NewzIntel.com

Category: Security

  • MIL-OSI USA: HSI Newark supports New Jersey Attorney General in taking down large-scale diesel fuel theft ring on the East Coast

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    NEWARK, N.J. — After an investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark with state and local partners, 25 people and four companies were charged for their alleged roles in a multimillion-dollar scheme that used stolen credit card information to fraudulently purchase tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel and then resell it to trucking companies and other fuel providers.

    “The success of this operation is a true testament to our valued partnership with the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office,” HSI Newark acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas said. “Together we targeted members of a criminal organization suspected of using stolen credit card information to purchase diesel fuel along the East Coast and ensured many fraudsters faced justice.”

    As alleged, the enterprise operated in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, using credit card “skimmers” that stole financial information from credit and debit cards to create “cloned” cards that were used to make fraudulent fuel purchases. Various vehicles — some having been modified with auxiliary tanks to illegally transport fraudulently purchased diesel fuel — were loaded up with the stolen fuel and delivered it to customers, earning the enterprise illicit profits of $3.4 million during the time period of the investigation.

    “These defendants allegedly developed a sophisticated system for stealing credit card information from unsuspecting victims and then used that information to make new, fraudulent cards, which they used to buy diesel fuel,” said New Jersey Attorney General Platkin. “That fuel was then allegedly sold to trucking companies and other fuel providers. Working with our local law enforcement partners, we will always be on the lookout for financial frauds and protect the public from these schemes.”

    HSI Newark and the Office of the Attorney General partnered with the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), the Camden County Prosecutor’s office and the Gloucester Township Police Department in the investigation into the criminal organization resulting in the charges.

    According to the investigation, in October 2023, DCJ detectives received information from the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and Gloucester Township Police Department about an alleged diesel fuel theft enterprise operating throughout New Jersey. Participants allegedly placed skimming devices on various gas pumps when the gas stations were closed. A skimming device is a card reader that is surreptitiously placed in a location where individuals will insert their credit or debit cards and records the user’s information.

    The investigation revealed that the enterprise possessed “master” keys that unlocked gas pumps, permitting them to install the skimmers inside. Some of the skimmers recovered included stolen information from victims who had used the affected gas pumps. Those devices and other electronic devices recovered during the investigation showed that the enterprise allegedly stole credit card information from thousands of victims from New Jersey and surrounding states.

    The stolen financial information was allegedly used to create “cloned” cards that were used to purchase diesel fuel from other gas stations. Approximately 500 cloned cards were recovered from enterprise members during arrests by law enforcement. After purchasing the fuel, they would then deliver the fuel to trucking companies in exchange for payment. No member of the enterprise is registered with the state to sell diesel fuel.

    Additional partners in the investigation include New Jersey’s Elizabeth, Bordentown, Mahwah, Roxbury Township, Mantua, Franklin Township, Cranford Township and Kearny police departments, the Union County Prosecutor’s Office – Cyber Crimes Taskforce. Out of state partners include the Bristol and Lancaster City police departments in Pennsylvania, the Colchester Police Department in New York, the East Lyme Police Department in Connecticut plus the New York, Pennsylvania and New Hampshire State Police. Miami-Dade Police Department, Broward County Sheriff’s Office, and Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in Florida and the Texas Department of Public Safety assisted with the arrests.

    Charges are merely accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.

    Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSINewark to learn more about HSI’s global missions and operations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: HSI investigation leads to guilty pleas for Chinese nationals in fraudulent gift card conspiracy

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    CONCORD, N.H. — Three Chinese nationals pleaded guilty Jan. 14 for their roles in a large-scale fraud conspiracy based in China after their activity was uncovered during a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) probe.

    Naxin Wu, 26, Mengying Jiang, 34, and Mingdong Chen, 28, pleaded guilty in federal court in Concord to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Judge Landya B. McCafferty scheduled Wu’s sentencing for April 8, 2025 and Jiang’s sentencing for April 22, 2025. Judge Joseph N. Laplante scheduled Chen’s sentencing for April 11, 2025.

    According to HSI’s investigation, organized criminal elements in China acquire gift cards through multiple fraudulent means. For example, gift cards are obtained by hacking U.S. companies, and targeting U.S. citizens through romance and elder fraud schemes. The criminal elements then send the gift card data to multiple cells of Chinese nationals operating in the United States through a Chinese-based messaging platform.

    Once U.S.-based cells receive the gift card data, they then spend the gift cards to purchase high-value electronics, principally Apple products. After purchasing the Apple products, cell members consolidate the electronics in warehouses for shipment to China, Hong Kong, or countries in Southeast Asia. The cells primarily operate in states with no sales tax, such as New Hampshire, to maximize their profits.

    Wu, Jiang, and Chen are members of one cell in New Hampshire. Wu and Jiang purchased fraudulent gift cards at a discount from their face value. They then either personally used the cards or disseminated them to others, including Chen, to use. Wu was responsible for $1.4 million, Jiang for $3 million, and Chen for $400,000 of fraudulent gift cards.

    The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    HSI New England’s Manchester Resident Agent in Charge office, Internal Revenue Service’s Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Concord Police Department led the investigation. The Merrimack County Attorney’s Office has provided valuable assistance.

    Gift card fraud has become a growing concern for consumers and businesses alike. Under Project Red Hook, HSI is teaming up with our law enforcement partners and businesses to raise awareness of how Chinese organized crime groups are exploiting gift cards to launder money.

    Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSINewEngland to learn more about HSI’s global missions and operations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Jeweler sentenced to 30 months for multimillion-dollar international trade fraud scheme following a multi-agency investigation

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    NEWARK, N.J. — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark led an investigation with law enforcement partners spanning from India to New York and New Jersey, resulting in the discovery of a jeweler running a multimillion-dollar international trade fraud scheme and unlicensed money transmitting.

    Monishkumar Kirankumar Doshi Shah, a/k/a “Monish Doshi Shah” (Shah), 40, of Mumbai, India and Jersey City, New Jersey, who operated jewelry companies in New York City’s Diamond District was sentenced to 30 months for spearheading a scheme to illegally evade customs duties for more than $13.5 million of jewelry imports into the United States and for illegally processing more than $10.3 million through an unlicensed money transmitting business. He previously pleaded guilty at the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey to a two-count Information charging him with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and operating and aiding and abetting the operation of an unlicensed money transmitting business.

    “Monishkumar Kirankumar Doshi Shah disregarded our nation’s trade laws and defrauded the U.S. government of millions of dollars in customs duties through his brazen international financial fraud scheme,” said HSI Newark acting Special Agent in Charge Sprios Karabinas. “Through HSI’s investigation, we were able to uncover the mislabeled tracks of jewelry shipments and illegal transactions Shah hoped to conceal. We are thankful for the collaboration with partners across the globe who helped us bring this case to successful prosecution.”

    According to the investigation, from approximately December 2019 to approximately April 2022, Shah engaged in a scheme to evade duties for shipments of jewelry from Turkey and India to the United States. Shah would ship and/or instruct his co-conspirators to ship goods from Turkey or India — which would have been subject to an approximately 5.5% duty if shipped directly to the United States — to one of Shah’s companies in South Korea. Shah’s co-conspirators in South Korea would change the labels on the jewelry to state that they were from South Korea instead of Turkey or India, and then ship them to Shah or his customers in the United States, thereby unlawfully evading the duty. Shah would also make and instruct his customers to make fake invoices and packing lists to make it look like Shah’s South Korean companies were actually ordering jewelry from Turkey or India. Shah also instructed a third-party shipping company to provide false information to U.S. Customs and Border Protection concerning the origin of the jewelry. During the scheme, Shah shipped approximately $13.5 million of jewelry from South Korea to the United States without paying the appropriate duty.

    In addition, from approximately July 2020 through approximately November 2021, Shah owned and/or operated numerous jewelry companies in New York City’s Diamond District, including MKore LLC, MKore USA Inc, and Vruman Corp. Shah used these entities to conduct more than $10.3 million in illegal financial transactions for customers — including converting cash to checks or wire transfers. Shah would also collect cash from customers and use other individuals’ jewelry companies to convert the cash into wires or checks. At times, Shah and other members of the money transmitting business moved hundreds of thousands of dollars in a single day. In exchange for their services, certain members of the money transmitting business charged a fee. None of Shah’s or his associates’ companies were registered as money transmitting businesses with New York, New Jersey, or the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

    In addition to the prison term, Judge Salas ordered restitution in the amount of $742,500 for the wire fraud scheme and forfeiture in the amount of $11,126,982.33 for the wire fraud and unlicensed money transmitting schemes. In addition, the Court imposed a two-year term of supervised release.

    HSI Newark partnered with HSI New York, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation in Newark, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection in the investigation leading to the sentence. International partners included the HSI attaché office in Seoul, and the Korea Customs Service, the Seoul Customs Special Investigation Office in South Korea. The DEA, the Parsippany -Troy Hills Police Department, the Morristown Police Department, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation – Office of Inspector General and the Justice Department’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section assisted in the investigation.

    Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSINewark to learn more about HSI’s global missions and operations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: HSI Miami-Key West investigation leads to 2 Ukrainian nationals sentenced for $25m tax evasion, money laundering and labor exploitation conspiracy

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    MIAMI — Two Ukrainian nationals who were extradited from the Kingdom of Thailand to the United States in September 2024 were sentenced Jan. 27 on charges related to labor-staffing companies they operated in Florida.

    Oleg Oliynyk and Oleksandr Yurchyk were each sentenced to 15 years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to commit money laundering after a joint investigation between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami-Key West and IRS Criminal Investigation.

    According to court documents, Oliynyk, Yurchyk and others owned and operated a series of labor-staffing companies in South Florida — including Paradise Choice LLC, Paradise Choice Cleaning LLC, Tropical City Services LLC and Tropical City Group LLC — from at least April 2008 and August 2021. Through these staffing companies, Oliynyk, Yurchyk and co-defendants Oleksandr Morgunov, Mykhaylo Chugay and Volodymyr Ogorodnychuk facilitated the employment of non-resident aliens in the hospitality industry who were not authorized to work in the United States and helped evade the assessment and collection of more than $25 million of federal income and employment taxes.

    In addition to the term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge Jose E. Martinez ordered Oliynyk and Yurchyk to each serve three years of supervised release, pay $10,863,233.05 in restitution to the United States and to forfeit $11 million.

    Oliynyk and Yurchyk are the latest defendants sentenced as part of Operation RoomKey, a joint criminal investigation initiative led by the Tax Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Homeland Security Investigations and IRS Criminal Investigation.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Michael S. Davis for the Southern District of Florida and acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

    Senior Litigation Counsel Chris Clark of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, Senior Litigation Counsel Sean Beaty, and Trial Attorneys Jessica A. Kraft, Matthew C. Hicks, and Wilson Rae Stamm of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

    Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida or on Pacer under case number 21-cr-10009.

    Members of the public with information about criminal activity in your community are encouraged to contact the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP.

    Learn more about HSI’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSI_Miami.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: HSI Newark investigation leads to conviction of New Jersey man on financial crimes and trafficking fentanyl-related substances

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    NEWARK, N.J. — A New Jersey man was convicted by a jury in connection with his role in a drug trafficking organization following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Newark.

