of ammunition, and grenades:

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Noah P. Dorman and Dana E. Hill.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: BROUSSARD MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN MULTI-STATE VEHICLE THEFT, FIREARM TRAFFICKING, AND IDENTITY THEFT CONSPIRACY IN MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL OPERATION

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Acting United States Attorney April M. Leon announced that Christopher Don Byerley, age 45, of Broussard, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Brian A. Jackson to conspiracy to transport a stolen motor vehicle; altering, removing and obliterating a vehicle identification number; possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices; conspiracy to trafficking a firearm and receipt of a trafficked firearm; receipt of a trafficked firearm; and possession of an unregistered silencer.

    According to admissions made as part of his guilty plea, between October 2021 and March 2022, Byerley and his co-conspirators, Robert Gregory Brazell, Adrienne Marie King, and Dennis Loyd Sizemore, carried out a coordinated and complex operation extending across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas, in which the group stole, and subsequently used or sold the stolen and altered vehicles, including tractors, excavators, forklifts, and a pickup truck, with a total value of over $250,000.

    The scheme involved fraudulent documentation, a “chop shop” for equipment disassembly and tampering, a false business front such as “Hevyquip L.L.C.” to sell stolen equipment, altering   Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs), and the use of surveillance evasion tools, such as GPS signal blockers, vehicle plate flippers, and fake driver’s licenses. To further conceal their activities, the conspirators utilized over 400 identities and access devices to evade detection.

    During the investigation, it was determined that Byerley, a convicted felon, used a third party to illegally purchase a firearm, which was later fitted with the unregistered silencer.

    In February 2022, an investigation of a shoplifting incident in the Juban Crossing Shopping Center led Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office detectives to uncover items from a stolen pickup truck being operated by Byerley:

    • A functional, unregistered firearm silencer;
    • A FN Model 509 9mm pistol and ammunition;
    • Documentation detailing parts orders for silencers all in Byerley’s handwriting;
    • Multiple text messages and photographs pointing to intent to traffic firearms and circumvent federal regulations; and
    • Numerous documents, records, emails, text messages and photos that led law enforcement to uncover the conspiracy and far-reaching criminal enterprise.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Leon stated, “These guilty pleas reflect the commitment of our office and federal law enforcement in partnership with our state and local law enforcement agencies to dismantle sophisticated criminal organizations and hold accountable those who pose a significant threat to public safety. We commend the prosecutors and investigators for their hard work and relentless pursuit of the members of this criminal enterprise and are appreciative of their efforts in solving these crimes—even with many attempts at evasion—and returned the stolen equipment to their rightful owners.”

    “The Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office is committed to conducting thorough investigations and to working with our local and federal agencies. This investigation is a great example of detectives working a shoplifting incident and that turning into a major investigation across this state and others,” said Livingston Parish Sheriff Jason Ard.

    “Homeland Security Investigations congratulates our law enforcement partners on this important outcome, which was supported by HSI Baton Rouge’s Louisiana Organized Retail Crime Task Force and its partner agencies. The investigations of these sophisticated crimes are most effectively accomplished through the coordination of multiple law enforcement agencies and across several jurisdictional boundaries, such as what occurred in this investigation. HSI remains committed to protecting the American consumer and safeguarding public safety by disrupting criminal networks that drive up prices and endanger our communities,” said Adam Parks, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Louisiana Division, Homeland Security Investigations.

    “The ATF is working closely with local and state police agencies to address firearm trafficking by getting guns out of the hands of criminals, such as this individual,” said ATF New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. “This guilty plea sends a message to the community that illegal possession of firearms will be held accountable as we work to keep our neighborhoods safe as a top priority to ensure public safety for ATF.”

    This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Baton Rouge and Lafayette Field Divisions), Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Louisiana State Police (Latent Print Section and the Bureau of Identification and Information), Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Saint Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office, Saint Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Iberia Sheriff’s Department, and Lafayette Police Department.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lyman E. Thornton III from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana.  To address the firearm trafficking charges, AUSA Thornton was appointed as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the Western District of Louisiana, where he worked in conjunction with Assistant United States Attorney John Nickel. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Statement Of United States Attorney Jay Clayton

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    I am honored to serve as United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, alongside the women and men of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, an institution synonymous with excellence and integrity.  I would like to thank President Trump and Attorney General Bondi for this remarkable opportunity.  Along with the talented prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners, I look forward to protecting public safety, combatting fraud, particularly on the elderly and most vulnerable, ensuring the integrity of our financial system, and defending our national security. Finally, I want to thank Acting United States Attorney Matthew Podolsky for his leadership and service.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: St. Louis Rapper Admits Possessing Fentanyl, Gun

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis, Missouri rapper on Tuesday pleaded guilty to drug and gun charges.

    Antonio Harris, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and one count of possession a firearm as a convicted felon. Harris, who performs as “LA4ss,” admitted being caught by police with fentanyl and a firearm.

    On Feb. 16, 2022, St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department officers tried to make a traffic stop on North Broadway in the Baden neighborhood, but Harris sped off in a Toyota Corolla. Officers used spike strips, but Harris continued at a high rate of speed north on Riverview Drive. He passed vehicles on the shoulder and swerved into oncoming traffic before colliding with a retaining wall while attempting to turn into Spring Garden Drive.

    Harris got out and ran, leaving a loaded Glock 9mm pistol in the car, he admitted as part of his plea agreement. While running, he dropped a bag containing 394 capsules of fentanyl and plastic baggies containing more fentanyl, for a total weight of nearly 40 grams of the drug. Harris is a convicted felon and is thus barred from possessing a firearm.

    Harris is scheduled to be sentenced in August. Possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime is punishable by at least five years in prison. The felon in possession charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.

    The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Martin is prosecuting the case.  

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former School Bus Driver Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Recording Sexual Abuse of Minors

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey on Tuesday sentenced a former school bus driver who recorded his sexual abuse of two young children to 30 years in prison.

    Robert W. Stillwell, 67, of St. Peters, Missouri, sexually abused one girl, born in 2016, and another, born in 2022, when they were both asleep and awake. He abused the older victim for at least two years, coercing her into complying with his demands by promising toys and money as well as by threatening her. She said Stillwell would become angry and scream when she did not cooperate. He also modified his voice to resemble that of two elementary school-aged girls and recorded messages to the older victim in which the “girls” encourage her to comply with his demands. 

    The parents of the older victim contacted the St. Peters Police Department in December 2023 after their daughter said Stillwell was drinking her urine, claiming it was medicinal. Investigators then found recordings of his abuse of the victims.

    During the hearing, Judge Autrey called the case one of the “most vile and most despicable” that he has ever seen.

    Stillwell pleaded guilty in January to two counts of production of child pornography.

    The FBI, the St. Charles County Cyber Crime Task Force and the St. Peters Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Charges Multiple Defendants with Immigration-Related Violations

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

    CLEVELAND – The U.S. Attorney’s Office (USAO) has announced that federal grand juries in the Northern District of Ohio have returned indictments for the following individuals on charges of immigration-related law violations. These are separate cases and are not related.

    Ana Alvarez-Limonche, 20, a citizen of Venezuela, was indicted on two charges of fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents for having fraudulent permanent resident and Social Security cards. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).

    Gildardo Alvarez-Rodriguez, 59, a citizen of Mexico, has been charged with illegal reentry. He was previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the last being Sept. 24, 2020. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by CBP.

    Franklin Calix-Romero, 34, a citizen of Honduras, has been charged with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person for possessing a Ruger 9mm semiautomatic pistol and 9mm ammunition. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by a joint FBI/State/Local Task Force.

    Jose Cruz-Aguilar, 41, a citizen of Mexico, has been charged with illegal reentry. He was previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the last being Feb. 27, 2017. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by a joint FBI/State/Local Task Force.

    Carlos Garcia-Garcia, 45, a citizen of Mexico, has been charged with illegal reentry. He was previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the last being Feb. 19, 2005. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by CBP.

    Jhofran Andres Laya-Gutierrez, 28, a citizen of Venezuela, has been charged with assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer; destruction, alteration, or falsification or records; fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents; and misrepresentation of a Social Security number. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by CBP and the FBI Toledo Field Office.

    Jeyson Martinez, aka, Jayson Martinez-Juarez, 32, a citizen of Honduras, has been charged with illegal reentry. He was previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the last being Nov. 23, 2018. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by CBP.

    Jose Maximiliano Zepeda-Gutierrez, 45, a citizen of Guatemala, has been charged with illegal reentry. He was previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the last being July 10, 2019. The defendant was previously convicted in 2018 for conspiracy to transport an undocumented alien. The investigation preceding the indictment was conducted by the FBI Toledo Field Office.

    An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  Each defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

    If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation.  In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases, it will be less than the maximum.

    A team of Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the USAO’s criminal division are prosecuting these cases.

    These cases are 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 communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: How Iran’s government has weaponized sexual violence against women who dare to resist

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Mina Fakhravar, PhD Candidate, Feminist and Gender Studies, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa

    In Iran’s 2022–2023 “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising, women’s bodies quite literally became battlefields.

    The protest movement erupted after the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa (Jina) Amini, who was arrested by Iran’s morality police for improperly wearing a hijab.

    Her death became a powerful symbol of the government’s patriarchal control over women’s bodies, and ignited protests that exposed the regime’s use of sexual violence as a weapon of repression.

    Testimonies from survivors, shared despite stigma and fear, revealed harrowing abuses: women protesters were beaten, sexually assaulted, raped (including gang rape and rape with objects), stripped naked and tortured during their arrests, transfers and detention in both official and unofficial sites, and throughout interrogations.

    These were not isolated acts but calculated techniques to punish dissent and instil terror.

    An Iranian woman protests the death of Mahsa Amini, who died after being detained by the morality police in Tehran in September 2022. This photo was taken by an individual not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran.
    (AP Photo/Middle East Images)

    Marking, punishing, controlling women

    One of the most chilling testimonies belongs to a young woman detained during the protests:

    “My friends and I removed our veils in public and we were chanting. The thought never crossed my mind that the security forces would arrest us… From the moment we were arrested, they beat us violently… They told us ‘There is no God here. We are your God.’”

    She was later subjected to a violent gang rape.

    The Iranian government apparently views women’s bodies as territories to be marked, disciplined and punished. Its patriarchal ideology reduces women to bearers of family honour and religious purity, legitimizing state control over their appearance, behaviour and movement.

    As French materialist feminist Colette Guillaumin theorized with the concept of “sexage”, patriarchal systems reduce women to “natural objects” — beings whose bodies, time and sexuality are appropriated and controlled. Nicole-Claude Mathieu further underlined how this appropriation operates across diverse contexts of domination.

    In Iran, these insights help explain how the state instrumentalizes women’s bodies as symbols of ideological domination and as resources to be regulated and exploited. Forcibly veiling or unveiling women, as Guillaumin argued, signifies public ownership over their bodies, transforming their visibility and autonomy into objects of state control.

    The politics of sexual violence

    The Iranian state seemingly perceives unveiled women not merely as disobedient citizens but as bodies that have escaped control and refused their assigned status of possession.

    For this transgression, punishment seeks to annihilate them: through humiliation, torture and rape. Media reports have indicate that security forces have deliberately targeted female protesters’ eyes and genitals, further exemplifying how women are reduced to mere sexual and reproductive objects.

    This targeted violence exposes how, in the eyes of the authorities, women’s identities are crudely reduced to their faces and genitals, symbols of their visibility and sexuality.

    Far from isolated acts, rapes and sexual violence committed by Iranian state forces during the “Woman, Life, Freedom” uprising embody what feminist scholar Catharine MacKinnon defines as a “system of sexual terrorism”, where sexual violence is neither private nor incidental but a methodical instrument of political domination.

    Rape allows the authorities to discipline women who have dissented, to humiliate them and to reassert control over those who dared reclaim their bodies and voices.

    Stigma, silence and legal abandonment

    But sexual violence never ends with the act itself. Its aftermath carves deep and lasting scars in survivors’ lives.

    In Iran, rape survivors endure not only trauma but also social exclusion, stigma and judicial abandonment. The Iranian legal system, which narrowly defines rape under “zina” (fornication), often punishes the victim if she cannot produce four male witnesses. This often silences survivors.

    As another survivor, interviewed by Amnesty International, declared:

    “I will never be the same person again… But I hope that my testimony will result in justice, and not just for me … so maybe we can prevent similar bitter events from happening again in the future.”

    The Iranian government’s obsession with controlling women extends beyond their bodies to systems of surveillance. In 2025, Tehran authorities have deployed 15,000 new AI-powered surveillance cameras, alongside drones and facial recognition technologies, explicitly to enforce compulsory hijab laws.

    In Iran, veiling is not only religious but profoundly political, a public sign of submission to patriarchal rule.

    Meanwhile, executions in Iran have surged to alarming levels, with at least 972 people executed in 2024 alone, the highest in eight years. Among those targeted are women activists, particularly from ethnic minority groups, facing death sentences for their resistance.

    The 2025 report by the United Nation’s Fact-Finding Mission highlights the ongoing cases of Pakhshan Azizi, Sharifeh Mohammadi and Varisheh Moradi, all sentenced to death.

    Their cases, alongside Iran’s skyrocketing execution rate, expose a terrifying pattern of state femicide: the execution of women who dare to fight for gender justice and human rights.

    Global responsibility

    These are not domestic Iranian matters — they are crimes against humanity.

    As MacKinnon reminds us, sexual violence is not private, it is a political weapon and a civil rights violation. The world must act by imposing targeted sanctions on perpetrators, offering asylum to survivors and supporting Iranian feminist movements demanding justice.

    To let these crimes go unanswered is to surrender women’s bodies to impunity. Iranian women have shown extraordinary courage. The global response must match their bravery with action.

    Mina Fakhravar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. How Iran’s government has weaponized sexual violence against women who dare to resist – https://theconversation.com/how-irans-government-has-weaponized-sexual-violence-against-women-who-dare-to-resist-253791

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: AG Labrador Announces Sentencing of Ada County Man to 25 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Enticement of a Minor

    Source: US State of Idaho

    Home Newsroom AG Labrador Announces Sentencing of Ada County Man to 25 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Child and Enticement of a Minor

    BOISE — Attorney General Raúl Labrador has announced that Joseph Michael Przybylski, 31, was convicted of one count of Sexual Exploitation of a Child by Possession of Sexually Exploitative Material (Child Pornography) and one count of Enticing a Child Through the Use of the Internet. The Possession of Sexually Exploitative Material is a felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and the Felony Enticement of a Child is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. Przybylski was sentenced on April 14, 2025 by Ada County District Judge Patrick Miller. 
    In June 2024, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit received a priority CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that an account belonging to Przybylski contained child sexual abuse material (CSAM). After obtaining search warrants, officers found over 400 files of CSAM on Przybylski’s account. During an interview of Przybylski, he admitted to the possession of the CSAM files on the account and admitted to having a sexually explicit chat with a 12-year-old minor female. The CSAM files found on Przybylski’s account depicted minor females ranging from two (2) years old and up. Many of these files depicted young children being raped by adult men. Przybylski was previously convicted of the Possession of Sexually Exploitative Material in 2019 and placed on 10 years of probation. 
    Attorney General Labrador stated, “I’m grateful to our Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, local law enforcement, and prosecutors for their unwavering commitment to protecting Idaho’s kids and ensuring this offender is removed from society. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to pursue and prosecute child predators to the fullest extent of the law.”
    The State recommended the maximum sentences on both counts. Judge Miller sentenced Przybylski to a total of twenty-five (25) years, ordering that he be eligible for parole after serving fifteen (15) years. Przybylski was also ordered to pay a fine and court costs. Upon release, Przybylski will have to remain on the sex offender registry pursuant to Idaho law. 
    The investigation of this case was led by ICAC Commander Nicholas Edwards. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Madison Allen.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Three Large-Scale Energy Projects Gain Approvals

    Source: US State of New York

    o celebrate Earth Day, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) has issued final siting permits to develop and operate Foothills Solar, a 40 megawatt (MW) solar facility in the Town of Mayfield in Fulton County; Rock District Solar, a 20 MW solar facility in the towns of Seward and Carlisle in Schoharie County; and York Run Solar, a 90 MW solar facility in the towns of Kiantone and Busti in Chautauqua County. The projects will create good-paying jobs, invest in crucial infrastructure, and increase tax revenues for local schools and other community priorities.

    “On Earth Day, New York is proud to announce its latest investment in solar and wind technology, upholding our commitment to build a clean energy economy,” Governor Hochul said. “With refined siting protocols through the establishment of ORES four years ago, New York is expediting permitting for clean energy projects – all while creating good-paying jobs throughout the state. These projects are a testament to New York’s commitment to sustainability and resiliency in the face of a changing climate.”

    Together, the Foothills, Rock District and York Run solar facilities will contribute a combined 150 MW of clean, renewable energy to New York’s electric grid while offsetting over 97,000 metric tons of CO2 and providing power for approximately 40,000 average-sized homes.

    The new solar facilities will consist of the solar array and associated support equipment, along with an interconnection substation, fencing, access roads, and an operations and maintenance building. The facilities will interconnect to the New York electrical grid via new points of interconnection, located on National Grid’s transmission lines.

    The projects were approved in less than the one-year timeframe required under the law, and were issued after a thorough, timely, and transparent review process that included public comment periods and hearings.

    Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission Executive Director Zeryai Hagos said, “As the state approaches 4 gigawatts of wind and solar energy permitted, ORES continues to advance New York’s nation-leading clean energy policies while being responsive to community feedback and protecting the environment.”

    These three projects are anticipated to create a total of 240 jobs during construction and mark 24 clean energy projects approved by ORES since 2021, when it was created to accelerate permitting for renewable energy generation. New York State has approved 28 large-scale solar and wind projects since 2021, including 24 permitted by ORES and four approved by the NYS Siting Board under Article 10, the statute that governed solar and wind projects over 25MW prior to the creation of ORES. The 28 permitted facilities represent 3.7 gigawatts of new clean, renewable energy.

