NewzIntel.com

Category: US Department of Justice

  • MIL-OSI Security: Weekly Immigration Caseload Dips Below 200 in Western District of Texas

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

    SAN ANTONIO – United States Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas announced today, that federal prosecutors in the district filed 178 new immigration and immigration-related criminal cases from July 11 through July 17.

    Among the new cases, Edgar Josue Montelongo-Loera was charged in a criminal complaint in Del Rio for trafficking in firearms. On June 12, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents, assisting in a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) investigation, allegedly observed Montelongo-Loera transfer a plastic bag containing seven 9mm pistols to a non-immigrant alien co-conspirator at a parking lot in Eagle Pass. The criminal complaint states that HSI agents followed the co-conspirator to the Eagle Pass Port of Entry, where Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers allegedly located eight firearms concealed inside the vehicle during an inspection. Further investigation by ATF revealed that Montelongo-Loera allegedly purchased one of the pistols at a retail location in San Antonio.

    Also in the Del Rio sector, Mexican national Jose Elias Gavina-Vasquez was arrested on July 14 and charged with illegal re-entry. Gavina-Vasquez has seven prior deportations, and he was most recently deported to Mexico on Feb. 23, 2023. He has a prior felony conviction from June 2022 and a separate conviction for driving while intoxicated from March 2022.

    Mexican national and convicted felon Juan Antonio Torres-Moreno was also arrested and charged with illegal re-entry in Del Rio. Torres-Moreno has three prior removals and a voluntary departure, the last being a deportation in 2019. The 2019 deportation resulted from his second illegal-re-entry conviction. He was sentenced to nine months confinement in that case.

    Sergio Villeda-Hernandez, also a Mexican national, was arrested in Eagle Pass on July 13 and charged with illegal re-entry after he was recently removed from the U.S. on March 18. Villeda-Hernandez is a convicted felon, having been sentenced to just over a year in prison in 2007 for a felony battery, possession of cocaine, and selling cocaine in DeSoto County, Florida.

    In El Paso, Mexican national Mario Humberto Sanchez-Hernandez was found less than a mile and a half west of the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry without immigration documents allowing him to be or remain in the U.S. Sanchez-Hernandez was just removed from the U.S. to Mexico for the third time on June 21 through San Diego and was convicted in October 2024 for driving under the influence in Newark, New Jersey.

    Two brothers were arrested in El Paso, each charged with one count of alien smuggling. U.S. Border Patrol agents conducted an undercover operation that led them to meet Marcos Dominguez, who allegedly believed the agents were transporting two illegal aliens and were in need of a stash house. A criminal complaint affidavit alleges that Marcos exited his vehicle to assist with transferring one of the illegal aliens from the agents’ vehicle to his own. Marcos was then detained for further investigation and agreed to guide the agents to his residence. At the residence, the agents encountered Marcos’s brother, Andres Dominguez, who allegedly admitted that illegal aliens were present inside. Agents located four subjects determined to be illegal aliens. The illegal aliens were arrested and transported to the Ysleta Border Patrol Station. The investigation revealed that Marcos allegedly housed more than 40 illegal aliens at his residence, was paid $200 per day for his smuggling actions, and would split the earnings with his brother Andres, whom he said helped him house and transport the illegal aliens.

    In Austin, the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Fugitive Operations Team (FOT) encountered Honduran national Jimmy Reinel Espinal-Mejia on July 16. Espinal-Mejia was convicted for illegal re-entry in May 2024 after being previously removed in January 2024. For that conviction, he was sentenced to 63 days confinement and removed in July 2024. Six years earlier, in 2018, Espinal-Mejia was convicted for aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

    In Waco, a Mexican national was charged with illegal re-entry on July 17 when Temple Police responded to a vehicle collision in Temple and identified Eloy Hernandez-Ponce as one of the vehicle occupants. ICE identified Hernandez-Ponce as a previously removed alien who was last deported in March 2010 following a felony conviction for intoxication manslaughter with a vehicle in Houston.

    These cases were referred or supported by federal law enforcement partners, including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ICE ERO), U.S. Border Patrol, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), with additional assistance from state and local law enforcement partners.

    The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas comprises 68 counties located in the central and western areas of Texas, encompasses nearly 93,000 square miles and an estimated population of 7.6 million people. The district includes three of the five largest cities in Texas—San Antonio, Austin and El Paso—and shares 660 miles of common border with the Republic of Mexico.