    On Jan. 29, William Panzera, 51, of North Haledon, New Jersey was convicted of drug trafficking conspiracy and international promotional money laundering conspiracy at the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The drug trafficking organization is responsible for the importation and distribution of hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl analogues Eight other defendants have previously pleaded guilty in related cases.

    HSI Newark is investigating the case with support from HSI Philadelphia, the FBI Newark Field Office, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Newark Field Office, IRS Criminal Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Newark Police Department, and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office provided valuable assistance.

    According to the investigation, from approximately January 2014 through September 2020, Panzera and other members of the drug trafficking organization, agreed to import and distribute controlled substances and controlled substance analogues, including fentanyl analogues, methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), methylone, and ketamine. Co-conspirators ordered controlled substances and analogues from a source in China and paid those sources hundreds of thousands of dollars via wire transfer and cryptocurrency. The conspirators distributed the substances in bulk and in the form of counterfeit pharmaceutical pills that actually contained fentanyl analogues throughout New Jersey.

    The jury convicted Panzera of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of furanyl fentanyl and 4 fluoro isobutyryl fentanyl and international promotional money laundering conspiracy. Panzera faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison, a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a fine of up to $10 million for the drug trafficking conspiracy charge, and a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $500,000 for the money laundering conspiracy charge. He is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSINewark to learn more about HSI’s global missions and operations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Former Bosnian prison camp supervisor sentenced to over 5 years in prison for concealing participation in wartime persecution

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    BOSTON — A Swampscott man was sentenced Jan. 22 in federal court in Boston after Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) uncovered a 25-year scheme to conceal his persecution of ethnic Serbs during the Bosnian War as well as making false claims to come to the United States and ultimately become a United States citizen.

    Kemal Mrndzic, 52, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to 65 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. In October 2024, Mrndzic was convicted by a federal jury of engaging in a scheme to conceal his involvement in the persecution of Serb prisoners at the notorious Celebici prison camp in Bosnia in 1992; making a false statement to federal agents about his role at the camp; possessing a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate and Social Security card; and using a fraudulently obtained passport and certificate of naturalization.

    “Through the brave testimony of the survivors of the Celebici prison camp, the persecution Mrndzic attempted to conceal was finally brought to light after over 30 years. Though we can never undo what the survivors endured, I hope this sentence brings some measure of justice, no matter how long delayed,” said HSI New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol. “HSI remains tireless in our effort to pursue war criminals and human rights violators who attempt to evade justice.”

    “For over two decades, Mr. Mrndzic evaded accountability for his participation in the persecution and torture of countless victims at the camp. By holding him accountable for his lies and fraudulent conduct, this sentence reinforces our resolve to ensure that those responsible for war crimes and human rights abuses are identified, exposed, and prosecuted. This case underscores that we will not allow our nation to be a refuge for those who seek to escape justice,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “The government will be working to ensure that his fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship is revoked.”

    Mrndzic served as a supervisor of the guards at the notorious Celebici prison camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the sectarian war which fractured the country in the 1990s. Twenty-one former detainees described Mrndzic as one of the most notable guards at the camp, who was widely known for his particularly vicious treatment of prisoners and his close association with the camp deputy commander. Mrndzic participated in the systematic and pervasive brutal torture and deprivation of basic human needs of hundreds of captive victims — some of whom were elderly — at the Celebici prison camp. For seven months, victims were forcibly detained with starvation rations, at times forced into lightless, airless manholes that were sealed for hours at a time. Victims also endured daily and nightly beatings that were administered by the guards at the camp — with baseball bats, wooden poles and rifle butts.

    Camp survivors who testified at trial in October 2024 recounted murders, the burning of one detainee’s tongue with a heated knife blade, the wrapping of another detainee with a long explosive fuse cord and then lighting it on fire, sexual abuse and other harrowing acts committed over a period of many months. One survivor recounted the beating death of a 70-year-old detainee whom guards pinned a political party badge to his forehead while he was still dying. Survivors also testified about being starved and deprived of the most basic needs, including sleeping on the concrete floor of a sheet metal hangar for months on end while being fed only a slice of bread a day.

    A United Nations tribunal investigated the crimes committed at Celebici and in 1998 convicted the two top commanders of the camp and one particularly sadistic guard on numerous crimes including murder and torture. While Mrndzic was interviewed by investigators in connection with that case in 1996, he was not charged by international authorities. Mrndzic subsequently concocted a scheme to leave Bosnia by crossing the border into Croatia and applying to immigrate to the United States using a fabricated story. In his immigration application and interview, he falsely claimed to U.S. immigration authorities that he fled his home after he was captured, interrogated and abused by Serb forces, and could not return home for fear of future persecution. As the government argued at trial, Mrndzic used his own experience as a persecutor to press a false narrative that he had been persecuted. He was admitted to the U.S. in 1999, and ultimately became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2009.

    Many Celebici survivors became refugees during and after the Bosnian War. Some came to the United States and have since become U.S. citizens. The survivors living in the United States played a central role in the investigation and prosecution of this case. They provided critical trial testimony and submitted moving victim impact statements.

    The investigation was led by HSI New England’s Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force and HSI’s Human Rights Violators & War Crimes Center (HRVWCC) with assistance from the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General’s Boston Field Office; the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, Boston Field Office; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Boston Field Office. Additional support was provided by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, DOJ’s Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and the U.S. Embassies in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Helsinki. The United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT) in The Hague, Netherlands, the Australian Federal Police, Bosnian and Herzegovinian Ministry of Justice, Serbian Ministry of Justice, law enforcement authorities in Finland and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police all provided valuable assistance as did the Cook County Sheriff’s Office in Illinois and the Swampscott Police Department in Massachusetts.

    The HRVWCC is led by HSI and leverages the expertise of criminal investigators, attorneys, historians, intelligence analysts and federal partners to provide a whole of government approach to prevent the United States from becoming a safe haven for individuals who commit war crimes, genocide, torture and other human rights abuses around the globe. Currently, HSI has more than 180 active investigations into suspected human rights violators and is pursuing more than 1,945 leads and removals cases involving suspected human rights violators from 95 different countries. Since 2003, the HRVWCC has issued more than 79,000 lookouts for potential perpetrators of human rights abuses, and stopped over 390 human rights violators and war crimes suspects from entering the U.S.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 176 New Troopers Join the Ranks of the NYSP

    Source: US State of New York

    Governor Kathy Hochul joined Superintendent Steven G. James in honoring 176 new State Troopers as they graduated today from the 216th session of the Basic School of the New York State Police Academy. The ceremony was held at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany. Today’s graduation increases the State Police ranks to 5,034 sworn members.

    “I commend these 176 new troopers for dedicating themselves to public service, and their commitment to protecting the people of New York State,” Governor Hochul said. “The members of the New York State Police put their lives on the line each day to keep the rest of us safe — in a world where their mission has grown more challenging and complex. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want to thank the graduates for their hard work and perseverance — and welcome them to the long gray line.”

    New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said, “Today’s graduation is the culmination of six months of difficult classwork, physical training, and sacrifice, and we now welcome our newest members to one of the most prestigious and well-respected law enforcement agencies in the nation. I am confident they are equipped to carry out our mission to serve our communities with the same professionalism and pride the State Police have exhibited for the past 107 years.”

    In addition to honoring all graduates from the 216th Session of Basic School,

    Superintendent James presented the following awards:

    Academic Achievement Award

    As a special incentive for all students attending the State Police Academy Basic School, the Superintendent sponsors the awarding of a firearm for the attainment of the highest level of academic performance during Academy training.

    The recipient of the Academic Performance Award is Clayton D. Buff, age 24, who resides in Cohoes, New York. He attended the University at Albany where he studied Criminal Justice. Prior to joining the New York State Police, he served 4 years of active duty with the United States Army. Throughout the Academy training program, he achieved an outstanding overall academic average of 96.58 percent. He will be assigned to Troop G.

    Firearms Proficiency Award

    The New York State Trooper Foundation has sponsored the awarding of a firearm for the attainment of the highest level of performance in all phases of firearms training.

    The recipient of the Superintendent’s Firearms Proficiency Award is Hunter T. Argetsinger, age 24, who resides in Elmira, New York. He is a graduate of Corning Community College where he received an associate’s degree in criminal justice. Prior to joining the New York State Police, he was a police officer with the city of Elmira Police Department. During firearms training, he achieved an average score of 250 out of a possible 250. He will be assigned to Troop E.

    Investigator Joseph T. Aversa Physical Fitness Award

    The New York State Police Investigators Association has sponsored the awarding of a firearm for the attainment of the highest degree of physical fitness during the Physical Training Program at the Academy. This award will be presented in memory of deceased Investigator Joseph Aversa. Investigator Aversa made the ultimate sacrifice in New York City on March 5, 1990, during a narcotics investigation while serving as a member of the Joint Drug Enforcement Task Force. Investigator Aversa was a six-year State Police veteran who believed that physical conditioning was an integral part of being a Trooper.

    The recipient of the Joseph T. Aversa Physical Training Award is Oliver P. Valenti, age 21, who resides in Clarence, New York. Prior to joining the New York State Police, he attended Hilbert College where he studied Forensic Science while employed with Wegmans Marketplace as a front-end coordinator. During the physical agility testing, he achieved the highest score of all 176 Members of the 216th Session, a tribute to his superb physical conditioning. He will be assigned to Troop A.

    I commend these 176 new troopers for dedicating themselves to public service, and their commitment to protecting the people of New York State.”

    Governor Hochul

    Student Representative

    The New York State Troopers Police Benevolent Association has sponsored the awarding of a firearm to the member of the class who is selected by his or her peers to represent them during these exercises. The PBA presents the award in memory of Trooper John J. McKenna IV, who was killed in action in 2006, while serving his country as a Marine in Iraq.

    The recipient of the Class Representative Award is Antonio M. Vecchio, age 21, who resides in Levittown, New York. Prior to joining the New York State Police, he attended Binghamton University where he studied Economics. He will be assigned to Troop C.

    The new Troopers will report for field duty on February 7 or February 10, depending on their platoon. For the following 10 weeks, the new Troopers will be evaluated under a field-training program supervised by senior Field Training Officers.