    ORES’ decision for these facilities follows a detailed and transparent review process with robust public participation to ensure the proposed project meets or exceeds the requirements of Article VIII of the New York State Public Service Law and its implementing regulations. The Foothills Solar application was deemed complete on June 25, 2024, and a draft permit was issued by ORES on August 26, 2024; the application for the Rock District Solar application was deemed complete on June 10, 2024, and a draft permit was issued by ORES on August 2, 2024; the York Run Solar application was deemed complete on October 9, 2024, and a draft permit was issued by ORES on December 6, 2024. These solar power projects meaningfully advance New York’s clean energy goals while establishing the State as a paradigm for efficient, transparent, and thorough siting permitting process of major renewable energy facilities.

    Today’s decisions may be obtained by going to the ORES website at https://dps.ny.gov/ores-permit-applications.

    New York State’s Climate Agenda

    New York State’s climate agenda calls for an affordable and just transition to a clean energy economy that creates family-sustaining jobs, promotes economic growth through green investments, and directs a minimum of 35 percent of the benefits to disadvantaged communities. New York is advancing a suite of efforts to achieve an emissions-free economy by 2050, including in the energy, buildings, transportation, and waste sectors.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bronx District Leader and Former Board of Elections Employee Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Extortion and Fraud

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

    Matthew Podolsky, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that NICOLE TORRES, an elected district leader in the Bronx and former employee of the New York City Board of Elections, (the “NYC-BOE”), pled guilty today to conspiracy to commit extortion and mail fraud for illegally demanding payments from Bronx residents in exchange for selecting those individuals as poll workers and for agreeing with others to falsify documents to make it appear that certain individuals had worked as poll workers when they had not.  TORRES pled guilty before U.S. District Judge Mary Kay Vyskocil.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Matthew Podolsky said: “For five years, Nicole Torres abused her position of public trust as an elected official and City employee by taking bribes and falsifying records in connection with the selection and placement of poll workers in the Bronx.  Today’s plea highlights this Office’s commitment to rooting out corruption in local government, and to protecting the integrity of poll workers and our elections.”

    According to the allegations contained in the Indictment:

    From at least 2019 through at least 2024, TORRES was a district leader for New York’s 81st Assembly District in the Bronx, New York.  In addition, from at least 2016 through at least 2024, TORRES was an employee of the NYC-BOE.  While working at the NYC-BOE, TORRES had, at times, been responsible for ensuring that poll workers were paid for their work during early voting and election day. TORRES abused her power as a district leader and a NYC-BOE employee to engage in two illegal schemes. 

    First, from at least 2019 through August 2024, TORRES agreed to require and required Bronx residents to pay a sum of money, usually $150, either to her or to a local organization (the “Bronx Organization”) in exchange for TORRES selecting those individuals as poll workers for upcoming elections.  Both the Bronx Organization and TORRES profited from the scheme.  TORRES personally obtained at least approximately $28,000 in illegal payments.  TORRES received the payments, often in the amount of $150, through mobile payment applications, money orders, and checks.  In certain instances, TORRES received money orders or checks that were written out to the Bronx Organization, and TORRES altered the payee line on those money orders or checks to say “Nicole Torres” so that she could deposit that money into her personal bank account. 

    Second, from at least 2018 through August 2024, TORRES agreed to falsify the Forms Booklet—which is a NYC-BOE record in which poll workers record their attendance at a particular poll site—to make it appear that certain individuals (the “NoShow Poll Workers”) worked as poll workers during early voting and election day when, in truth and fact, and as TORRES well knew, those individuals did not work on those dates.  TORRES often worked with coordinators who oversaw the Forms Booklets at specific poll sites.  These coordinators signed in No-Show Poll Workers in the Forms Booklets, frequently at TORRES’s direction. TORRES and her coconspirators then received the salaries for the NoShow Poll Workers—sometimes through the mail—and split the fraudulently obtained salaries among themselves.  Based on her participation in the scheme, TORRES personally obtained at least approximately $36,000 in fraud proceeds.   

    *               *                *

    TORRES, 44, of the Bronx, New York, pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, which each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

    The maximum potential sentence is prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.  TORRES is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Vyskocil on July 8, 2025. 

    Mr. Podolsky praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York City Department of Investigation. 

    The case is being handled by the Office’s Public Corruption Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin M. Burkett and Rebecca T. Dell are in charge of the prosecution.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Maryland Man Admit to Firearms Trafficking

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

    MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Donaven Eugene Simms, age 22, of Hagerstown, Maryland, has admitted to his role in a firearms trafficking operation in Berkeley County, West Virginia.

    Simms pled guilty to aiding and abetting a false statement during the purchase of a firearm. According to court documents, Simms worked with other defendants to purchase firearms in Martinsburg to provide to individuals in states outside of West Virginia.

    Simms is facing up to 10 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Kane is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated.

    U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert W. Trumble presided.

    Find a related release here: www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/maryland-men-admit-roles-firearms-trafficking-operation

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI: First Bank Announces First Quarter 2025 Net Income of $9.4 Million

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    HAMILTON, N.J., April 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — First Bank (Nasdaq Global Market: FRBA) (“the Bank”) today announced results for the first quarter of 2025. Net income for the first quarter of 2025 was $9.4 million, or $0.37 per diluted share, compared to $12.5 million, or $0.50 per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2024. Return on average assets, return on average equity and return on average tangible equityi for the first quarter of 2025 were 1.00%, 9.20% and 10.54%, respectively, compared to 1.41%, 13.36% and 15.64%, respectively, for the first quarter of 2024. 

    First Quarter 2025 Performance Highlights:

    • Total loans of $3.24 billion at March 31, 2025 grew $91.8 million, or 11.8%, annualized, from the linked quarter ended December 31, 2024.
    • Total deposits were $3.12 billion at March 31, 2025, increasing $63.9 million, or 8.5% annualized from the linked quarter ended December 31, 2024.
    • Net interest margin measured 3.65% for the first quarter of 2025, increasing 11 basis points from 3.54% for the linked quarter ended December 31, 2024.
    • Tangible book value per shareii grew to $14.47 at March 31, 2025, increasing 8.0%, annualized, from $14.19 at December 31, 2024.
    • Strong asset quality continued, with nonperforming assets decreasing to 0.42% of total assets at March 31, 2025, compared to 0.46% at December 31, 2024 and 0.64% at March 31, 2024.

    “We are pleased to report high-quality loan and deposit growth in the first quarter of 2025,” Patrick L. Ryan, President and CEO of First Bank, reflecting on the Bank’s performance. “Our team produced excellent Commercial and Industrial (“C&I”) loan growth during the quarter with an improved net interest margin and sustained asset quality. We are especially pleased to have achieved this with an efficiency ratio that remained below 60% for the 23rd consecutive quarter, and with continued growth in our primary areas of focus. Our recent and ongoing investments in technology and new C&I lending and deposit-focused business units are building scale and bearing fruit, as reflected in our 10.8% year-over-year increase in tangible book value per share.”

    Mr. Ryan continued, “Our success demonstrates a deep commitment to continuing our evolution from a traditional community bank into a full-service, middle market commercial bank. We are executing with a clear vision for our future success, growing our balance sheet and earnings power through strategic initiatives focused on diversification and profitability. Our goal is to achieve top-quartile performance among our peers in any economic environment. We expect our strong underwriting and diversification strategies will support quality growth in 2025 and beyond. As our new business units continue to scale up, we expect to see even better efficiency and profitability moving forward. Additionally, we are pleased to continue driving returns for shareholders through successful share buybacks and meaningful dividends.”

    Income Statement

    In the first quarter of 2025, the Bank’s net interest income increased to $32.1 million, growing $1.8 million, or 5.9%, compared to the same period in 2024. The increase was primarily driven by an increase of $2.2 million in interest income which outpaced the $450,000 increase in interest expense in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same quarter in 2024. Net interest income increased $498,000, or 1.6%, over the linked fourth quarter of 2024. This increase was primarily driven by a decrease of $1.6 million in interest expense on deposits, resulting from lower average rates in the first quarter, partially offset by a $1.1 million decrease in interest income from interest bearing deposits with banks, due to lower average balances and yields.

    The Bank’s tax equivalent net interest margin measured 3.65% for the first quarter of 2025, increasing by one basis point from 3.64% for the prior year quarter, and increasing by 11 basis points from 3.54% for the fourth quarter of 2024. The relatively flat margin from the prior year quarter was primarily driven by similar decreases in the average rate on interest earning assets and interest bearing liabilities. The Bank’s net interest margin increased compared to the linked fourth quarter primarily due to declines in average rates on deposits and borrowings outpacing the slight reduction in average rates on earning assets. The Bank’s tax equivalent net interest margin includes the impact of amortization and accretion of premiums and discounts from fair value measurements of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in acquisitions. The net impact of amortization of premiums and accretion of discounts from fair value measurements of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in acquisitions was a $2.8 million increase in net interest income during the first quarter of 2025, compared to $3.1 million for the quarter ended December 31, 2024 and $4.2 million for the first quarter of 2024.

    The Bank recorded a credit loss expense totaling $1.5 million during the first quarter of 2025, compared to a credit loss expense totaling $234,000 for the fourth quarter of 2024 and a $698,000 credit loss benefit for the first quarter of 2024. The increased credit loss expense for the first quarter of 2025 is primarily due to the Bank’s loan growth during the quarter. The Bank’s credit loss benefit for the first quarter of 2024 reflected the Bank’s strong and stable asset quality and lack of loan growth during the quarter.

    In the first quarter of 2025, the Bank recorded non-interest income totaling $2.0 million, compared to non-interest income measuring $2.0 million during the same period in 2024 and $2.2 million in non-interest income during the fourth quarter of 2024. Non-interest income declined from the linked quarter primarily due to lower loan fee income.

    Non-interest expense for the first quarter of 2025 was $20.4 million, an increase of $2.6 million, or 14.5%, compared to $17.8 million for the prior year quarter. Higher non-interest expense was largely due to increases of $1.1 million in salaries and employee benefits primarily due to a larger employee base, $832,000 in other real estate owned (“OREO”) expense due to an $815,000 impairment of an OREO asset recorded during the quarter, and $438,000 in occupancy and equipment primarily due to new branch locations added at the end of 2024.

    On a linked quarter basis, non-interest expense increased $1.3 million from $19.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2024. The linked quarter increase primarily reflects increases of $781,000 in OREO expense due to the $815,000 impairment of an OREO asset recorded during the quarter, $606,000 in salaries and employee benefits costs due to year-end salary increases and higher payroll taxes due to bonus payments made in the first quarter of 2025, $202,000 in occupancy and equipment costs due to the new branch locations added at the end of 2024 and higher maintenance and repair costs. These increases were partially offset by a decrease of $425,000 in other professional fees compared to the linked quarter primarily due to lower consulting services and personnel placement fees.

    Income tax expense for the three months ended March 31, 2025 was $2.8 million with an effective tax rate of 22.7%, compared to $2.7 million with an effective tax rate of 17.5% for the first quarter of 2024. The effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2025 included the impact of certain discrete items related to stock compensation activity as well as the impact of additional tax credit investments made by the Bank during the quarter. The effective tax rate for the first quarter of 2024 was lower due to certain one-time adjustments primarily related to the finalization of certain tax items related to our acquisition of Malvern Bancorp, Inc. and Malvern Bank, National Association (“Malvern”). Income tax expense for the three months ended December 31, 2024 was $3.9 million with an effective tax rate of 27.2%, which included additional tax related to the Bank’s bank-owned life insurance (“BOLI”) restructuring completed in the second half of 2024. We anticipate our future effective tax rate will be in the range of 23% to 24%.

    Balance Sheet

    Total assets increased $100.4 million, or 2.7%, from December 31, 2024 to March 31, 2025. Total loans as of March 31, 2025 increased $91.8 million, or 2.9%, from $3.14 billion at December 31, 2024. The Bank’s cash and cash equivalents increased by $16.2 million, or 5.9%, compared to December 31, 2024, as management continued to ensure adequate on-balance sheet liquidity. 

    The Bank reported total assets of $3.88 billion at March 31, 2025, an increase of $289.4 million, or 8.1%, from $3.59 billion at March 31, 2024. Total loans increased $243.6 million, or 8.1%, to $3.24 billion at March 31, 2025 compared to $2.99 billion at March 31, 2024. The increase primarily reflects strong organic loan growth, particularly in the C&I and owner-occupied commercial real estate portfolios. 

    Total deposits increased by $63.9 million or 2.1% from $3.06 billion at December 31, 2024 to $3.12 billion at March 31, 2025, due to a combination of in-market and brokered deposits which were utilized to support significant loan growth during the first quarter of 2025. The Bank’s total deposits increased $149.5 million, or 5.0%, from $2.97 billion at March 31, 2024. Organic deposit growth was primarily due to our team’s success in attracting new deposit relationships while also maintaining existing balances amid heightened industry-wide pricing competition.

    During the three months ended March 31, 2025, stockholders’ equity increased by $5.8 million, or 1.4%, primarily due to net income, partially offset by dividends and share repurchases.

    As of March 31, 2025, the Bank continued to exceed all regulatory capital requirements to be considered well-capitalized, with a Tier 1 Leverage ratio of 9.63%, a Tier 1 Risk-Based capital ratio of 9.59%, a Common Equity Tier 1 Capital ratio of 9.59%, and a Total Risk-Based capital ratio of 11.46%. The tangible stockholders’ equity to tangible assets ratioiii measured 9.47% as of March 31, 2025 compared to 9.56% at December 31, 2024. The decline from December 31, 2024, was primarily due to the asset growth during the quarter ended March 31, 2025.

    Asset Quality

    First Bank’s asset quality metrics remained favorable during the first quarter of 2025. Total nonperforming loans declined from $11.7 million at December 31, 2024 to $11.6 million at March 31, 2025. Total nonperforming assets declined from $17.3 million to $16.4 million during the same period primarily due to the $815,000 impairment of an OREO asset recorded during the quarter.

    The Bank recorded net recoveries of $15,000 during the first quarter of 2025 compared to net recoveries of $155,000 in the fourth quarter of 2024 and net charge-offs of $5.3 million in the first quarter of 2024. Net charge-offs for the first quarter of 2024 reflected the charge-off of a $5.5 million purchased credit deteriorated (“PCD”) loan acquired from Malvern, partially offset by $201,000 in net recoveries. The allowance for credit losses on loans as a percentage of total loans measured 1.21% at March 31, 2025, compared to 1.20% at December 31, 2024 and 1.22% at March 31, 2024.

    Liquidity and Borrowings

    Management believes the Bank’s current liquidity position, coupled with our various contingent funding sources, provides the Bank with a strong liquidity base and a diverse source of funding options. The Bank’s cash and cash equivalents increased by $16.2 million, or 5.9%, compared to December 31, 2024, ensuring adequate on-balance sheet liquidity. Borrowings increased by $34.9 million compared to December 31, 2024, as the Bank utilized Federal Home Loan Bank (“FHLB”) advances to support loan growth, while continuing to maintain adequate available borrowing capacity at the FHLB.

    Cash Dividend Declared

    On February 21, 2025, the Bank paid $0.06 per share in cash dividends to common stockholders totaling $1.5 million that was declared by the Bank’s Board of Directors on January 21, 2025.

    On April 15, 2025, the Bank’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 per share to common stockholders of record at the close of business on May 9, 2025, payable on May 23, 2025.

    Share Repurchase Program

    During the first quarter of 2025 the Bank repurchased 256,454 shares of common stock at an average price of $15.06 per share, under the share repurchase program authorized in October 2024. Through March 31, 2025, 350,000 shares have been repurchased from the current share repurchase plan with a total cost of $5.2 million or $14.74 per share on average. The share repurchase program provides for the repurchase of up to 1.0 million shares of First Bank common stock with an aggregate repurchase amount of up to $16.0 million. The share repurchase program will expire on September 30, 2025.

    Conference Call and Earnings Release Supplement

    Additional details on the quarterly results and the Bank are included in the attached earnings release supplement.  http://ml.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/b39afd8e-20bb-4429-bcd7-61a0762ab19e

    First Bank will host its earnings call on Wednesday, April 23, 2025 at 9:00 AM Eastern Time. The direct dial toll free number for the live call is 1-800-715-9871 and the access code is 3909613. For those unable to participate in the call, a replay will be available by dialing 1-800-770-2030 (access code 3909613) from one hour after the end of the conference call until July 22, 2025. Replay information will also be available on First Bank’s website at www.firstbanknj.com under the “About Us” tab. Click on “Investor Relations” to access the replay of the conference call.

    About First Bank

    First Bank is a New Jersey state-chartered bank with 26 full-service branches in Cinnaminson, Delanco, Denville, Ewing, Fairfield, Flemington, Hamilton, Lawrence, Monroe, Morristown, Pennington, Randolph, Somerset, Trenton and Williamstown, New Jersey; and Coventry, Devon, Doylestown, Lionville, Malvern, Media, Paoli, Trevose, Warminster and West Chester, Pennsylvania; and Palm Beach, Florida. With $3.88 billion in assets as of March 31, 2025, First Bank offers a full range of deposit and loan products to individuals and businesses throughout the New York City to Philadelphia corridor. First Bank’s common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “FRBA.”

