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Category: US Department of Justice

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Durbin, Schiff Blast Trump Administration’s Plan to Use Federal Prisons for Mass Deportation Efforts

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Durbin, Schiff Blast Trump Administration’s Plan to Use Federal Prisons for Mass Deportation Efforts

    Senate Judiciary Democrats to Attorney General Bondi: “We write to object to the recent decision to use Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities to detain immigrants swept up in the Trump Administration’s mass deportation efforts and urge you to reconsider this plan”

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and other Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in condemning the Trump Administration’s intended use of Bureau of Prisons (BOP) facilities to detain immigrants as part of President Trump’s mass deportation plan. The move is a policy revival from Trump’s first administration, where detained immigrants described allegations of mistreatment and unconstitutional detention conditions. The detainees, many of whom were seeking asylum, were often denied access to legal counsel, phone calls, clean clothing, educational programming, and even religious freedom.

    The Senators expressed concerns with the February 7 memo from BOP’s Correctional Programs Branch directing the policy change. They highlighted the memo’s lack of answers on how to safely manage interactions between civil immigration detainees and incarcerated criminals, how BOP staff will receive sufficient training and resources to manage the civil immigrant detainee population, and whether BOP facilities could meet basic immigration detention standards.

    “[This memo fails] to provide meaningful guidance and direction to staff on the serious questions raised by these instructions,” wrote the Senators. “… Due to [the Bureau of Prisons] already suffering from years of understaffing, inadequate resources, and crumbling infrastructure, the Administration’s decision to revive immigration detention in BOP facilities seriously threatens the safety and well-being of BOP staff, incarcerated individuals, and immigrant detainees.”

    “Until serious funding and staffing challenges outlined above are addressed, federal prisons simply cannot safely and humanely meet the needs of its current inmate population, much less the needs of civil immigration detainees,” continued the Senators. “Immigration detainees in federal prisons will face substandard conditions and care, and their detention will only exacerbate significant institutional problems facing the Bureau. We therefore urge you to reconsider this plan and instead work with us to address BOP’s existing challenges.”

    In their letter, the Senators also outlined the long-faced staffing and infrastructure challenges that this policy change would perpetuate, as detailed by labor unions and previous Committee hearings. Additionally, they described understaffing as just “one symptom of chronic underinvestment in the Bureau,” including growing maintenance needs that executive staff characterize as a “foundational, enterprise-wide challenge” costing $3 billion.

    In addition to Padilla, Durbin, and Schiff, the letter is also signed by U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).

    Senator Padilla is a leading voice in Congress opposing President Trump’s anti-immigrant actions and rhetoric. He sharply criticized Trump’s harmful executive orders targeting immigrants at the start of his second Administration. Yesterday, Padilla denounced Trump’s transfer of immigrants from the United States to Guantánamo as unlawful and demanded answers regarding these transfers. Last week, Padilla cosponsored the Born in the USA Act to effectively block the implementation of Trump’s unconstitutional executive order attempting to end birthright citizenship for certain children born in the United States, or a similar subsequent executive order. Last year, Padilla emphasized the dangers and immense economic costs of the Trump Administration’s mass deportation plans during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.

    Full text of the letter to Attorney General Bondi is available here and below:

    Dear Attorney General Bondi:

    We write to object to the recent decision to use Federal Bureau of Prisons facilities to detain immigrants swept up in the Trump Administration’s mass deportation efforts and urge you to reconsider this plan.

    During the previous Trump Administration, detained immigrants described alleged mistreatment and unconstitutional detention conditions in federal prisons. The detainees, many of whom were seeking asylum, lacked access to legal counsel, religious rights, phone calls, educational or other programming, and even clean clothing. Despite this troubling history, the current Trump Administration is apparently relying on the same poorly conceived detention scheme.

    On February 7, the Bureau’s Correctional Programs Branch issued a memo stating that, “[e]ffective immediately, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) employees will accept and process all new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainees,” while failing to provide meaningful guidance and direction to staff on the serious questions raised by these instructions. These questions include how to manage interactions between civil immigration detainees and the existing criminally incarcerated population; how the Department of Justice (DOJ) and DHS will ensure BOP staff receive adequate training and resources to meet the needs of the civil immigrant detainee population; and whether BOP facilities would even be able to meet basic immigration detention standards. Due to BOP already suffering from years of understaffing, inadequate resources, and crumbling infrastructure, the Administration’s decision to revive immigration detention in BOP facilities seriously threatens the safety and well-being of BOP staff, incarcerated individuals, and immigrant detainees.

    With 122 institutions nationwide, BOP is responsible for the well-being and rehabilitation of over 155,000 federal inmates, nearly 143,000 of whom are in BOP custody. The Bureau has long-faced significant staffing and infrastructure challenges. At the end of 2024, BOP announced plans to permanently close one prison and idle six additional facilities due to “significant challenges, including a critical staffing shortage, crumbling infrastructure and limited budgetary resources.” BOP already grapples with considerable resource deficiencies in discharging its primary mandate, and simply does not have adequate resources to take on the additional challenge of safely and humanely accommodating immigration detainees.

    The Bureau’s chronic understaffing challenges are well-documented. President Trump’s order to freeze hiring of all federal civilian employees as of January 22, 2017 exacerbated the situation. BOP reportedly eliminated 6,000 positions as a result, a 14 percent staffing decrease from 2016 levels. Though the hiring freeze was rescinded later in the Trump Administration, the Bureau has continued to struggle with underfunding, resulting in decreased competitiveness in the employment market; staffing levels have still not rebounded. As set forth in a February 2024 letter to then-President Biden from the President of the Council of Prison Locals 33, American Federation of Government Employees AFL-CIO, the Bureau has lost “almost 9,000 staff since 2016,” bringing the federal prison workforce down to a “critical level.” As of December 2024, BOP is authorized for 14,900 full time correctional officer positions and reported 12,662 officers in pay status. BOP is additionally authorized for 27,498 “other” positions, of which the Bureau reports 23,949 are in pay status.

    As several recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearings have highlighted, understaffed prisons already face immense challenges in keeping current populations and staff safe, let alone accommodating an influx of immigration detainees. BOP currently institutes inadequate workarounds to address dangerous staff shortages. A February 2024 DOJ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report on inmate deaths detailed BOP’s overreliance on augmentation, the practice of assigning noncustodial staff such as teachers, case managers, and medical staff to perform routine correctional officer duties for a period of time to help offset correctional staff shortages. BOP also mandates overtime to compensate for staffing shortages, with officers “often covering six to seven days per week with shifts extending up to 16 hours,” according to the correctional officers union. The OIG report “found that both practices burdened existing staff and potentially contributed to staff fatigue, sleep deprivation, decreased vigilance, and inattentiveness to duty,” outcomes negatively affecting staff morale and performance.

    The significant stress on BOP staff caused by chronic understaffing predictably impacts the Bureau’s ability to care for those in its custody. For example, staff shortages in health and psychology positions “can negatively affect the availability and quality of treatment, programming, and general medical and mental healthcare” for incarcerated individuals, including “treatment and programs designed to treat substance abuse disorders and mental illnesses.” NPR found that some incarcerated individuals have been forced to wait months or years for necessary medical treatment. Similarly, understaffing in educational and programming positions hinders successful implementation of rehabilitative programs designed to reduce recidivism—including programming mandated by the First Step Act, the bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation that President Trump signed into law in 2018.

    Most alarmingly, safety and security cannot be ensured without minimum levels of staffing. For example, in 2022, a fight left two incarcerated individuals dead in United States Penitentiary Beaumont. The correctional officers’ union condemned the incident and noted that “chronic understaffing of our prisons is jeopardizing the lives of both workers and inmates.” Indeed, according to the OIG’s February 2024 report, “[t]he BOP specifically identified insufficient staffing as an issue in at least 30 of the inmate deaths” that the report examined.

    Understaffing is just one symptom of chronic underinvestment in the Bureau. For example, a May 2023 DOJ OIG report noted that “BOP has limited resources to address its extensive and growing maintenance needs, and in many cases, necessary repairs cannot be completed in a timely manner due to a lack of funding.” Examples of the Bureau’s “aging and failing infrastructure” include buckling concrete, water leaks, poor ventilation, and energy inefficiencies. BOP Executive Staff have described the inability to address this issue as a “foundational, enterprise-wide challenge.” In February 2024, then- BOP Director Colette Peters testified to the Senate Judiciary Committee that the Bureau has a maintenance and repair backlog of about $3 billion.

    Immigration detention facilities with which DHS contracts must comply with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) immigration detention standards, including providing access to medical and mental health care, access to counsel, language access, access to religious opportunities, a process for reporting and responding to complaints, and limitations on solitary confinement. Troubling reports indicate that BOP is not observing ICE detention standards, which reflect the appropriate conditions for the unique nature of civil immigration detainees. Indeed, given the staffing, infrastructure, and resource challenges that BOP faces, BOP facilities cannot be expected to rapidly adapt to meet such standards—and as a result they will likely again face challenges regarding unconstitutional conditions of confinement.

    Until serious funding and staffing challenges outlined above are addressed, federal prisons simply cannot safely and humanely meet the needs of its current inmate population, much less the needs of civil immigration detainees. Immigration detainees in federal prisons will face substandard conditions and care and their detention will only exacerbate significant institutional problems facing the Bureau. We therefore urge you to reconsider this plan and instead work with us to address BOP’s existing challenges.

    We look forward to your prompt response.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Highlights Threats to Election Security, Campaign Finance in First Business Meeting as Rules Committee Ranking Member

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla Highlights Threats to Election Security, Campaign Finance in First Business Meeting as Rules Committee Ranking Member

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) joined his first business meeting as Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, where he highlighted the importance of free and fair elections, campaign finance reform, and Capitol security. The meeting focused on the committee funding resolution and committee rules for the 119th Congress.

    In his remarks, Senator Padilla emphasized that he will continue working to protect the right to vote, secure our elections, safeguard election workers, and push for essential funding to state and local governments for election administration. He called out the Trump Administration for decimating critical election security efforts by disbanding the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s foreign election interference task force, removing election security specialists at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and deploying President Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the agency.

    Senator Padilla, California’s former Secretary of State, also underscored Americans’ strong support for curbing the massive influx of dark money and corporate spending in politics, calling the Citizens United decision a “complete disaster.” He blasted President Trump for his recent illegal firing of the Federal Elections Commission Chair and his executive order claiming to bring independent regulatory agencies under the control of the executive branch.

    Last week, Senator Padilla and Representative Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.-25) pressed senior officials at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) for answers after reports indicated employees who previously worked on election misinformation and disinformation issues were placed on administrative leave. Padilla denounced the illegal firing of FEC Chair Ellen Weintraub and led 10 Democratic Senators to demand President Trump rescind this decision.

    Padilla’s full remarks, as prepared for delivery, are available here and below:

    Thank you, Chairman McConnell. I look forward to working with you and all the Members of the Rules Committee in this new role as Ranking Member. 