    Below is a complete list of graduates listed alphabetically (Troop assignments are pending):

    Last Name First Name Hometown
    Aguilar Magali Wallkill, NY
    Akande-Bowen Jared Queens, NY
    Balbuena Kelly Newburgh, NY
    Akhmedov Kairat Brooklyn, NY
    Argetsinger Hunter Elmira, NY
    Arndt Mitchell Mohawk, NY
    Ashby Tristan Syracuse, NY
    Baines Evan Merrick, NY
    Bartholomew Zoe Lake Pleasant, NY
    Bassiouni Omar Staten Island, NY
    Bektic Nedim Utica, NY
    Beltran Antonio Amsterdam, NY
    Boudreau Luc Warwick, NY
    Boul Rang Syracuse, NY
    Brennan Lauren Selkirk, NY
    Briggs Cynthia Hawthorne, NY
    Brownell James Geneva, NY
    Buck Aaron Houghton, NY
    Buff Clayton Cohoes, NY
    Bull Lance Queensbury, NY
    Bullo Silvano Fairport, NY
    Burns Mason Rome, NY
    Cahill Edward Massapequa, NY
    Canale Connor Amsterdam, NY
    Carnero Tello Glenn Bogota, NY
    Carr Jason Cortland, NY
    Carrillo Evan Bronx, NY
    Carron Sean Delhi, NY
    Cervantes Manuel Port Chester, NY
    Clarke Hannah South Glens Falls, NY
    Clarke Jakob Plattsburgh, NY
    Combs Jenna Warrensburg, NY
    Cosbert Stefan Freeport, NY
    Cox Tyler Schenectady, NY
    Cregin Ethan Staten Island, NY
    Curtin James Hicksville, NY
    Daley Keri West Henrietta, NY
    Dalrymple Scott Brewster, NY
    Dalrymple Shane Brewster, NY
    Deebs Andrew Hornell, NY
    Delaney Austin Neversink, NY
    Delfini Louis Staten Island, NY
    Derick Gavin Lindley, NY
    Diana Joseph Holland Patent, NY
    Disalvo Natalie Johns Island, NY
    Diaz Israel East Fishkill, NY
    Dieng Ngagne Bronx, NY
    Difusco Frank Poughquag, NY
    Diorio David Deer Park, NY
    Eldred Rebecca Clifton Park, NY
    Ellsworth Logan Matamoras, NY
    Fallon Hayley Long Beach, NY
    Fallon Thomas Kings Park, NY
    Faso Emma Clarence Center, NY
    Favreau Parker Plattsburgh, NY
    Feirabend Michael West Seneca, NY
    Fernaays Ryan Williamson, NY
    Finn Richard Pleasant Valley, NY
    Fitzsimmons Cody Dryden, NY
    Flocco Sophia Bronx, NY
    Fontus Angelo Brooklyn, NY
    Galanti Jillian Webster, NY
    Garcia Castrejon Luis Pine Plains, NY
    Gates Seth Elbridge, NY
    Gehrke Matthew Centerport, NY
    Gould Erin Astoria, NY
    Grant Ariel Carle Place, NY
    Hahn Richard Kings Park, NY
    Harrington Carson Jacksonville, NY
    Haynes Dylan Baldwin, NY
    Healey Trevor Perry, NY
    Heegan Christina Oneonta, NY
    Heras Nelson Jamaica, NY
    Hidalgo Christopher Queens Village, NY
    Holloway William West Hempstead, NY
    Ibrahim Maryam Williston Park, NY
    Ibrahim Mohamed Levittown, NY
    Ilahi Haider Brooklyn, NY
    Jansen Connor Horseheads, NY
    Jolly Kaitlyn Waterloo, NY
    Kalletta George Manorville, NY
    Komenda Kiersten Springville, NY
    Karam Michael Gansevoort, NY
    Khork Brennan Hornell, NY
    Knoop Dennis Queensbury, NY
    Koprivica Marko Blasdell, NY
    Kraft Joel Waterloo, NY
    Lamouree Grant Queensbury, NY
    Lask Michael Buffalo, NY
    Lawson Lance Valley Stream, NY
    Lazo Franklin Pleasantville, NY
    Letourneau Casey Constable, NY
    Lillis Abigail Angola, NY
    Locurto Madeline New Windsor, NY
    Manley Charles Buffalo, NY
    Marroquinn Kevin Lindenhurst, NY
    Mcdermott Dylan West Babylon, NY
    Meegan Liam West Seneca, NY
    Messina Sebastian Levittown, NY
    Milazzo Matteo Briarcliff, NY
    Miller Eric Medina, NY
    Murphy Rebecca Monroe, NY
    Monnin Daniel Buffalo, NY
    Moore Hunter Castorland, NY
    Morales Nicholas Staten Island, NY
    Moses Avery Fayetteville, NY
    Motler Katherine Glenmont, NY
    Morales Nickolas Binghamton, NY
    Mustafa Kamal Mohamad Ayyas Utica, NY
    Naum Caleb Brewerton, NY
    Nell Abigail Verona, NY
    Newburg V Louis Coeymans, NY
    Obrien Cade Gansevoort, NY
    Oconnor James New Paltz, NY
    Page Joshua Verona, NY
    Parga Erick Island Park, NY
    Parkhurst Kevin Ilion, NY
    Patti Victoria Buffalo, NY
    Pekoff Jeremy Bellmore, NY
    Pelaez Matthew Old Bethpage, NY
    Peters Henry Callicoon, NY
    Petfield Jacob Hawthorne, NY
    Petry Henry Chemung, NY
    Phillips Anaya Medford, NY
    Pindulic Amber Centereach, NY
    Quintero Josue Brooklyn, NY
    Quirk Timothy Centereach, NY
    Ramirez Evelin Carmel, NY
    Roush Hailey Mayville, NY
    Rath Nathaniel Newport, NY
    Robinson Shane Binghamton, NY
    Romero Lainez Bryan West Babylon, NY
    Rowe Jake Pleasant Valley, NY
    Rutkowski Jack Pine Bush, NY
    Ryan Allison Syracuse, NY
    Salvadori David Massapequa Park, NY
    Sarpong Joel Columbus, NY
    Sasso Mario Nanuet, NY
    Savino Nicholas Bellmore, NY
    Scoma Anthony Lancaster, NY
    Scordo Alex Middletown, NY
    Simon Nicole Howard Beach, NY
    Smoulcey Ryan Rome, NY
    Stephany Krista Buffalo, NY
    Streety Maxwell Orchard Park, NY
    Streety Mitchell Thornwood, NY
    Sustache Samuel Syracuse, NY
    Svitak Brendan Marcy, NY
    Sweet Jeffrey Petersburg, NY
    Szlamcynski Adam Star Lake, NY
    Taylor Grace South Kortright, NY
    Tejeda Francheska Buffalo, NY
    Thaureaux Alejandro Webster, NY
    Thompson Adam St Albans, NY
    Tommasone Daniel Schenectady, NY
    Trzaska Noah West Seneca, NY
    Twoguns Kristine Perrysburg, NY
    Valenti Oliver Akron, NY
    Valladares Steven Woodside, NY
    Vargo Quinton West Falls, NY
    Vasile Hudson Mount Morris, NY
    Vata Halit New York City
    Vecchio Antonio Levittown, NY
    Velez Diana Campbell Hall, NY
    Vogel Tanner Ilion, NY
    Volk III Robert Mechanicville, NY
    Wallace Connor Manorville, NY
    Weist Brockton Port Crane, NY
    White Alexander Schenectady, NY
    Willenbrock Derek Amityville, NY
    Winslow Hunter Canastota, NY
    Workman Daniel Groton, NY
    Young Tanner Camden, NY
    Yudchits Julia Herkimer, NY
    Zahin Md Muhaiminul New York City, NY
    Zambardino Nicholas Monroe, NY

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Man Who Sexually Abused Friend’s 4-Year-Old Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison

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

    An Abilene man who sexually abused his friend’s four-year-old son was sentenced today to 25 years in federal prison, announced Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham.

    Victor Van Taylor, 31, was charged via criminal complaint in June 2024 and indicted the following month. He pleaded guilty in September 2024 to production of child pornography and was sentenced Tuesday by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix to 25 years in federal prison. He will also be required to register as a sex offender. 

    According to plea papers, in June 2024, law enforcement identified a 26-second video of an adult man sexually abusing a four-year-old child on the darkweb.  The man was later identified as Mr. Taylor. 

    While executing a search warrant at his home, officers showed Mr. Taylor a screengrab of the video and asked if he produced it. Mr. Taylor lowered his head and admitted that he had produced the video and posted it online in exchange for other child sexual abuse material. 

    Law enforcement identified the victim as the son of Mr. Taylor’s friend.  The child’s mother told officers the assault likely happened while Mr. Taylor was babysitting.  

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas – Abilene Division prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Lubbock Man Pleads Guilty to Cyber Stalking Ex-Girlfriend

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

    An 29-year-old man who sent sexually explicit images of his ex-girlfriend to her father, brother, and employer pleaded guilty to cyberstalking, announced acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Chad Meacham.

    Huston Tyler McLearen, of Lubbock, was indicted in November 2024. He pleaded guilty Wednesday to cyber staking before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amanda “Amy” R. Burch.

    “Cyberstalking is a uniquely vicious crime with devastating impacts on its victims. And unfortunately, online intimidation and harassment can quickly escalate to physical violence,” said U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham. “We applaud this victim for pushing past her fear and shame and reporting her experience to law enforcement. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas is proud to stand up for her.”

    “The defendant’s alarming behavior was countered by the bravery of his victim who so courageously reported him to law enforcement despite the threats he made to kill her,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to do everything in our power to seek justice for victims and their families, hold perpetrators accountable and protect others from harm.”

    According to court documents, in June 2024, Mr. McLearen’s ex-girlfriend – identified in court documents as Jane Doe – submitted a tip to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center (NTOC) stating that Mr. McLearen had been harassing her, her family, her friends, and her work colleagues.

    During an interview with law enforcement, Ms. Doe said that after she broke up with Mr. McLearen and moved out of their shared apartment, he hounded her with texts and calls urging her to kill herself and threatening to share sexually explicit photographs of her online.

    Cell phone records confirmed that Mr. McLearen called the victim as many as 39 times per day.

    Ms. Doe showed officers social media profiles Mr. McLearen created to share lewd images of her with the public. Officers later uncovered posts in which Mr. McLearen claimed Ms. Doe was “looking for a  man that would pay for sex.”

    In a recorded phone call, Mr. McLearen admitted to an acquaintance that he also sent nude images of the victim to her own brother and father as well as her employer.

    In the same phone call, introduced into evidence at Mr. McLearen’s detention hearing, the defendant described women as devils who deserve to be tortured, killed, and raped, and remarked that if the conditions were right, he would kill Jane Doe.

    “It would be a bullet shot going through her window,” he said.

    Mr. McLearen now faces up to five years in federal prison. His sentencing date has not yet been set.

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Texas Tech University Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Rancourt is prosecuting the case.

    The National Domestic Violence Hotline urges victims of cyberstalking to implement a safety plan. For more information, click here or dial 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Two Baltimore Men Indicted For Firearms Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Dominic Wise, age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, and Darius Gissentaner, age 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, were indicted on February 5, 2025, by a federal grand jury on firearms charges.

    According to Acting U.S. Attorney John Gurganus, the indictment alleges that on July 8, 2024, in York County, Pennsylvania, Wise possessed a Glock 9mm pistol, and Gissentaner possessed a 9mm SCCY pistol, when they were both felons prohibited from possessing a firearm. The indictment also alleges that the 9mm SCCY pistol that Gissentaner possessed had an obliterated serial number.

    The case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Monroe is prosecuting the case.

    The maximum penalty for the charge of felon in possession is a period of 15 years imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.  The maximum for the Possession of a Firearm with an obliterated serial number is a period of 5 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

    Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Out of state man pleads guilty to laundering email scam proceeds

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HOUSTON – A California man has admitted to operating an illegal money transmitting business, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Victor Rubio Jr. admitted that from 2021 to 2022, he operated an unlicensed money transmitting business that received and transmitted funds from a business email compromise (BEC) scheme. Rubio ran the unlicensed money transmitting business by using shell companies that existed only on paper. 