    Forward Looking Statements

    This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, either express or implied, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include information regarding First Bank’s future financial performance, business and growth strategy, projected plans and objectives, and related transactions, integration of acquired businesses, ability to recognize anticipated operational efficiencies, and other projections based on macroeconomic and industry trends, which are inherently unreliable due to the multiple factors that impact economic trends, and any such variations may be material. Such forward-looking statements are based on various facts and derived utilizing important assumptions, current expectations, estimates and projections about First Bank, any of which may change over time and some of which may be beyond First Bank’s control. Statements preceded by, followed by or that otherwise include the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “projects,” “estimates,” “plans” and similar expressions or future or conditional verbs such as “will,” “should,” “would,” “may” and “could” are generally forward-looking in nature and not historical facts, although not all forward-looking statements include the foregoing. Further, certain factors that could affect our future results and cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: whether First Bank can: successfully implement its growth strategy, including identifying acquisition targets and consummating suitable acquisitions, integrate acquired entities and realize anticipated efficiencies, sustain its internal growth rate, and provide competitive products and services that appeal to its customers and target markets; difficult market conditions and unfavorable economic trends in the United States generally, and particularly in the market areas in which First Bank operates and in which its loans are concentrated, including the effects of declines in housing market values; the impact of public health emergencies, on First Bank, its operations and its customers and employees; an increase in unemployment levels and slowdowns in economic growth; First Bank’s level of nonperforming assets and the costs associated with resolving any problem loans including litigation and other costs; changes in market interest rates may increase funding costs and reduce earning asset yields thus reducing margin; the impact of changes in interest rates and the credit quality and strength of underlying collateral and the effect of such changes on the market value of First Bank’s investment securities portfolio; the extensive federal and state regulation, supervision and examination governing almost every aspect of First Bank’s operations, including changes in regulations affecting financial institutions and expenses associated with complying with such regulations; uncertainties in tax estimates and valuations, including due to changes in state and federal tax law; First Bank’s ability to comply with applicable capital and liquidity requirements, including First Bank’s ability to generate liquidity internally or raise capital on favorable terms, including continued access to the debt and equity capital markets; and possible changes in trade, monetary and fiscal policies, laws and regulations and other activities of governments, agencies, and similar organizations. For discussion of these and other risks that may cause actual results to differ from expectations, please refer to “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” in First Bank’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and any updates to those risk factors set forth in First Bank’s proxy statement, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K. If one or more events related to these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or if First Bank’s underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may differ materially from what First Bank anticipates. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and First Bank does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. All forward-looking statements expressed or implied, included in this communication are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This cautionary statement should also be considered in connection with any subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements that First Bank or persons acting on First Bank’s behalf may issue.

    ______________________

    This press release contains “non-GAAP” financial measures, which management uses in its analysis of First Bank’s performance. Management believes these non-GAAP financial measures allow for better comparability of period to period operating performance. Additionally, First Bank believes this information is utilized by regulators and market analysts to evaluate a company’s financial condition and therefore, such information is useful to investors. These disclosures should not be viewed as a substitute for operating results determined in accordance with GAAP, nor are they necessarily comparable to non-GAAP performance measures that may be presented by other companies. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP measures used in this presentation to the most directly comparable GAAP measures is provided in the accompanying financial tables.

    i Return on average tangible equity is a non-GAAP financial measure and is calculated by dividing net income by average tangible equity (average equity minus average goodwill and other intangible assets). For a reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure, along with the other non-GAAP financial measures in this press release, to their comparable GAAP measures, see the financial reconciliations at the end of this press release

    ii Tangible book value per share is a non-GAAP financial measure and is calculated by dividing common shares outstanding by tangible equity (equity minus goodwill and other intangible assets).  For a reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure, along with the other non-GAAP financial measures in this press release, to their comparable GAAP measures, see the financial reconciliations at the end of this press release.

    iii Tangible stockholders’ equity to tangible assets ratio is a non-GAAP financial measure and is calculated by dividing tangible equity (equity minus goodwill and other intangible assets) by tangible assets (total assets minus goodwill and other intangible assets). For a reconciliation of this non-GAAP financial measure, along with the other non-GAAP financial measures in this press release, to their comparable GAAP measures, see the financial reconciliations at the end of this press release.

    FIRST BANK
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
    (in thousands, except for share data, unaudited)
     
        March 31, 2025
    		   December 31, 2024
    Assets                
    Cash and due from banks   $ 32,396       $ 18,252    
    Restricted cash     11,910         14,270    
    Interest bearing deposits with banks     243,778         239,392    
    Cash and cash equivalents     288,084         271,914    
    Interest bearing time deposits with banks     743         743    
    Investment securities available for sale, at fair value (amortized cost of $90,393 and $84,083, respectively)     85,059         77,413    
    Equity securities, at fair value     1,860         1,870    
    Investment securities held to maturity, net of allowance for credit losses of $209 and $206, respectively (fair value of $42,565 and $42,770, respectively)     46,387         47,123    
    Restricted investment in bank stocks     15,933         14,333    
    Other investments     13,388         11,612    
    Loans held for sale     618         –    
    Loans, net of deferred fees and costs     3,236,039         3,144,266    
    Less: Allowance for credit losses     (39,223)         (37,773)    
    Net loans     3,196,816         3,106,493    
    Premises and equipment, net     21,267         21,351    
    Other real estate owned, net     4,822         5,637    
    Accrued interest receivable     14,889         14,267    
    Bank-owned life insurance     86,258         85,553    
    Goodwill     44,166         44,166    
    Other intangible assets, net     8,341         8,827    
    Deferred income taxes, net     25,178         25,528    
    Other assets     26,950         43,516    
    Total assets   $ 3,880,759       $ 3,780,346    
                     
    Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity                
    Liabilities:                
    Non-interest bearing deposits   $ 535,584       $ 519,320    
    Interest bearing deposits     2,584,210         2,536,576    
    Total deposits     3,119,794         3,055,896    
    Borrowings     281,867         246,933    
    Subordinated debentures     29,981         29,954    
    Accrued interest payable     4,887         3,820    
    Other liabilities     29,315         34,587    
    Total liabilities     3,465,844         3,371,190    
    Stockholders’ Equity:                
    Preferred stock, par value $2 per share; 10,000,000 shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding     –         –    
    Common stock, par value $5 per share; 40,000,000 shares authorized; 27,576,676 shares issued and 25,045,612 shares outstanding and 27,375,439 shares issued and 25,100,829 shares outstanding, respectively     136,220         135,495    
    Additional paid-in capital     124,555         124,524    
    Retained earnings     184,657         176,779    
    Accumulated other comprehensive loss     (3,938)         (4,925)    
    Treasury stock, 2,531,064 and 2,274,610 shares, respectively     (26,579)         (22,717)    
    Total stockholders’ equity     414,915         409,156    
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity   $ 3,880,759       $ 3,780,346    
     
    FIRST BANK
    CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
    (in thousands, except for share data, unaudited)
     
        Three Months Ended  
        March 31,  
        2025
    		   2024
    Interest and Dividend Income                
    Investment securities—taxable   $ 1,188     $ 1,182    
    Investment securities—tax-exempt     51       38    
    Interest bearing deposits with banks, Federal funds sold and other     2,997       3,025    
    Loans, including fees     51,552       49,319    
    Total interest and dividend income     55,788       53,564    
                     
    Interest Expense                
    Deposits     20,844       20,786    
    Borrowings     2,412       2,116    
    Subordinated debentures     440       344    
    Total interest expense     23,696       23,246    
    Net interest income     32,092       30,318    
    Credit loss expense (benefit)     1,544       (698)    
    Net interest income after credit loss expense     30,548       31,016    
                     
    Non-Interest Income                
    Service fees on deposit accounts     356       344    
    Loan fees     326       102    
    Income from bank-owned life insurance     793       785    
    Gains on sale of loans, net     29       229    
    Gains on recovery of acquired loans     24       118    
    Other non-interest income     443       386    
    Total non-interest income     1,971       1,964    
                     
    Non-Interest Expense                
    Salaries and employee benefits     11,118       10,038    
    Occupancy and equipment     2,464       2,026    
    Legal fees     368       316    
    Other professional fees     726       756    
    Regulatory fees     684       602    
    Directors’ fees     282       242    
    Data processing     805       806    
    Marketing and advertising     399       296    
    Travel and entertainment     236       244    
    Insurance     214       244    
    Other real estate owned expense, net     920       88    
    Other expense     2,168       2,152    
    Total non-interest expense     20,384       17,810    
    Income Before Income Taxes     12,135       15,170    
    Income tax expense     2,754       2,658    
    Net Income   $ 9,381     $ 12,512    
                     
    Basic earnings per common share   $ 0.37     $ 0.50    
    Diluted earnings per common share   $ 0.37     $ 0.50    
                     
    Basic weighted average common shares outstanding     25,118,062       25,039,949    
    Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding     25,269,002       25,199,381    
                       
    FIRST BANK
    AVERAGE BALANCE SHEETS WITH INTEREST AND AVERAGE RATES
    (dollars in thousands, unaudited)
     
        Three Months Ended March 31,
        2025   2024
        Average           Average   Average           Average
        Balance   Interest   Rate (5)   Balance   Interest   Rate (5)
    Interest earning assets                                              
    Investment securities (1) (2)   $ 134,274       $ 1,250         3.78%       $ 147,147       $ 1,228         3.36%  
    Loans (3)     3,170,772         51,552         6.59%         2,979,522         49,319         6.66%  
    Interest bearing deposits with banks,                                              
    Federal funds sold and other     234,032         2,575         4.46%         203,158         2,710         5.37%  
    Restricted investment in bank stocks     14,137         300         8.61%         10,421         199         7.68%  
    Other investments     14,054         122         3.52%         11,870         116         3.93%  
    Total interest earning assets (2)     3,567,269         55,799         6.34%         3,352,118         53,572         6.43%  
    Allowance for credit losses     (38,181)                         (37,607)                  
    Non-interest earning assets     261,101                         261,237                  
    Total assets   $ 3,790,189                       $ 3,575,748                  
                                                   
    Interest bearing liabilities                                              
    Interest bearing demand deposits   $ 644,736       $ 4,027         2.53%       $ 618,941       $ 3,666         2.38%  
    Money market deposits     1,045,013         8,631         3.35%         1,014,906         9,789         3.88%  
    Savings deposits     142,502         650         1.85%         162,113         574         1.42%  
    Time deposits     717,881         7,536         4.26%         671,546         6,757         4.05%  
    Total interest bearing deposits     2,550,132         20,844         3.31%         2,467,506         20,786         3.39%  
    Borrowings     234,526         2,412         4.17%         167,141         2,116         5.09%  
    Subordinated debentures     29,963         440         5.87%         42,470         344         3.24%  
    Total interest bearing liabilities     2,814,621         23,696         3.41%         2,677,117         23,246         3.49%  
    Non-interest bearing deposits     521,326                         481,503                  
    Other liabilities     40,570                         40,586                  
    Stockholders’ equity     413,672                         376,542                  
    Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity   $ 3,790,189                       $ 3,575,748                  
    Net interest income/interest rate spread (2)             32,103         2.93%                 30,326         2.92%  
    Net interest margin (2) (4)                     3.65%                         3.64%  
    Tax equivalent adjustment (2)             (11)                         (8)          
    Net interest income           $ 32,092                       $ 30,318          
    (1) Average balance of investment securities available for sale is based on amortized cost.
    (2) Interest and average rates are presented on a tax equivalent basis using a federal income tax rate of 21%.
    (3) Average balances of loans include loans on nonaccrual status.
    (4) Net interest income divided by average total interest earning assets.
    (5) Annualized.
     
    FIRST BANK
    QUARTERLY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
    (in thousands, except for share and employee data, unaudited)
     
        As of or For the Quarter Ended
        3/31/2025
    		   12/31/2024
    		   9/30/2024
    		   6/30/2024
    		   3/31/2024
    EARNINGS                                        
    Net interest income   $ 32,092       $ 31,594       $ 30,094       $ 30,540       $ 30,318    
    Credit loss expense (benefit)     1,544         234         1,579         63         (698)    
    Non-interest income     1,971         2,176         2,479         689         1,964    
    Non-interest expense     20,384         19,124         18,644         17,953         17,810    
    Income tax expense     2,754         3,915         4,188         2,140         2,658    
    Net income     9,381         10,497         8,162         11,073         12,512    
                                             
    PERFORMANCE RATIOS                                        
    Return on average assets (1)     1.00%         1.10%         0.88%         1.23%         1.41%    
    Return on average equity (1)     9.20%         10.27%         8.15%         11.52%         13.36%    
    Return on average tangible equity (1) (2)     10.54%         11.82%         9.42%         13.40%         15.64%    
    Net interest margin (1) (3)     3.65%         3.54%         3.48%         3.62%         3.64%    
    Yield on loans (1)     6.59%         6.62%         6.73%         6.81%         6.66%    
    Total cost of deposits (1)     2.75%         2.89%         3.06%         3.01%         2.83%    
    Efficiency ratio (2)     57.65%         56.98%         58.49%         55.88%         55.56%    
                                             
    SHARE DATA                                        
    Common shares outstanding     25,045,612         25,100,829         25,186,920         25,144,983         25,096,449    
    Basic earnings per share   $ 0.37       $ 0.42       $ 0.32       $ 0.44       $ 0.50    
    Diluted earnings per share     0.37         0.41         0.32         0.44         0.50    
    Book value per share     16.57         16.30         15.96         15.61         15.23    
    Tangible book value per share (2)     14.47         14.19         13.84         13.46         13.06    
                                             
    MARKET DATA                                        
    Market value per share   $ 14.81       $ 14.07       $ 15.20       $ 12.74       $ 13.74    
    Market value / Tangible book value     102.35%         99.16%         109.83%         94.65%         105.20%    
    Market capitalization   $ 370,926       $ 353,169       $ 382,841       $ 320,347       $ 344,825    
                                             
    CAPITAL & LIQUIDITY                                        
    Stockholders’ equity / assets     10.69%         10.82%         10.70%         10.86%         10.64%    
    Tangible stockholders’ equity / tangible assets (2)     9.47%         9.56%         9.41%         9.50%         9.27%    
    Loans / deposits     103.73%         102.89%         101.23%         101.02%         100.75%    
                                             
    ASSET QUALITY                                        
    Net charge-offs   $ (15)       $ (155)       $ 386       $ 175       $ 5,293    
    Net charge-offs (recoveries), excluding PCD loan charge-off (4)     (15)         (155)         386         175         (201)    
    Nonperforming loans     11,584         11,677         12,014         14,227         17,054    
    Nonperforming assets     16,406         17,314         17,651         20,226         23,053    
    Net charge offs / average loans (1)     0.00%         (0.02%)         0.05%         0.02%         0.72%    
    Net charge offs (recoveries), excluding PCD loan charge-off / average loans (1) (4)     (0.00%)         (0.02%)         0.05%         0.02%         (0.03%)    
    Nonperforming loans / total loans     0.36%         0.37%         0.39%         0.47%         0.57%    
    Nonperforming assets / total assets     0.42%         0.46%         0.47%         0.56%         0.64%    
    Allowance for credit losses on loans / total loans     1.21%         1.20%         1.21%         1.21%         1.22%    
    Allowance for credit losses on loans / nonperforming loans     338.60%         323.48%         311.59%         254.81%         213.42%    
                                             
    OTHER DATA                                        
    Total assets   $ 3,880,759       $ 3,780,346       $ 3,757,653       $ 3,615,731       $ 3,591,398    
    Total loans     3,236,039         3,144,266         3,087,488         2,998,029         2,992,423    
    Total deposits     3,119,794         3,055,896         3,050,070         2,967,634         2,970,262    
    Total stockholders’ equity     414,915         409,156         402,070         392,489         382,254    
    Number of full-time equivalent employees     315         318         313         294         288    
    (1) Annualized.
    (2) Non-GAAP financial measure that we believe provides management and investors with information that is useful in understanding our financial performance and condition.  See the accompanying table, “Non-GAAP Financial Measures,” for calculation and reconciliation.
    (3) Tax equivalent using a federal income tax rate of 21%.
    (4) Excludes $5.5 million in a PCD loan charge-off in first quarter of 2024, which was reserved for through purchase accounting marks at the time of the Malvern acquisition.
     