    I also want to thank Senators Klobuchar and Fischer for their leadership last Congress — including making key security improvements here at the Capitol following the January 6th insurrection.

    This Committee has a long history of working across party lines in support of the Senate and the legislative branch. Today I am committed to continuing that tradition with Chairman McConnell. 

    While the Capitol and Senate buildings may be our workplaces, ultimately, they belong to the American people. Americans spend their time and money — some traveling thousands of miles — to visit and exercise their First Amendment rights. For Americans from states red, blue, and purple, this Capitol means more than politics: it’s the embodiment of our democracy. It is our responsibility to maintain and secure the Capitol for them.

    Today’s action on the committee funding resolution for the 119th Congress gives us an early opportunity to come together. And while I wish we were able to provide more funding in certain instances, I am pleased that we worked in a bipartisan fashion on this effort.

    But in addition to our responsibilities to the administration of both the buildings and rules that allow this body to run, our Committee also plays a central role in our democracy – overseeing federal elections and campaign finance.

    Election Administration

    As California’s former Secretary of State, I know the importance of defending free and fair elections. I will always work to preserve voter access, protect election workers, ensure election security, and provide critical funding to the states. 

    Over the years, Congress has invested resources to help states start to modernize their election systems, but we have failed to provide the reliable funding that is needed. I hope we can find bipartisan consensus to help states and local governments manage the growing challenges of running elections.

    Unfortunately, just a few weeks in, the current Administration is taking a blowtorch to election security. Already, the Department of Justice has disbanded the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s foreign election interference task force while the Department of Homeland Security is removing election security specialists at the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

    And now, President Trump and Elon Musk have sent DOGE’s inexperienced, unqualified staff — with a history of leaking security information and cybercrime — to CISA. Despite our inquiries and DOGE’s claims of transparency, this Committee and the public have no real information about the goals of this interference. And state and local election officials are losing the critical election security support that Congress has directed CISA to provide.

    It is my hope that moving forward, members on this committee from both parties will join me in strengthening election security — not weakening it.

    Campaign Finance

    At the same time, Americans overwhelmingly support efforts to roll back the tide of unregulated and secret money in politics. They are tired of their voices being drowned out by unlimited spending from corporations and billionaires. Yet today, an unelected billionaire who spent over 270 million dollars on the 2024 election sits in the Oval Office, issuing policy directives and accessing federal contracts and regulatory favors.

    The Citizens United decision was a complete disaster that continues to damage our democracy and must be repealed. Until then, Congress and the Federal Election Commission (FEC) should uphold the law and improve what we can.

    Unfortunately, President Trump is trying to destroy what few guardrails we have left. He illegally fired the Chair of the FEC and issued an Executive Order that gives White House operatives control over the FEC and other independent agencies. Congress created agencies like the FEC to follow the law independent of political pressure — not to be tools for handing out political favors or retribution on behalf of the White House.

    The FEC was created over 50 years ago following Watergate. Now, President Trump is opening the floodgates for a new golden age of corruption. As a committee, we must work to stop these power grabs before more damage is done.

    Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Orleans Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BOSTON – An Orleans man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for child pornography offenses.

    Anthony Argo, 34, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In November 2024, Argo pleaded guilty to possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Argo was arrested and charged in July 2024.

    Argo was identified as the user of a chat application who was expressing sexual interest in minors and sharing CSAM. During a search of his residence, Argo was found in possession of an SD card and multiple USB drives containing thousands of images depicting child pornography. The files depicted children as young as infants.  

    According to court documents, Argo was previously convicted in Barnstable District Court for indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over and in Orleans District Court for kidnapping, enticement of a child under 16 and distributing obscene matter to a minor.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England made the announcement today. Special assistance was provided by Homeland Security Investigations in Frederick, Maryland and the Orleans Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Maynard of the Major Crimes Unit prosecuted the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Child Sexual Exploitation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A former Grain Valley, Mo., police officer pleaded guilty in federal court today to charges related to the sexual exploitation of a child.

    August Price Gildehaus, 28, of Blue Springs, Mo., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to one count of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and one count of producing child pornography.

    Gildehaus, a Grain Valley police officer at the time of the offenses, was originally charged by the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.

    By pleading guilty today, Gildehaus admitted that he engaged in illegal sexual activity with a 15-year-old female victim. Gildehaus and the victim met on an online social media platform. Gildehaus met with the victim on five separate occasions between Aug. 5, 2022, and Jan. 5, 2023, to engage in illicit sexual activity at different locations, including a middle school parking lot.

    Gildehaus admitted that the child victim took photographs of herself when she was home, and he took photographs of himself that he sent to her. Gildehaus also admitted that he recorded videos of their sexual encounters.

    Under federal statutes, Gildehaus is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of life in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Brackett. It was investigated by the Grain Valley, Mo., Police Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

    Project Safe Childhood

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: New Haven Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for 2 Gunpoint Robberies in 2023

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that GARY GIBSON, JR., 25, of New Haven, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Robert N. Chatigny in Hartford to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by four years of supervised release, for a firearm offense stemming from his armed robberies of two convenience stores in May 2023.

    According to court documents and statements made in court, shortly after midnight on May 7, 2023, Gibson, brandishing a Glock semiautomatic handgun, robbed the Star Food & Convenience Store, located at 193 Boston Post Road in West Haven.  Gibson took approximately $1,860 cash from the register and took cash and an iPhone from an employee of the store.

    In the afternoon of May 8, 2023, Gibson entered the 7th Haven Convenience Store, located at 129 Sylvan Avenue in New Haven, and forced an employee to the ground at gunpoint.  After taking approximately $5,700 cash from the register and rent money, Gibson fired a shot into the ceiling during a struggle with the employee.  Gibson then fled.

    New Haven Police, with the assistance of West Haven Police, arrested Gibson in Milford shortly after the New Haven robbery and seized from him the handgun used during the robberies.  The gun had an attached laser sight and a loaded 15-round magazine.

    Gibson’s criminal history includes six felony convictions for weapon possession, robbery, and larceny offenses.  It is a violation of federal law for a person previously convicted of a felony offense to possess a firearm or ammunition that has moved in interstate or foreign commerce.

    Gibson has been detained since May 8, 2023.  On July 15, 2024, he pleaded guilty to carrying, using, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

    Judge Chatigny ordered Gibson to pay $7,560 in restitution.

    This matter was investigated by the FBI’s Connecticut Violent Crimes Task Force, the New Haven Police Department, and the West Haven Police Department.

    The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Ruff through Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.  For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit www.justice.gov/psn.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Natchitoches Man Sentenced for Possession of Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALEXANDRIA, La. – Christopher Aaron Stanfield, 37, of Natchitoches, Louisiana, has been sentenced for possession of child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook.  United States District Judge Dee D. Drell sentenced Stanfield to 97 months (8 years, 1 month) in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for the offense.   

    On October 6, 2020, officers with the Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office executed an arrest warrant at Stanfield’s residence in Natchitoches. Prior to the execution of the arrest warrant, a search warrant had also been secured for Stanfield’s apartment in connection with a separate and ongoing investigation. During the arrest and search, law enforcement officers collected several electronic devices, including iPads, a laptop, and an iPhone. 

    Stanfield was interviewed by law enforcement officers and admitted to committing several criminal offenses, including theft and identity theft. He further admitted that he had been using the “dark web” to commit these offenses. A subsequent forensic review of Stanfield’s seized electronic equipment was conducted by the Bossier City Marshal’s Office, Cybercrime Unit, and revealed that there were approximately 513 still images and 6 videos depicting the sexual exploitation of minor children. These images and videos included the rape of infants and toddlers. Stanfield pleaded guilty to the charge on March 14, 2024.

    The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Natchitoches Parish Sheriff’s Office and Bossier City Marshal’s Office, Cybercrime Unit, and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamilla A. Bynog.

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

    To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt or production of child pornography: Child sexual abuse material – referred to in legal terms as “child pornography” – captures the sexual abuse and exploitation of children. These images document victims’ exploitation and abuse, and they suffer revictimization every time the images are viewed. In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 36 million reports of the possession, manufacture, or distribution of child sexual abuse materials. To file a report with NCMEC, go to https://report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dennis Allen Gaal Sentenced to 25 Years for Engaging in Interstate Travel for the Purpose of Engaging in Illicit Sexual Conduct

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

    CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – On February 21, 2025, Dennis Allen Gaal, 50, currently of Chattanooga, Tennessee, was sentenced to 25 years by the Honorable Travis R. McDonough, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Chattanooga.  Following his incarceration, Gaal will be on supervised release for life, and he will be required to register with state sex offender registries and comply with special sex offender conditions during his supervised release.

    As part of the plea agreement filed with the court, Gaal agreed to plead guilty to an indictment charging him with one count of interstate travel for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2423(b).  Gaal, a registered sex offender from Mississippi, traveled to Chattanooga in December 2023, intending to sexually molest a 10-month-old child.  In fact, Gaal had been communicating with a Special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who was posing as a person with access to the child.  Gaal noted in the online discussions with the undercover agent that the sexual abuse would be “a dream come true.”  He arrived in Chattanooga with gifts for the notional child, including Christmas outfits, a stuffed animal, and a rattle.  When Gaal arrived, he was arrested and has remained in custody since his arrest.            

    “The defendant, while already a convicted sex offender, traveled to Tennessee to sexually molest a 10-month-old child,” said Francis M. Hamilton III, U. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Tennessee.  “The facts are outrageous and disturbing.  We are dedicated to prosecuting offenders like this to the full extent of the law.”

    “Exploitation of children offenses are heinous and leave an immeasurable impact on victims,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office.  “To protect our children, the FBI will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and bring sexual predators to justice.”

    The criminal indictment was the result of an investigation by the FBI and the investigation was led by FBI Special Agent Samuel Moore.

    Assistant United States Attorney James T. Brooks and Special Assistant United States Attorney Charlie Minor with the Hamilton County District Attorney’s Office, represented the United States.

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

    For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab “resources.”

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Twelve Men Sentenced for Conspiring to Distribute Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, and Marijuana in Tennessee and Other States

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

    NASHVILLE – Twelve members of a drug trafficking conspiracy were sentenced last week for their roles in conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances in middle Tennessee and elsewhere, announced Acting United States Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee.

    According to court documents, around 2022, agents with Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration began investigating large shipments of counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills that were inscribed “M30,” methamphetamine, and marijuana that someone was shipping to Tennessee and approximately 16 other states from California. Agents reviewed shipping materials, monitored social media accounts, and conducted surveillance before identifying Matthew Cox as the individual who was shipping these packages to members of the drug trafficking conspiracy. In their messages on social media applications and phones, the defendants discussed drug prices, drug shipments, and quality of the drugs. One defendant, Quortez Duncan, told Cox that he wanted stronger pills to get customers hooked on the pills to increase profits. Cox complied and attempted to send Duncan these pills, but Agents seized them. Agents also learned that another defendant, Khyre McClain, attempted to establish and launder money through a limited liability corporation.