    As part of the plea, Rubio acknowledged opening and maintaining bank accounts to collect money from at least two victims in a BEC scheme, including a healthcare liability insurance company headquartered in Georgia and a township in New Jersey. Then, for a fee, he transmitted the fraud proceeds to co-conspirators.

    In response to fraudulent wire instructions from spoofed email accounts, victims sent interstate wire transfers for payment to Rubio instead of to the true creditors to whom the victims owed money.

    More than 45 people in multiple states, including Rubio and seven others in the Southern District of Texas, have been charged in separate business email compromise schemes that affected numerous victims.

    U.S. District Judge George Hanks will impose sentencing April 22. At that time, Rubio faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 maximum possible fine.  

    He was permitted to remain on bond pending that hearing.

    The FBI – Bryan Resident Agency and IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Belinda Beek and Thomas Carter are prosecuting the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fentanyl Trafficker Sentenced to 165 Months for Bringing Thousands of Counterfeit Oxycodone Pills into the District

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

                WASHINGTON – Craig Eastman, 21, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 165 months in federal prison for participating in a massive fentanyl trafficking conspiracy that distributed hundreds of thousands of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills from Southern California to destinations throughout the United States, including the District. Eastman was one of more than two dozen co-defendants arrested over the course of 2023 in D.C., Virginia, Maryland, San Diego, and Los Angeles and charged in the conspiracy.

                The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., DEA Special Agent in Charge Ibrar A. Mian of the Washington Division, Inspector in Charge Damon E. Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.

                Eastman pleaded guilty on July 25, 2024, to conspiring to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl. In addition to the 165-month prison term, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly ordered Eastman to serve five years of supervised release.

                The impetus for this investigation was the overdose death of Diamond Lynch, a young mother in Southeast D.C. In addition to investigating and prosecuting the death-resulting case,[1] law enforcement followed the evidence and uncovered a vast network of traffickers who transported fentanyl from Mexico to Los Angeles to the District of Columbia. Since then, investigators have seized more than 450,000 fentanyl pills, 1.5 kilograms of fentanyl powder, and 30 firearms.         

                According to court documents, Eastman entered into the conspiracy after he was introduced to a Los Angeles-based drug trafficker, who was a distributor of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills. Eastman traveled to Southern California to purchase the fake oxycodone from the L.A. supplier and returned to the District with the drugs. Eastman and his co-conspirators employed two primary methods to transport the pills to the District: they smuggled them in luggage or carry-on items on airline flights, or they shipped the pills utilizing the U.S. Postal Service and commercial mail carriers

                After transporting the fentanyl-laced pills back to the District of Columbia, Eastman redistributed them for profit, primarily in collaboration with a co-defendant. Two redistributors of the pills were his siblings, Larry and Justice Eastman, who later were convicted of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. Ms. Lynch was a customer of Larry and Justice Eastman.

                Craig Eastman not only knew of Ms. Lynch’s overdose death, but proceeded to attempt to sell the batch of pills that included Ms. Lynch’s fatal dose at a discount rather than simply destroy them and incur the financial loss. Specifically, the month after Ms. Lynch’s overdose death, Craig Eastman marketed the same bulk supply of pills that included Ms. Lynch’s fatal dose. Craig Eastman informed a prospective customer that he “caught a bad batch of some 30s,” and asked the customer to “see if [he] got somebody to sell em to[,] I got endless.”

                Craig Eastman also had been found in residences containing firearms on multiple occasions. On September 1, 2021, law enforcement searched Craig Eastman’s residence in the 2300 block of Raynolds Place SE. Agents found him inside his bedroom, along with 204 fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills, multiple firearms and accompanying magazines and ammunition, as well as several thousand dollars in cash. On December 4, 2021, officers searched Eastman’s residence and recovered four firearms, about $1,700 in cash, and distribution quantities of fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills. In his bedroom specifically, officers found a Glock 17 equipped with a high-capacity magazine and a machine gun conversion device, along with fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills. When Craig Eastman was arrested along with co-defendant Charles Taylor on March 22, 2023, in a stash house in the District, officers recovered seven firearms (including one machine gun), assorted ammunition, more than a dozen pounds of marijuana, and a pill bottle containing fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills.

    DEFENDANT

    AGE

    LOCATION

    CHARGES/SENTENCE

    Hector David Valdez,

    aka “Curl”

     

    27

    		 Santa Fe Springs, California

    Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl;

    Conspiracy to commit international money laundering.

    Craig Eastman

     

    21

    		 Washington, D.C. Sentenced on February 6, 2025, to 165 months for conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl.
    Charles Jeffrey Taylor

    21

    		 Washington, D.C. Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Raymond Nava, Jr.

    20

    Bell Gardens,

    California

    		 Sentenced September 17, 2024, to 14 years for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Ulises Aldaz

    28

    Bell Gardens,

    California

    		 Sentenced June 28, 2024, to 95 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Max Alexander Carias Torres

    27

    Bell Gardens,

    California

    Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl;

    Conspiracy to commit international money laundering
    Teron Deandre McNeil, aka “Wild Boy”

    34

    		 Washington, D.C. Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Marvin Anthony Bussie,

    aka “Money Marr”

    22

    		 Washington, D.C. Sentenced June 28, 2024, to 120 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Marcus Orlando Brown

    29

    		 Washington, D.C. Sentenced October 3, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Columbian Thomas, aka “Cruddy Murda”

    27

    		 Washington, D.C. Sentenced October 22, 2024, to 160 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Wayne Rodell Carr-Maiden

    30

    		 Washington, D.C. Sentenced April 29, 2024, to 45 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Andre Malik Edmond,

    aka “Draco”

    23

    		 Temple Hills, Maryland Sentenced July 22, 2024, to 130 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Treyveon James Johnson,

    aka “Treyski”

    20

    		 Alexandria, Virginia Sentenced September 5, 2024, to 108 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Karon Olufemi Blalock,

    aka “Fat Bags”

    30

    		 Alexandria, Virginia Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Ronte Ricardo Greene,

    aka “Cardiddy”

    29

    		 Washington, D.C. Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Melvin Edward Allen, Jr., aka “21”

    39

    		 Washington, D.C. Pleaded guilty on December 18, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Darius Quincy Hodges,

    aka “Brick”

    34

    		 Glen Allen, Virginia Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Lamin Sesay,

    aka “Rock Star”

    28

    		 Alexandria, Virginia Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Paul Alejandro Felix

    26

    Glendale,

    California

    		 Sentenced November 12, 2024, to 164 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.

    Omar Arana,

    aka “Frogs”

    27

    Cudahy,

    California

    		 Pleaded guilty January 3, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Edgar Balderas, Jr., aka “Nano”

    27

    San Diego,

    California

    		 Pleaded guilty December 19, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Raul Pacheco Ramirez

    30

    Long Beach,

    California

    		 Sentenced November 26, 2024, to 95 months for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Giovani Alejandro Briones

    30

    		 Victorville, California Pleaded guilty October 24, 2024, to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
    Alfredo Rodriguez Gonzalez

    26

    		 Rosarito, Mexico

    Conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl;

    Conspiracy to commit international money laundering.

               These prosecutions followed a joint investigation by the DEA Washington Division and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Washington Division, in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The investigation had additional support from the DEA’s Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside Field Divisions, the FBI Washington Field Office, and the Charles County, Maryland, Sheriff’s Office. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices in the Central and Southern Districts of California, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the District of Maryland.

                The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Kinskey, Solomon S. Eppel, and Iris McCranie of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses (VRTO) Section. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: York County Man Indicted For Firearms Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Andie Hartley, age 38, of Felton, Pennsylvania, was indicted on February 5, 2025, by a federal grand jury on firearms charges.

    According to Acting U.S. Attorney John Gurganus, the indictment alleges that on April 9, 2024, in York County, Pennsylvania, Hartley possessed a Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol when he was a felon prohibited from possessing a firearm. The indictment also alleges that Hartley possessed a .22 H&R Victor revolver which had an obliterated serial number.

    The case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Pennsylvania State Police.  Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Monroe is prosecuting the case.

    The maximum penalty for the charge of felon in possession is a period of 15 years imprisonment, 3 years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.  The maximum penalty for the possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number is a period of 5 years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.

    Indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Grand Falls-Windsor — Grand Falls-Windsor RCMP investigates theft of snowmobile from residence in Bishops Falls

    Source: Royal Canadian Mounted Police

    Grand Falls-Windsor RCMP is investigating the theft of a snowmobile from a residential property in Bishops Falls that occurred sometime between December 25, 2024 – January 28, 2025.

    The snowmobile, a red/burgundy 2023 Polaris Indy 550 LXT NorthStar Edition, was stolen while parked on a residential property on Furey’s Lane in Bishops Falls. Images of the snowmobile, including a stock image, are attached.

    The investigation is continuing.

    Anyone having information about the current location of the snowmobile, the person(s) responsible for the theft or information about this crime is asked to contact Grand Falls-Windsor RCMP at 709-489-2121. To remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers: #SayItHere 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), visit www.nlcrimestoppers.com or use the P3Tips app.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Tulsa Woman Convicted of Conspiring to Distribute More Than 46 Pounds of Methamphetamine

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TULSA, Okla. – A federal jury convicted Morgan Ashley Kirby, 20, of Drug Conspiracy and Attempted Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute.

    “Conspiring with others to deliver drugs onto the streets of the Northern District of Oklahoma will never be tolerated,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “I commend the law enforcement in Texas and Tulsa for working together to catch the defendants before they could complete their delivery.”

    “The arrest and conviction of Ms. Kirby and her associates made our community safer and prevented further destruction that methamphetamine trafficking can bring to the citizens of Tulsa, Oklahoma, said DEA Special Agent in Charge Eduardo A. Chávez.  The DEA will continue to work hand in hand with our state and local law enforcement partners to ensure justice is served.”  

    In June 2024, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers pulled over a driver for traffic violations. During a search of the vehicle, troopers located a suitcase containing 21 plastic bags containing a white substance that appeared to be methamphetamine. The investigation revealed that the driver was getting paid $4k to deliver the methamphetamine to Tulsa.

    Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents tested the white substance and confirmed that it was methamphetamine. In a coordinated effort, agents replaced the methamphetamine with fake methamphetamine and allowed the driver to complete the transaction.

    The driver met with Luis Enrique Rios-Soriano and Morgan Kirby to be paid and delivered the fake methamphetamine for further distribution.

    Later, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol pulled over the vehicle Rios-Soriano was driving. Kirby was in the passenger side of the vehicle. Upon search of the vehicle, troopers discovered more than 46 pounds of fake methamphetamine and cash sitting on the floorboard of the passenger side of the vehicle. 

    As a result of the investigation, Kirby’s co-defendants, Feliciano Ortega-Banderas, 22, of East Palo Alto, California, and Luis Enrique Rios-Soriano, 25, a Mexican National, pled guilty in October 2024. Ortega-Banderas pled guilty to Attempted Distribution of Methamphetamine. Rios-Soriano pled guilty to Drug Conspiracy and Attempted Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute.

    All three will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshal, awaiting sentencing before being transported to the Bureau of Prisons. Rios-Soriano is not a U.S. citizen and is expected to face removal proceedings following his sentencing.