    These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    Indictments and criminal complaints are merely allegations and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Slams USDA Proposal to Share Sensitive Data of SNAP Participants

    Source: US State of California Department of Justice

    OAKLAND – California Attorney General Rob Bonta, leading a coalition of 14 attorneys general, slammed the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) demand that states turn over personal and sensitive information about millions of food stamp recipients, as well as its proposal to share that information with other federal agencies for purposes that have nothing to do with ensuring the integrity of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP is a federally-funded, state-administered program providing billions of dollars in food assistance to tens of millions of low-income families across the country. SNAP applicants provide their private information to the states on the understanding, backed by long-standing state and federal laws, that their information will not be used for unrelated purposes. In a letter, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that USDA’s unprecedented actions are unnecessary, inefficient, and unlawful.

    “The Trump Administration continues to wage war on some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, deploying invasive and unlawful tactics in the process to intimidate them from accessing services to which they are lawfully entitled,” said Attorney General Bonta. “No Californian should be faced with the choice of having enough to eat or protecting their fundamental right to privacy. As California Attorney General, I will continue to use every tool in the toolbox to push back against any attempts by this administration to upend the rights of Californians. I urge the Trump Administration to reverse course and abandon its unprecedented proposal to share SNAP data for purposes far beyond ensuring the integrity of this program.”

    Since President Trump re-entered the White House in January, public reports indicate that federal officials are amassing huge databases of personal information on Americans and using that data for undisclosed purposes, including immigration enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security has already obtained troves of personal information from both the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Health and Human Services Agency, including private medical information and other personal details on Medicaid recipients, which California has already challenged in court. USDA’s attempts to collect data from states about SNAP applicants and recipients appear to be the next step in this campaign.  

    In May 2025, USDA made an unprecedented demand that states turn over massive amounts of personal information on all SNAP applicants and recipients, including social security numbers and home addresses, dating back five years. In June, USDA published a “System of Records Notice” stating that it intends to “leverage data-sharing across Federal and State systems to identify and rectify” improper payments, and to share information across the federal government, as directed by one of President Trump’s executive orders. 

    As the attorneys general explain in their comment letter, USDA’s actions are unprecedented, threaten the privacy of millions of families, and ignore long-standing restrictions on the use and redisclosure of SNAP data. What’s more, the proposed collection and sharing of SNAP data is wholly unnecessary and inefficient; SNAP fraud rates are already low, thanks to robust auditing mechanisms that states and the federal government have cooperated on for years. And those mechanisms do not, and have never, required that states turn over sensitive, personally identifying information about millions of Americans without any meaningful restrictions on how that information is used or shared with other agencies.

    The attorneys general also highlight The Paperwork Reduction Act, which seeks to “minimize the cost to the Federal Government of the creation, collection, maintenance, use, dissemination, and disposition of information.” USDA purports to seek data to re-verify the eligibility of SNAP participants, a function that is already subject to other quality control mechanisms and already completed by the states. Although USDA’s Notice claims the agency may share data with law enforcement, it overlooks key limits set by the federal Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. § 552a). USDA’s own rules further restrict SNAP data use to program-related purposes, like prosecuting fraud. The letter defends SNAP enrollees’ reasonable expectation of privacy, urging USDA “not to lose sight of the fact that SNAP exists to fight hunger.”

    In submitting this comment letter, Attorney General Bonta is joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Washington. 

    A copy of the comment letter is available here.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Newly Declassified DOJ Watchdog Report Shows FBI Cut Corners in Clinton Email Investigation

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Iowa Chuck Grassley

    WASHINGTON – Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) today is bringing to light the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) findings that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) failed to fully investigate Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server and mishandling of highly classified information during her time as Secretary of State. The newly declassified “Clinton annex” is an appendix to the DOJ OIG’s June 2018 report reviewing the DOJ and FBI’s handling of the Clinton investigation. DOJ, under the leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi, and other agencies declassified and provided the Clinton annex to Grassley at his request. Grassley has sought information from DOJ and FBI about the document since 2018 and again submitted his request to then-Attorney General Bill Barr in 2019. He, along with Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), requested President Donald Trump declassify the document in 2020, and Grassley reiterated the request in 2025.