    In addition to this evidence of shipments to other states, agents seized packages of drugs that were being shipped to Tennessee. Specifically, on July 25, 2022, HSI agents seized a package from a UPS Store in Sebastopol, California, which was destined for Nashville, Tennessee. This package contained thousands of counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills weighing over two kilograms. The package also contained more than eight pounds of methamphetamine. On August 9, 2022, HSI agents intercepted two additional packages from the Santa Rosa, California, area which were destined for residences in Nashville. One package contained 472 grams of counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills, and the other package contained approximately four pounds of methamphetamine.

    After collecting an overwhelming amount of evidence, law enforcement officers executed search warrants at multiple residences in California and Tennessee. They recovered handguns, assault rifles, bulk cash, expensive cars, marijuana, and large amounts of counterfeit fentanyl-laced pills.

    “Stopping the trafficking of deadly fentanyl is a major priority of the Department of Justice,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire, “these successful prosecutions demonstrate our continued commitment to hit fentanyl traffickers with the full force of the law.”

    “These defendants took part in a cross-country conspiracy that brought significant amounts of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and marijuana to Tennessee,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain committed to holding those accountable who attempt to poison our communities.”

    Each defendant was convicted of conspiring to distribute controlled substances. Three defendants were also convicted of unlawfully possessing firearms after previously being convicted of felony offenses. The defendants were sentenced as follows:

    Quortez Duncan, age 37, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison

    Mathew Cox, age 28, was sentenced to 11 years and 8 months in federal prison

    Jonny Rodriguez-Gonzalez, age 26, was sentenced to 11 years and 2 months in federal prison

    Ricardo Molinero-Alcarez, age 29, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison

    Khyre McClain, age 23, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison

    Davontay Holt, age 30, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison

    Marcus Johnson, age 27, was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison

    Tristain Orr, age 25, was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison

    Ethan Kimes, age 22, was sentenced to 2 years in federal prison

    Marquitues Sawyers, age 24, was sentenced to 1 year and 8 months in federal prison

    Jahari Armstrong, age 22, was sentenced to 3 years of probation

    Jaydan Armstrong, age 22, was sentenced to 3 years of probation

    This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration; Homeland Security Investigations; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Nashville Field Office; the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation; and the Columbia Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ahmed Safeeullah and Rachel Stephens prosecuted this case.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Sean Williams Sentenced to 95 Years for Production of Child Pornography and Escape From Custody

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

    GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – On February 24, 2025, Sean Christopher Williams, 53, of Johnson City, Tennessee, was sentenced to 95 years imprisonment by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, United States District Judge, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Greeneville.

    In July of 2024, Williams was convicted at trial of escape in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 751(a) and in November of 2024, Williams was convicted at trial of three counts of production of child pornography, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) and (e).

    The evidence presented at the escape trial showed that Williams escaped from a transport van enroute to the Greeneville Federal Courthouse on October 18, 2023.  His escape resulted in a multistate manhunt that led to the capture of Williams in Pinellas County, Florida, on November 21, 2023.

    The evidence presented at the child pornography trial showed that Williams used three minor children to engage in sexually explicit conduct and took photos of the sexually explicit conduct.  The conduct occurred at Williams’s apartment in Johnson City.  The evidence showed that Williams sexually assaulted each of the victims’ mothers while they were unconscious, around the same time that he took pornographic photos of their children.  The criminal conduct extended over a 12-year period.  Williams took photos of the first victim in 2008 and the two other victims on separate occasions in 2020.  Williams was arrested in 2023 near the campus of Western Carolina University and campus police officers seized flash drives from his car that were later found to contain the photos.

    “Sean Williams is a dangerous sexual predator who preyed on our community’s most vulnerable victims,” said United States Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III.  “Today’s sentence reflects the severity of the crimes committed and not only ensures that this dangerous individual has been held accountable for the harm he caused, but also prevents him from hurting others again.  We thank the dedicated law enforcement officers whose efforts made the convictions and sentence possible.”

    “Our children are among the most vulnerable members of our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Nashville Field Office.  “The FBI will continue to do everything in its power to stop sexual exploitation of children that causes irreparable harm and trauma to the victims and bring to justice those responsible.”

    “This case shows the impact of collaboration and determination by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and our local, state, and federal partners to hold accountable an individual who preyed upon innocent children,” said TBI Director David Rausch.  “We hope the outcome of this investigation sends a clear message that we will continue to commit all the necessary resources to find and apprehend those who victimize our most vulnerable residents.”

    Law enforcement agencies either participating in a joint investigation, or cooperating in a parallel investigation, which led to the apprehension, indictment and subsequent conviction of Williams included the FBI, the United States Marshal Service, Homeland Security Investigations, the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Western North Carolina Police Department.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Meghan L. Gomez, Emily M. Swecker, and J. Gregory Bowman represented the United States at the trials.

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

    For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc/resources.html and click on the tab “resources.”

                                                                                                          ###

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Metairie Man Indicted for Possessing Materials Involving Sexual Exploitation of Minors and Federal Gun Control Act Violation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson announced today the Indictment of ROBERT ANTHONY MARSH, JR. (“MARSH”), age 59, of Metairie, was indicted on February 14, 2025, with Possession of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B) and (a)(2), and  Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 922(g)(1) and 924(a)(8). If convicted of the possession of sexual exploitation materials,  MARSH faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten (10) years and a maximum sentence of twenty (20) years imprisonment, and/or a fine of up to $250,000.00, a term of supervised release of no less than five (5) years and up to life, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee.  If convicted of firearm possession by a convicted felon, MARSH faces a maximum sentence of fifteen (15) years imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000.00, up to three years of supervised release, and a $100.00 mandatory special assessment fee.

    According to court documents, MARSH’s home was searched by state law enforcement officials and federal agents on December 19, 2024.  At the time of this search, MARSH was on state supervised release for a previous state conviction of Pornography Involving Juveniles.  On December 19, 2024, following the search of his home, MARSH was arrested by Louisiana State Probation and Parole for possession of a firearm by a prohibited person and possession of child pornography.  Thereafter, MARSH was transferred from state to federal custody in connection with this federal indictment.              

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

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

    Acting U.S. Attorney Simpson praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Jefferson Parish Police Department; and the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections, Probation and Parole.  The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Cartel Cocaine Quality Tester Extradited from Mexico

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ATLANTA – Irma Elvira Cruz, also known as “Huzipol” and “Madre,” 60, of Mexico, has been arraigned before Russell G. Vineyard, Chief United States Magistrate Judge, on federal charges of Conspiracy to Unlawfully Import Cocaine into the United States and Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute.  Cruz was indicted by a federal grand jury on February 14, 2017. 

    “Cruz allegedly played a critical role in the trafficking of hundreds of kilograms of cocaine into the United States,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “Cruz’s extradition from Mexico is an important step in holding her accountable for her alleged role in bringing dangerous drugs into the United States and into our local communities. We thank our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners for their work in this investigation and our international partners for their cooperation in helping us bring Cruz to justice.”

    “Drug traffickers exploit vulnerable members of our community to generate profits,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “Cases like this clearly demonstrate the resolve of the DEA to hold drug traffickers accountable.”

    “The extradition and arraignment of Irma Elvira Cruz, an alleged key figure in an international cocaine trafficking organization, demonstrates the unwavering commitment of HSI and our partners to dismantling transnational criminal networks,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta, which covers Georgia and Alabama. “By targeting those who facilitate the flow of dangerous narcotics into our communities, we are sending a strong message that we will pursue justice across borders and hold traffickers accountable.”

    According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, Jr., the charges, and other information presented in court: In 2013, United States law enforcement identified a Mexico-based drug trafficking organization that, between approximately 2013 and 2016, imported large quantities of cocaine from Colombia, through Mexico and into the United States for distribution, and transported drug proceeds from the United States to Mexico. The investigation identified Irma Elvira Cruz as an associate of the drug trafficking organization, allegedly responsible for the quality control testing of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine, sent from Colombia to Costa Rica and Mexico, and intended to be delivered into the United States.

    Cruz allegedly conspired with others in Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala, and elsewhere to coordinate the transportation of multi-kilogram quantities of cocaine from Colombia through the coast of Central America for distribution in Mexico and the United States, including Atlanta, Georgia. Specifically, Cruz was allegedly responsible for testing the quality of a large shipment of cocaine ultimately destined for Atlanta.

    The investigation revealed that on or about September 3, 2015, Cruz traveled to the organization’s stash house in Heredia, Belen, Asuncion, Costa Rica, to test the purity of the cocaine to be delivered into the United States. The following day, law enforcement authorities stopped vehicles driven by Cruz’s associates leaving the stash house and seized approximately 100 kilograms of cocaine. Law enforcement authorities then searched the stash house and seized approximately 221 kilograms of cocaine.

    Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges.  Cruz is presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the government’s burden to prove her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

    This case is being investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, United States Coast Guard, United States Navy, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, United States Border Patrol, DeKalb County Police Department, and Georgia State Patrol.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas M. Forsyth, III and Elizabeth M. Hathaway are prosecuting the case. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa Tarvin contributed to the prosecution as well. Also, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Cruz.

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

    For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6280.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

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  • MIL-OSI USA: CFTC Releases Enforcement Advisory on Self-Reporting, Cooperation, and Remediation

    Source: US Commodity Futures Trading Commission

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Division of Enforcement today issued an advisory on how the Division will evaluate a company’s or individual’s self-reporting, cooperation, and remediation when recommending enforcement actions to the Commission and establishes the factors the Division will consider. This marks the first time the Division will use a matrix to determine the appropriate mitigation credit to apply. The advisory provides fair notice to the public and guidance that is designed to ensure due process in the Division’s investigations and enforcement actions.
    “Today, the CFTC is finally making the improvements that I have long proposed are necessary to ensure lawful enforcement, and also implements the Administration’s Executive Order,” said Acting Chairman Caroline D. Pham. “From the beginning, I have encouraged firms to self-report to proactively take ownership, ensure accountability, and prevent future violations. By making the CFTC’s expectations for self-reporting, cooperation, and remediation more clear—including a first-ever matrix for mitigation credit—this advisory creates meaningful incentives for firms to come forward and get cases resolved faster with reasonable penalties.
    “Critically, it will enable the CFTC to do more with less and free up enforcement resources to focus relentlessly on catching fraudsters and scammers, helping victims, and promoting market integrity. Today’s advisory gets back to basics by returning to decades of prior CFTC policy on self-reporting and is aligned with best practices for assessing penalties followed by the Department of Justice and other U.S. financial regulators. This ‘no-surprises’ approach is straightforward and demonstrates the CFTC’s renewed commitment to fair treatment under the law and principles of regulatory consistency, transparency, and clarity.”
    “Our goal with this advisory is to obtain accountability while encouraging efficiency and conserving government resources by giving entities a clear reason to self-report and cooperate,” said Division of Enforcement Director Brian Young. “This advisory informs both staff and the public precisely how to do that. Based on my experience in criminal practice, I believe policies that encourage transparency and cooperation yield efficiencies and better justice outcomes.” 
    Specifically, the advisory details the framework the Division will use to assess self-reporting, cooperation, and remediation in investigations and enforcement actions: 