    The Drug Enforcement Administration – Tulsa and Amarillo Resident Offices, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and Texas Department of Public Safety investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Adam Bailey and Christian Harris prosecuted the case. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ‘Egg-sasperated’ Reed Seeks Answers from USDA Nominee on Plan to Lower Egg Prices

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Rhode Island Jack Reed

    WASHINGTON, DC — Why did the Senator cross the road?  To help drive down ‘eggflation.’

    U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is urging President Donald Trump – who pledged to “immediately bring prices down, starting on day one” — to finally take action to help reduce egg prices and crack down on anti-competitive price gouging.

    Today, Reed sent a letter to the president and CEO of the America First Policy Institute, Brooke Rollins, who President Trump nominated to lead the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), asking for her plan to help lower egg prices. 

    Reed says Trump is causing consumers to shell out more for eggs: In the weeks since Trump took office for his second term, wholesale prices for a dozen Grade A large white eggs in cartons already increased about 15 percent and the Trump Administration has taken zero substantive steps to address the situation.  In fact, Trump’s initial moves in office, such as blocking the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other federal health agencies from publishing scientific reports on the bird flu or issuing health advisories, or his decision to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO), which coordinates global efforts to combat disease outbreaks, may be contributing to the problem and increasing the likelihood of future avian flu cases. 

    This week, Rhode Island consumers are being charged anywhere from $4.55 a dozen to $6.99 a dozen for large eggs at local chain retailers and some restaurants have instituted a 50-cent surcharge per egg on all menu items. 

    “In order to combat these price spikes, we must have a strong response from the USDA to get avian influenza under control.  In addition, the USDA, in conjunction with other federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, must carefully police the market and crack down on any price gouging by large egg producers, who in the past have demonstrated a propensity to hike prices on consumers to levels that far exceed any increase in the cost of production,” Reed wrote the USDA nominee.

    Reed noted that during her hearing, Ms. Rollins “did not provide a comprehensive plan, and instead stated “there is a lot that I have to learn” about avian influenza and animal disease.”

    His letter concluded: “As Agriculture Secretary, you would be tasked with spearheading and implementing the Trump Administration’s plan to combat this costly disease in our nation’s animals.  I understand that it may be difficult to outline a comprehensive plan during the time allotted in a confirmation hearing.  To that end, I would like to provide you the opportunity to outline your plan in writing to address avian influenza and bring egg prices down for Americans across the country.

    “To allow me to fully evaluate your nomination, I ask that you respond promptly before your final confirmation vote.” 

    Reed says he hopes to be able to share the plan with other U.S. Senators on both sides of the aisle to help inform their votes.

    Full text of the letter follows:

    February 5, 2025

    The Honorable Brooke Rollins

    President & CEO

    America First Policy Institute

    1777 N Kent Street Suite 1400

    Arlington, VA 22209

    Dear Ms. Rollins:

    As the full Senate prepares to consider your nomination for Secretary of Agriculture, I write to inquire about your plan to address the ongoing H5N1 avian influenza (“bird flu”) outbreak, which is contributing to high egg prices for consumers across the country.  I am well aware that avian influenza has been a problem for multiple administrations – including the Obama Administration, the first Trump Administration, and the Biden Administration.  Regardless, I am interested to hear how you, if confirmed, plan to end the current outbreak and lower prices.

    According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), wholesale prices for a dozen Grade A large white eggs in cartons increased 14.5% since President Trump took office.  In order to combat these price spikes, we must have a strong response from the USDA to get avian influenza under control.  In addition, the USDA, in conjunction with other federal agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, must carefully police the market and crack down on any price gouging by large egg producers, who in the past have demonstrated a propensity to hike prices on consumers to levels that far exceed any increase in the cost of production.

    In your written testimony for your January 23rd nomination hearing, you shared that one of your “key priorities for Day One,” if confirmed as Secretary would be to “immediately and comprehensively get a handle on the state of animal-disease outbreaks, including H5N1.”  However, when asked for your plan to address this issue by Ranking Member Amy Klobuchar, you did not provide a comprehensive plan, and instead stated “there is a lot that I have to learn” about avian influenza and animal disease.

    As Agriculture Secretary, you would be tasked with spearheading and implementing the Trump Administration’s plan to combat this costly disease in our nation’s animals.  I understand that it may be difficult to outline a comprehensive plan during the time allotted in a confirmation hearing.  To that end, I would like to provide you the opportunity to outline your plan in writing to address avian influenza and bring egg prices down for Americans across the country.

    To allow me to fully evaluate your nomination, I ask that you respond promptly before your final confirmation vote. 

    I appreciate in advance your attention to this important matter.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Ocala man sentenced to 15 years for attempting to meet a minor for sexual activity

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    OCALA, Fla. — A Florida man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by a life term of supervised release, for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando.

    Rickey Lee Miller, Jr., 45, of Ocala, plead guilty on Sept. 6, 2024, for attempting to entice what he thought was a 15-year-old girl on an online social media platform.

    “Attempting to entice a minor into harmful activity is a serious crime, and this prosecution underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community,” said HSI Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Pezzutti. “Alongside our partners at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Chiefland Police Department, we will work tirelessly to hold offenders accountable and ensure that our children are safe from those who seek to exploit them.”

    According to court documents, on July 27, 2024, a detective from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office posed as a 15-year-old girl on an online messaging platform. Miller contacted the undercover detective’s account and initially asked if she wanted to “hang out.” Miller then engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with the detective. During that conversation, Miller asked the detective if she would be interested in having “some fun” with Miller and a female friend. He also asked, “[W]ill you tell my friend your 18[?] I really don’t want her to know your real age.” When Miller subsequently drove to a predetermined location with his friend to meet with the minor for sex, he was arrested by law enforcement. The cellphone located in Miller’s vehicle was confirmed to be the phone communicating with the undercover detective.

    This case was investigated by HSI Orlando, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Chiefland Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

    HSI Tampa’s area of responsibility, which includes 10 geographically strategic offices, covers more than 51,600 square miles of the total 65,757 square miles in the state of Florida. This region has more than 14.2 million people and includes 58 of the 67 counties. HSI Tampa also includes five of the 10 largest cities in Florida, 15 primary commercial service airports, and 11 seaports.

    Learn more about HSI Tampa’s mission to increase public safety in Florida communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSITampa.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Florida man indicted for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    OCALA, Fla. — A grand jury returned with an indictment charging a Florida man with attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity following a joint investigation with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando.

    David Araujo, 57, of St. Petersburg, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, up to life, in federal prison. Araujo is currently detained pending the resolution of the criminal case.

    According to the indictment, between July 26-27, 2024, Araujo knowingly attempted to persuade, induce, entice, and coerce an individual whom he believed had not yet attained 18 years of age to engage in sexual activity.

    An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

    This case was investigated by HSI Orlando, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Chiefland Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

    HSI Tampa’s area of responsibility, which includes 10 geographically strategic offices, covers more than 51,600 square miles of the total 65,757 square miles in the state of Florida. This region has more than 14.2 million people and includes 58 of the 67 counties. HSI Tampa also includes five of the 10 largest cities in Florida, 15 primary commercial service airports, and 11 seaports.

    Learn more about HSI Tampa’s mission to increase public safety in Florida communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSITampa.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Southeast Texas man who previously worked as martial arts, gymnastics instructor admits to receiving, possessing child sexual abuse materials

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    GALVESTON, Texas – A Southeast Texas man who previously worked as a martial arts and gymnastics instructor pleaded guilty to receipt and possession of child sexual abuse materials Feb. 3 following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Pearland Police Department, the Galveston County Sheriff’s Office, and the Houston Metro Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

    Franklin Joseph Perkins, a 41-year-old resident of Alvin, Texas, who previously worked at the Kuk Sool Won martial arts studio and Gulf Coast Gymnastics in Alvin pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas to receipt and possession of child sexual abuse materials.

    “With today’s conviction we have removed a dangerous predator from the community who presented a significant threat to the safety of our children,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Chad Plantz. “By receiving and possessing child sexual abuse materials, Mr. Perkins contributed to the revictimization of the minors who were abused to produce the materials. Thanks to the outstanding support that we receive from our law enforcement partners and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, we were able to expose this vile predator for who he is and ensure he never again serves in a position of trust.”

    The investigation began after the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children notified law enforcement that they had received a tip indicating that a user with a Google account had uploaded files possibly depicting child sexual abuse material onto their servers. Following that alert, authorities were able to link Perkins to the account and determined he had been using various Google accounts and his cell phone to receive and possess child pornography.

    Perkins will remain in custody pending his sentencing, which is scheduled for April 15. At that time, he faces a minimum of five and up to 20 years for receiving child sexual abuse materials and up to 10 years for possessing it. He could also be ordered to pay up to a $250,000 fine, as well as a $5,000 special assessment under the Justice for Trafficking Act, up to a $35,000 special assessment under the Amy, Vicky and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act, and mandatory restitution in an amount of no less than $3,000 per victim.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Leo, Carrie Wirsing and Colton Turner are prosecuting the case.

    For more news and information on HSI’s efforts to investigate child exploitation and other transnational criminal activity in Southeast Texas, follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSIHouston.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: HSI Los Angeles, Cherry Hill, and Honolulu special agents arrest members of online neo-Nazi group on child exploitation enterprise charges

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    LOS ANGELES — On Jan. 30, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, in coordinated operations in New Jersey and Hawaii, arrested two individuals on federal charges of participating in a neo-Nazi child exploitation enterprise that groomed and then coerced minors to produce child sexual abuse material and images of self-harm. The group allegedly victimized at least 16 minors around the world, including two in Southern California.

    Colin John Thomas Walker, 23, of Bridgeton, New Jersey, and Clint Jordan Lopaka Nahooikaika Borge, 41, of Pahoa, Hawaii, were arrested pursuant to a grand jury indictment charging them with one count of engaging in a child exploitation enterprise. They are expected to make initial court appearances later today in New Jersey and Hawaii. Two additional defendants, Rohan Sandeep Rane, 28, of Antibes, France, and Kaleb Christopher Merritt, 24, of Spring, Texas, were also charged in the indictment.

    “Sextortion and other forms of online child sexual abuse have tragically altered the trajectory of too many young lives and this group preyed upon the vulnerable to fulfill their sick and twisted desires,” said HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang. “HSI and our partners will work tirelessly to protect children from victimization in communities across the United States and around the globe.”

    From at least 2019 to 2022, Rane, Walker, Merritt and Borge were members of CVLT, an online group that espoused neo-Nazism, nihilism and pedophilia as its core principles. Members of the international enterprise engaged in online child sexual exploitation offenses and trafficked child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Rane, Walker, and Merritt acted as leaders and administrators in the CVLT enterprise, hosting and running CVLT online servers and controlling membership for the group.

    CVLT members worked collectively to entice and coerce children in the U.S. and around the world to self-produce CSAM on an online platform run by CVLT members where they groomed children for the eventual production of CSAM through various means of degradation, including exposing the victims to extremist and violent content. CVLT specifically targeted vulnerable victims, including ones suffering from mental health challenges or a history of sexual abuse.

    Victims were encouraged to engage in increasingly dehumanizing acts, including cutting and eating their own hair, drinking their urine, punching themselves, calling themselves racial slurs, and using razor blades to carve CVLT members’ names into their skin. CVLT members’ coercion escalated to pressuring victims to kill themselves on a video livestream.