    “This document shows an extreme lack of effort and due diligence in the FBI’s investigation of former Secretary Clinton’s email usage and mishandling of highly classified information,” Grassley said. “Under Comey’s leadership, the FBI failed to perform fundamental investigative work and left key pieces of evidence on the cutting room floor. The Comey FBI’s negligent approach and perhaps intentional lack of effort in the Clinton investigation is a stark contrast to its full-throated investigation of the Trump-Russia collusion hoax, which was based on the uncorroborated and now discredited Steele dossier. Comey’s decision-making process smacks of political infection.”

    “I warned years ago that the Clinton investigation failed to hit the mark, and I’m grateful the American people can finally see the facts for themselves,” Grassley continued. “After nearly a decade in the shadows, this information is now coming to light thanks to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel’s dedicated efforts to fulfill my congressional request. I appreciate their ongoing commitment to transparency and strongly urge them to continue to fully review this matter, including its national security impact.”

    Read the Clinton annex HERE.

    The DOJ OIG’s Clinton annex shows the FBI obtained thumb drives from a source during the Clinton investigation, but then-FBI Director James Comey, as well as then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe, former FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok and others, failed to perform additional, targeted searches of the drives, even though they contained information relevant to the inquiry. The DOJ OIG report illustrates that the FBI failed to thoroughly and completely investigate the Clinton matter as a result, as well as vet the serious national security risks created by Clinton’s careless handling of highly classified information. According to the DOJ OIG, the thumb drives contained highly sensitive information exfiltrated from U.S. government agencies, including the Department of State, as well as then-President Barack Obama’s emails and, potentially, congressional information. The thumb drives were never reviewed as part of the Clinton investigation, contrary to the recommendation of a draft FBI memorandum. The DOJ OIG report also shows the drives should have been immediately reviewed for foreign intelligence purposes, but were not.

    The FBI also obtained intelligence reports discussing purported communications between Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), who was chairwoman of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the time, and two different individuals who worked for the Soros Open Society Foundations. The intelligence reports alleged that the Obama administration took efforts to scuttle the investigation into Clinton and protect her candidacy. The DOJ OIG Clinton annex shows Comey, McCabe and Strzok, among others, did not make serious investigative efforts to determine the veracity, or lack thereof, regarding the intelligence reports.

    On July 5, 2016, Comey exonerated Clinton in a public statement regarding the investigation and recommended DOJ take no legal action to hold her accountable. Grassley’s oversight revealed Comey planned to exonerate Clinton even before interviewing her. Weeks later, on July 31, 2016, Comey’s FBI formally opened the bogus Crossfire Hurricane investigation into President Trump’s disproven collusion with Russia. On that day, Strzok texted Lisa Page, an FBI lawyer, saying: “And damn this feels momentous. Because this matters. The other one did, too, but that was to ensure we didn’t F something up. This matters because this MATTERS. So super glad to be on this voyage with you.”

    Grassley cited Comey’s handling of the Clinton investigation as evidence that Comey lacked the ability to maintain the public’s trust in the FBI, and was therefore rightfully terminated.

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Department of Justice Honors Senate Judiciary Committee Request for Information Related to Clinton Email Investigation

    Source: US State of North Dakota

    WASHINGTON – Attorney General Pamela Bondi released the following statement regarding Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley’s request for information related to the FBI’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server and mishandling of classified information during her time as Secretary of State:

    “Today, the Department of Justice honored Chairman Grassley’s request to release information relating to former-FBI Director James Comey’s failed investigation into Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of highly classified information during her tenure as Secretary of State. I commend Chairman Grassley for his unwavering, years-long commitment to exposing the truth and holding those who seek to conceal it accountable. This Department of Justice is fully committed to transparency and will continue to support good-faith efforts in Congress to ensure accountability across the federal government.”

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Department of Justice Honors Senate Judiciary Committee Request for Information Related to Clinton Email Investigation

    Source: United States Attorneys General

    WASHINGTON – Attorney General Pamela Bondi released the following statement regarding Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley’s request for information related to the FBI’s handling of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server and mishandling of classified information during her time as Secretary of State:

    “Today, the Department of Justice honored Chairman Grassley’s request to release information relating to former-FBI Director James Comey’s failed investigation into Hillary Clinton’s mishandling of highly classified information during her tenure as Secretary of State. I commend Chairman Grassley for his unwavering, years-long commitment to exposing the truth and holding those who seek to conceal it accountable. This Department of Justice is fully committed to transparency and will continue to support good-faith efforts in Congress to ensure accountability across the federal government.”