    Self-Reporting: The Division will evaluate self-reporting on a three-tier scale: No Self-Report; Satisfactory Self-Report; and Exemplary Self-Report. To receive full credit, disclosures must be voluntary, made to the Commission, made in a timely manner, and complete. Reports can be made to either the Division of Enforcement or to one of the Commission’s other Divisions with oversight responsibility. The Division of Enforcement will provide a safe harbor for good faith self-reporting if any inaccurate information in the self-report or voluntary disclosure is supplemented and corrected promptly after discovery of the inaccurate information.
    Cooperation and Remediation: The Division will evaluate cooperation on a four-tier scale: No Cooperation; Satisfactory Cooperation; Excellent Cooperation; and Exemplary Cooperation. The Division will evaluate remediation as a part of its evaluation of cooperation and consider whether a party engaged in substantial efforts to prevent a future violation. Other CFTC Divisions will be involved in the assessment of remediation. In some cases, a compliance monitor or consultant may be recommended to ensure the completion of undertakings. The advisory also provides examples of uncooperative conduct.
    Mitigation Credit Matrix: The advisory includes a Mitigation Credit Matrix describing the presumptive mitigation credit—as a percentage of the Division’s initial calculation of the civil monetary penalty—that a party may be eligible for if that party has self-reported and/or cooperated. The presumptive Mitigation Credit ranges from 0% for no self-report and no cooperation to 55% for an exemplary self-report and exemplary cooperation. The Division retains the discretion to deviate from the Mitigation Credit Matrix given the unique facts and circumstances of a particular case.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Waterbury Company Pays More Than $2.2 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Related to PPP Loan

    Source: United States Department of Justice (National Center for Disaster Fraud)

    Marc H. Silverman, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that MacDermid Incorporated, a Waterbury-based company that provides chemical products and technical services, has paid $2,226,623.62 to settle False Claims Act allegations that Coventya Inc., a company MacDermid Incorporated acquired in 2021, falsely certified its eligibility to receive a Paycheck Protection Program loan.

    Congress created the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) in March 2020 under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.  The PPP was administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA), and was intended to support small businesses struggling to pay employees and other expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic.  When applying for PPP loans, borrowers were required to certify that they were eligible for the requested loans and that the information they provided was true and accurate.  In December 2020, Congress approved funding for a second round of forgivable PPP loans, which became available to borrowers beginning in January 2021.  This “second-draw” loan program included additional eligibility requirements. 

    One of the eligibility requirements for receiving a second-draw PPP loan was that the entity could employ no more than 300 individuals.  The applicant was required to include in its employee count the employees of any foreign and domestic affiliate entities.

    The settlement resolves allegations that Coventya Inc., a company involved in the manufacture and international distribution of chemicals, falsely certified it was eligible to apply for and receive forgiveness of a second-draw PPP loan in 2021.  In April 2021, Coventya applied for a second-draw PPP loan for $1,075,000, representing that it had fewer than 300 employees.  The government contends that, together with its foreign affiliate, Coventya had more than 300 employees and was therefore ineligible for that loan.  Based on its false certification, Coventya received the loan.  After receiving this PPP loan, Coventya sought and received forgiveness of the total loan amount of $1,081,061.81, including $1,075,000 in principal and $6,061.81 in interest, which the SBA paid to the lender.

    Coventya was acquired by MacDermid Incorporated in September 2021, and is now known as MacDermid, Incorporated.

    “PPP loans were intended to help small businesses and their employees suffering the economic effects caused by the pandemic,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Silverman. “This office is committed to pursuing those who violated the requirements of pandemic assistance programs and holding them accountable.”  

    The False Claims Act allegations resolved by the settlement were originally brought in a lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court in Connecticut by a relator, or whistleblower, under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  These provisions allow private parties to bring suit on behalf of the government and to share in any recovery.  The relator, GNGH2 Inc., will receive $222,662.36 as its share of the recovery.

    The case resolved by this settlement is U.S. ex rel GNGH2 Inc. v. MacDermid Incorporated, as successor in interest to Coventya, Inc. (Docket No. 3:24-cv-1480).

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Kaczmarek, with assistance from SBA’s Office of General Counsel.

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

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Murphy, Colleagues Denounce President Trump’s Unlawful Transfer Of Immigrants To Guantánamo

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Connecticut – Chris Murphy
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, joined Democratic leaders of the Senate Judiciary and Appropriations Committees in sending a letter to President Trump denouncing his transfer of immigrants from the United States to the detention center at Guantánamo Bay as unlawful and asking for answers to basic questions yet to be provided to Congress.
    “We write to object to your illegal and unjustified transfers of immigrants from the United States to the detention center at Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, which follows your directive to the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to prepare the base to hold tens of thousands of noncitizens. These actions are unprecedented, unlawful, and harmful to American national security, values, and interests,” the senators wrote. “The United States has never sent anyone from the United States to be detained at Guantánamo before now.”
    On the unlawful and unjustified nature of the directive, the senators wrote: “There is no basis in U.S. immigration law for transferring noncitizens arrested inside the United States to a location outside of the United States for detention prior to or for the purposes of conducting removal proceedings. Noncitizens inside the United States are entitled to numerous protections under U.S. immigration law and the U.S. Constitution. For example, removal processes under our immigration laws afford noncitizens due process and an opportunity to seek protection from removal to a place where they could face persecution or torture. These rights cannot be extinguished by transfer to a location outside the United States. Simply put, if the processes for obtaining a lawful removal order have not been followed, the forcible removal of a noncitizen to Guantánamo violates U.S. immigration law.”
    They continued: “Individuals in civil immigration detention have a right to access counsel under ICE detention standards, and immigration laws governing removal proceedings. Impeding access to counsel for detained immigrants also may violate the Constitution in some circumstances. In addition, individuals in immigration detention may have appeal or other review rights  and cannot be held indefinitely,  and the only effective means by which a detained individual could assert these rights would be through access to counsel.”
    On the Trump Administration’s false claim that only high-risk immigrants are detained, the senators wrote: “While no noncitizen should be sent from the United States to Guantánamo, it also appears that your Administration’s claims that it was sending ‘worst of the worst’ there are misleading. Public reporting indicates that noncitizens who DHS deemed low risk were sent to Guantánamo. In response to inquiries from Judiciary Committee staff, your Administration has even left open the possibility that families, including children, will be detained at Guantánamo, stating that future decisions regarding detention would be made on a ‘case-by-case basis.’”
    The senators concluded: “Your efforts to house or detain noncitizens forcibly removed from the United States at the MOC and the Camp 6 law of war detention facilities at Guantánamo are cruel, unlawful, and unprecedented. Such hasty and unlawful actions will cause harms to the United States for years to come. As those familiar with the long history of operations at Guantánamo can tell you, detaining individuals there is not a quick fix. Congress has not appropriated funds for such purposes for good reason. Given the isolated location of the base, its controversial history, and the lack of legal authority to detain noncitizens there, continuing down this path will invite more litigation, drain resources, place undue strain on our servicemembers, diminish military readiness, undermine support from our allies, and harm our standing in the world.”
    U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) also signed the letter.
    Full text of the letter is available HERE and below:
    Dear President Trump: We write to object to your illegal and unjustified transfers of noncitizens from the United States to the detention center at Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, which follows your directive to the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to prepare the base to hold tens of thousands of noncitizens. These actions are unprecedented, unlawful, and harmful to American national security, values, and interests.
    The United States has never sent anyone from the United States to be detained at Guantánamo before now. More than three decades ago, the base was used temporarily to house sudden influxes of migrants from Haiti and Cuba who were interdicted at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard. Since then, the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have jointly provided housing and other services for a small number of migrants interdicted at sea at the Migrant Operations Center (MOC). Operations supporting even this limited number of migrants have proven challenging and there have been serious concerns regarding the living conditions of the MOC and insufficient access to basic legal rights and services.
    There is no basis in U.S. immigration law for transferring noncitizens arrested inside the United States to a location outside of the United States for detention prior to or for the purposes of conducting removal proceedings. Noncitizens inside the United States are entitled to numerous protections under U.S. immigration law and the U.S. Constitution. For example, removal processes under our immigration laws afford noncitizens due process and an opportunity to seek protection from removal to a place where they could face persecution or torture. These rights cannot be extinguished by transfer to a location outside the United States. Simply put, if the processes for obtaining a lawful removal order have not been followed, the forcible removal of a noncitizen to Guantánamo violates U.S. immigration law.
    Moreover, U.S. immigration law does not provide authority to detain noncitizens after their removal from the United States following a final order of removal. Immigration custody authority is based on immigration enforcement powers to seek and execute a removal order. Once an individual with a removal order departs the United States and arrives in a location outside the United States, the removal order has been executed. After that point, there is no basis under immigration law to retain custody of the individual. In addition, individuals in civil immigration detention have a right to access counsel under ICE detention standards, and immigration laws governing removal proceedings. Impeding access to counsel for detained noncitizens also may violate the Constitution in some circumstances. In addition, individuals in immigration detention may have appeal or other review rights and cannot be held indefinitely, and the only effective means by which a detained individual could assert these rights would be through access to counsel.
    Based on information provided to the Judiciary Committee and in court filings, we are concerned that your Administration did not consider these serious legal concerns or have any plan to address them prior to transferring noncitizens from the United States to Guantánamo. In response to the Judiciary Committee’s inquiry regarding how noncitizens will access counsel once on the base, DHS stated, “Removable aliens housed will be those with final orders pending removal.” This suggests that noncitizens with final orders of removal do not need access to counsel, which is inaccurate. After individuals and legal organizations filed suit seeking access to the noncitizens, the Department of Justice filed a brief arguing that these noncitizens’ constitutional rights were not violated, because, though they did not have a right to meet with attorneys in person under the circumstances, other means of communicating with counsel, such as by telephone, were available. Yet just the day before, when the Judiciary Committee requested details regarding how noncitizens being held at Guantánamo could contact counsel when granted access to a phone, DHS did not know what, if any, procedures were in place to notify them of their rights or provide them with contact information for legal services. Your Administration’s actions and these responses raise serious legal concerns and call into question what effort, if any, was put into ensuring that the transfer of noncitizens complied with applicable laws and regulations.
    While such clarification should be unnecessary, we must also emphasize that there is no colorable argument that noncitizens, including those convicted, accused, or suspected of crimes or criminal associations, can be held in law of war detention or in Department of Defense custody, whether at Guantánamo or anywhere else. The law of war detention facility at Guantánamo has been used to hold alleged members of al Qaeda and “associated forces” in connection with the armed conflict between the United States and these groups following the 9/11 attacks. While these detention operations have been the subject of significant controversy and criticism, these detainees have all been captured abroad and detained pursuant to the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force and Section 1021 of the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act.
    While no noncitizen should be sent from the United States to Guantánamo, it also appears that your Administration’s claims that it was sending “worst of the worst” there are misleading. Public reporting indicates that noncitizens who DHS deemed low risk were sent to Guantánamo. In response to inquiries from Judiciary Committee staff, your Administration has even left open the possibility that families, including children, will be detained at Guantánamo, stating that future decisions regarding detention would be made on a “case-by-case basis.”
    Your efforts to house or detain noncitizens forcibly removed from the United States at the MOC and the Camp 6 law of war detention facilities at Guantánamo are cruel, unlawful, and unprecedented. Such hasty and unlawful actions will cause harms to the United States for years to come. As those familiar with the long history of operations at Guantánamo can tell you, detaining individuals there is not a quick fix. Congress has not appropriated funds for such purposes for good reason. Given the isolated location of the base, its controversial history, and the lack of legal authority to detain noncitizens there, continuing down this path will invite more litigation, drain resources, place undue strain on our servicemembers, diminish military readiness, undermine support from our allies, and harm our standing in the world.
    We urge you to heed these lessons, follow the law, refrain from any further expansion of facilities, and cease transferring noncitizens to Guantánamo. To inform our oversight of this situation, please answer the following questions by March 10, 2025:
    What is your Administration’s claimed legal authority for transporting noncitizens from the United States to the Naval Station at Guantánamo Bay? Relatedly, what is your claimed legal basis for detaining noncitizens there, whether at the MOC, JTF-GTMO, or other facilities?
    What are your Administration’s criteria for determining which noncitizens would be sent to Guantánamo?
    Will you definitively state that families and children will not be sent to Guantánamo?
    For what crimes, if any, were the individuals previously sent to Guantánamo convicted? Were individuals provided with representation in their criminal proceedings?
    To what legal processes and rights does your Administration consider individuals sent to Guantánamo to be entitled, including relative to individuals in immigration detention inside the United States and individuals currently housed at the MOC?
    How will your Administration ensure that these rights, such as access to counsel and administrative and judicial review, are upheld given the restricted access to Naval Station Guantánamo Bay?
    How many ICE personnel are stationed at the MOC? How many are stationed at Camp 6?
    What are the projected costs of expanding the MOC and any other operations or actions associated with the transfer of noncitizens to or from Naval Station Guantánamo Bay? How much have the actions already taken cost U.S. taxpayers and how does that compare to the cost of detaining immigrants inside the U.S.? What is the source of funding for these efforts?
    What impact will these operations and expenditures have on military readiness and availability of funds for immigration detention and enforcement inside the United States?
    How does your Administration plan to ensure the facilities meet required standards of care for housing, food, medical care, security, sanitation, education, employment, and the like for both detained noncitizens and U.S. military personnel at the base, given the already deteriorated state of facilities at the base? What contingency plans do you have in place for weather conditions or other emergency situations?
    How does your Administration plan to ensure that Congress and the American people, including the press and civil society, have access to information regarding these operations, including who is, was, or will be detained there and under what conditions and authorities?
    What is your long-term objective and strategy for these detentions, including your plan for individuals for whom repatriation or resettlement may not be feasible?
    Reporting indicates that in one case, you have brought a noncitizen you had transferred to Guantánamo back to the United States. Is this true? If so, why, and under what authorities?
    We look forward to your prompt response.
    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla, Barragán Introduce Bicameral Bill to Codify DOJ’s Office of Environmental Justice