    FIRST BANK
    QUARTERLY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
    (dollars in thousands, unaudited)
     
        As of the Quarter Ended
        3/31/2025   12/31/2024   9/30/2024   6/30/2024   3/31/2024
    LOAN COMPOSITION                                        
    Commercial and industrial   $ 651,690       $ 576,625       $ 546,541     $ 530,996       $ 508,911      
    Commercial real estate:                                        
    Owner-occupied     694,113         671,357         688,988       647,625         625,643      
    Investor     1,160,549         1,181,684         1,170,508       1,143,954         1,172,311      
    Construction and development     200,262         205,096         193,460       190,108         184,816      
    Multi-family     308,217         287,843         267,861       270,238         279,668      
    Total commercial real estate     2,363,141         2,345,980         2,320,817       2,251,925         2,262,438      
    Residential real estate:                                        
    Residential mortgage and first lien home equity loans     142,298         142,769         144,081       144,978         154,704      
    Home equity–second lien loans and revolving lines of credit     52,438         51,020         49,763       46,882         45,869      
    Total residential real estate     194,736         193,789         193,844       191,860         200,573      
    Consumer and other     29,760         31,324         29,518       26,321         23,702      
    Total loans prior to deferred loan fees and costs     3,239,327         3,147,718         3,090,720       3,001,102         2,995,624      
    Net deferred loan fees and costs     (3,288)         (3,452)         (3,232)       (3,073)         (3,201)      
    Total loans   $ 3,236,039       $ 3,144,266       $ 3,087,488     $ 2,998,029       $ 2,992,423      
                                             
    LOAN MIX                                        
    Commercial and industrial     20.1%         18.3%         17.7%       17.7%         17.0%      
    Commercial real estate:                                        
    Owner-occupied     21.5%         21.4%         22.3%       22.3%         20.9%      
    Investor     35.9%         37.6%         37.9%       37.9%         39.2%      
    Construction and development     6.2%         6.5%         6.3%       6.3%         6.2%      
    Multi-family     9.5%         9.1%         8.7%       8.7%         9.3%      
    Total commercial real estate     73.1%         74.6%         75.2%       75.2%         75.6%      
    Residential real estate:                                        
    Residential mortgage and first lien home equity loans     4.4%         4.6%         4.7%       4.7%         5.2%      
    Home equity–second lien loans and revolving lines of credit     1.6%         1.6%         1.6%       1.6%         1.5%      
    Total residential real estate     6.0%         6.2%         6.3%       6.3%         6.7%      
    Consumer and other     0.9%         1.0%         0.9%       0.9%         0.8%      
    Net deferred loan fees and costs     (0.1%)         (0.1%)         (0.1%)       (0.1%)         (0.1%)      
    Total loans     100.0%         100.0%         100.0%       100.0%         100.0%      
     
    FIRST BANK
    QUARTERLY FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
    (dollars in thousands, unaudited)
     
        As of the Quarter Ended
        3/31/2025   12/31/2024   9/30/2024   6/30/2024   3/31/2024
    DEPOSIT COMPOSITION                                        
    Non-interest bearing demand deposits   $ 535,584       $ 519,320       $ 519,079       $ 499,765       $ 470,749    
    Interest bearing demand deposits     629,974         629,099         597,802         574,515         580,864    
    Money market and savings deposits     1,197,517         1,198,039         1,235,637         1,199,382         1,219,634    
    Time deposits     756,719         709,438         697,552         693,972         699,015    
    Total Deposits   $ 3,119,794       $ 3,055,896       $ 3,050,070       $ 2,967,634       $ 2,970,262    
                                             
    DEPOSIT MIX                                        
    Non-interest bearing demand deposits     17.2%         17.0%         17.0%         16.8%         15.8%    
    Interest bearing demand deposits     20.2%         20.6%         19.6%         19.4%         19.6%    
    Money market and savings deposits     38.4%         39.2%         40.5%         40.4%         41.1%    
    Time deposits     24.2%         23.2%         22.9%         23.4%         23.5%    
    Total Deposits     100.0%         100.0%         100.0%         100.0%         100.0%    
     
    FIRST BANK
    NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
    (in thousands, except for share data, unaudited)
     
        As of or For the Quarter Ended
        3/31/2025   12/31/2024   9/30/2024   6/30/2024   3/31/2024
    Return on Average Tangible Equity                                        
    Net income (numerator)   $ 9,381       $ 10,497       $ 8,162       $ 11,073       $ 12,512    
                                             
    Average stockholders’ equity   $ 413,672       $ 406,579       $ 398,535       $ 386,644       $ 376,542    
    Less: Average Goodwill and other intangible assets, net     52,805         53,278         53,823         54,347         54,790    
    Average Tangible stockholders’ equity (denominator)   $ 360,867       $ 353,301       $ 344,712       $ 332,297       $ 321,752    
                                             
    Return on average tangible equity (1)     10.54%         11.82%         9.42%         13.40%         15.64%    
                                             
    Tangible Book Value Per Share                                        
    Stockholders’ equity   $ 414,915       $ 409,156       $ 402,070       $ 392,489       $ 382,254    
    Less: Goodwill and other intangible assets, net     52,507         52,993         53,484         54,026         54,483    
    Tangible stockholders’ equity (numerator)   $ 362,408       $ 356,163       $ 348,586       $ 338,463       $ 327,771    
                                             
    Common shares outstanding (denominator)     25,045,612         25,100,829         25,186,920         25,144,983         25,096,449    
                                             
    Tangible book value per share   $ 14.47       $ 14.19       $ 13.84       $ 13.46       $ 13.06    
                                       
    Tangible Equity / Tangible Assets                                        
    Stockholders’ equity   $ 414,915       $ 409,156       $ 402,070       $ 392,489       $ 382,254    
    Less: Goodwill and other intangible assets, net     52,507         52,993         53,484         54,026         54,483    
    Tangible stockholders’ equity (numerator)   $ 362,408       $ 356,163       $ 348,586       $ 338,463       $ 327,771    
                                             
    Total assets   $ 3,880,759       $ 3,780,346       $ 3,757,653       $ 3,615,731       $ 3,591,398    
    Less: Goodwill and other intangible assets, net     52,507         52,993         53,484         54,026         54,483    
    Tangible total assets (denominator)   $ 3,828,252       $ 3,727,353       $ 3,704,169       $ 3,561,705       $ 3,536,915    
                                             
    Tangible stockholders’ equity / tangible assets     9.47%         9.56%         9.41%         9.50%         9.27%    
                                             
    Efficiency Ratio                                        
    Non-interest expense   $ 20,384       $ 19,124       $ 18,644       $ 17,953       $ 17,810    
    Less: Other real estate owned write-down     815         –         362         –         –    
    Adjusted non-interest expense (numerator)   $ 19,569       $ 19,124       $ 18,282       $ 17,953       $ 17,810    
                                             
    Net interest income   $ 32,092       $ 31,594       $ 30,094       $ 30,540       $ 30,318    
    Non-interest income     1,971         2,176         2,479         689         1,964    
    Total revenue     34,063         33,770         32,573         31,229         32,282    
    Add: Losses on sale of investment securities, net     –         –         555         –         –    
    (Subtract) Add: (Gains) losses on sale of loans, net     (29)         (38)         (135)         900         (229)    
    Less: Bank Owned Life Insurance Incentive     (88)         (168)         (1,116)         –         –    
    Adjusted total revenue (denominator)   $ 33,946       $ 33,564       $ 31,877       $ 32,129       $ 32,053    
                                             
    Efficiency ratio     57.65%         56.98%         57.35%         55.88%         55.56%    
                                             
    (1) Annualized.

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Warren, Over 175 Members of Congress Demand Trump Administration Preserve and Expand Free Tax Filing Program

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Massachusetts – Elizabeth Warren
    April 22, 2025
    After lobbying campaign by tax prep industry, Trump Administration reportedly plans to end Direct File
    “Ending this free, easy-to-use, and popular program would be an insult to American taxpayers, eliminating an important alternative to commercial options provided by the tax prep industry.”
    Text of Letter (PDF)
    Washington, D.C. – In response to recent reporting that the Trump administration plans to end the Direct File program, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led over 175 Congressional Democrats in a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Acting IRS Commissioner Michael Faulkender, slamming the administration’s reported decision and demanding instead that officials preserve and expand Direct File. 
    Direct File is a free, easy-to-use tax filing program that has already delivered significant benefits to taxpayers. In 2024, during the program’s pilot phase, Direct File saved the average user $160 in tax return fees and hours of effort preparing their return. Users overwhelmingly love the program: 98 percent of Direct File taxpayers in 2025 were “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their experience, a world-class figure. 
    Yet, new reporting indicates that the Trump administration “plans to eliminate the IRS’ Direct File program.” 
    “Ending this free, easy-to-use, and popular program would be an insult to American taxpayers, eliminating an important alternative to commercial options provided by the tax prep industry,” wrote the lawmakers. 
    The tax prep industry has fought Direct File at every turn, spending millions on lobbying to kill the program and encouraging Republican members of Congress to do the same. 
    “It’s no secret why: a free, easy-to-use tax filing program requires the [tax prep] industry to compete for taxpayer business and is a direct threat to the industry’s bottom line,” the lawmakers continued. 
    Even before reports that the Trump administration planned to end Direct File, the Trump administration had already sabotaged the program during its time in office. This filing season, the Trump administration fired the team at the Treasury Department that had been running awareness campaigns about Direct File, scaled back communications promoting the program, and did little to partner with local groups and media outlets to promote the program. In February, Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tweeted that the team that helped build Direct File, “has been deleted.” While Direct File remained operational after Musk’s tweet, “Direct File usage immediately fell by roughly one quarter.”
    “The Trump Administration’s dismantling of a program that makes tax filing easier and free for millions of Americans is shameful. Taxpayers have spoken loudly and clearly: Direct File works well for them, and more Americans want access to it,” concluded the lawmakers. 
    The lawmakers demanded that Secretary Bessent and Acting IRS Commissioner Faulkender provide a written commitment to preserve and expand Direct File for the 2026 tax season and beyond by May 5, 2025. 
    The following 36 Senators also signed the letter: Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawai’i), Timothy Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Elisa Slotkin (D-Mich.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). 
    The following 142 Representatives signed the letter as well: Alma Adams (D-N.C.), Gabo Amo (D-R.I.), Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), Donald Beyer (D-Va.), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-Ga.), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.), Andre Carson (D-Ind.), Troy Carter (D-La.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Gilbert Cisneros (D-Calif.), Yvette Clark (D-N.Y.), Steven Cohen (D-Tenn.), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.),, Herbert Conaway (D-N.J.), Gerald Connolly (D-Va.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), April McClain Delaney (D-Md.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Suzan K. DelBene (D-Wash.), Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Teresa Leger Fernández (D-N.M.), Cleo Fields (D-La.), Bill Foster (D-Ill.), Valerie P. Foushee (D-N.C.), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.), John Garamendi (D-Calif.), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (D-Ill.), Sylvia R. Garcia (D-Texas), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Al Green (D-Texas), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Md.), Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.), Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), Jonathan L. Jackson (D-Ill.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (D-Ga.), Julie Johnson (D-Texas), Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio), William R. Keating (D-Mass.), Robin L. Kelly (D-Ill.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), George Latimer (D-N.Y.), Summer L. Lee (D-Pa.), Stephen F. Lynch (D-Mass.), Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), Jennifer L. McClellan (D-Va.), Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), James P. McGovern (D-Mass.), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), Robert J. Menendez (D-N.J.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.), Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Johnny Olszewski, Jr. (D-Md.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Mike Quigley (D-Ill.), Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), Kristen McDonald Rivet (D-Mich.), Raul Ruiz, M.D. (D-Calif.), Andrea Salinas (D-Ore.), Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Bradley Scott Schneider (D-Ohio), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), Terri A. Sewell (D-Ala.), Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Mikie Sherrill (D-N.I.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), Suhas Subramanyam (D-Va.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Emilia Strong Sykes (D-Ohio), Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.), Derek T. Tran (D-Calif.), Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), Frederica S. Wilson (D-Fla.), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), Marc A. Veasey (D-Texas), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-N.Y.), Eugene Simon Vindman (D-Va.), and George Whitesides (D-Calif.). 
    The following groups endorsed the letter: Americans for Tax Fairness, Public Citizen, Economic Security Project Action, MoveOn, United for Respect, P Street, 20/20 Vision, Young Invincibles, Patriotic Millionaires, Groundwork Action, Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice, Meals4Families, Beyond Careers, Grow Brooklyn, National Consumer Law Center, Color of Change, End Child Poverty California, Consumer Action, United Ways of the Pacific Northwest, Northwest Progressive Institute, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Accountable.US, United for a Fair Economy, Responsible Wealth, National Association of Social Workers, National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, Golden State Opportunity, OnTrack Financial Education & Counseling, North Carolina Council of Churches. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI: Range Announces First Quarter 2025 Results

    Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

    FORT WORTH, Texas, April 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION (NYSE: RRC) today announced its first quarter 2025 financial results.

    First Quarter 2025 Highlights –

    • Cash flow from operating activities of $330 million
    • Cash flow from operations, before working capital changes, of $397 million
    • Repurchased $68 million of shares, paid $22 million in dividends, and reduced net debt by $42 million
    • Capital spending was $147 million, approximately 22% of the annual 2025 budget
    • Realized price, including hedges, was $4.02 per mcfe
    • Natural gas differential, including basis hedging, of ($0.15) per mcf to NYMEX
    • Pre-hedge NGL realizations of $27.79 per barrel – a premium of $1.05 over Mont Belvieu equivalent
    • Production averaged 2.20 Bcfe per day, approximately 69% natural gas
    • Strategic collaboration to supply natural gas to potential data center and industrial development in Pennsylvania

    Commenting on the results, Dennis Degner, the Company’s CEO said, “Range is off to a great start in 2025 with efficient operations, consistent well performance and strong free cash flow. Our solid financial results supported increased returns of capital to shareholders alongside further bolstering of the balance sheet. As demand for natural gas and NGLs increases and in-basin demand opportunities continue to materialize, we believe Range is well positioned given our growing in-process inventory, consistent well results, and high-return, long-life assets measured in decades.”

    Financial Discussion

    Except for generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) reported amounts, specific expense categories exclude non-cash impairments, unrealized mark-to-market adjustment on derivatives, non-cash stock compensation and other items shown separately on the attached tables. “Unit costs” as used in this release are composed of direct operating, transportation, gathering, processing and compression, taxes other than income, general and administrative, interest and depletion, depreciation and amortization costs divided by production. See “Non-GAAP Financial Measures” for a definition of non-GAAP financial measures and the accompanying tables that reconcile each non-GAAP measure to its most directly comparable GAAP financial measure.

    First Quarter 2025 Results

    GAAP revenues and other income for first quarter 2025 totaled $691 million, GAAP net cash provided from operating activities (including changes in working capital) was $330 million, and GAAP net income was $97 million ($0.40 per diluted share).  First quarter earnings results include a $159 million mark-to-market derivative loss due to increases in commodity prices.

    Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital, a non-GAAP measure, was $397 million.  Adjusted net income comparable to analysts’ estimates, a non-GAAP measure, was $232 million ($0.96 per diluted share) in first quarter 2025.

    The following table details Range’s first quarter 2025 unit costs per mcfe(a):

    Expenses   1Q 2025
    (per mcfe)    		   1Q 2024
    (per mcfe)    		     Increase
    (Decrease)
                     
    Direct operating(a)   $ 0.13   $ 0.11     18 %  
    Transportation, gathering,
    processing and compression(a)    		     1.55     1.49     4 %  
    Taxes other than income     0.04     0.03     33 %  
    General and administrative(a)     0.16     0.18     (11 )%  
    Interest expense(a)     0.14     0.15     (7 )%  
    Total cash unit costs(b)          2.01          1.96     3 %  
    Depletion, depreciation and
    amortization (DD&A)    		     0.46     0.45              2 %  
    Total unit costs plus DD&A(b)   $ 2.46   $ 2.40     3 %  

    (a)   Excludes stock-based compensation, one-time settlements, and amortization of deferred financing costs.
    (b)   Totals may not be exact due to rounding.

    The following table details Range’s average production and realized pricing for first quarter 2025(a):

      1Q25 Production & Realized Pricing  
        Natural Gas
    (mcf)    		   Oil (bbl)   NGLs
    (bbl)    		   Natural Gas
    Equivalent (mcfe)
           
                     
    Net production per day     1,510,705       4,706       110,222       2,200,276
                     
    Average NYMEX price   $ 3.66     $ 71.40     $ 26.74      
    Differential, including basis hedging     (0.15 )     (10.28 )        1.05      
    Realized prices before NYMEX hedges     3.51       61.12       27.79       3.93
    Settled NYMEX hedges     0.13       0.60       (0.04 )     0.09
    Average realized prices after hedges   $ 3.64     $ 61.72     $ 27.75     $ 4.02

    (a)   Totals may not be exact due to rounding

    First quarter 2025 natural gas, NGLs and oil price realizations (including the impact of cash-settled hedges and derivative settlements) averaged $4.02 per mcfe.

    • The average natural gas price, including the impact of basis hedging, was $3.51 per mcf, or a ($0.15) per mcf differential to NYMEX. Range continues to expect its 2025 natural gas differential to average ($0.40) to ($0.48) relative to NYMEX.
    • Range’s pre-hedge NGL price during the quarter was $27.79 per barrel, approximately $1.05 above the Mont Belvieu weighted equivalent. Range is improving its full-year NGL price guidance to a range of +$0.25 to +$1.25 relative to a Mont Belvieu equivalent barrel.
    • Crude oil and condensate price realizations, before realized hedges, averaged $61.12 per barrel, or $10.28 below WTI (West Texas Intermediate). Range continues to expect its 2025 condensate differential to average ($10.00) to ($15.00) relative to NYMEX.

    Financial Position and Repurchase Activity

    As of March 31, 2025, Range had net debt outstanding of approximately $1.36 billion, consisting of $1.71 billion of senior notes and $345 million in cash. During the first quarter, Range repurchased in the open market $2.2 million principal amount of 4.875% senior notes due 2025 at a discount.

    During the quarter, Range repurchased 1,826,562 shares at an average price of approximately $36.97 per share. As of March 31, 2025, the Company had approximately $949 million of availability under the share repurchase program.

    Capital Expenditures and Operational Activity

    First quarter 2025 drilling and completion expenditures were $130 million. In addition, during the quarter, approximately $16 million was invested in acreage, and $1 million was invested in infrastructure and other investments. First quarter capital spending represented approximately 22% of Range’s total capital budget in 2025.

    During the quarter, Range drilled ~250,000 lateral feet across 18 wells, while turning to sales ~132,000 lateral feet across 10 wells. The added inventory of drilled but not completed laterals is in line with Range’s plans to exit 2025 with ~400,000 lateral feet of surplus inventory to support future development.

    The table below summarizes expected 2025 activity plans regarding the number of wells to sales in each area.

            Wells TIL
    1Q 2025    		   Remaining
    2025    		   2025
    Planned TIL
      SW PA Super-Rich     0   8   8
      SW PA Wet     10   19   29
      SW PA Dry     0   5   5
      NE PA Dry     0   4   4
      Total Wells     10   36   46
     

    Marketing and Midstream Update

    Range is collaborating with Liberty Energy Inc. and Imperial Land Corporation to supply natural gas to a proposed state-of-the-art power generation facility in Washington County, PA. The proposed power facility is expected to serve as a catalyst for attracting data centers and industrial operations seeking long-term, reliable, efficient energy solutions. The project plans to utilize modular, scalable power generation systems and Marcellus natural gas, which has an advantaged emissions profile versus other basins in the U.S.

    Guidance – 2025

    Capital & Production Guidance

    Range’s 2025 all-in capital budget is $650 million – $690 million. Annual production is expected to be approximately 2.2 Bcfe per day in 2025. Liquids are expected to be over 30% of production.