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Urges U.S. Sentencing Commission To Consider Impacts Of Chronic Underfunding And Understaffing At BOP

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to the U.S. Sentencing Commission in response to its proposed priorities for the 2025-2026 amendment cycle. In the letter, Durbin urged the Commission to consider the impact that the Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) resources and staffing levels have on BOP’s ability to adequately discharge its mission.

    “For years, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has faced significant challenges in the performance of its mandate, undermining the Commission’s intent to tailor recommended sentences to anticipated outcomes for incarcerated individuals. I therefore urge the Commission to prioritize ‘[a]ssessing the degree to which certain practices of the Bureau of Prisons are effective in meeting the purposes of sentencing as set forth in 18 U.S.C. 3553(a)(2) and considering any appropriate responses, including possible consideration of recommendations or amendments’ in the upcoming amendment cycle,” Durbin wrote.

    As Durbin notes in his letter, BOP has been chronically underfunded and understaffed, resulting in longstanding issues related to physical infrastructure of facilities, inadequate medical care for inmates, and concerns about the agency’s ability to ensure the safety and security of inmates and BOP employees, among other challenges.

    “Inadequate funding and staffing levels affect all aspects of BOP’s ability to discharge its mission. We have asked the agency to do far too much with far too little for far too long—and the ripple effects of severe BOP under resourcing are apparent across facilities nationwide,” Durbin wrote.

    Despite BOP’s limitations in carrying out its own mission, the Trump Administration has saddled the agency with additional responsibilities in accepting and processing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainees. Durbin denounced this effort by the Trump Administration, emphasizing that this move further hampers BOP’s ability to address its own shortfalls.

    “Despite these limitations, the Administration has now asked BOP to add an additional mission by accepting and processing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainees. As I have previously written to the Attorney General, this decision further threatens the safety and well-being of incarcerated individuals,” Durbin wrote.

    Durbin concluded his letter by calling on the Sentencing Commission to focus on recommendations and amendments that will support BOP in remedying its deficiencies.

    “Given the myriad difficulties facing our federal prison system, I respectfully urge the Commission to consider possible recommendations or amendments in the upcoming amendment cycle that account for the limited ‘nature and capacity of . . . facilities and services available’ to incarcerated individuals,” Durbin concluded his letter.

     

    A copy of the letter can be found here and below:

     

    July 18, 2025

     

    Dear Chair Reeves:

     

    I write in response to the Sentencing Commission’s request for comment on its Proposed 2025-2026 Priorities.

     

    Proposed Priority: Bureau of Prisons practices and effectiveness in meeting the purposes of sentencing.

     

    In the federal criminal justice system, district courts must seek to achieve the purposes of sentencing—retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation—when deciding upon a defendant’s sentence,[1] by imposing one that is “sufficient, but not greater than necessary” to:

     

    (A) reflect the seriousness of the offense, to promote respect for the law, and to provide just punishment for the offense; (B) to afford adequate deterrence to criminal conduct; (C) to protect the public from further crimes of the defendant; and (D) to provide the defendant with needed educational or vocational training, medical care, or other correctional treatment in the most effective manner.[[2]]

     

    The United States Sentencing Commission, too, must strive to ensure the Sentencing Guidelines meet these purposes.[3] Though no longer binding, the Sentencing Guidelines nevertheless “serve an important role” by providing courts with “‘a meaningful benchmark’ in the initial determination of a sentence” and guidance “throughout the sentencing process.”[4] Indeed, in Fiscal Year 2024, 28,038 sentences—or 45.7 percent—were imposed within the recommended range, not including cases where a departure applied, evidencing the central role that the Guidelines play in guiding thousands of federal criminal justice outcomes annually.[5]

     

    Of course, the relevance to the goals of sentencing of the type and length of a recommended sentence under the Guidelines will necessarily vary depending on how that sentence is executed. For years, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has faced significant challenges in the performance of its mandate, undermining the Commission’s intent to tailor recommended sentences to anticipated outcomes for incarcerated individuals. I therefore urge the Commission to prioritize “[a]ssessing the degree to which certain practices of the Bureau of Prisons are effective in meeting the purposes of sentencing as set forth in 18 U.S.C. 3553(a)(2) and considering any appropriate responses including possible consideration of recommendations or amendments” in the upcoming amendment cycle.[6]