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla, Barragán Introduce Bicameral Bill to Codify DOJ’s Office of Environmental Justice

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.-44) introduced bicameral legislation to permanently codify the Office of Environmental Justice within the Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). The Empowering and Enforcing Environmental Justice Act follows Attorney General Pam Bondi’s recent order eliminating all environmental justice efforts at the DOJ on her first day as Attorney General.
    Bondi’s directive followed President Trump’s executive order dismantling all Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives across federal agencies. As a result, programs designed to combat pollution in communities of color, indigenous communities, and low-income areas were effectively shut down. The Trump Administration also terminated several ENRD attorneys responsible for prosecuting environmental violations, including cases like the Volkswagen emissions scandal and the East Palestine train derailment.
    “The Trump Administration’s systematic elimination of environmental justice efforts completely abandons millions of Americans whose communities have suffered from toxic pollution for decades,” said Senator Padilla. “Every federal agency has a responsibility to provide justice to these communities, and I remain committed to guaranteeing clean air and water for all. Our legislation would ensure that the Department of Justice holds polluters accountable for environmental crimes and works directly with communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis to rectify longstanding environmental harms.”
    “The Trump Administration’s elimination of environmental justice safeguards at DOJ is a gift to corporate polluters. It has left communities of color and low-income communities vulnerable to disproportionate pollution and harm, with no protection,” said Congresswoman Barragán. “Our bill reestablishes and permanently codifies the Office of Environmental Justice to protect impacted communities and ensure polluters face accountability. No community should bear the health consequences of environmental injustice.”
    The legislation will strengthen efforts at the Department of Justice to enforce environmental laws, hold polluters accountable, and support state and local environmental enforcement capacity. The Empowering and Enforcing Environmental Justice Act would also authorize $50 million in annual grant funding to assist state and local governments with their own environmental enforcement efforts.
    During the Biden Administration, Padilla and Barragán introduced a version of this bill, which led to the DOJ establishing the Office of Environmental Justice. This office undertook the responsibilities that the lawmakers outlined in their original bill. Padilla has since led an appropriations push to provide $1.4 million annually to this office.
    The Main Functions of the Environmental Justice Office include:
    Developing and updating the environmental justice strategy for the DOJ
    Promoting the right of the public to participate in DOJ’s environmental justice work and mission
    Providing support to state and local governments on how to address environmental justice issues
    Funding $50 million in annual grants to boost local and state agency capacity to hold polluters accountable
    Managing a Senior Advisory Council made up of different components at DOJ to advise the Natural Resource Division’s Assistant Attorney General on matters of environmental justice
    In the Senate, the Empowering and Enforcing Environmental Justice Act is cosponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). In the House, the legislation is cosponsored by Representatives Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.-03), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.-01), Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas-30), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.-01), Tim Kennedy (D-N.Y.-26), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.-08), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.-07), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.-10), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.-AL), Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12).
    Senator Padilla is a champion for ensuring all communities can breathe clean air and drink clean water in California and across the country, including through improved enforcement on environmental violations. In addition to calling for the establishment of the Office of Environmental Justice, Padilla outlined recommendations to former Attorney General Merrick Garland to strengthen its environmental justice program to advance the nation’s environmental justice goals. Padilla has also called on the Department of Justice to improve enforcement of environmental laws in the Central District of California and explain their policy regarding the use of non-prosecution agreements that spare corporate polluters of criminal liability, specifically in communities in the Los Angeles area, which are severely impacted by multiple sources of pollution.
    Last year, Senator Padilla helped secure $216.5 million the Inflation Reduction Act for 15 California projects to advance local, on-the-ground projects that reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and strengthen workforce development. Following multiple pushes from Padilla, the EPA proposed to add the Exide Technologies – Vernon site, located in Vernon, California, to the Superfund National Priorities List last year. Padilla also applauded the EPA’s release of the strongest national greenhouse gas standards in history for heavy-duty vehicle emissions to begin in model year 2027, protecting environmental justice communities following a series of efforts he led.
    Full text of the bill is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Issues Statement on the United States District Court for the Northern District of California’s Ruling to Remand ExxonMobil Plastics Lawsuit to State Court

    Source: US State of California

    Monday, February 24, 2025

    Contact: (916) 210-6000, agpressoffice@doj.ca.gov

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement regarding the United States District Court for the Northern District of California’s ruling granting the California Department of Justice (DOJ)’s motion to remand its case against ExxonMobil to state court:

    “ExxonMobil has been deceiving the public to convince us that plastic recycling could solve the plastic waste and pollution crisis when they knew this wasn’t possible. We are pleased with the Court’s decision to remand our plastic deception case against ExxonMobil to state court where it rightfully belongs. At the California Department of Justice, we stand ready to litigate this case, which directly affects California’s laws and its residents, and hold ExxonMobil fully accountable for its role in actively creating and exacerbating the plastic pollution crisis through its campaign of deception.”  

    BACKGROUND

    In 2022, the Attorney General launched an investigation into the fossil fuel and petrochemical industries for their role in causing the global plastic waste and pollution crisis. As part of its investigation, the DOJ issued investigative subpoenas to ExxonMobil and related plastics industry groups to seek details about the nature and extent of the company’s deception efforts. The DOJ has actively been conducting the investigation into the petrochemical industry, including subpoenas that uncovered never-before-seen documents, culminating in the lawsuit against ExxonMobil filed in the Superior Court of San Francisco County, a California state court, last year. 

    On November 1, 2024, ExxonMobil filed a notice of removal to federal court, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, in this case. On December 9, 2024, the California Department of Justice filed a motion to remand in the federal removal action. In its decision today, the District Court granted DOJ’s motion and remanded the case against ExxonMobil to state court. 

    A copy of the ruling can be found here.

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Pascagoula Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Distribution of Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Gulfport, MS – A Pascagoula man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for distribution of images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

    According to court documents, Tyrone Lewis, 20, had sexual contact with a 14-year-old in Jackson County, Mississippi, and recorded some of the sexual acts on a cell phone. Further investigation, including an analysis of the victim’s cell phone, revealed that Lewis sent the victim videos of himself and the victim engaging in sexual activity.  The cell phone also contained a text message which confirmed Lewis knew the victim was a minor.

    In July 2024, Lewis pled guilty to distribution of images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Lemon of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Eric DeLaune of Homeland Security Investigations made the announcement.

    The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee Smith prosecuted the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Mexican Drug Cartel Leader Extradited to Georgia to Face Federal Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ATLANTA – Omar Cuenca-Marino, 41, of Guerrero, Mexico, has been arraigned before Chief United States Magistrate Judge Russell G. Vineyard on federal charges of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute, and unlawful import of, methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin into the United States, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.  Cuenca-Marino, who was the alleged leader of the Los Rojos Mexican Drug Cartel, was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 21, 2016.  

    “Robust law enforcement partnerships, tenacious investigators, and a resilient determination to eliminate cartels that import deadly drugs into our communities culminated in the charges and recent extradition of this alleged drug cartel leader,” said Acting United States Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. “This prosecution sends a strong message to the cartels and their leadership, no matter where they reside: you will face justice.”

    “The arrest and extradition of Omar Cuenca-Marino, the alleged Los Rojos cartel leader, marks a significant success for the ongoing U.S. efforts to dismantle drug trafficking cartels and secure our borders,” said Steven N. Schrank, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta, which covers Georgia and Alabama. “As part of our commitment to combating the opioid crisis and transnational crime, we are leveraging every available resource to disrupt cross border criminal operations. This case sends a clear message that we, alongside our law enforcement partners, will not tolerate those who seek to profit from the distribution of dangerous narcotics.”

    “The success of this investigation demonstrates DEA will use all of its resources to destroy drug distribution networks that are endangering our communities,” said Jae W. Chung, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Division.