    When victims hesitated, resisted or threatened to tell parents or authorities, CVLT members would threaten to distribute already-obtained compromising photos and videos of the victims to their family and friends. For victims who stopped participating in the CSAM, CVLT would sometimes carry through on their threats.

    Rane previously was charged with several child exploitation and related offenses in France and has been in French custody since 2022. Merritt is currently in Virginia state custody, serving a 50-year sentence for child sex abuse crimes committed in 2020 and 2021.

    If convicted, the defendants would face a 20-year mandatory minimum sentence and a statutory maximum sentence of life in prison.

    HSI Los Angeles, HSI Honolulu, and HSI Cherry Hill are conducting this investigation collaboratively with the Los Angeles Police Department, San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office, Henry County Sheriff’s Office (Virginia), Iowa State University Police, Police Nationale (France), the National Crime Agency (United Kingdom), the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs, and EUROPOL.

    HSI is a global leader in the fight against child exploitation and is committed to protecting children from exploitation by predators involved in the production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material and travel in foreign commerce to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors.

    Report suspected child exploitation to the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website.

    Learn more about HSI’s mission to protect children in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSILosAngeles. To learn how you can prevent online child sexual exploitation and abuse, visit https://www.Know2Protect.gov.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: HSI Buffalo investigation lands sentencing of New York woman who participated in sex trafficking conspiracy

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    February 5, 2025Buffalo, NY, United StatesHuman Smuggling/Trafficking, Child Exploitation

    BUFFALO, N.Y. — A New York woman was sentenced for her role in a sex trafficking conspiracy that exploited two teenagers following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo with local law enforcement partners.

    Jasmin Osteen, 27, of Jamestown, was sentenced to serve 144 months in prison, the U.S. District Court for the District of Western New York announced Feb. 4. She was previously convicted of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor.

    “It is appalling to discover two teenagers will suffer life-long trauma after being victimized by Jasmin Osteen’s heinous sex trafficking enterprise,” said HSI Buffalo Special Agent in Charge. Erin Keegan. “No youth should have to endure the abuse these young ladies faced. We commend the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office and the Jamestown Police Department for helping us shut this illicit business down. HSI Buffalo vows to end the violence against human trafficking victims caused by perverse individuals seeking pleasure or profit from them.”

    According to the investigation, between August and October 2020, Osteen conspired with others to coerce two 17-year-old minors to engage in commercial sex acts. Osteen transported the minor victims to a hotel in Buffalo, where they were supplied with alcohol and drugs. Osteen then contacted various clients, who each engaged in commercial sex acts with minor victims. Osteen utilized Facebook to arrange for the commercial sex acts, and then received a majority of the proceeds.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: INTERCEPT Task Force nets 11+ years sentence for Florida man traveling to meet a minor for sex

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Florida man was sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity following an investigation by Northeast Florida Inter-agency Child Exploitation and Persons Trafficking Task Force (INTERCEPT) Task Force with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Jacksonville.

    Chad Michael Sadlowski, 34, of St. Johns, was sentenced to 11 years and 3 months, and was ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release. The court also ordered him to register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty in October 2024.

    “This investigation highlights the ever-present threat for children online, and this predator’s reprehensible actions demonstrate a coldhearted disregard for the life and well-being of a child,” said Tim Hemker, HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge. “HSI, alongside our partners with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the rest of Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force are committed to protecting our children from harm.”

    According to court records, from April 25 through April 28, 2024, an undercover detective with the Clay County Sheriff’s Office posed online on a messaging application as the uncle of an eight-year-old female “child.” Sadlowski engaged the undercover in a variety of sexually explicit messages and expressed a desire to have sex with the “child.” Sadlowski agreed to meet up at a local gas station to engage in sex prior to him going to work as a respiratory therapist at a local hospital. Sadlowski was arrested as he was traveling to the gas station and was in his hospital scrubs when he was taken into custody. After his arrest, Sadlowski admitted to traveling to meet the eight-year-old “child” for sex. In addition, he also admitted to talking to minors on the application by asking them for sexually explicit photos and videos. After obtaining a search warrant, investigators searched Sadlowski’s phone and found additional child exploitation materials in his possession.

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. This case was being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney John Cannizzaro.

    The Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force is a unique partnership that takes a collaborative and coordinated approach to work together at all three levels of government, alongside private sector partners, to rescue children from sexual exploitation. The NEFL INTERCEPT is a unique public–private partnership where nonprofit organizations provide financial, technical, and other resources to regional law enforcement partners dedicated to the fight against human trafficking and child exploitation. Support from Operation Light Shine, and partner donors like the Tim Tebow Foundation, allow law enforcement agencies to better serve the Northeast Florida communities and the many victims of human trafficking and child exploitation. The collaborative approach of bringing together the experience and expertise of local, state, and federal law enforcement professionals greatly enhances the ability to combat the many difficulties and challenges presented by the complexities of child exploitation and human trafficking investigations.

    Members of the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force consist of members with HSI Jacksonville, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, Duval County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Attorney with the Middle District of Florida Roger Handberg, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

    HSI Tampa’s area of responsibility, which includes 10 geographically strategic offices, covers more than 51,600 square miles of the total 65,757 square miles in the state of Florida. This region has more than 14.2 million people and includes 58 of the 67 counties. HSI Tampa also includes five of the 10 largest cities in Florida, 15 primary commercial service airports, and 11 seaports.

    Learn more about HSI Tampa’s mission to increase public safety in Florida communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSITampa.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: HSI San Diego, multiagency case sends trafficker to 19.5 years in prison for supplying weapons and ammunition to Sinaloa Cartel

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    SAN DIEGO — Keith Octavio Rodriguez Padilla, a prolific firearms trafficker, was sentenced in federal court Jan. 13, to 19.5 years in custody for his role in supplying weapons and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition to the Sinaloa Cartel.

    This case is part of a long-running investigation targeting the Valenzuela Transnational Criminal Organization (TCO), which was a significant component of the Sinaloa Cartel. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated this case with assistance from multiple federal, state and local law enforcement partners*.

    “Today’s sentencing is a direct result of the hard work and collaboration between HSI and our law enforcement partners. This extensive investigation highlights our unwavering commitment to protecting our country and communities from the dangers of illegal firearms trafficking,” said Shawn Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of HSI San Diego. “We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the drug trafficking organizations are disrupted and held accountable.”

    “Guns and ammunition smuggled into Mexico support cartels and empower drug traffickers,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “This case continues to deal blow after blow to that infrastructure, sending a clear message: DOJ will prosecute every angle of cartel operations — from drug importation to money laundering to arms trafficking — to combat death and destruction on both sides of the border.”

    The Valenzuela TCO was one of the largest importers of cocaine into the United States. The TCO sourced cocaine and other controlled substances (including fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine, and marijuana) from South America and Mexico, transported the drugs to multiple locations along the U.S.-Mexico border using commercial trucking companies, smuggled the drugs into the country, and distributed them throughout the United States. The TCO then smuggled the bulk cash proceeds from its drug trafficking activities back to the TCO’s leadership in Mexico.

    According to court records, throughout 2020, the Valenzuela TCO, including one of its leaders, Jorge Alberto Valenzuela Valenzuela, was engaged in violent conflict with another component of the Sinaloa Cartel led by Ivan Archivaldo Guzman-Salazar. During this conflict, Jorge’s brother and previous TCO leader, Gabriel Valenzuela-Valenzuela, was killed. This led the Valenzuela TCO to procure large quantities of firearms, ammunition, tactical gear, armored vehicles, and ballistic vests. A considerable number of these items were sourced from within the United States and clandestinely smuggled into Mexico, using numerous arms trafficking networks.

    During the multi-year investigation, agents identified Keith Octavio Rodriguez Padilla as a firearms and ammunition trafficker and broker for the TCO. Rodriguez Padilla and his co-conspirators worked with high-ranking organization members to supply firearms to the TCO. These firearms ranged from .50 caliber rifles, submachine guns, and grenade launchers to assault style rifles (AK-47s, AR-15s, FN SCARs) and handguns. In addition to the weapons, Rodriguez Padilla and his co-conspirators supplied tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition to the TCO. Some of these weapons and ammunition were acquired in the United States, including from California, Arizona, and Nevada, and then smuggled through the Ports of Entry in San Diego and Arizona to Mexico.

    For example, on Nov. 20, 2020, DEA and HSI agents initiated surveillance at a commercial truck yard being operated by the Valenzuela TCO in the Otay Mesa area of San Diego. Agents ultimately obtained a search warrant for this truck yard and during the search, seized approximately $3,078,880 in bulk U.S. currency, approximately 685 kilograms of cocaine, 24 kilograms of fentanyl, and a pickup truck with a trap gas tank the size of half the truck bed were discovered. The truck yard contained numerous tractors-trailers, along with numerous other vehicles. Inside one of the trailers, agents seized approximately 20,000 rounds of .50 caliber ammunition, along with approximately 427 ballistic plate carriers, approximately 1,000 rounds of .40 caliber ammunition, and approximately 104 magazines for .50 caliber ammunition. Agents learned that Rodriguez Padilla had purchased the .50 caliber ammunition on behalf of the TCO.

    To date, this investigation has resulted in charges against 109 defendants and the seizure of approximately 2,000 kilograms of cocaine and fentanyl, more than $16 million in cash, and 21,000 rounds of ammunition.

    “Weapons trafficking fuels drug-related violence,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Brian Clark. “Money and greed are the foundation of the Sinaloa cartel business model and Padilla provided a lifeline by trafficking firearms. This sentence underscores our commitment to aggressively pursue the Sinaloa Cartel at every level, to include all facilitators who profit from drug-related violence. Strong relationships between law enforcement agencies have proven invaluable as we work together to save lives.”

    “This multi-year investigation and lengthy federal prison sentence highlights the hard work, dedication, and cooperation of multiple law enforcement agencies to disrupt and dismantle violent transnational criminal organizations,” said FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Holland. “Today’s sentence serves as a reminder, we will continue to leverage the strength of federal, state, and local law enforcement to bring justice against the Cartels and individuals working on their behalf.”

    “Mr. Padilla’s role in trafficking weapons and ammunition not only facilitated violence between cartel organizations, but also facilitated the endangerment of American citizens as these transnational criminal organizations bring dangerous and deadly drugs into the United States,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation, Los Angeles Field Office. “This sentencing demonstrates the result of well-coordinated investigations and the effectiveness of our partnered investigations. Protecting American citizens is the number one priority for every law enforcement organization, and IRS-CI is proud to be a partner in this investigation.”

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew J. Sutton and Mikaela Weber.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

    *DEA, FBI, IRS – Criminal Investigation, United States Marshals Service, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations, CBP’s Office of Border Patrol, Department of Justice (DOJ), Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, DOJ Office of Enforcement Operations, DOJ Office of International Affairs, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, San Diego Police Department, Border Crime Suppression Team and San Diego County District Attorney’s Office.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: HSI New York led arrest of Tren De Aragua fugitive found in possession of loaded firearm

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    NEW YORK — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York led the arrest of a Tren De Aragua fugitive during an operation with federal and state partners Jan. 28 in the Bronx, New York.

    Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, 26, of Venezuela, is charged with being a fugitive in possession of a firearm and ammunition, via a criminal complaint, with being a fugitive from justice in possession of a firearm. at the U.S. District Court for the District of Southern New York. Additionally, Zambrano-Pacheco was ordered to be detained.

    “Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco is an alleged dangerous fugitive affiliated with Tren de Aragua, a violent transnational criminal organization known for terrorizing the American public as seen in horrifying videos from Colorado,” said HSI New York Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker. “HSI’s operation yesterday is proof that collaboration between federal, state and law enforcement partners is essential to combat emerging threats and trends to our communities wherever we encounter them. We are committed to leading multijurisdictional and international investigations that target gang leaders, members and associates in the United States and abroad to maintain public safety.”

    According to the investigation, on Jan. 28, law enforcement tracked Zambrano-Pacheco to an apartment in the Bronx, New York, where they saw a Smith and Wesson 9mm Pro Series pistol in a dresser drawer. The gun was loaded with nine rounds of ammunition.

    HSI Denver, the Aurora Police Department, the Arapahoe County District Attorney’s Office, the U.S. Border Patrol’s Intelligence Unit, and the New York Police Department supported the investigation leading to the charges.

    “As alleged, the defendant — a member of the violent Venezuelan transnational gang known as Tren de Aragua — went on the lam for several months after committing an armed home invasion and other crimes in Colorado,” said U.S. Attorney Danielle R. Sasson. “When he was located and arrested in New York City, he was found with a gun and ammunition. This Office is committed to addressing the threat of Tren de Aragua head-on. Thanks to the work of the career prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners, the defendant is now apprehended and members of Tren de Aragua are being brought to justice.”

    As alleged in the complaint filed Jan. 28, law enforcement officers have been conducting an investigation of suspected members and affiliates of the violent transnational gang Tren de Aragua (“TDA”), including Zambrano-Pacheco. TDA originated in Venezuela and has established a substantial foothold in the U.S., including in New York City. There are substantial intra-gang conflicts within TDA, and, in some cases, TDA members have disavowed the gang and described themselves as “Anti-Tren.” TDA members have engaged in numerous shootings and murders, and much of this violence is driven by hostilities between TDA and “Anti-Tren” members.

    On Aug. 18, 2024, police officers in Aurora, Colorado, responded to the report of a shooting that left one person dead. Surveillance footage from a nearby apartment building showed six armed men — including a person later identified to be Zambrano-Pacheco — entering two apartment units while armed with handguns and an assault rifle. A warrant was issued for Zambrano-Pacheco’s arrest in Colorado on or about Sept. 17, 2024, based on an arrest affidavit seeking to charge Zambrano-Pacheco with burglary and menacing. On or about Oct. 22, 2024, a separate warrant was issued for Zambrano-Pacheco’s arrest relating to other charges, including kidnapping, criminal extortion, and menacing.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: 7 Connecticut gang members charged with murder and racketeering offenses

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    HARTFORD, Conn. — A grand jury in Hartford returned a 15-count indictment on Jan. 8 charging seven alleged members of a violent Hartford gang with participating in a years-long interstate racketeer influenced and corrupt organizations act (RICO) conspiracy involving multiple murders, attempted murder, gun trafficking, extortion, arson, drug trafficking, and other crimes.

    The wide-ranging conspiracy was uncovered through a joint investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with the FBI, and ATF alongside state and local partners in Connecticut and Vermont.

    The indictment alleges that the Hoodstar Gzz gang, which since its forming in 2010 has referred to itself by a variety of names, including “Hoodstars,” “Hoodstarz,” and “Gz,” generally operates between Capen, Westland, Enfield, and Main Streets in Hartford. The gang has allegedly distributed narcotics; engaged in multiple violent acts against rival gang members and others, including multiple shootings and murders; trafficked narcotics in Vermont; moved firearms from Vermont to Connecticut; utilized stolen vehicles in furtherance of the gang’s affairs and burned vehicles that were used in the commission of crimes; and recorded and distributed rap music to promote the gang’s criminal activity.

    “Criminal gangs terrorize communities, leaving violence and destruction in their wake,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol of HSI New England. “These individuals have been charged with crimes ranging from firearms possession to murder and, if convicted, will face serious federal prison time. HSI works with our state, local, and federal partners to dismantle criminal gangs like the Hoodstar Gzzs and help communities reclaim their safety and their streets.”

    “This indictment — which is the first RICO indictment since the launch of the Violent Crime Initiative (VCI) in Hartford in April 2024 — alleges that the defendants engaged in numerous violent acts, including shooting at suspected rival gang members and shooting and killing a motorist with whom two of the defendants got into a car accident,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brent S. Wible, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Violent gangs like the Hoodstars terrorize local communities and threaten safety across Hartford. Today’s announcement demonstrates that the VCI is already making an impact in Hartford, through the deployment of Criminal Division resources, in close coordination with our partners, to target the specific drivers of violent crime and hold gang members accountable for their crimes.”

    “We allege that members of the Hoodstar Gzz have engaged in murder and numerous other violent acts against both rival gang members and innocent civilians, and their criminal activity extended to northern Vermont, where they trafficked drugs and acquired firearms, some of which they transported back to Connecticut,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery for the District of Connecticut. “This case is a clear demonstration of our commitment to relentlessly pursue and dismantle organizations that threaten the peace and security of our communities. The effort to connect these violent acts and bring these individuals to justice has been a collaborative one, and I want to thank the federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies involved for their dedication to make our communities, both here in Connecticut and in Vermont, safer.”

    The indictment charges the following defendants, all of Hartford:

    • Angel Rivera, also known as Rico and Slatt, 24, is charged with RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, use of a firearm to cause death, use of a firearm during the murder, and drug trafficking conspiracy.
    • Raquan Knight, also known as RQ, 21, is charged with RICO conspiracy and drug trafficking conspiracy.
    • Paul Downer, also known as Luap Benji, 28, is charged with RICO conspiracy and drug trafficking conspiracy.
    • Mekhi Thompson, also known as Midnight, 24, is charged with RICO conspiracy, murder in aid of racketeering, use of a firearm to cause death, use of a firearm during murder, and drug trafficking conspiracy.
    • Paul Clarke, also known as Tommy Bunz, 30, is charged with RICO conspiracy and drug trafficking conspiracy.
    • Tyshon Walker, also known as Pone Gwapoo, 26, is charged with RICO conspiracy, drug trafficking conspiracy, and possessing a machinegun during a drug trafficking offense.
    • Joshua Cruz, also known as Hop-out Curly, 24, is charged with RICO conspiracy, drug trafficking conspiracy, and possessing a machinegun during a drug trafficking offense.

    Among the violent acts committed by the defendants, the indictment alleges that:

    • On April 16, 2019, Thompson allegedly attempted to murder members of a rival gang, which resulted in gunshot wounds to three individuals.
    • On Jan. 22, 2021, Downer allegedly shot a victim in the femoral artery for failure to pay a drug debt.
    • On April 10, 2021, Rivera, Knight, Cruz, and other Hoodstar Gzz members and associates allegedly shot and killed a member of the rival Ave gang and wounded another individual.
    • On Jan. 18, 2022, Rivera, Walker, Cruz, and other Hoodstar Gzz members and associates allegedly shot at one victim and shot and injured another.
    • On Jan. 18, 2022, Rivera, Walker, Cruz, and other Hoodstar Gzz members and associates allegedly shot and killed one victim and shot and injured another.
    • On June 19, 2022, Knight allegedly shot one victim.
    • On Aug. 1, 2022, Rivera and other members and associates of the Hoodstar Gzz gang allegedly shot and killed one victim and shot and injured two additional individuals.
    • On Sept. 14, 2022, Thompson and Rivera allegedly got into a confrontation with a victim over a rental car that Thompson failed to return. Thompson then shot and killed the victim.
    • On Oct. 27, 2022, Thompson and Rivera were allegedly involved in a car accident with a black Nissan sedan and fled the scene. The Nissan followed them for approximately 1.6 miles. Thompson then allegedly exited the vehicle and shot and killed the driver of the Nissan.

    If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. All defendants are currently detained pending trial. A federal district judge will determine any sentence after considering U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The HSI New England Hartford Resident Agent in Charge office conducted the investigation with FBI and ATF. Valuable assistance was provided by the Hartford Police Department, the East Hartford Police Department, the Windsor Police Department, the Connecticut State Police, the Connecticut Department of Correction, the St. Johnsbury Police Department, the Northfield Police Department, and the Vermont State Police.

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

    Follow us on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSINewEngland to learn more about HSI’s global missions and operations.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Columbus Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Four Armed Robberies of Postal Carriers

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

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus man was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 204 months in prison for four armed robberies of Postal carriers. 

    Thierno S. Bah, 22, of Columbus, used firearms and robbed postal carriers of their U.S. Postal Service keys on four occasions between December 2022 and May 2023. He was arrested in August 2023.

    “Seventeen years in federal prison is a serious consequence in line with the seriousness of this type of violent crime. We have held numerous individuals accountable in the Southern District of Ohio in recent years for their crimes against United States Postal Service carriers who are simply doing their jobs. As a result of our focused efforts and the vigorous investigations by our federal law enforcement partners, we’ve seen a decrease in new assaults,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker.

    Bah, who is also known as “Wopo” and “Wopoonese,” worked with others to steal service keys, which are then used to steal mail from USPS receptacles (a process known as “fishing”). Individuals then “cook” the mail by washing personal and business checks and other financial instruments to reflect new payees and new payment amounts. Bah and others would then recruit third parties to deposit the newly washed checks in their own accounts and split the profit.       

    The thefts occurred in Central Ohio on:

    • Dec. 29, 2022
    • Jan. 3, 2023 (two separate robberies on this date)
    • May 11, 2023

    Bah pleaded guilty in November 2023 and admitted to using a handgun to rob a postal carrier in German Village on Dec. 29, 2022. Bah pointed the handgun at the victim’s stomach and demanded his vehicle and service keys.

    On Jan. 3, 2023, Bah pushed a postal carrier into her mail truck while she was sorting mail in the back of the truck on East Columbus Street. He then pushed a gun into the victim’s side before stealing her keys.

    Later that day, Bah committed another armed postal robbery, this time in Whitehall. Bah approached the victim and pushed the handgun into her stomach before stealing her personal car keys and the USPS service keys.

    On May 11, 2023, Bah robbed a Postal worker at the Post Office Retail Store on West Broad Street. Bah approached the victim while she was outside on a break. Bah asked the victim for her keys, and when she asked, “What keys?” he pistol-whipped her in the head with his handgun. Bah forcibly accompanied the victim into the post office to retrieve her service keys.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Lesley Allison, Inspector in Charge, U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS); Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant; Westerville Police Chief Charles Chandler; and Whitehall Police Chief Mike Crispen announced the sentence imposed today by U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley. Assistant United States Attorney Noah R. Litton is representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Statement on Agent-Involved Shooting

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

    The FBI is reviewing an agent-involved shooting which occurred on February 5, 2025, at approximately 4 p.m. in Caldwell, Idaho. One subject was wounded.