     

    Chronically underfunded and understaffed, BOP has struggled to maintain safe and effective carceral settings for nearly 156,000 federal inmates, over 143,000 of whom are in BOP custody.[7]Currently, BOP is authorized to have 14,900 correctional officer positions, with 12,766 active officers in pay status.[8] Authorized “other” full time positions were recently reduced from 27,498 to 23,949, and there are 23,896 active employees in pay status.[9] The resulting challenges BOP faces are both longstanding and pervasive:

     

    • Infrastructure. In May 2023, the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released the results of an audit of BOP’s “aging and failing infrastructure,” finding issues such as buckling concrete, crumbling façades, water leaks, poor ventilation, and energy inefficiencies.[10] Late last year, BOP announced plans to permanently close one facility and idle six others due in part to “crumbling infrastructure.”[11] That BOP would need to close facilities as a result of unsustainable cost is not new—just three years prior, BOP closed Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) New York “after an in-depth conditions assessment found that substantial building deficiencies jeopardized the safety and security of the staff and inmates who occupied the building.”[12] As of February 2024, then-BOP Director Colette Peters estimated that BOP had a maintenance and repair backlog of approximately $3 billion.[13]
    • Medical Care. In 2023, NPR reported on severely inadequate medical care within BOP facilities.[14] One common complaint among sources was the agency’s failure to timely screen and treat inmates with serious illnesses, and the report found “[m]ore than a dozen waited months or even years for treatment, including inmates with obviously concerning symptoms: unexplained bleeding, a suspicious lump, intense pain.”[15] Many suffered worsened conditions; some lost their lives.[16] These problems persist.[17] In a series of unannounced site inspections, OIG has identified several concerning medical practices and failures across various institutions.[18] Most recently, OIG released an inspection last December of Federal Medical Center (FMC) Devens, finding “serious issues with . . . provision of healthcare” even at this dedicated medical facility, including “potentially dangerous medication distribution, lack of preventive healthcare screening, inappropriate placement of inmates in the Memory Disorder Unit (MDU), and inconsistent processes for requesting and accessing care.”[19] Like other BOP institutions across the nation, FMC Devens suffers from a substantial employee shortage, “substantially affect[ing] the health, welfare, and safety of . . . inmates.”[20] It is perhaps unsurprising that in Fiscal Year 2024, district court judges granted compassionate release requests under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(1)(A) on the basis, at least in part, of medical-related concerns in a notable number of cases.[21] In one recent order granting compassionate release, a district court judge found BOP’s failure to provide necessary and “relatively straightforward” treatment to the petitioner “incomprehensible and very far below the standards that I expect for anyone held in custody.”[22]
    • Safety and Security. Several factors undermine BOP’s ability to ensure the safety of those in its custody. For example, in 2022, the union representing BOP employees condemned a deadly fight at United States Penitentiary (USP) Beaumont, decrying the “chronic understaffing” that “is jeopardizing the lives of both workers and inmates.”[23] Indeed, in a February 2024 OIG report evaluating issues surrounding inmate deaths, “BOP specifically identified insufficient staffing as an issue in at least 30 of the inmate deaths in [OIG’s] scope.”[24] Correctional staff shortages hinder efforts to prevent and respond to immediate threats, while medical staff shortages limit the ability to provide risk-mitigation treatments and programming.[25] In addition to other challenges, BOP also faces longstanding obstacles to effective interdiction of contraband drugs and weapons, overreliance on mandated staff overtime and augmentation, and “fundamentally ineffective” staff discipline processes—each compounding the serious risk to institutional safety.[26]

     

    While these concerns significantly limit BOP’s ability to effectively meet the purposes of sentencing, they are by no means exhaustive. Inadequate funding and staffing levels affect all aspects of BOP’s ability to discharge its mission. We have asked the agency to do far too much with far too little for far too long—and the ripple effects of severe BOP under resourcing are apparent across facilities nationwide.[27] Despite these limitations, the Administration has now asked BOP to add an additional mission by accepting and processing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainees.[28] As I have previously written to the Attorney General, this decision further threatens the safety and well-being of incarcerated individuals.[29]

     

    Given the myriad difficulties facing our federal prison system, I respectfully urge the Commission to consider possible recommendations or amendments in the upcoming amendment cycle that account for the limited “nature and capacity of . . . facilities and services available”[30] to incarcerated individuals.