    “Drug cartels have caused the death of many people in the United States and Mexico through violence and the distribution of illegal drugs,” said Special Agent in Charge Demetrius Hardeman, IRS Criminal Investigation, Atlanta Field Office. “Once identified by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, IRS Criminal Investigation special agents investigate these cartels finances and their involvement with narcotics to help bring them down.”

    According to Acting U.S. Attorney Moultrie, the charges, and other information presented in court: An investigation by law enforcement authorities identified a drug cartel based in Mexico that, between approximately 2013 and 2016, was responsible for importing large, distribution quantities of heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine from Mexico into the United States.  The investigation identified Cuenca-Marino as the alleged Mexico-based leader of the cartel who oversaw the preparation of thousands of kilograms of cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin in Mexico and arranged to have the drugs smuggled into the United States, using buses and tractor-trailers.  In addition, Cuenca-Marino allegedly directed the collection of millions of dollars of drug proceeds for transport from the United States back to Mexico.

    For instance:

    • On October 11, 2013, a law enforcement operation in Vinings and Hiram, Georgia led to the seizure of approximately 75 kilograms of methamphetamine, 23 kilograms of heroin, and 47 kilograms of cocaine.  Cuenca-Marino allegedly directed the smuggling of these drugs into the United States for distribution in the Atlanta-metro area.
    • On November 20, 2015, law enforcement seized 76 packages of cocaine from a vehicle in a parking lot in Duluth, Georgia.  The investigation revealed that Cuenca-Marino had relayed the phone number of the Atlanta-based trafficker who was about to take possession of the drugs.
    • On February 9, 2016, law enforcement stopped a vehicle traveling on Interstate 44 in Phelps County, Missouri and found $425,900 in drug proceeds.  The driver, who was enroute to Mexico, allegedly contacted Cuenca-Marino the following day to report that the vehicle had been in an “accident.”

    Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges.  The defendant is presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s burden to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

    The investigation and prosecution of this case is led by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, with valuable assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Cobb County Police Department, Cobb County Sheriff’s Office, Marietta Police Department, Powder Springs Police Department, Henry County Police Department, Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, DeKalb County Police Department, Alabama Drug Task Force, Newnan Police Department, Conyers Police Department, Gwinnett County Judicial Task Force, United States Customs and Border Protection, and the Georgia State Patrol.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Herskowitz is prosecuting the case.  Former Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicholas Hartigan and Michael J. Brown, as well as the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs and Office of Enforcement Operations, provided valuable assistance in the investigation. Also, the Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition Cuenca-Marino.

    This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) 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 eliminate the most significant drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations.

    The specific mission of the David G. Wilhelm Atlanta OCDETF Strike Force (Atlanta Strike Force) is to eliminate transnational organized crime syndicates and major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations in the Atlanta metropolitan area and the Northern District of Georgia. To accomplish this mission, the Atlanta Strike Force will target these organizations’ leaders, focusing on targets designated as Consolidated Priority Organization Targets, Regional Priority Organization Targets, and their associates.  The Atlanta Strike Force is comprised of agents and officers from ATF, DEA, FBI, HSI, USMS, USPIS, and IRS, as well as numerous state and local agencies; and the prosecution is being led by the Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia.

    For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6280.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Citizen from the People’s Republic of China Sentenced for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Saipan – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that Kangle Jiang, age 22, citizen of the People’s Republic of China, was sentenced to 30 days imprisonment by the District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands for Conspiracy to Transport Illegal Aliens, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1324(a)(1)(A)(ii) and (v)(I) and Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, in violation of 18 § U.S.C. 37.  The court also ordered one year of supervised release, 50 hours of community service, and a $100 special assessment fee.

    On December 9, 2024, Kangle Jiang conspired with a man in Saipan to transport himself and seven other Chinese nationals to the Territory of Guam by boat. They intended to avoid detection by law enforcement to further their unlawful presence in the United States. Jiang, who had only been in the CNMI since October 31, 2024, paid $6,000 for the illegal trip to Guam.  As the boat approached the shore, the boat’s operators pushed and threatened the passengers to jump into the water, even though some of them could not swim.  Most of the passengers were later encountered in or near sensitive military installations.

    “Combatting unlawful immigration is the top priority of the Department of Justice,” stated United States Attorney Anderson.  “The defendant took advantage of unique federal immigration regulations that permit certain foreign nationals to visit the CNMI as tourists.  Any local economic benefits from these provisions are lost when those persons later attempt to unlawfully enter another part of the United States.  The defendant and his co-conspirators also placed themselves and others at great risk of personal harm due to the nature of their travel at sea.  Our enforcement efforts will continue to focus on safety, deterrence, and maintaining the integrity of our immigration system in the Western Pacific.”

    “The arrest of Mr. Jiang exemplifies HSI’s commitment to enforcing federal immigration laws in an effort to prevent human smuggling,” said HSI Special Agent in Charge Lucy Cabral-DeArmas.  “By going after violators like Mr. Jiang, we protect our communities by trying to prevent the inherent dangers posed by smuggling.”

    This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Eric S. O’Malley, Assistant United States Attorney in the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Padilla Denounces President Trump’s Unlawful Transfer of Immigrants to Guantánamo Bay

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.)

    Padilla Denounces President Trump’s Unlawful Transfer of Immigrants to Guantánamo Bay

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, joined Democratic leaders of the Senate Judiciary and Appropriations Committees in denouncing President Trump’s transfer of immigrants from the United States to Guantánamo as unlawful and demanded answers to basic questions regarding these unlawful transfers.

    The Senators outlined the illegal and unjustified nature of the directive transferring immigrants to Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, which followed President Trump’s directive to the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to prepare the base to hold tens of thousands of noncitizens. The Senators emphasized that noncitizens inside the United States are entitled to legal protections under American immigration law and the Constitution, including due process.

    “These actions are unprecedented, unlawful, and harmful to American national security, values, and interests. The United States has never sent anyone from the United States to be detained at Guantánamo before now,” wrote the Senators. “… There is no basis in U.S. immigration law for transferring noncitizens arrested inside the United States to a location outside of the United States for detention prior to or for the purposes of conducting removal proceedings.”

    “Such hasty and unlawful actions will cause harms to the United States for years to come. As those familiar with the long history of operations at Guantánamo can tell you, detaining individuals there is not a quick fix. Congress has not appropriated funds for such purposes for good reason,” continued the Senators. “Given the isolated location of the base, its controversial history, and the lack of legal authority to detain noncitizens there, continuing down this path will invite more litigation, drain resources, place undue strain on our servicemembers, diminish military readiness, undermine support from our allies, and harm our standing in the world.”

    The Senators also refuted a false Department of Homeland Security statement to the Committee that suggests immigrants with final orders of removal do not need access to counsel. They said that individuals in civil immigration detention have a right to access counsel under ICE detention standards and immigration law even if they have a final removal order, and impeding this access to counsel could violate the Constitution.

    Additionally, they countered the Trump Administration’s false claim that only high-risk, “worst of the worst” criminals are being detained. In fact, public reporting has shown that noncitizens who DHS itself deemed low risk were sent to Guantánamo, and the Administration has not ruled out detaining children and families at Guantánamo, declaring its decisions would be made on a “case-by-case basis.”

    Padilla joined U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as well as Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) in signing the letter.

    Full text of the letter to President Trump is available here and below:

    Dear President Trump:

    We write to object to your illegal and unjustified transfers of noncitizens from the United States to the detention center at Naval Station Guantánamo Bay, which follows your directive to the Secretaries of Defense and Homeland Security to prepare the base to hold tens of thousands of noncitizens. These actions are unprecedented, unlawful, and harmful to American national security, values, and interests.

    The United States has never sent anyone from the United States to be detained at Guantánamo before now. More than three decades ago, the base was used temporarily to house sudden influxes of migrants from Haiti and Cuba who were interdicted at sea by the U.S. Coast Guard. Since then, the Department of State and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have jointly provided housing and other services for a small number of migrants interdicted at sea at the Migrant Operations Center (MOC). Operations supporting even this limited number of migrants have proven challenging and there have been serious concerns regarding the living conditions of the MOC and insufficient access to basic legal rights and services.

    There is no basis in U.S. immigration law for transferring noncitizens arrested inside the United States to a location outside of the United States for detention prior to or for the purposes of conducting removal proceedings. Noncitizens inside the United States are entitled to numerous protections under U.S. immigration law and the U.S. Constitution. For example, removal processes under our immigration laws afford noncitizens due process and an opportunity to seek protection from removal to a place where they could face persecution or torture. These rights cannot be extinguished by transfer to a location outside the United States. Simply put, if the processes for obtaining a lawful removal order have not been followed, the forcible removal of a noncitizen to Guantánamo violates U.S. immigration law.

    Moreover, U.S. immigration law does not provide authority to detain noncitizens after their removal from the United States following a final order of removal. Immigration custody authority is based on immigration enforcement powers to seek and execute a removal order. Once an individual with a removal order departs the United States and arrives in a location outside the United States, the removal order has been executed. After that point, there is no basis under immigration law to retain custody of the individual. In addition, individuals in civil immigration detention have a right to access counsel under ICE detention standards, and immigration laws governing removal proceedings. Impeding access to counsel for detained noncitizens also may violate the Constitution in some circumstances. In addition, individuals in immigration detention may have appeal or other review rights and cannot be held indefinitely, and the only effective means by which a detained individual could assert these rights would be through access to counsel.

    Based on information provided to the Judiciary Committee and in court filings, we are concerned that your Administration did not consider these serious legal concerns or have any plan to address them prior to transferring noncitizens from the United States to Guantánamo. In response to the Judiciary Committee’s inquiry regarding how noncitizens will access counsel once on the base, DHS stated, “Removable aliens housed will be those with final orders pending removal.” This suggests that noncitizens with final orders of removal do not need access to counsel, which is inaccurate. After individuals and legal organizations filed suit seeking access to the noncitizens, the Department of Justice filed a brief arguing that these noncitizens’ constitutional rights were not violated, because, though they did not have a right to meet with attorneys in person under the circumstances, other means of communicating with counsel, such as by telephone, were available. Yet just the day before, when the Judiciary Committee requested details regarding how noncitizens being held at Guantánamo could contact counsel when granted access to a phone, DHS did not know what, if any, procedures were in place to notify them of their rights or provide them with contact information for legal services. Your Administration’s actions and these responses raise serious legal concerns and call into question what effort, if any, was put into ensuring that the transfer of noncitizens complied with applicable laws and regulations.

    While such clarification should be unnecessary, we must also emphasize that there is no colorable argument that noncitizens, including those convicted, accused, or suspected of crimes or criminal associations, can be held in law of war detention or in Department of Defense custody, whether at Guantánamo or anywhere else. The law of war detention facility at Guantánamo has been used to hold alleged members of al Qaeda and “associated forces” in connection with the armed conflict between the United States and these groups following the 9/11 attacks. While these detention operations have been the subject of significant controversy and criticism, these detainees have all been captured abroad and detained pursuant to the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force and Section 1021 of the FY 2012 National Defense Authorization Act.