    Full Year 2025 Expense Guidance

      Direct operating expense: $0.12 – $0.14 per mcfe
      Transportation, gathering, processing and compression expense: $1.50 – $1.55 per mcfe
      Taxes other than income: $0.03 – $0.04 per mcfe
      Exploration expense: $24 – $28 million
      G&A expense: $0.17 – $0.19 per mcfe
      Net Interest expense: $0.12 – $0.13 per mcfe
      DD&A expense: $0.45 – $0.46 per mcfe
      Net brokered gas marketing expense: $8 – $12 million
         

    Updated Full Year 2025 Price Guidance

    Based on recent market indications, Range expects to average the following price differentials for its production in 2025.

      FY 2025 Natural Gas:(1) NYMEX minus $0.40 to $0.48
      FY 2025 Natural Gas Liquids:(2) MB plus $0.25 to $1.25 per barrel
      FY 2025 Oil/Condensate: WTI minus $10.00 to $15.00

    (1) Including basis hedging
    (2) Mont Belvieu-equivalent pricing based on weighting of 53% ethane, 27% propane, 8% normal butane, 4% iso-butane and 8% natural gasoline.

    Hedging Status

    Range hedges portions of its expected future production volumes to increase the predictability of cash flow and maintain a strong, flexible financial position. Please see the detailed hedging schedule posted on the Range website under Investor Relations – Financial Information.

    Range has also hedged basis across the Company’s numerous natural gas sales points to limit volatility between benchmark and regional prices. The combined fair value of natural gas basis hedges as of March 31, 2025, was a net gain of $11.7 million.    

    Conference Call Information

    A conference call to review the financial results is scheduled on Wednesday, April 23 at 8:00 AM Central Time (9:00 AM Eastern Time). Please click here to pre-register for the conference call and obtain a dial in number with passcode.

    A simultaneous webcast of the call may be accessed at www.rangeresources.com. The webcast will be archived for replay on the Company’s website until May 23rd.

    Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    To supplement the presentation of its financial results prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), the Company’s earnings press release contains certain financial measures that are not presented in accordance with GAAP. Management believes certain non-GAAP measures may provide financial statement users with meaningful supplemental information for comparisons within the industry. These non-GAAP financial measures may include, but are not limited to Net Income, excluding certain items, Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital, realized prices, Net debt and Cash margin.

    Adjusted net income comparable to analysts’ estimates as set forth in this release represents income or loss from operations before income taxes adjusted for certain non-cash items (detailed in the accompanying table) less income taxes. We believe adjusted net income comparable to analysts’ estimates is calculated on the same basis as analysts’ estimates and that many investors use this published research in making investment decisions and evaluating operational trends of the Company and its performance relative to other oil and gas producing companies. Diluted earnings per share (adjusted) as set forth in this release represents adjusted net income comparable to analysts’ estimates on a diluted per share basis. A table is included which reconciles income or loss from operations to adjusted net income comparable to analysts’ estimates and diluted earnings per share (adjusted). On its website, the Company provides additional comparative information on prior periods.

    Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital represents net cash provided by operations before changes in working capital and exploration expense adjusted for certain non-cash compensation items. Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital (sometimes referred to as “adjusted cash flow”) is widely accepted by the investment community as a financial indicator of an oil and gas company’s ability to generate cash to internally fund exploration and development activities and to service debt. Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital is also useful because it is widely used by professional research analysts in valuing, comparing, rating and providing investment recommendations of companies in the oil and gas exploration and production industry. In turn, many investors use this published research in making investment decisions. Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital is not a measure of financial performance under GAAP and should not be considered as an alternative to cash flows from operations, investing, or financing activities as an indicator of cash flows, or as a measure of liquidity. A table is included which reconciles net cash provided by operations to cash flow from operations before changes in working capital as used in this release. On its website, the Company provides additional comparative information on prior periods for cash flow, cash margins and non-GAAP earnings as used in this release.

    The cash prices realized for oil and natural gas production, including the amounts realized on cash-settled derivatives and net of transportation, gathering, processing and compression expense, is a critical component in the Company’s performance tracked by investors and professional research analysts in valuing, comparing, rating and providing investment recommendations and forecasts of companies in the oil and gas exploration and production industry. In turn, many investors use this published research in making investment decisions. Due to the GAAP disclosures of various derivative transactions and third-party transportation, gathering, processing and compression expense, such information is now reported in various lines of the income statement. The Company believes that it is important to furnish a table reflecting the details of the various components of each income statement line to better inform the reader of the details of each amount and provide a summary of the realized cash-settled amounts and third-party transportation, gathering, processing and compression expense, which were historically reported as natural gas, NGLs and oil sales. This information is intended to bridge the gap between various readers’ understanding and fully disclose the information needed.

    Net debt is calculated as total debt less cash and cash equivalents. The Company believes this measure is helpful to investors and industry analysts who utilize Net debt for comparative purposes across the industry.

    The Company discloses in this release the detailed components of many of the single line items shown in the GAAP financial statements included in the Company’s Annual or Quarterly Reports on Form 10-K or 10-Q. The Company believes that it is important to furnish this detail of the various components comprising each line of the Statements of Operations to better inform the reader of the details of each amount, the changes between periods and the effect on its financial results.
      
    We believe that the presentation of PV10 value of our proved reserves is a relevant and useful metric for our investors as supplemental disclosure to the standardized measure, or after-tax amount, because it presents the discounted future net cash flows attributable to our proved reserves before taking into account future corporate income taxes and our current tax structure. While the standardized measure is dependent on the unique tax situation of each company, PV10 is based on prices and discount factors that are consistent for all companies. Because of this, PV10 can be used within the industry and by credit and security analysts to evaluate estimated net cash flows from proved reserves on a more comparable basis.

    RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION (NYSE: RRC) is a leading U.S. independent natural gas and NGL producer with operations focused in the Appalachian Basin. The Company is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas.  More information about Range can be found at www.rangeresources.com.

    Included within this release are certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that are not limited to historical facts, but reflect Range’s current beliefs, expectations or intentions regarding future events.  Words such as “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “project,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “outlook”, “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “pursue,” “target,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.

    All statements, except for statements of historical fact, made within regarding activities, events or developments the Company expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future, such as those regarding future well costs, expected asset sales, well productivity, future liquidity and financial resilience, anticipated exports and related financial impact, NGL market supply and demand, future commodity fundamentals and pricing, future capital efficiencies, future shareholder value, emerging plays, capital spending, anticipated drilling and completion activity, acreage prospectivity, expected pipeline utilization and future guidance information, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements are based on assumptions and estimates that management believes are reasonable based on currently available information; however, management’s assumptions and Range’s future performance are subject to a wide range of business risks and uncertainties and there is no assurance that these goals and projections can or will be met. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information on risks and uncertainties is available in Range’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. Unless required by law, Range undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect circumstances or events after the date they are made.

    The SEC permits oil and gas companies, in filings made with the SEC, to disclose proved reserves, which are estimates that geological and engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be recoverable in future years from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions as well as the option to disclose probable and possible reserves. Range has elected not to disclose its probable and possible reserves in its filings with the SEC. Range uses certain broader terms such as “resource potential,” “unrisked resource potential,” “unproved resource potential” or “upside” or other descriptions of volumes of resources potentially recoverable through additional drilling or recovery techniques that may include probable and possible reserves as defined by the SEC’s guidelines. Range has not attempted to distinguish probable and possible reserves from these broader classifications. The SEC’s rules prohibit us from including in filings with the SEC these broader classifications of reserves. These estimates are by their nature more speculative than estimates of proved, probable and possible reserves and accordingly are subject to substantially greater risk of actually being realized. Unproved resource potential refers to Range’s internal estimates of hydrocarbon quantities that may be potentially discovered through exploratory drilling or recovered with additional drilling or recovery techniques and have not been reviewed by independent engineers. Unproved resource potential does not constitute reserves within the meaning of the Society of Petroleum Engineer’s Petroleum Resource Management System and does not include proved reserves. Area wide unproven resource potential has not been fully risked by Range’s management. “EUR”, or estimated ultimate recovery, refers to our management’s estimates of hydrocarbon quantities that may be recovered from a well completed as a producer in the area. These quantities may not necessarily constitute or represent reserves within the meaning of the Society of Petroleum Engineer’s Petroleum Resource Management System or the SEC’s oil and natural gas disclosure rules. Actual quantities that may be recovered from Range’s interests could differ substantially. Factors affecting ultimate recovery include the scope of Range’s drilling program, which will be directly affected by the availability of capital, drilling and production costs, commodity prices, availability of drilling services and equipment, drilling results, lease expirations, transportation constraints, regulatory approvals, field spacing rules, recoveries of gas in place, length of horizontal laterals, actual drilling results, including geological and mechanical factors affecting recovery rates and other factors. Estimates of resource potential may change significantly as development of our resource plays provides additional data.

    In addition, our production forecasts and expectations for future periods are dependent upon many assumptions, including estimates of production decline rates from existing wells and the undertaking and outcome of future drilling activity, which may be affected by significant commodity price or drilling cost changes. Investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, available from our website at www.rangeresources.com or by written request to 100 Throckmorton Street, Suite 1200, Fort Worth, Texas 76102. You can also obtain this Form 10-K on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.

    SOURCE: Range Resources Corporation

    Range Investor Contacts:

    Laith Sando
    817-869-4267

    Matt Schmid
    817-869-1538

    Range Media Contact:

    Mark Windle
    724-873-3223

    RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION  
                     
                     
    STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS                
    Based on GAAP reported earnings with additional                
    details of items included in each line in Form 10-Q                
    (Unaudited, In thousands, except per share data)                
      Three Months Ended March 31,  
      2025     2024     %  
    Revenues and other income:                
    Natural gas, NGLs and oil sales (a) $ 791,920     $ 567,001        
    Derivative fair value (loss) income   (158,957 )     46,598        
    Brokered natural gas and marketing   54,408       28,831        
    ARO settlement loss (b)   –       (26 )      
    Interest income (b)   3,053       2,943        
    Gain on sale of assets (b)   62       87        
    Other (b)   68       22        
    Total revenues and other income   690,554       645,456       7 %
                     
    Costs and expenses:                
    Direct operating   24,836       21,664        
    Direct operating – stock-based compensation (c)   537       497        
    Transportation, gathering, processing and compression   306,109       290,875        
    Taxes other than income   6,987       5,368        
    Brokered natural gas and marketing   57,361       30,895        
    Brokered natural gas and marketing – stock-based compensation (c)   840       708        
    Exploration   6,044       4,202        
    Exploration – stock-based compensation (c)   347       324        
    Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties   4,574       2,371        
    General and administrative   31,553       33,772        
    General and administrative – stock-based compensation (c)   10,111       9,978        
    General and administrative – lawsuit settlements   27       191        
    Exit costs   8,897       10,315        
    Deferred compensation plan (d)   2,879       6,405        
    Interest expense   27,785       29,116        
    Interest expense – amortization of deferred financing costs (e)   1,376       1,360        
    Gain on early extinguishment of debt   (3 )     (64 )      
    Depletion, depreciation and amortization   90,559       87,137        
    Total costs and expenses   580,819       535,114       9 %
                     
    Income before income taxes   109,735       110,342       -1 %
                     
    Income tax expense                
    Current   2,000       1,582        
    Deferred   10,683       16,622        
        12,683       18,204        
                     
    Net income $ 97,052     $ 92,138       5 %
                     
                     
    Net income Per Common Share                
    Basic $ 0.40     $ 0.38        
    Diluted $ 0.40     $ 0.38        
                     
    Weighted average common shares outstanding, as reported                
    Basic   240,035       240,505       0 %
    Diluted   241,755       242,406       0 %
                     
                     
    (a) See separate natural gas, NGLs and oil sales information table.  
    (b) Included in Other income in the 10-Q.  
    (c) Costs associated with stock compensation and restricted stock amortization, which have been reflected in the  
        categories associated with the direct personnel costs, which are combined with the cash costs in the 10-Q.  
    (d) Reflects the change in market value of the vested Company stock held in the deferred compensation plan.  
    (e) Included in interest expense in the 10-Q.  
    RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION  
               
               
    BALANCE SHEET          
    (In thousands) March 31,     December 31,  
      2025     2024  
      (Unudited)     (Audited)  
    Assets          
    Current assets $ 714,502     $ 636,982  
    Derivative assets   6,470       87,098  
    Natural gas and oil properties, net (successful efforts method)   6,476,813       6,421,700  
    Other property and equipment, net   2,799       2,465  
    Operating lease right-of-use assets   100,110       119,838  
    Other   82,030       79,592  
      $ 7,382,724     $ 7,347,675  
               
    Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity          
    Current liabilities $ 1,211,926     $ 1,263,247  
    Asset retirement obligations   1,189       1,189  
    Derivative liabilities   70,845       9,634  
    Senior notes, excluding current maturities   1,090,107       1,089,614  
    Deferred tax liabilities   552,057       541,378  
    Derivative liabilities   32,178       10,488  
    Deferred compensation liabilities   66,336       65,233  
    Operating lease liabilities   35,535       35,737  
    Asset retirement obligations and other liabilities   140,607       137,181  
    Divestiture contract obligation   242,583       257,317  
        3,443,363       3,411,018  
               
    Common stock and retained deficit   4,520,586       4,449,987  
    Other comprehensive income   597       611  
    Common stock held in treasury   (581,822 )     (513,941 )
    Total stockholders’ equity   3,939,361       3,936,657  
      $ 7,382,724     $ 7,347,675  
    RECONCILIATION OF TOTAL DEBT AS REPORTED                
    TO NET DEBT, a non-GAAP measure                
    (Unaudited, in thousands)                
      March 31,     December 31,        
      2025     2024     %  
                     
    Total debt, net of deferred financing costs, as reported $ 1,696,541     $ 1,697,883       0 %
    Unamortized debt issuance costs, as reported   10,001       10,819        
    Less cash and cash equivalents, as reported   (344,574 )     (304,490 )      
    Net debt, a non-GAAP measure $ 1,361,968     $ 1,404,212       -3 %
    RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION  
               
               
               
    CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES          
    (Unaudited, in thousands)          
               
      Three Months Ended March 31,  
      2025     2024  
               
    Net income   97,052       92,138  
    Adjustments to reconcile net cash provided from continuing operations:          
    Deferred income tax expense   10,683       16,622  
    Depletion, depreciation and amortization   90,559       87,137  
    Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties   4,574       2,371  
    Derivative fair value loss (income)   158,957       (46,598 )
    Cash settlements on derivative financial instruments   4,573       122,373  
    Divestiture contract obligation, including accretion   8,897       10,267  
    Amortization of deferred financing costs and other   1,182       1,232  
    Deferred and stock-based compensation   15,083       18,215  
    Gain on sale of assets   (62 )     (87 )
    Gain on early extinguishment of debt   (3 )     (64 )
               
    Changes in working capital:          
    Accounts receivable   (28,722 )     107,454  
    Other current assets   (9,028 )     (8,944 )
    Accounts payable   36,181       12,188  
    Accrued liabilities and other   (59,843 )     (82,374 )
    Net changes in working capital   (61,412 )     28,324  
    Net cash provided from operating activities   330,083       331,930  
               
               
               
    RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH PROVIDED FROM OPERATING          
    ACTIVITIES, AS REPORTED, TO CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS          
    BEFORE CHANGES IN WORKING CAPITAL, a non-GAAP measure          
    (Unaudited, in thousands)          
      Three Months Ended March 31,  
      2025     2024  
    Net cash provided from operating activities, as reported $ 330,083     $ 331,930  
    Net changes in working capital   61,412       (28,324 )
    Exploration expense   6,044       4,202  
    Lawsuit settlements   27       191  
    Non-cash compensation adjustment and other   (175 )     (101 )
    Cash flow from operations before changes in working capital – non-GAAP measure $ 397,391     $ 307,898  
               
               
               
    ADJUSTED WEIGHTED AVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING          
    (Unaudited, in thousands)          
      Three Months Ended March 31,  
      2025     2024  
    Basic:          
    Weighted average shares outstanding   240,776       242,082  
    Stock held by deferred compensation plan   (741 )     (1,577 )
    Adjusted basic   240,035       240,505  
               
    Dilutive:          
    Weighted average shares outstanding   240,776       242,082  
    Dilutive stock options under treasury method   979       324  
    Adjusted dilutive   241,755       242,406  
    RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION  
                     
                     
                     
    RECONCILIATION OF NATURAL GAS, NGLs AND OIL SALES                
    AND DERIVATIVE FAIR VALUE INCOME (LOSS) TO                
    CALCULATED CASH REALIZED NATURAL GAS, NGLs AND                
    OIL PRICES WITH AND WITHOUT THIRD-PARTY                
    TRANSPORTATION, GATHERING, PROCESSING AND                
    COMPRESSION COSTS, a non-GAAP measure                
    (Unaudited, In thousands, except per unit data)          
      Three Months Ended March 31,  
      2025     2024     %  
    Natural gas, NGLs and Oil Sales components:                
    Natural gas sales $ 490,377     $ 271,475        
    NGLs sales   275,654       256,076        
    Oil sales   25,889       39,450        
    Total Natural Gas, NGLs and Oil Sales, as reported $ 791,920     $ 567,001       40 %
                     
    Derivative Fair Value (Loss) Income, as reported $ (158,957 )   $ 46,598        
    Cash settlements on derivative financial instruments – (gain) loss:                
    Natural gas   (4,729 )     (120,913 )      
    NGLs   412       77        
    Oil   (256 )     (1,537 )      
    Total change in fair value related to commodity derivatives prior to                
    settlement, a non GAAP measure $ (163,530 )   $ (75,775 )      
                     
    Transportation, gathering, processing and compression components:                
    Natural Gas $ 157,519     $ 150,112        
    NGLs   147,838       140,274        
    Oil   752       489        
    Total transportation, gathering, processing and compression, as reported $ 306,109     $ 290,875        
                     