    The FBI takes all shooting incidents involving our agents or task force members seriously. In accordance with FBI policy, the shooting incident is under review by the FBI’s Inspection Division. As this is an ongoing matter, we have no further details to provide.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Canadian Businessman Sentenced for Obstruction of Justice for Hiding and Laundering Millions After His 2020 Money Laundering Conviction

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

               WASHINGTON – Firoz Patel, 50, of Montreal, Canada, was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison today in connection with his efforts to conceal and launder 450 Bitcoin, currently valued at over $43 million, that he hid from the U.S. District Court handling his 2020 conviction and sentencing for conspiring to operate an unlicensed money transmitting business and to commit money laundering. 

               The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Kai Wah Chan of Homeland Security Investigation’s Washington, D.C., Field Office.

               Patel plead guilty on September 17, 2024, to one count of obstruction of an official proceeding. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered  three years of supervised release, a forfeiture money judgment in the amount of $24,020,699.83, and forfeiture of 450 Bitcoin plus interest currently restrained at a virtual currency exchange in the United Kingdom. 

               In 2020, Patel was convicted and sentenced to 36 months for operating Payza, an illegal financial payments platform that processed cryptocurrency payments.

               According to court documents, in 2004 Patel began operating his payment processing company AlertPay, which evolved into Payza. The Montreal company offered its services to customers across the United States, even though the business lacked a license to operate in any state or the District of Columbia. 

                Throughout Payza’s existence, the company partnered with various money services businesses, such as OboPay in 2012, another online money services business. At Patel’s direction, merchants were not removed from Payza’s platform for being involved in high-risk activities such as Ponzi schemes, money laundering activities, multilevel-marketing (MLM) scams, money-cycler scams, pyramid schemes, and steroid distributors. Payza did not have a Bank Secrecy Act Officer, it did not conduct legally required Bank Secrecy Act/anti-money-laundering audits, and it operated in the United States at various times without registering with the U.S. Department of Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) or state authorities.

               On July 16, 2020, Patel pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to operate an unlicensed money-transmitting business and to launder monetary instruments, based on his operation of Payza. As a condition of his plea, he was required to identify and forfeit any property involved in the offense to which he pleaded guilty. Although Patel had control over more than 450 Bitcoin in Payza’s illicit proceeds—valued at approximately $24,000,000 at the time—he provided false information to the U.S. Probation Office and the Court in an attempt to hide his illicit Bitcoin wealth, including by claiming his only assets were $30,000 in a retirement savings account. 

                 On November 10, 2020, then-District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson sentenced the defendant to 36 months in prison and two years of supervised release and entered an agreed-upon order requiring Patel to forfeit any property involved in his offense, as well as any property traceable to such property.  Rather than comply, shortly after his sentencing but before reporting to prison, Patel began consolidating Payza’s illicit cryptocurrency proceeds and attempted to deposit them with Binance, a virtual currency exchange. On April 22, 2021, Binance informed Patel that his account was being closed for violating Binance’s terms of service and being flagged by a third-party compliance tool. Forced to withdraw 450 Bitcoin, Patel opened an offshore virtual currency account in his father’s name, listed an address in Belize linked to Payza’s operations, and transferred the same 450 Bitcoin in illicit proceeds into the account shortly before he reported to the Bureau of Prisons. This second virtual currency exchange also deemed the deposit suspicious and froze the funds. 

                Patel contacted the exchange in June 2021 stating “[i]f this is about me, then realize that I am not beholden to any actions by the USA or any other government authorities. I have paid my dues and I owe nothing to anybody.” Patel tasked a Payza business associate to work on providing false Know Your Customer (KYC) information to the virtual currency exchange in an effort to unfreeze the illicit funds. Had the scheme succeeded, Patel would have successfully hid and laundered the funds and been released from prison with 450 BTC in criminal proceeds awaiting him.  The Department of Justice restrained Patel’s Bitcoin through a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty request to the United Kingdom during the course of the investigation.

                 According to the Government’s sentencing memo, Patel became aware of the investigation while serving his 36-month sentence for the 2020 conviction. As Patel neared his release date, he enlisted the assistance of C.A. to impersonate an attorney and engage in sham negotiations with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. C.A. and Patel planned to string along the assigned Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) long enough for Patel to be released on his 2020 conviction and flee the United States to Canada to avoid prosecution. The AUSA and investigators discovered the false impersonation in advance of Patel’s release date and returned an Indictment of Patel in May 2023. He has been in Bureau of Prisons custody or detained pre-trial since June 2021. 

               This case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C. Field Office. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kevin L. Rosenberg and Special Assistant United States Attorney Christopher B. Brown of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, and Trial Attorney Jonas Lerman of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team. Valuable assistance was also provided by Scott Meisler and Josh Handell of the Criminal Division’s Appellate Section, and by Trial Attorney Erin Mikita and former Trial Attorney Roberto Iraola of the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs. The case was originally investigated by former Assistant United States Attorney Arvind K. Lal.

    23cr166

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Global: The hidden truth about migrant deaths at the Canada-U.S. border

    Source: The Conversation – Canada – By Julie Young, Canada Research Chair in Critical Border Studies and Associate Professor of Geography and Environment, University of Lethbridge, University of Lethbridge

    The return of Donald Trump as United States president has sparked new security measures along the Canada-U.S. border.

    After Trump threatened to slap tariffs on Canadian imports if irregular migration and illegal drugs were not curtailed, Canadian federal and provincial governments pledged new border enforcement resources. Trump may still go ahead with his tariff threats despite a reprieve.

    Research shows that tighter border policies don’t deter migration. Policing borders pushes migrants into more remote and dangerous crossing points, and difficult crossings lead migrants to rely more heavily on human smuggling operations. One outcome of heightened border security is clearly an increase in human suffering and death.

    Asylum-seekers from Congo cross the border at Roxham Road into Québec in February 2023 in Champlain, N.Y.
    THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz

    Our work documenting deaths at the Canada-U.S. border shows that irregular crossings have taken the lives of at least 38 people. The actual number of migrant fatalities is likely much higher.

    We’re concerned that additional border security measures will lead to more danger and death for migrants attempting to cross between the two countries. Recent incidents lend weight to these concerns: one migrant died in a car chase with RCMP on Feb. 4, while another nine people were arrested as they tried to cross into Canada in dangerous winter conditions on Feb. 3.

    Crossing the Canada-U.S. border

    People from around the world cross the Canada-U.S. border daily. Most people enter Canada and the United States formally through official ports of entry. Still, some migrants also travel across the border, in both directions, without official permission.

    Because irregular border crossings are hidden by nature, we will never know how many people enter Canada or the U.S. unofficially. Agencies charged with border security track “encounters” and “apprehensions” in the U.S. and the “interception” of asylum-seekers in Canada. But there is no common measurement used to estimate irregular crossing in either country.

    Irregular border crossing cases are affected by policy changes in both countries. In recent years, they appear to have been affected by migrants’ perceptions of American immigration policy and changes to the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement.



    Read more:
    Tragedies, not accidents: Tougher Canadian and U.S. border policies will cost more lives

    Death at the border

    Our research identified 15 deaths at the Canada-U.S. border between 2020 and 2023, and another 23 deaths going back to 1989. Given the lack of official records, the actual number is likely higher.

    We filed access-to-information requests on both sides of the border. The RCMP acknowledged just one death in Canada, and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) produced no results. Instead, we systematically collected media reports on border deaths and analyzed that data.

    Roughly three-quarters of migrants whose deaths were covered in news reports were travelling towards the U.S. Their remains were mainly recovered on the Canadian side of the border.



    Read more:
    Roxham Road: Asylum seekers won’t just get turned back, they’ll get forced underground — Podcast

    Migrants face a range of dangers when crossing the Canada-U.S. border irregularly, but drowning represents the most significant threat, followed by hypothermia — 23 and six of the 38 recorded deaths, respectively.

    Three people died in encounters with border patrol agents, with two fatally shot on the American side and one dying in a car crash while being chased by Canadian agents.

    An RCMP officer stops people as they enter Canada via Roxham Road near Hemmingford, Que., hours after amendments to the Safe Third Country agreement enabled authorities to turn asylum-seekers away from unofficial border crossings.
    THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

    Invisible deaths

    Our requests for official data on border deaths in both the U.S. and Canada came up empty-handed. After more than a year and the conclusion of an independent complaint investigation into the RCMP’s lack of response to our Canadian request, we were provided with information on one single death. The request filed in the U.S. returned no information.

    Researchers in both countries regularly report frustration with slow processes and a lack of results from such requests.

    This experience led us to believe that border enforcement agencies do not track deaths along the Canada-U.S. border in either country. This is a problem. The public is left in the dark, while potential migrants are not provided with information about the dangers of irregular crossings.

    It is particularly odd that American authorities don’t provide information on deaths at this border, given that deaths along the U.S.-Mexico border are tracked and publicly reported.

    If there’s been a policy decision not to track deaths at the Canada-U.S. border, it reveals a lack of concern and a willingness to obscure the full picture from the public. Both the Canadian and American governments need to change their approach to documenting border deaths, detailing all known cases publicly.

    More death on the horizon

    Trump’s return to the American presidency might lead to an increase in irregular migration between Canada and the U.S. The Canadian government’s move to beef up border security enforcement, in turn, makes it more likely that migrants will perish after choosing dangerous crossing points.

    Even when migrants die amid human smuggling operations, a lot of the responsibility lies with government decisions.

    As Public Safety Canada warned in 2023, more difficult border crossings lead to increased criminality in human smuggling. Government decisions drive people away from safer crossing points and into the influence of criminal organizations.

    The governments of Canada and the United States have a moral obligation to inform the public about deaths — and do everything in their power to prevent further tragedies.

    Julie Young receives funding from the Canada Research Chairs Program.

    Daniel E. Martinez, Dylan Simburger, and Simon Granovsky-Larsen do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

    – ref. The hidden truth about migrant deaths at the Canada-U.S. border – https://theconversation.com/the-hidden-truth-about-migrant-deaths-at-the-canada-u-s-border-247782

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Maine Return Preparer Charged with Preparing False Tax Returns for Clients

    Source: US State of California

    A grand jury returned an indictment yesterday charging a Maine man with preparing false tax returns for clients and scheming to defraud clients, among other crimes.

    According to the indictment, Thierry Musese, a paid return preparer, ran a tax preparation business out of a barbershop he owned and operated in Auburn, Maine. During the 2021 and 2022 tax years, Musese allegedly prepared and filed with the IRS false tax returns on behalf of 17 taxpayers. These tax returns allegedly included false business losses, fuel tax credits and residential energy credits, resulting in tax refunds these clients were not entitled to receive. For the 2023 tax year, Musese allegedly continued to prepare false tax returns for clients even after his electronic filing identification number was revoked by the IRS. According to the indictment, Musese also falsified his own tax returns for 2021 and 2022.

    Musese also allegedly defrauded some of his clients by diverting to himself a portion of their tax refunds without their permission. According to the indictment, he provided these clients with copies of their tax returns that differed from the versions he filed with the IRS.

    Musese will make his initial court appearance before a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Maine at a later date. If convicted, Musese faces up to three years in prison for each count of filing a false tax return and a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison for each count of wire fraud. 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 Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Darcie N. McElwee for the District of Maine made the announcement.

    IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

    Trial Attorney Likhitha Butchireddygari of the Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Perry for the District of Maine are prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL OSI USA News –