    While no noncitizen should be sent from the United States to Guantánamo, it also appears that your Administration’s claims that it was sending “worst of the worst” there are misleading. Public reporting indicates that noncitizens who DHS deemed low risk were sent to Guantánamo. In response to inquiries from Judiciary Committee staff, your Administration has even left open the possibility that families, including children, will be detained at Guantánamo, stating that future decisions regarding detention would be made on a “case-by-case basis.”

    Your efforts to house or detain noncitizens forcibly removed from the United States at the MOC and the Camp 6 law of war detention facilities at Guantánamo are cruel, unlawful, and unprecedented. Such hasty and unlawful actions will cause harms to the United States for years to come. As those familiar with the long history of operations at Guantánamo can tell you, detaining individuals there is not a quick fix. Congress has not appropriated funds for such purposes for good reason. Given the isolated location of the base, its controversial history, and the lack of legal authority to detain noncitizens there, continuing down this path will invite more litigation, drain resources, place undue strain on our servicemembers, diminish military readiness, undermine support from our allies, and harm our standing in the world.

    We urge you to heed these lessons, follow the law, refrain from any further expansion of facilities, and cease transferring noncitizens to Guantánamo. To inform our oversight of this situation, please answer the following questions by March 10, 2025:

    1. What is your Administration’s claimed legal authority for transporting noncitizens from the United States to the Naval Station at Guantánamo Bay? Relatedly, what is your claimed legal basis for detaining noncitizens there, whether at the MOC, JTF-GTMO, or other facilities?

    2. What are your Administration’s criteria for determining which noncitizens would be sent to Guantánamo?

    3. Will you definitively state that families and children will not be sent to Guantánamo?

    4. For what crimes, if any, were the individuals previously sent to Guantánamo convicted? Were individuals provided with representation in their criminal proceedings?

    5. To what legal processes and rights does your Administration consider individuals sent to Guantánamo to be entitled, including relative to individuals in immigration detention inside the United States and individuals currently housed at the MOC?

    6. How will your Administration ensure that these rights, such as access to counsel and administrative and judicial review, are upheld given the restricted access to Naval Station Guantánamo Bay?

    7. How many ICE personnel are stationed at the MOC? How many are stationed at Camp 6?

    8. What are the projected costs of expanding the MOC and any other operations or actions associated with the transfer of noncitizens to or from Naval Station Guantánamo Bay? How much have the actions already taken cost U.S. taxpayers and how does that compare to the cost of detaining immigrants inside the U.S.? What is the source of funding for these efforts?

    9. What impact will these operations and expenditures have on military readiness and availability of funds for immigration detention and enforcement inside the United States?

    10. How does your Administration plan to ensure the facilities meet required standards of care for housing, food, medical care, security, sanitation, education, employment, and the like for both detained noncitizens and U.S. military personnel at the base, given the already deteriorated state of facilities at the base? What contingency plans do you have in place for weather conditions or other emergency situations?

    11. How does your Administration plan to ensure that Congress and the American people, including the press and civil society, have access to information regarding these operations, including who is, was, or will be detained there and under what conditions and authorities?

    12. What is your long-term objective and strategy for these detentions, including your plan for individuals for whom repatriation or resettlement may not be feasible?

    13. Reporting indicates that in one case, you have brought a noncitizen you had transferred to Guantánamo back to the United States. Is this true? If so, why, and under what authorities?

    We look forward to your prompt response.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office and FBI Charge Pojoaque Man with Sexual Abuse of a Minor

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Pojoaque man has been charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a minor.

    According to the indictment, between December 21, 2021, and February 23, 2022, Alexander John Duran, 30, an enrolled member of Pojoaque Pueblo, allegedly engaged in and attempted to engage in sexual acts with a child under the age of 12.

    Duran will remain in custody pending trial, which has not been set. If convicted, Duran faces no less than 30 years and up to life imprisonment.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Albuquerque-Santa Fe Resident Agency of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark A. Probasco is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Eldon Sex Offender Sentenced to 20 Years for Child Pornography

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – An Eldon, Mo., man who is a registered sex offender was sentenced in federal court today for possessing child pornography.

    David Arabie, 59, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes to 20 years in federal prison without parole, the statutory maximum sentence for this offense. The court also sentenced Arabie to 25 years of supervised release following incarceration.

    Arabie is a registered sex offender with prior felony convictions for statutory sodomy involving a 6-year-old victim and criminal sexual conduct involving the sexual abuse of three children ages 7 to 12.

    On Oct. 26, 2023, Arabie pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography. The court found him in breach of his plea agreement at today’s hearing, however, after Arabie filed a motion to withdraw his guilty plea and recanted his previous statements made under oath during the change of plea hearing, claiming to be innocent of the charged conduct. On Dec. 20, 2024, the court denied Arabie’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea.

    Arabie admitted that, while visiting his in-laws, he used a peer-to-peer file-sharing network on his computer to share images of child sexual abuse material with an undercover law enforcement officer. Arabie shared a video of the sexual abuse of a child victim approximately 3 to 6 years old.

    Arabie also admitted that he possessed more than 600 images of child sexual abuse material on his computer.

    This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ashley S. Turner. It was investigated by the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

    Project Safe Childhood

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Tribal Officer Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Aggravated Sexual Abuse and Abusive Sexual Contact

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced an Oglala, South Dakota, man convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child and Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child. The sentencing took place on February 20, 2025.

    Oscar Hudspeth, Sr., age 54, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for each count to run concurrently, followed by five years of supervised release on each count to run concurrently, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $200. Upon Hudspeth’s release from federal prison, he must register as a sex offender.

    Hudspeth was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2023. He was found guilty following a federal jury trial in October 2024.

    The conviction stemmed from disclosures in 2023 by a female juvenile who reported that Hudspeth had sexually abused her while her mother was married to him in the early to mid-2000s. The child was forensically interviewed and disclosed that Hudspeth touched her in a sexual manner on more than one occasion while he was her stepfather. The abuse occurred at their home in Oglala and while the child’s mother was working. At the time, Hudspeth worked as a law enforcement officer for the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety.

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

    This matter is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.

    This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman prosecuted the case.

    Hudspeth was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Silver Spring Man Indicted for Producing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Greenbelt, Maryland – A federal grand jury indicted David Alain Schmidt, 43, of Silver Spring, Maryland, charging him with producing and possessing child sexual abuse material.

    Phil Selden, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore, and Chief Marc R. Yamada, Montgomery County Police Department.

    According to the indictment, in October 2024, Schmidt enticed a minor to produce child sexual abuse material and he also possessed sexually explicit images of a minor victim.

    If convicted, Schmidt faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison for producing child sexual abuse material and a maximum of 10 years in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material.  Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.  A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

    An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Selden commended HSI and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Selden also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy who is prosecuting the case.

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

    Know2Protect is a Department of Homeland Security national public awareness campaign to educate and empower children, teens, parents, trusted adults and policymakers to prevent and combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse; explain how to report online enticement and victimization; and offer resources for victims and survivors and their supporters.  Learn more about Know2Protect at www.dhs.gov/know2protect.

    For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Charlotte Sex Trafficker And Co-Conspirator Are Sentenced To Prison

    Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. –  A Charlotte man and his co-conspirator were sentenced to prison today for sex trafficking a minor, announced Lawrence J. Cameron, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

    Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina joins Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron in making today’s announcement.

    Tawaan Batten, 34, also known as “Slicc,” was sentenced to 34 years in prison followed by 30 years of supervised release. In December 2023, Batten was convicted at trial of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor, sex trafficking of a minor, and transportation of a minor with the intent to engage in commercial sexual activity. Batten’s co-conspirator, Kristi Heather King, 34, of Locust, N.C., was sentenced to 42 months in prison and a period of supervised release, after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor.

    “Batten and his then-girlfriend preyed on a vulnerable child and repeatedly subjected her to physical and psychological harm for their profit,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron. “Today’s sentence sends a clear message: federal prosecutors and law enforcement are committed to ensuring that sex traffickers will face the full force of justice.”

    “It is difficult to fathom that someone would sell a child for sex. But that is exactly what Batten and King did and now both of them will do federal prison for their crimes,” said Special Agent in Charge DeWitt. “The FBI works tirelessly to hold accountable those who carry out crimes against children, and we devote significant resources to help sex trafficking victims recover from the trauma they suffer.”

    According to evidence presented at Batten’s trial, witness testimony, and court documents, from July 2021 to December 2021, Batten, at times assisted by King, sex trafficked a 15-year-old minor victim. Batten met the minor victim, who had run away from her home, in a hotel parking lot in Charlotte. Batten then introduced the minor victim to King, who was Batten’s girlfriend at the time. The minor victim began engaging in commercial sex transactions shortly after meeting Batten.

    Trial evidence showed that Batten, at times assisted by King, created and posted advertisements of the minor victim on commercial sex websites and arranged for the minor victim to engage in sexual encounters with customers, usually multiple times a day. Most of these encounters took place in hotel rooms booked by Batten in North Carolina and South Carolina. Other times, Batten and King drove the minor victim to a customer’s location to engage in commercial sex. Batten kept the money the victim earned from these commercial sexual encounters and continued to have the victim work even when she was not feeling well.

    According to testimony and evidence at Batten’s trial, Batten gave the minor victim drugs. Batten also controlled the minor victim through intimidation and manipulation, including branding the minor victim with tattoos. Batten also physically assaulted King multiple times.

    Batten remains in federal custody pending placement to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.

    In making today’s announcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron commended the FBI for leading this investigation and thanked the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for their invaluable assistance.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stephanie Spaugh and Daniel Cervantes of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.

    If you are the victim of human trafficking or may have information about a potential trafficking situation, please call the FBI, local law enforcement, or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888.  NHTRC is a national, toll-free hotline, with specialists available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year related to potential trafficking victims, suspicious behaviors, and/or locations where trafficking is suspected to occur. To submit a tip to the NHTRC online please visit https://humantraffickinghotline.org/report-trafficking.

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: H.R. 1156, Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act

    Source: US Congressional Budget Office

    Bill Summary

    H.R. 1156 would extend the statute of limitations from 5 to 10 years for federal criminal prosecution and civil enforcement actions for fraud related to the temporary unemployment programs enacted during the coronavirus pandemic. Under current law, the statute of limitations for those offenses will begin to expire in March 2025. Currently, states refer unemployment insurance claims involving allegations of fraud to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) at the Department of Labor (DOL) for further investigation. That office reviews cases and refers findings to the Department of Justice (DOJ) or other entities for criminal or civil prosecution.

    The bill also would rescind direct appropriations provided for program integrity activities in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.

    Estimated Federal Cost

    The estimated budgetary effect of H.R. 1156 is shown in Table 1. The costs of the legislation fall within budget functions 500 (education training, employment, and social services), 600 (income security), and 750 (administration of justice).

    Table 1.