    Natural gas, NGL and Oil sales, including cash-settled derivatives: (c)                
    Natural gas sales $ 495,106     $ 392,388        
    NGLs sales   275,242       255,999        
    Oil Sales   26,145       40,987        
    Total $ 796,493     $ 689,374       16 %
                     
    Production of natural gas, NGLs and oil during the periods (a):                
    Natural Gas (mcf)   135,963,430       132,650,240       2 %
    NGLs (bbls)   9,919,989       9,760,723       2 %
    Oil (bbls)   423,579       610,279       -31 %
    Gas equivalent (mcfe) (b)   198,024,838       194,876,252       2 %
                     
    Production of natural gas, NGLs and oil – average per day (a):                
    Natural Gas (mcf)   1,510,705       1,457,695       4 %
    NGLs (bbls)   110,222       107,261       3 %
    Oil (bbls)   4,706       6,706       -30 %
    Gas equivalent (mcfe) (b)   2,200,276       2,141,497       3 %
                     
    Average prices, excluding derivative settlements and before third-party                
    transportation costs:                
    Natural Gas (per mcf) $ 3.61     $ 2.05       76 %
    NGLs (per bbl) $ 27.79     $ 26.24       6 %
    Oil (per bbl) $ 61.12     $ 64.64       -5 %
    Gas equivalent (per mcfe) (b) $ 4.00     $ 2.91       37 %
                     
    Average prices, including derivative settlements before third-party                
    transportation costs: (c)                
    Natural Gas (per mcf) $ 3.64     $ 2.96       23 %
    NGLs (per bbl) $ 27.75     $ 26.23       6 %
    Oil (per bbl) $ 61.72     $ 67.16       -8 %
    Gas equivalent (per mcfe) (b) $ 4.02     $ 3.54       14 %
                     
    Average prices, including derivative settlements and after third-party                
    transportation costs: (d)                
    Natural Gas (per mcf) $ 2.48     $ 1.83       36 %
    NGLs (per bbl) $ 12.84     $ 11.86       8 %
    Oil (per bbl) $ 59.95     $ 66.36       -10 %
    Gas equivalent (per mcfe) (b) $ 2.48     $ 2.05       21 %
                     
    Transportation, gathering and compression expense per mcfe $ 1.55     $ 1.49       4 %
                     
    (a) Represents volumes sold regardless of when produced.  
    (b) Oil and NGLs are converted at the rate of one barrel equals six mcfe based upon the approximate relative energy content of oil to natural gas, which is not necessarily  
    indicative of the relationship of oil and natural gas prices.  
    (c) Excluding third-party transportation, gathering, processing and compression costs.  
    (d) Net of transportation, gathering, processing and compression costs.  
    RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION  
                     
                     
                     
    RECONCILIATION OF INCOME BEFORE INCOME                
    TAXES AS REPORTED TO INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES                
    EXCLUDING CERTAIN ITEMS, a non-GAAP measure                
    (Unaudited, In thousands, except per share data)                
      Three Months Ended March 31,  
      2025     2024     %  
                     
    Income from operations before income taxes, as reported   109,735      110,342       -1 %
    Adjustment for certain special items:                
    Gain on the sale of assets   (62 )    (87 )      
    ARO settlement loss   –      26        
    Change in fair value related to derivatives prior to settlement   163,530      75,775        
    Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties   4,574      2,371        
    Gain on early extinguishment of debt   (3 )    (64 )      
    Lawsuit settlements   27      191        
    Exit costs   8,897      10,315        
    Brokered natural gas and marketing – stock-based compensation   840      708        
    Direct operating – stock-based compensation   537      497        
    Exploration expenses – stock-based compensation   347      324        
    General & administrative – stock-based compensation   10,111      9,978        
    Deferred compensation plan – non-cash adjustment   2,879      6,405        
                     
    Income before income taxes, as adjusted   301,412      216,781       39 %
                     
    Income tax expense, as adjusted                
    Current (a)   2,000      1,582        
    Deferred (a)   67,325      48,278        
                     
    Net income, excluding certain items, a non-GAAP measure $ 232,087     $ 166,921       39 %
                     
    Non-GAAP income per common share                
    Basic $ 0.97     $ 0.69       41 %
    Diluted $ 0.96     $ 0.69       39 %
                     
    Non-GAAP diluted shares outstanding, if dilutive   241,755      242,406        
                     
                     
                     
                     
                     
    (a) Taxes are estimated to be approximately 23% for 2024 and 2025  
    RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION  
               
               
               
    RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME, EXCLUDING          
    CERTAIN ITEMS AND ADJUSTED EARNINGS PER          
    SHARE, non-GAAP measures          
    (In thousands, except per share data)          
      Three Months Ended March 31,  
      2025     2024  
               
    Net income, as reported $ 97,052     $ 92,138  
    Adjustments for certain special items:          
    Gain on the sale of assets   (62 )     (87 )
    ARO settlement loss   –       26  
    Gain on early extinguishment of debt   (3 )     (64 )
    Change in fair value related to derivatives prior to settlement   163,530       75,775  
    Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties   4,574       2,371  
    Lawsuit settlements   27       191  
    Exit costs   8,897       10,315  
    Stock-based compensation   11,835       11,507  
    Deferred compensation plan   2,879       6,405  
    Tax impact   (56,642 )     (31,656 )
               
    Net income, excluding certain items, a non-GAAP measure $ 232,087     $ 166,921  
               
    Net income per diluted share, as reported $ 0.40     $ 0.38  
    Adjustments for certain special items per diluted share:          
    Gain on the sale of assets   –       –  
    ARO settlement loss   –       –  
    Gain on early extinguishment of debt   –       –  
    Change in fair value related to derivatives prior to settlement   0.68       0.31  
    Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties   0.02       0.01  
    Lawsuit settlements   –       –  
    Exit costs   0.04       0.04  
    Stock-based compensation   0.05       0.05  
    Deferred compensation plan   0.01       0.03  
    Adjustment for rounding differences   (0.01 )     –  
    Tax impact   (0.23 )     (0.13 )
    Dilutive share impact (rabbi trust and other)   –       –  
               
    Net income per diluted share, excluding certain items, a non-GAAP measure $ 0.96     $ 0.69  
               
    Adjusted earnings per share, a non-GAAP measure:          
    Basic $ 0.97     $ 0.69  
    Diluted $ 0.96     $ 0.69  
    RANGE RESOURCES CORPORATION  
               
    RECONCILIATION OF CASH MARGIN PER MCFE, a non-          
    GAAP measure          
    (Unaudited, In thousands, except per unit data)          
      Three Months Ended March 31,  
      2025     2024  
               
    Revenues          
    Natural gas, NGLs and oil sales, as reported $ 791,920     $ 567,001  
    Derivative fair value (loss) income, as reported   (158,957 )     46,598  
    Less non-cash fair value loss   163,530       75,775  
    Brokered natural gas and marketing, as reported   54,408       28,831  
    Other income, as reported   3,183       3,026  
    Less gain on sale of assets   (62 )     (87 )
    Less ARO settlement   –       26  
    Cash revenues   854,022       721,170  
               
    Expenses          
    Direct operating, as reported   25,373       22,161  
    Less direct operating stock-based compensation   (537 )     (497 )
    Transportation, gathering and compression, as reported   306,109       290,875  
    Taxes other than income, as reported   6,987       5,368  
    Brokered natural gas and marketing, as reported   58,201       31,603  
    Less brokered natural gas and marketing stock-based compensation   (840 )     (708 )
    General and administrative, as reported   41,691       43,941  
    Less G&A stock-based compensation   (10,111 )     (9,978 )
    Less lawsuit settlements   (27 )     (191 )
    Interest expense, as reported   29,161       30,476  
    Less amortization of deferred financing costs   (1,376 )     (1,360 )
    Cash expenses   454,631       411,690  
               
    Cash margin, a non-GAAP measure $ 399,391     $ 309,480  
               
    Mmcfe produced during period   198,025       194,876  
               
    Cash margin per mcfe $ 2.02     $ 1.59  
               
    RECONCILIATION OF INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAXES          
    TO CASH MARGIN, a non-GAAP measure          
    (Unaudited, in thousands, except per unit data)          
      Three Months Ended March 31,  
      2025     2024  
               
    Income before income taxes, as reported $ 109,735     $ 110,342  
    Adjustments to reconcile income before income taxes to cash margin:          
    ARO settlements   –       26  
    Derivative fair value loss (income)   158,957       (46,598 )
    Net cash receipts on derivative settlements   4,573       122,373  
    Exploration expense   6,044       4,202  
    Lawsuit settlements   27       191  
    Exit costs   8,897       10,315  
    Deferred compensation plan   2,879       6,405  
    Stock-based compensation (direct operating, brokered natural gas and   11,835       11,507  
    Marketing, and general and administrative)          
    Bad debt expense   –       –  
    Interest – amortization of deferred financing costs   1,376       1,360  
    Depletion, depreciation and amortization   90,559       87,137  
    Gain on sale of assets   (62 )     (87 )
    Gain on early extinguishment of debt   (3 )     (64 )
    Abandonment and impairment of unproved properties   4,574       2,371  
    Cash margin, a non-GAAP measure $ 399,391     $ 309,480  

    The MIL Network –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Gambling in Australia: how bad is the problem, who gets harmed most and where may we be heading?

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alex Russell, Principal Research Fellow, CQUniversity Australia

    Mick Tsikas/AAP, Joel Carret/AAP, Darren England/AAP, Ihor Koptilin/Shutterstock, The Conversation, CC BY

    Gambling prevalence studies provide a snapshot of gambling behaviour, problems and harm in our communities. They are typically conducted about every five years.

    In some Australian states and territories, four or five have been conducted over the past 20 or so years. These have provided a snapshot into how gambling has changed – and how it has not.

    So, how has gambling in Australia changed in the past two decades or so, and where may we be heading?

    The intensification of gambling

    In 1997-98, the Productivity Commission found about 82% of Australians had gambled in the previous 12 months.

    Almost all further prevalence studies show the proportion of adults gambling has declined substantially over time.

    The 2024 NSW prevalence survey, for example, found 54% reported gambling in the previous 12 months, down from 69% in 2006.

    While fewer people are gambling, the proportion of people experiencing problems has not changed much, nor has gambling turnover.

    In some states, gambling turnover has increased, even when you take inflation into account.

    So while a smaller proportion of people are gambling, those who do gamble are doing so more frequently, and spend more money – a phenomenon we have described as the “intensification” of the industry.

    As figures from the Grattan Institute show, the vast majority of gambling spend comes from a very small proportion of people who gamble.

    What’s the problem?

    Typically, the focus in gambling studies has been on “problem gamblers”, a term we now avoid because it can be stigmatising.

    This refers to those experiencing severe problems due to their gambling, which is typically about 1% of the adult population, and around 2% of people who gamble.

    This doesn’t sound like much, until you remember 1% of adults in Australia is more than 200,000 people. That’s a lot of people struggling with severe problems.

    Based on recent prevalence surveys in Australia, these gamblers spend about 60 times as much as people who do not experience problems.

    However, that’s just the most severe cases.

    How gambling harms people

    When most people think of gambling harm, they think about financial harm. But gambling can cause problems with relationships, work and study, emotional and psychological harm, and even cause health issues.

    Some degree of gambling harm is experienced by around 10-15% of people who gamble.

    Some groups are overrepresented: young men typically experience very high levels of harm compared to others. Other overrepresented groups are:

    • those who have not completed tertiary education
    • people who speak a language other than English
    • people who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.

    Harm isn’t just experienced by people who gamble, though – it impacts the people around them.

    While young men are more likely to experience harm from their own gambling, women, particularly young women, are most likely to experience harm from someone else’s gambling.

    When we take all of these sources of harm into account, we get a much better picture of gambling harm in our community: around 15-20% of all adults (not all gamblers) experience harm.

    That’s very different to the figure of 1% we’ve focused on in the past.

    We’re still missing some accounting, though: we don’t know how much harm is experienced by people under 18, for example, because prevalence studies typically only include adults.

    Where does the harm come from?

    The most problematic form in Australia is pokies, responsible for about 51-57% of problems.

    Casinos are responsible for another 10-14%, although fewer people have been gambling in casino games in recent years.



    Read more:
    Whatever happens to Star, the age of unfettered gambling revenue for casinos may have ended

    Sports betting and race betting together account for about another 19-20% of harm.

    Between them, pokies, casino games and sports and race betting account for about 90% of harm to Australian gamblers.

    Availability is an issue

    This widespread availability of pokies is the biggest single driver behind gambling harm in Australia.

    In other countries, pokies are limited to venues that are specifically used for gambling, like casinos or betting shops.

    We have pokies in a huge number of our pubs and clubs, except in Western Australia.

    A couple of years ago, we used national prevalence data to compare gambling problems in WA to the rest of the country.

    A higher percentage of adults in WA gamble, but mostly on the lotteries which are typically not associated with much harm.

    Gambling on pokies is far less prevalent in WA because they’re only available in one casino. Gambling problems and harm are about one-third lower in WA, and our analysis shows this can be attributed to the limited access to pokies.

    This also tells us something important. If pokies are not available, people will typically not substitute them with other harmful forms. It points to the role of the availability of dangerous gambling products in gambling harm, rather than personal characteristics.

    Online gambling has also become a lot more available. Most of us now have a mobile phone almost surgically implanted onto our hand, making online gambling more accessible than ever. Not surprisingly, online gambling continues to increase.

    An obvious solution to try

    Governments have taken increasingly proactive measures to help address gambling harm, such as the National Consumer Protection Framework for Online Gambling, strategies for minimising harm such as NSW’s investment into gambling harm minimisation, Victoria’s proposed reforms on pokies including mandatory precommitment limits, Queensland’s Gambling Harm Minimisation Plan and the ACT’s Strategy for Gambling Harm Prevention.

    Voluntary limits have been trialled to help people keep their gambling under control, but have had virtually no uptake.

    For example, the recent NSW Digital Gaming Wallet trial was conducted in 14 venues. Only 32 people were active users, and 14 of these were deemed genuine users. Another study found only 0.01% of all money put through machines in Victoria used the voluntary YourPlay scheme.

    The problem with voluntary limits is, no one volunteers.

    Mandatory limits though are almost certainly necessary, just like we have mandatory limits for how fast you can drive, or how much you can drink before the bartender puts you in a taxi.

    There will almost certainly be push back against this, just like the introduction of mandatory seatbelts in the 1970s, or the introduction of random breath testing.

    Now, we accept them as important public health measures.

    History tells us the same will happen with mandatory gambling limits, even if we’re a bit uncomfortable about it at first.

    Alex Russell received funding from the Star Entertainment Group from 2014-2016 to conduct research examining gambling behaviour and problems amongst casino staff, and to provide recommendations to minimise risks associated with occupational exposure to gambling. He no longer accepts industry funding, or works on industry-funded projects.

    Matthew Browne receives funding from New Zealand and Australian State and Federal Government Authorities. Most recently, the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General, New Zealand Ministry of Health, and the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation.

    Matthew Rockloff has receives funding from New Zealand and Australian State and Federal Government Authorities. Most recently, the Queensland Department of Justice and Attorney-General, the NSW Office of Responsible Gambling, the New Zealand Ministry of Health, the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation, the Government of South Australia, Gambling Research Australia, and the ACT Gambling and Racing Commission.

    – ref. Gambling in Australia: how bad is the problem, who gets harmed most and where may we be heading? – https://theconversation.com/gambling-in-australia-how-bad-is-the-problem-who-gets-harmed-most-and-where-may-we-be-heading-252389

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Edmond Resident Sentenced for Attempted Coercion and Enticement

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

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Lee Edward Redman, age 52, of Edmond, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for one count of Attempted Coercion and Enticement.

    The charge arose from an investigation by the Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    On November 7, 2024, Redman pleaded guilty to attempting to use the internet to entice an individual who he believed to be under the age of 16 to engage in sexual activity.  According to investigators, between October 21 and October 24 of 2022, Redman initiated contact with an account appearing to belong to a young female.  That account was actually operated as part of an undercover operation conducted by Muskogee County Sheriff’s Office Investigators.  After a conversation in which Redman learned that his intended target was 15 years of age, Redman arranged to meet the account holder for sexual intercourse.  On October 24, 2022, deputies arrested Redman in the parking lot of a Muskogee mall where he had arranged to meet the 15 year old intended victim.

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

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Morgan A. Muzljakovich represented the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Enfield — Missing person: Help the RCMP find Paul Joseph Freel

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    East Hants District RCMP is asking for the public’s assistance in locating 45-Year-Old Paul Joseph Freel, from East Uniacke, who was reported missing on April 13, 2025. He is believed to have been last seen on April 4, 2025.

    Freel is described as 5 foot 11 and approximately 250 lbs. He has brown hair and brown eyes.

    When someone goes missing, it has deep and far-reaching impacts for the person and those who know them. We ask that people spread the word through social media respectfully.

    Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Paul Freel is asked to contact the East Hants District RCMP at 902-883-7077. To remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers, toll-free at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca , or use the P3 tips app.

    Note: Photo of Paul Joseph Freel is attached.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Michigan Woman Sentenced to 30 years for Fentanyl and Methamphetamine Trafficking

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    LEXINGTON, Ky. – A Detroit, Michigan, woman, Chanel Lashae Logan, 25, was sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves to 360 months in prison, for one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, and one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl.

    According to her court records, between March 1, 2024 and June 6, 2024, Logan conspired with co-defendant Saruba Asante Smith to distribute substantial quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl in the Lexington, Kentucky area.  In her plea agreement, Logan admitted to selling methamphetamine and fentanyl to an undercover operative on April 23, 2024, followed by an additional larger quantity of methamphetamine to the same undercover operative on May 30, 2024.  Both transactions occurred in Lexington.  Shortly thereafter, Logan agreed with the undercover operative to sell 10 pounds of methamphetamine and 4 ounces of fentanyl, which she intended to obtain in Detroit.  On June 6, 2024, in Shelby County, Kentucky, law enforcement stopped Logan and Smith in Logan’s vehicle as it traveled back from Detroit.  Law enforcement located 6.8 kilograms of methamphetamine in the car, along with 76 grams of fentanyl.  A search warrant executed at Logan’s and Smith’s Lexington apartment that same day led to the seizure of an additional 4.3 kilograms of methamphetamine and 892 grams of fentanyl.

    Logan’s co-defendant, Saruba Smith, was previously sentenced to 92 months in prison. 

    Under federal law, Logan must serve 85 percent of her prison sentence. Upon her release from prison, she will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for five years.

    Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Jim Scott, Special Agent in Charge, DEA, Louisville Field Division; Phillip J. Burnett, Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; Chief Lawrence Weathers, Lexington Police Department; and Sheriff David Charles, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, jointly announced the sentence.

    The investigation was conducted by the DEA, KSP, Lexington Police Department, and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Roger West is prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

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

    – END –

     

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Coast Guard interdicts 19 aliens 23 miles west of Oceanside

    Source: United States Coast Guard

     

    04/22/2025 04:12 PM EDT

    The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter David Duren (WPC 1156) interdicted 19 aliens aboard a 25-foot cuddy cabin approximately 23 miles west of Oceanside, California, Tuesday. At approximately 2:15 a.m., David Duren’s boarding team intercepted a cuddy cabin matching the description of a suspected human smuggling boat and discovered 18 adult males and one adult female all claiming Mexican nationality.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Defense Contractor’s Longtime Associate Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United States

    Source: US State of Vermont

    Note: View Information here.

    A longtime associate of a former defense contractor pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the United States.

    The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: from 2009 until approximately 2022, Thomas G. Ehr worked for or on behalf of a co-conspirator, a defense contractor who owned 50% of a business that supplied jet fuel to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Middle East. Ehr was hired to manage several music television and entertainment projects funded with proceeds from this business. Over time Ehr played a role in several of his co-conspirator’s other investments, including a $60 million real estate investment in Tulum, Mexico, and a $50 million fuel infrastructure project.

    Ehr understood that the defense contractor was the business’s 50% owner since it was created, and that the contractor controlled hundreds of millions of dollars in profits from it.

    Nevertheless, Ehr agreed to conceal the contractor’s ownership and control of the company, primarily by falsely asserting that the contractor’s wife had founded the company, so that the contractor could obstruct the IRS’ ability to assess and collect the contractor’s taxes — including taxes on profits he made from contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense. Ehr acknowledged that because of the conspiracy, the contractor evaded taxes on more than $350 million of income and caused a tax loss to the United States of approximately $128 million. 

    Additionally, despite making hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in income, Ehr did not file tax returns for years 2010 to 2015, nor make payments on taxes he owed for 2010 to 2023. By doing so, Ehr caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $700,000. 

    Ehr is the sixth defendant associated with the defense contracting company to plead guilty. Charles Squires pleaded guilty to tax evasion in February 2022, James Robar pleaded guilty to tax evasion in March 2022, Ronald “Ron” Thomas pleaded guilty to tax evasion in April 2022, Zachary “Zack” Friedman pleaded guilty to tax evasion in August 2022, and Robert Dooner pleaded guilty to tax evasion in November 2023.

    Sentencing will be set at a later date. Ehr faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy count and a maximum penalty of one year in prison for the tax count. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Interim U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. for the District of Columbia made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction are investigating the case, with assistance from His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs of the United Kingdom. Assistance was also provided by the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5), which brings together the taxing authorities of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

    Senior Litigation Counsel Nannette Davis, Assistant Chief Sarah Ranney, and Trial Attorney Ezra Spiro of the Tax Division; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: California Department of Justice Releases Report on Officer-Involved Shooting of Darnell Travis

    Source: US State of California

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta, pursuant to Assembly Bill 1506 (AB 1506), today released a report on Darnell Travis’s death from an officer-involved shooting in Fontana, California, on June 21, 2022. The incident involved an officer from the Fontana Police Department (FPD). The report is part of the California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) ongoing efforts to provide transparency and accountability in law enforcement practices. The report provides a detailed analysis of the incident and outlines DOJ’s findings. After a thorough investigation, DOJ concluded that criminal charges were not appropriate in this case. 

    “I sincerely hope that this report provides the valuable insights and information that the community has been seeking,” said Attorney General Bonta. “The California Department of Justice is dedicated to working in partnership with law enforcement agencies to establish a legal framework that is both fair and equitable. Our commitment is to uphold the rule of law while ensuring that justice is accessible to everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances. Together, we aim to foster a system that not only protects the rights of individuals but also promotes trust and accountability between law enforcement and our communities.”

    On June 21, 2022, at 7:12 pm, the Fontana Police Department Rapid Response Team was conducting surveillance to apprehend individuals believed to be involved in the sale of an illegal firearm. During the operation and attempted arrest of the individuals, the suspects tried to flee. In the process, they hit FPD vehicles and did not obey commands. A FPD officer opened the passenger side door where Mr. Travis was sitting, reportedly holding a black firearm. The suspects managed to get away but not before Mr. Travis was fatally shot. After a 22-mile vehicle pursuit, no firearm was found in the passenger area, but two cell phones belonging to Mr. Travis’ were located.  

    Under AB 1506, which requires DOJ to investigate all incidents of officer-involved shootings resulting in the death of an unarmed civilian in the state, DOJ conducted a thorough investigation into this incident and concluded that there is insufficient evidence to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the officer involved acted without the intent to defend himself and others from what he reasonably believed to be the imminent risk of death or serious bodily injury. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution of the officer. As such, no further action will be taken in this case. 

    As part of its investigation, DOJ has identified three policy recommendations related to this incident. It is recommended that FPD develop written policies and procedures for undercover and surveillance operations to ensure that the work of crime prevention does not compromise public safety and officer safety. The policies and procedures should include: (1) Guidelines for authorizing undercover and surveillance operations that define clear objectives and outcomes, and (2) Operations planning should include specific details and anticipated manner of enforcement, i.e., vehicle takedown, incident command and coordination so that the supervisor does not become the primary contact officer, and contingency plans for fleeing suspects to ensure officer safety and public safety. 

    The second recommendation is that FPD provide refresher use of force training so that officers will make reasonable efforts to move out of the path of a moving vehicle when time and opportunity permit. Additionally, officers who are not readily identifiable as police officers, shall identify themselves as police officers and verbalize their intent to use deadly force, when it is safe to do so, such as using the public address system.

    The third recommendation is that FPD develop a written policy for high-risk felony stops for its policy manual.

    A copy of the report can be found here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Defense Contractor’s Longtime Associate Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Defraud the United States

    Source: United States Attorneys General 1

    Note: View Information here.

    A longtime associate of a former defense contractor pleaded guilty today to conspiring to defraud the United States.

    The following is according to court documents and statements made in court: from 2009 until approximately 2022, Thomas G. Ehr worked for or on behalf of a co-conspirator, a defense contractor who owned 50% of a business that supplied jet fuel to U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Middle East. Ehr was hired to manage several music television and entertainment projects funded with proceeds from this business. Over time Ehr played a role in several of his co-conspirator’s other investments, including a $60 million real estate investment in Tulum, Mexico, and a $50 million fuel infrastructure project.

    Ehr understood that the defense contractor was the business’s 50% owner since it was created, and that the contractor controlled hundreds of millions of dollars in profits from it.

    Nevertheless, Ehr agreed to conceal the contractor’s ownership and control of the company, primarily by falsely asserting that the contractor’s wife had founded the company, so that the contractor could obstruct the IRS’ ability to assess and collect the contractor’s taxes — including taxes on profits he made from contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense. Ehr acknowledged that because of the conspiracy, the contractor evaded taxes on more than $350 million of income and caused a tax loss to the United States of approximately $128 million. 

    Additionally, despite making hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in income, Ehr did not file tax returns for years 2010 to 2015, nor make payments on taxes he owed for 2010 to 2023. By doing so, Ehr caused a tax loss to the United States of more than $700,000. 

    Ehr is the sixth defendant associated with the defense contracting company to plead guilty. Charles Squires pleaded guilty to tax evasion in February 2022, James Robar pleaded guilty to tax evasion in March 2022, Ronald “Ron” Thomas pleaded guilty to tax evasion in April 2022, Zachary “Zack” Friedman pleaded guilty to tax evasion in August 2022, and Robert Dooner pleaded guilty to tax evasion in November 2023.

    Sentencing will be set at a later date. Ehr faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for the conspiracy count and a maximum penalty of one year in prison for the tax count. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Interim U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr. for the District of Columbia made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction are investigating the case, with assistance from His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs of the United Kingdom. Assistance was also provided by the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (J5), which brings together the taxing authorities of Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

    Senior Litigation Counsel Nannette Davis, Assistant Chief Sarah Ranney, and Trial Attorney Ezra Spiro of the Tax Division; and Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Gold for the District of Columbia are prosecuting the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Enfield — Update: RCMP appeals to public for information in relation to missing person Paul Freel

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    East Hants District RCMP continues to request the public’s assistance in locating 45-year-old Paul Joseph Freel, of East Uniacke, who was reported missing on April 13.

    Freel is described as 5 foot 11 and approximately 250 lbs. He has brown hair and brown eyes, and tattoos on his arms. He was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, blue jogging pants, and blue running shoes with yellow and white accents. He is believed to currently have notches shaved or plucked into his eyebrows.

    He was last seen on April 4, 2025, at approximately 5:35 pm in the East Uniacke area.

    Investigators have located the vehicle that Freel was driving when he was last seen, a grey 2013 Nissan Rogue, abandoned on a logging road off East Uniacke Road.

    Officers from East Hants District RCMP and neighbouring detachments, RCMP Ground Search and Rescue Incident Commanders, RCMP Police Dog Services, RCMP Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (drones), and RCMP Air Services have all been engaged in the efforts to locate Freel.

    Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Paul Freel is asked to refrain from approaching him and to contact the East Hants District RCMP at 902-883-7077 or local police. To remain anonymous, contact Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a tip online at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips app.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Lest we forget? Aside from Anzac Day, NZ has been slow to remember its military veterans

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Alexander Gillespie, Professor of Law, University of Waikato

    Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

    Following some very public protests, including Victoria Cross recipient
    Willie Apiata handing back his medal, the government’s announcement of an expanded official definition of the term “veteran” brings some good news for former military personnel ahead of this year’s ANZAC Day.

    The change will add roughly 100,000 service people and remove an anomaly that favoured those who served overseas, unless they served in New Zealand before 1974 when the Accident Compensation Corporation was founded. The new definition will not automatically change existing entitlements, but the government has expressed commitment to improving veterans’ support.

    The government will also establish a new national day of tribute for veterans. This falls somewhat short of a recommendation from the 2018 independent review of the Veterans’ Support Act which stated the government should accept it has a “moral duty of care to veterans”. But if adopted, this would create a missing ethical compass all democracies should have to acknowledge responsibilities to those who risked everything in service of their country.

    The same report also recommended better financial support for veterans, but so far the government has been reluctant to review the adequacy of veterans’ pensions.

    None of this is particularly surprising, given New Zealand’s history of sending people to fight and then rejecting their claims for recognition and compensation when the war is over.

    Some of this may also come to light in the Waitangi Tribunal’s current Military Veterans Kaupapa Inquiry, with potentially strong evidence of discrimination against Māori service personnel in particular.

    Sacrifice and compensation

    When New Zealand gave out its first military pensions in 1866, only the victors of the New Zealand Wars received them. For Māori allies, equity was missing. Pro-government Māori troops were eligible, but at a lower rate than Pākehā veterans.

    It was only in 1903 that specialist facilities such as the Ranfurly war veterans’ home in Auckland were created.

    The initial treatments for those who suffered “shell shock”, especially in the first world war, were atrocious. Their placement in mental institutions only ended following public outcry.

    Some veterans of the New Zealand Wars were compensated by being granted confiscated Māori land. It wasn’t until 1915 that a new system was formalised.

    This provided farm settlement schemes and vocational training for first world war veterans. The balloted farmland was largely exclusionary as Māori veterans were assumed to have tribal land already available to them.

    The rehabilitation of disabled service personnel dates back to the 1930s, before being formally legislated in 1941. But the focus faded over the following decades, with the specific status of veterans blurring as they were lumped in with more generic welfare goals.

    It took until 1964 for the government to pay war pensions to those who served in Jayforce, the 12,000-strong New Zealand troops stationed in Japan as part of the postwar occupation from 1946 to 1948.

    From atomic tests to Agent Orange

    British hydrogen bombs were tested over Kiritimati in 1957.
    Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

    A decade later, more than 500 New Zealand navy personnel took part in Operation Grapple, the British hydrogen bomb tests near Kiribati in 1957–58. Despite evidence of a variety of health problems – including cancer, premature death and deformities in children – it was not until 1990 that the government extended coverage of benefits to veterans who had contracted some specific listed conditions.

    It took another eight years before the government broadened the evidence requirements and accepted service in Operation Grapple as an eligibility starting point for additional emergency pensions.

    Last year, the United States declared a National Atomic Veterans’ Day and made potentially significant compensation available. But neither New Zealand nor Britain even apologised for putting those personnel in harm’s way so recklessly.

    During the war in Vietnam, some of the 3,400 New Zealanders who served between 1963 and 1975 were exposed to “Agent Orange”, the notorious defoliant used by the US military.

    Some of them and their children experienced related health problems and higher death rates. The government did not accept there was a problem until 2006 and apologised in 2008.

    Assistance and compensation was based on evidence of specific listed conditions. And although the list has expanded over time, the legal and medical burden of proving a link between exposure and an illness falls on the veteran.

    This is the opposite of what should happen. If there is uncertainty about the medical condition of a veteran, such as a non-listed condition, it should be for the Crown to prove an illness or injury is not related to military service. This burden should not fall on the victim.

    Lest we forget

    Today, support for veterans remains limited. There is still a reluctance to systematically understand, study and respond to the long-term consequences of military service.

    For many, service develops skills such as resilience, confidence and flexibility which are sought after in civilian life. For some, their experiences lead to lingering trauma and even self-harm or suicide.

    While Britain and Australia can track the incidence of veteran self-harm, New Zealand lacks robust data. Beyond some early research, the prevalence of suicide in the veteran population is unknown.

    Despite recommendations from the 2018 report that this data gap should be plugged, it means that when three self-inflicted deaths of veterans occurred within three weeks earlier this year, this couldn’t be viewed within any overall pattern. This makes appropriate support and interventions harder to design.

    This all points to the same problem. While we intone “lest we forget” on April 25, a day later most of us are looking the other way.

    Alexander Gillespie does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. Lest we forget? Aside from Anzac Day, NZ has been slow to remember its military veterans – https://theconversation.com/lest-we-forget-aside-from-anzac-day-nz-has-been-slow-to-remember-its-military-veterans-254684

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 2025-55 HAWAIʻI’S FIRST EVER “DO THE WRITE THING” STUDENT AMBASSADOR CHOSEN TO REPRESENT HAWAIʻI AT NATIONAL SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON D.C.

    Source: US State of Hawaii

    2025-55 HAWAIʻI’S FIRST EVER “DO THE WRITE THING” STUDENT AMBASSADOR CHOSEN TO REPRESENT HAWAIʻI AT NATIONAL SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON D.C.

    Posted on Apr 21, 2025 in Latest Department News, Newsroom

    STATE OF HAWAIʻI

    KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

    DEPARTMENT OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

    KA ʻOIHANA O KA LOIO KUHINA

     

    JOSH GREEN, M.D.
    GOVERNOR

    KE KIAʻĀINA

     

    ANNE LOPEZ

    ATTORNEY GENERAL

    LOIO KUHINA

     

    HAWAIʻI’S FIRST EVER “DO THE WRITE THING” STUDENT AMBASSADOR CHOSEN TO REPRESENT HAWAIʻI AT NATIONAL SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON D.C.

    News Release 2025-55

     

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       

    April 21, 2025

    HONOLULU — In a powerful reflection on the realities of youth violence, Waiʻanae Intermediate School eighth grader Keziah Chloe Bacor was selected to represent Hawaiʻi at the National Do the Write Thing (DtWT) Summit for her personal essay titled, “Why Violence?” The piece was written as part of a classroom assignment challenging students to examine how violence has impacted their lives and what they can do to create change. Keziah becomes Hawaiʻi’s first DtWT student ambassador and will travel to Washington, D.C., this July to share her story on a national stage.

    DtWT is a national writing program that empowers middle school students to become changemakers by exploring the root causes and impacts of youth violence. Through classroom discussions and personal reflection, students write essays responding to three key questions: What are the causes of youth violence? How has violence affected your life? What can you do to reduce youth violence?

    “I am thrilled by the overwhelming success of this program as it engages our youth and inspires future generations to speak out against violence and bullying in their homes, schools and communities,” said Governor Josh Green, M.D.. “Their dedication to promoting peace and addressing youth violence also designates them as Hawaiʻi’s Ambassadors for Peace.”

    “Do the Write Thing is an inclusive and equitable program for all middle school students. The writings submitted aren’t judged by grammar or academic skill, but by the power of the ideas and lived experiences they share. This isn’t a writing contest—it’s a platform for young voices, and a powerful movement for change,” said Amber Moyer, DtWT Program Director, Washington, D.C.

    Keziah’s essay will be published with the writings of her peers from across the country. The anthology is archived at the Library of Congress. The students will also meet with members of Congress to share their perspectives and advocate for a future free from violence during a four-day summit.

    “In the beginning of my eight-grade year, many violent acts occurred in our community. Four shootings happened in a span of four weeks. After that, I’ve never been more careful of my surroundings or my family’s,” said Keziah. “Along with this writing challenge, my classmates and I were able to talk to Congresswoman Jill Tokuda and AG Anne Lopez about what was happening in our community, as well as doing sign waving to promote awareness in front of our school. Doing this allowed me to express my feelings about the violence that I have been bottling up inside me. I never thought I would win this competition but I’m forever grateful that I did. I would tell other students let your emotions out. You don’t have to be scared.”