    Estimated Budgetary Effects of H.R. 1156
     

    By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars

    		    
     

    2025

    2026

    2027

    2028

    2029

    2030

    2031

    2032

    2033

    2034

    2035

    2025-2030

    2025-2035
     

    Increases or Decreases (-) in Direct Spending

    		    

    Estimated Budget Authority

    0

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    Estimated Outlays

    -3

    1

    1

    1

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *
     

    Increases in Spending Subject to Appropriation

    		    

    Estimated Authorization

    *

    2

    1

    1

    1

    *

    n.e.

    n.e.

    n.e.

    n.e.

    n.e.

    5

    n.e.

    Estimated Outlays

    *

    2

    1

    1

    1

    *

    n.e.

    n.e.

    n.e.

    n.e.

    n.e.

    5

    n.e.

    n.e. = not estimated; * = between -$500,000 and $500,000.

    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1156 would increase revenues by less than $500,000 over the 2025-2035 period.

    Basis of Estimate

    CBO assumes that the bill will be enacted in March 2025. Estimated outlays are based on historical patterns for existing and similar activities.

    Direct Spending and Revenues

    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1156 would increase net direct spending and revenues by less than $500,000 over the 2025-2035 period (see Table 2).

    Table 2.

    Estimated Changes in Direct Spending Under H.R. 1156
     

    By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars

    		    
     

    2025

    2026

    2027

    2028

    2029

    2030

    2031

    2032

    2033

    2034

    2035

    2025-2030

    2025-2035
     

    Increases or Decreases (-) in Direct Spending

    		    

    Extend the Statute of Limitations

    		                      

    Estimated Budget Authority

    5

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    5

    5

    Estimated Outlays

    *

    3

    1

    1

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    5

    5

    Rescind Funding for Program Integrity Activities

    		                  

    Budget Authority

    -5

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    -5

    -5

    Estimated Outlays

    -3

    -2

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    -5

    -5

    Total Changes

    		                        

    Estimated Budget Authority

    0

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    Estimated Outlays

    -3

    1

    1

    1

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    *

    Extend the Statute of Limitations. Upon the enactment of H.R. 1156, CBO expects that DOL would provide additional funding to states to continue their referrals of cases to DOL and provide information about those cases to the department’s OIG and federal law enforcement agencies. Under current law, DOL has permanent authority to fund whatever amounts are necessary for those activities for pandemic-related programs. Using information from DOL, CBO estimates that under the bill the department would provide $5 million in additional funding to states, increasing direct spending by the same amount over the 2025-2035 period.

    By extending the period for which DOJ could pursue prosecutions, CBO expects that H.R. 1156 would increase the collections of penalties and the recovery of additional benefits paid fraudulently in 2025 and subsequent years. That change would not affect state laws or rules governing the recovery of overpayments. Based on an analysis of data for similar offenses from the U.S. Sentencing Commission, CBO estimates that the increase in penalty collections would be insignificant. Criminal and civil fines are recorded in the budget as revenues; criminal fines are deposited into the Crime Victims Fund and spent without further appropriation. Thus, CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1156 would increase revenues and the associated direct spending from penalty collections by less than $500,000 over the 2025-2035 period. Additionally, using information from DOL and DOJ, CBO estimates that any additional recoveries of overpaid benefits, which are recorded as reductions in direct spending, would be insignificant. The extent to which any additional recoveries would happen is highly uncertain.

    Rescind Funding for Program Integrity Activities. The bill would rescind $5 million in mandatory funding provided in the American Rescue Plan Act to state unemployment insurance agencies for program integrity activities, which are undertaken to ensure that benefits are paid correctly. Using information from DOL, CBO estimates that the rescission would decrease direct spending by $5 million over the 2025-2035 period.

    Spending Subject to Appropriation

    CBO assumes that if the statute of limitations were extended, more potential fraud cases would be referred to the OIG, and that office would continue to investigate cases it might otherwise have dropped. Using information from the Department of Labor, CBO estimates that the OIG would require an additional $5 million over the 2025-2030 period to handle those referrals and cases. Assuming appropriation of the estimated amounts, CBO estimates that outlays for those activities would total $5 million over the same period (see Table 1).

    Pay-As-You-Go Considerations

    The Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 establishes budget-reporting and enforcement procedures for legislation affecting direct spending or revenues. CBO estimates that enacting the bill would increase direct spending by less than $500,000 over the 2025-2035 period and increase revenues by less than $500,000 in every year and over the 2025-2035 period (see Table 3).

    Table 3.

    CBO’s Estimate of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Effects of H.R. 1156, the Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act, as Ordered Reported by the House Committee on Ways and Means on February 12, 2025
     

    By Fiscal Year, Millions of Dollars

    		    
     

    2025

    2026

    2027

    2028

    2029

    2030

    2031

    2032

    2033

    2034

    2035

    2025-2030

    2025-2035
     

    Net Increase or Decrease (-) in Outlays

    		    

    Pay-As-You-Go Effect

    -3

    1

    1

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Increase in Long-Term Net Direct Spending and Deficits

    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1156 would not significantly increase net direct spending in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2036.

    CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1156 would not significantly increase on‑budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2036.

    Mandates

    The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

    Mandates: Erich Dvorak

    Estimate Reviewed By

    Elizabeth Cove Delisle
    Chief, Income Security Cost Estimates Unit

    Justin Humphrey
    Chief, Finance, Housing, and Education Cost Estimates Unit

    Kathleen FitzGerald 
    Chief, Public and Private Mandates Unit

    Christina Hawley Anthony
    Deputy Director of Budget Analysis

    H. Samuel Papenfuss 
    Deputy Director of Budget Analysis

    Phillip L. Swagel

    Director, Congressional Budget Office

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Fort Campbell Soldier Sentenced to Over Five Years in Federal Prison for Child Exploitation Offenses

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Paducah, KY – A former Fort Campbell soldier was sentenced last week to 5 years and 4 months in federal prison for receiving and distributing child pornography.     

    U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Louisville Field Office made the announcement.

    According to court documents, Brett Nicolas Ellison, 24, was sentenced to 5 years and 4 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, for one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Between November 2019 and June 2022, Ellison received and possessed child sexual abuse material while he was a soldier stationed at the Fort Campbell Army Post, possessing over 90 images and 70 videos containing child sexual abuse material.

    Ellison was also ordered to pay $57,000 in restitution to victims.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    This case was investigated by the FBI Hopkinsville Satellite Office and Army CID.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond McGee, of the U.S. Attorney’s Paducah Branch Office, prosecuted the case.

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

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: ICE Boston arrests illegal Brazilian alien charged with raping Massachusetts resident

    Source: US Immigration and Customs Enforcement

    FALMOUTH, Mass. — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehended an illegally present Brazilian national charged with raping a Massachusetts resident when officers arrested Willian Robert Vasconcelos-Dos Santos, 21, in Falmouth Jan. 21.

    “Willian Robert Vasconcelos-Dos Santos is charged with horrifically victimizing a Massachusetts resident and represents a significant threat to the residents of our communities,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. “In this case, we appreciate the Falmouth District Court honoring the ICE immigration detainer and allowing our officers to take custody of Vasconcelos in the safety of a jail cell rather than having to arrest him at large. ICE Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing illegal alien offenders from our New England communities.”

    The U.S. Border Patrol arrested Vasconcelos after he illegally entered the United States near San Diego April 10, 2024. Border Patrol agents served Vasconcelos with a notice to appear before a Department of Justice immigration judge and released him on an order of recognizance.

    The Falmouth Police Department arrested Vasconcelos January 20, 2025, and charged him with rape. ICE lodged an immigration detainer with the Falmouth District Court against Vasconcelos later that day.

    The Falmouth District Court released Vasconcelos into ICE custody Jan. 21, and ICE served him with a notice of custody determination upon his arrest. Vasconcelos remains in ICE custody.

    Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

    Learn more about ICE’s mission to increase public safety in our New England communities on X: @EROBoston.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: U.S. Attorney’s Office Secures Guilty Plea in Child Exploitation Case

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALBUQUERQUE – A Shiprock man pled guilty to federal charges of using social media and text messages to entice a minor into illegal sexual activity.

    There is no parole in the federal system.

    According to court documents, between February 1, 2021, and April 1, 2021, Kenzie Roy Rockmen, 26, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, used text messages and Facebook communications to coerce a minor to engage in illegal sexual acts.

    Rockmen was charged along with his brother, Dustin Roy Rockmen. On October 15, 2024, Dustin pled guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor and was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

    At sentencing, Rockmen faces not less than 120 months and up to 135 months in prison, followed by not less than five years and up to life of supervised release.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Holland S. Kastrin and Raul Bujanda, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Gallup Resident Agency of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office investigated this case with assistance from the Navajo Police Department and Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert James Booth II and Mark A. Probasco are prosecuting this case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Child Predator Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison after Transporting 14-Year-Old Michigan Girl Across State Lines for Sex and Impregnating Her

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    INDIANAPOLIS— Larry Goldsmith., 26, of Indianapolis, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty to transportation of a minor with intent to engage in sexual activity.

    According to court documents, in 2020, Goldsmith began messaging a 14-year-old girl living in Michigan through the social media applications Spot-a-Friend and Snapchat. Goldsmith knew of the child’s age at the time yet engaged in sexually explicit conversations with her. 

    At the end of August 2020, the child got into a verbal argument with her mother and expressed to Goldsmith that she wanted to run away from home. Goldsmith drove over four hours to Michigan and picked her up at a business near her home. Goldsmith was 21 years old at the time.

    On the way back to Indiana, Goldsmith engaged in sexually explicit conduct with the child at a rest stop in Michigan and then transported her across state lines to a home he rented in Indianapolis.  During their time living together, Goldsmith had sex with the child numerous times and impregnated her.

    After committing these offenses, Goldsmith continued his sexual abuse of minors by committing essentially the same conduct with another child in Georgia – where he drugged and raped a 13-year-old. In 2022, Goldsmith pleaded guilty to those crimes in Georgia and was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, which he is currently serving.

    “Goldsmith is no longer a danger to children and families in our community,” said John E. Childress, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “He is a manipulative, child predator who used the tools of social media to abuse a vulnerable child over and over again. I commend the outstanding work of local law enforcement agencies in Indiana and Georgia, along with the FBI, to bring the victim home safely.”

    “The FBI is unwavering in our mission to protect the most vulnerable members of our society – our children. This case highlights the disturbing reality of sexual exploitation, and the sentence ensures this predator will remain behind bars and unable to continue to perpetrate such atrocities,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Herbert J. Stapleton. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to work together to ensure no child is victimized in this way.”

    “This sentence sends a clear message—those who harm children will be held accountable,” said IMPD Chief Chris Bailey. “The dedication and diligence of our IMPD officers, along with law enforcement agencies across the country, played a critical role in getting this predator behind bars.”

    The Federal Bureau of Investigation and IMPD investigated this case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Matthew P. Brookman. Under federal law, Goldsmith must register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works, or goes to school for life.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Childress thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney MaryAnn T. Mindrum, who prosecuted this case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

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    MIL Security OSI –