    The Department of the Attorney General and the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) launched DtWT at the start of the 2024–25 school year, with Waiʻanae Intermediate serving as the pilot site.

    “This year has presented significant challenges for our community. However, this writing initiative has given our students a voice, empowering our students to become active agents of change,” Wai‘anae Intermediate School Principal John Wataoka said. “Through their reflective work, our students showed a deep consideration of the unseen impacts of violence and were afforded a positive outlet for expressing their feelings, one that often sparks a discourse of ideas toward potential solutions.”

     

    “Each year, millions of young lives are shaped by violence, leaving behind deep physical and emotional scars,” Attorney General Anne Lopez said. “I am thankful to the Department of Education and my staff for their hard work implementing DtWT this school year. Together, we are already looking at expanding the program to other schools across the state. We want it to become a tool and platform for our youth to express their thoughts and ideas in writing about addressing youth violence.”

    From the start of the school year, Waiʻanae Intermediate educator Nicole Kurata guided 27 students through meaningful conversations that encouraged empathy, self-reflection, and a commitment to positive change. Students were invited to submit essays or poems of up to three pages for consideration.

    Essays were reviewed by a selection panel that included Attorney General Lopez; Department of Law Enforcement Director Mike Lambert; HIDOE Deputy Superintendent Heidi Armstrong; Nānākuli-Wai‘anae Complex Area Superintendent Disa Hauge; and Ashley Atisanoe of the Waiʻanae Coast Community Mental Health Center.

    For more information on the national Do the Write Thing Program, visit www.dtwt.org/program. Photos, video and soundbites from today’s ceremony at Washington Place can be found here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/0dmqmrxecpd9524ptej23/AJBQUafFXUVJxq19w1ZoAXc?rlkey=mj44116a1arukenuolxbluqez&st=rxl6jhtf&dl=0

    # # #

     

    Media contacts:

    Nanea Ching

    Communications Director

    Hawai‘i State Department of Education

    Office: 808-784-6200

    Cell: 808-260-5032

    Email: [email protected]

    Dave Day

    Special Assistant to the Attorney General

    Office: 808-586-1284

    Email: [email protected]

    Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov

     

    Toni Schwartz
    Public Information Officer
    Hawai‘i Department of the Attorney General
    Office: 808-586-1252
    Cell: 808-379-9249
     Email: [email protected] 

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Marked by Decisive Action and Meaningful Progress: Governor Kehoe’s First 100 Days

    Source: US State of Missouri

    APRIL 22, 2025

    Jefferson City — Today marks 100 days of the Kehoe Administration, a milestone defined by decisive leadership, principled action, and meaningful progress on the issues that matter to Missouri families.

    Since taking the oath of office on January 13, 2025, Governor Mike Kehoe has pursued a conservative, forward-thinking agenda focused on strengthening public safety, expanding educational opportunities and workforce availability, stimulating economic growth, and bolstering agricultural resilience. 

    Governor Kehoe’s inaugural State of the State Address outlined his administration’s priorities, setting the tone for a results-driven, people-first approach. The Governor proposed a conservative and fiscally responsible budget that leaves a significant balance of funds while providing historic support for K-12 education and school choice, public safety, child care, and state team members.

    “As we reach this milestone of 100 days in the Governor’s Office, I am humbled by and proud of the progress we’ve made in a short time,” said Governor Kehoe. “Our focus remains on delivering practical, commonsense solutions that improve the lives of Missourians across our state—and we’re just getting started.” 

    Highlights from Governor Kehoe’s first 100 days include:

    Executive Actions: Governor Kehoe moved quickly to establish key priorities through executive action, reinforcing public safety and streamlining operations to better serve Missourians.

    • Signed six executive orders on Day One, including efforts to combat illegal immigration and support law enforcement to officially launch his comprehensive Safer Missouri initiative and reaffirming the administration’s commitment to public safety.
    • Eliminated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives in Missouri state agencies, ensuring compliance with the constitutional principle of equal protection under the law.
    • Launched the forward-thinking School Funding Modernization Task Force and Workforce of the Future Challenge to align educational pathways with Missouri’s evolving workforce needs.
    • Coordinated response and recovery efforts to ensure statewide readiness and support for communities affected by severe weather.

    Legislative Achievements: Working in partnership with the General Assembly, the Kehoe Administration has already secured several legislative wins to enhance the lives of Missourians across the state.

    • Signed House Bill 495, equipping law enforcement with the tools they need to crack down on crime and illegal immigration, while establishing a citizen board to oversee the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department.
    • Signed Senate Bill 4, ensuring safe, reliable, and affordable power is generated right here in Missouri and supporting long-term economic development efforts.
    • Approved the supplemental budget bill for Fiscal Year 2025, allowing current operations of state government to continue, while also strengthening education and special needs services and supporting law enforcement and senior care.

    Gubernatorial Appointments: In his first 100 days, Governor Kehoe has made nearly 100 appointments to boards, commissions, the judiciary, and county-level positions—demonstrating a commitment to experienced leadership, efficient governance, and balanced representation. 

    • Appointed 74 Missourians to serve on various boards and commissions, including 12 appointments to university governing boards.
    • Built out his administration’s Cabinet, with nine department leaders confirmed by the Missouri Senate.
    • Filled eight vacant county offices.
    • Appointed six judicial positions.

    Governor Kehoe and his administration will continue to advance policies grounded in accountability, opportunity, and service to all Missourians.

    For more information on Governor Kehoe’s initiatives and accomplishments, visit governor.mo.gov.

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    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Bradford County Man Sentenced To 292 Months In Prison For Production Of Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WILLIAMSPORT – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Benjamin Wheeler, age 29, of Bradford County, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on April 15, 2025, to 292 months’ imprisonment to be followed by ten years of supervised release by Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann on one count of production of child pornography.

    According to Acting United States Attorney John C. Gurganus, Wheeler coerced two minor victims to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography on four separate occasions in June and July of 2022, in Bradford County.

    Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin read a statement from one of the victim’s mothers expressing the devastating impact this crime has had on the victim and the victim’s family.

    The case was investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant United States Attorney Alisan V. Martin prosecuted the case.

    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.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Florence Tax Preparer Indicted for Tax Fraud

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FLORENCE, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Florence returned a 43-count indictment against Talisha Cooper, 44, of Coward, for preparing false tax returns.

    The indictment alleges that Cooper was a tax return preparer and manager of Tax Fusions, located in Florence. Beginning in 2019 and through 2023, Cooper knowingly filed numerous returns that were fraudulent. The returns reported false fuel tax credits, family and sick leave credits, employee business expenses and Schedule C business profits or losses. The investigation revealed at least 43 instances of false returns with a total loss of $374,349.

    Cooper was arrested today and arraigned in federal court this afternoon. Cooper faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison and a fine.

    The case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hummel is prosecuting the case. 

    All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: White Supremacist Receives Life Sentence in Federal Court for Kidnapping and Murder

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    FAYETTEVILLE – A California man was sentenced yesterday to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for Aiding and Abetting the Kidnapping and Murder of a Northwest Arkansas man.  The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing, which was held in the U.S. District Court in Fayetteville.

    According to court documents, in November of 2021, the defendant, Daniel Paul Blanks, age 46, and his co-defendant, Reginald Baker, age 37, drove to the Springdale apartment of a Northwest Arkansas resident. Per witnesses, the men, armed with a shotgun, forcefully entered the apartment, assaulted and beat the resident, and then dragged his unconscious body down the exterior staircase of the apartment complex and placed him in the back of Blanks’ truck bed. Blanks and Baker then transported the victim from Arkansas to the Mark Twain National Park, located in Barry County Missouri, where Blanks shot the victim numerous times. The victim’s body lay undiscovered for several days until a hunter located him in a heavily wooded logging road. 

    On November 29, 2021, both Blanks and Baker were charged in the Circuit Court of Washington County, with Capital Murder, Kidnapping, and Residential Burglary. On April 5, 2024, Baker pleaded guilty in Washington County Arkansas Circuit Court to Accomplice to Murder in the 1st Degree, Accomplice to Kidnapping, and Accomplice to Residential Burglary. He was sentenced to a total of 60 years imprisonment. On October 25, 2024, Blanks entered a guilty plea to Aiding and Abetting Kidnapping Resulting in Death, in federal court.  

    During the sentencing hearing, the Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks cited Blanks’ affiliation with white supremacist groups as an aggravating factor supporting the imposition of a life sentence.

    This case involving Daniel Blanks was prosecuted in cooperation with the 4th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

    U.S. Attorney Clay Fowlkes of the Western District of Arkansas made the announcement.

    The Springdale Police Department, Barry County Missouri Sheriff’s Office, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the Bentonville Police Department, and the Arkansas Office of Probation and Parole all investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Roberts prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

    Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI United Nations: Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Opens One Hundred and Fifteenth Session in Geneva

    Source: United Nations – Geneva

    The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this morning opened its one hundred and fifteenth session in Geneva, during which it will review anti-discrimination efforts by Gabon, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Republic of Korea and Ukraine under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.  The Committee heard from a representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and adopted the session’s agenda.

    Antti Korkeakivi, Chief, Human Rights Treaties Branch, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and representative of the Secretary-General, opening the one hundred and fifteenth session, paid tribute to the important work of the Committee in promoting and protecting the human rights of all people without discrimination. With the Convention marking its sixtieth anniversary this year, it was an opportunity to explore avenues to generate greater political will and concrete action to fight racial discrimination. 

    Mr. Korkeakivi said a heavy programme of work was before the Committee over the next three weeks, with five major State party reviews; the consideration of five follow-up reports for Croatia, Germany, Morocco, Tajikistan and Uruguay; a half-day of general discussion on reparations for the injustices from the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans, which would inform a new general recommendation on the topic; consideration of cases under the early warning and urgent action and individual complaints procedures; and meetings with various stakeholders.  He wished the Committee a fruitful and productive session.

    Michal Balcerzak, Committee Chairperson, congratulated Mr. Korkeakivi on assuming his position, and expressed hope that he could help navigate the treaty body system through the stormy weather it was currently facing.  Mr. Balcerzak also said he hoped that, during the session, the Committee would have fruitful interactive dialogues with Ukraine, Mauritius, the Republic of Korea, Gabon and Kyrgyzstan.  He thanked the members of the Committee’s secretariat for their help in facilitating Committee Experts’ work during and between sessions.

    The programme of work and other documents related to the Committee’s one hundred and fifteenth session can be found here.  Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.

    The Committee will next meet in public on Wednesday, 23 April at 3 p.m. to consider the combined twenty-fourth to twenty-sixth periodic reports of Ukraine (CERD/C/UKR/24-26).

    Statements

    ANTTI KORKEAKIVI, Chief, Human Rights Treaties Branch, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and representative of the Secretary-General, opening the one hundred and fifteenth session, said the international system was going through a tectonic shift, and the human rights edifice that was built up so painstakingly over decades had never been under so much strain.  Everyone needed to make an all-out effort to ensure that human rights and the rule of law remained foundational to communities, societies and international relations.  Otherwise, the picture would be very dangerous.

    The Secretary-General, in his message on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, warned that “The poison of racism continues to infect our world – a toxic legacy of historic enslavement, colonialism and discrimination.  It corrupts communities, blocks opportunities, and ruins lives, eroding the very foundations of dignity, equality and justice.  Forged amidst the civil rights, anti-apartheid, and decolonisation movements of the 1960s, the Convention sets out concrete steps countries must take to combat racist doctrines, promote understanding, and build a world free from racial discrimination.  Today, it remains a beacon of hope to guide us in dark times.”

    Mr. Korkeakivi paid tribute to the important work of the Committee to monitor the implementation of the Convention and its significant contributions in promoting and protecting the human rights of all people without discrimination.  With the Convention marking its sixtieth anniversary this year, it was an opportunity to explore avenues to generate greater political will and concrete action to fight racial discrimination.

    In this connection, several events were held to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the sixtieth anniversary.  The Committee Chair, Mr. Balcerzak, participated in person in commemorative events at the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, presenting a joint statement led by the Committee together with 10 other mechanisms.  The Office of the High Commissioner would continue to support the Committee in its objectives for the yearlong anniversary campaign.  It had created a website on the anniversary, which presented a list of commemorative activities that would be updated throughout the year. 

    The High Commissioner’s annual report on the rights of persons belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, presented to the fifty-eighth session of the Human Rights Council last month, extensively referenced the Committee’s assessment of the realisation of minority rights and acknowledged the important contribution made by the Committee in advancing the adoption of comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation worldwide.  Last December, the United Nations Network on Racial Discrimination and Protection of Minorities organised a community-of-practice on the Committee’s general recommendation 37 to discuss how countries could use it to eliminate racial discrimination in the context of health. 

    Further, the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in its 2024 study on mechanisms to achieve the United National Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, underscored the relevance of the Committee’s jurisprudence in protecting the political and cultural rights of indigenous peoples. The study highlighted how the Committee’s work reinforced the principles of the Declaration and strengthened the role of international treaty bodies in holding States accountable for respecting the collective rights of indigenous peoples.

    In December 2024, the General Assembly proclaimed 2025-2034 as the Second International Decade for People of African Descent, with the theme “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development”.  The Office of the High Commissioner had continued consultations to inform the implementation of its agenda towards transformative change for racial justice and equality. 

    The session of the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent in December 2024 also focused on reparatory justice.  Their report would be presented at the Human Rights Council session in September 2025. The Working Group organised yesterday a panel to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the Convention. Also, in December 2024, the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent held its first regional consultation on the draft United Nations Declaration on the Human Rights of People of African Descent in Barbados.  The fourth session of the Permanent Forum held last week focused on “Africa and people of African descent: United for reparatory justice in the age of Artificial Intelligence”. 

    Additionally, the International Independent Expert Mechanism to Advance Racial Justice and Equality in Law Enforcement would hold its fourth session from 5 to 9 May 2025 in Geneva.  It would discuss “addressing systemic racism against Africans and people of African descent in the criminal justice system” in preparation of its thematic report on the same topic.

    In March 2025, the Office of the High Commissioner organised a regional consultation for Europe on racism in sports in Belgium.  The second consultation for the Latin American region would take place in Mexico. The outcomes of these regional consultations would inform the High Commissioner’s report on a world of sport free from racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia, and related intolerance, to be presented at the Human Rights Council’s September session.

    The fifteenth session of the Ad Hoc Committee on the elaboration of complementary standards to the Convention was continuing efforts to elaborate an additional protocol to the Convention aiming at criminalising acts of a racist and xenophobic nature.  This session would focus on concrete provisions related to the prohibition and criminalisation of such acts, procedural guarantees for indicted persons and the protection of victims.  The session also included a commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of the Convention. 

    The Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance would present two thematic reports on intersectionality from a racial justice perspective, and combatting the glorification of Nazism, as well as a report on her country visit to Brazil, at the fifty-ninth session of the Human Rights Council in June 2025.

    The past year had been particularly challenging for the treaty body system.  In addition to chronic resource constraints, the liquidity crisis continued to hamper the planning and implementation of the Committee’s work. The Office was doing its utmost to ensure that this Committee and other treaty bodies could implement their mandates, including by highlighting the direct impact that resource limitations had on human rights protection on the ground.  Nevertheless, all indications pointed to a continuation of the difficult liquidity situation for the foreseeable future.  While all treaty bodies had been able to hold their first sessions, the outlook for the rest of the year remained uncertain, both in terms of plenary meeting and visits.  The Office would inform the Committee when it received information regarding its second session for the year.

    Despite these challenges, the treaty body strengthening process remained active.  It reached a key moment with the adoption in December of last year of the biennial resolution on the treaty body system by the General Assembly, which invited the treaty bodies and the Office to continue to work toward a regularised schedule for reporting and to further use digital technologies.  However, the biennial resolution did not endorse the proposal for an eight-year predictable schedule of reviews.

    In concluding remarks, Mr. Korkeakivi said a heavy programme of work was before the Committee over the next three weeks, with five major State party reviews; the consideration of five follow-up reports for Croatia, Germany, Morocco, Tajikistan and Uruguay; a half-day of general discussion on reparations for the injustices from the transatlantic trade of enslaved Africans, and the ongoing crimes against people of African descent, which would inform a new general recommendation on the topic; consideration of cases under the early warning and urgent action and individual complaints procedures; and meetings with various stakeholders.  He wished the Committee a fruitful and productive session.

    MICHAL BALCERZAK, Committee Chairperson, congratulated Mr. Korkeakivi on assuming his position.  The Committee hoped that he could achieve his mandate and navigate the treaty body system through the stormy weather it was currently facing.  Mr. Balcerzak expressed hope that, during the session, the Committee would have fruitful interactive dialogues with Ukraine, Mauritius, the Republic of Korea, Gabon and Kyrgyzstan.  He thanked the members of the Committee’s secretariat for its help facilitating Committee Experts’ work during and between sessions.

    NOUREDDIN AMIR, Committee Expert, said that he had been fighting all forms of racial discrimination for half a century, including as the Committee’s former Chair.  Despite his failing eyesight, he would continue to breathe life to the Committee’s struggle against racial discrimination.  The world was in a sorry state, Mr. Amir said.  The Committee needed to ensure that the international community was fully cognisant of what was happening in the world today. Murders were being committed in Palestine, in Gaza.  What could the Committee do to put an end to these crimes against women and children. This situation beggared belief, yet it continued.  People needed to be held accountable.  The Committee had a responsibility to continue to fight for its mandate.

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    Produced by the United Nations Information Service in Geneva for use of the media; 
    not an official record. English and French versions of our releases are different as they are the product of two separate coverage teams that work independently.

     

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    MIL OSI United Nations News –