     

    Sincerely,

    -30-

    [1] Tapia v. United States, 564 U.S. 319, 325 (2011). The Supreme Court explained in Tapia, however, that “a particular purpose may apply differently, or even not at all, depending on the kind of sentence under consideration.” Id. at 326. Retribution, § 3553(a)(2)(A), for example, cannot be considered for imposing supervised release terms, id., and rehabilitative needs, § 3553(a)(2)(D), cannot be used to impose or lengthen a prison term, id. at 335.

    [2] 18 U.S.C. 3553(a)(2).

    [3] 28 U.S.C. § 994(g).

    [4] Rosales-Mireles v. United States, 585 U.S. 129, 133 (2018) (quoting Peugh v. United States, 569 U.S. 530, 541, (2013)).

    [5] U.S. Sent’g Comm’n, Datafile (2024), https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/annual-reports-and-sourcebooks/2024/Table29.pdf.

    [6] Federal Register Notice of Proposed 2025-2026 Priorities, U.S. Sent’g Comm’n,

    https://www.ussc.gov/policymaking/federal-register-notices/federal-register-notice-proposed-2025-2026-priorities (last visited July 9, 2025).

    [7] Statistics, Fed. Bureau of Prisons, https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/population_statistics.jsp#:~:text=155%2C933%20Total%20Federal%20Inmates&text=Last%20Updated%20July%203%2C%202025,Thursday%20at%2012%3A00%20A.M(last visited July 9, 2025). An additional nearly 12,800 federal inmates are reported to be in “other types of facilities.” Id.

    [8] Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Fed. Bureau of Prisons Fact Sheet (2025), https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/docs/fbop_fact_sheet.pdf.

    [9] Id.; Fed. Bureau of Prisons, Fed. Bureau of Prisons Fact Sheet (2024), https://web.archive.org/web/20250226151445/https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/docs/fbop_fact_sheet.pdf.

    [10] U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., No. 23-064, Audit of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Efforts to Maintain and Construct Institutions 6 (2023), https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/23-064_1.pdf.

    [11] Michael R. Sisak & Michael Balsamo, The US government is closing a women’s prison and other facilities after years of abuse and decay, Associated Press (Dec. 5, 2024), https://apnews.com/article/federal-prisons-closing-ap-investigation-abuse-decay-c02c96b6f6a3c5535cc3e3025d5d2585.

    [12] U.S. Dep’t of Just., supra note 10 at 5.

    [13] Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing, Examining and Preventing Deaths of Incarcerated Individuals in Federal

    Prisons (Feb. 28, 2024), at 00:30:45.

    [14] Meg Anderson, 1 in 4 inmate deaths happens in the same federal prison. Why?, NPR (Sept. 23, 2023),

    https://www.npr.org/2023/09/23/1200626103/federal-prison-deaths-butner-medical-center-sick-inmates.

    [15] Id.

    [16] Id.

    [17] See Walter Pavlo, Cases Show Medical Care Under Scrutiny At Federal Bureau Of Prisons, Forbes (Mar. 13, 2025), https://www.forbes.com/sites/walterpavlo/2025/03/13/cases-show-medical-care-under-scrutiny-at-federal-bureau-of-prisons/.

    [18] To date, OIG has released the results of five inspections. In the first four inspections, OIG found, in part: at FCI Waseca, inmates with higher care levels than the institutions at which they were housed, significant delays in nonemergency medical care, and limited ability to provide psychology services beyond “crisis focused” care, U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., 23-068, Inspection of the Fed. Bureau of Prisons’ Fed. Corr. Inst. Waseca 1, 26–29 (2023),https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/23-068.pdf; at FCI Tallahassee, suboptimal timing of medication dispensation, such as insulin and psychiatric medication, which can negatively affect drug efficacy, insufficient availability of bilingual staff to communicate with patients, and incomplete health care screenings at intake, U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., 24-005, Inspection of the Fed. Bureau of Prisons’ Fed. Corr. Inst. Tallahassee 1, 34–35 (2023),https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/24-005.pdf; at FCI Sheridan, a longstanding phlebotomist vacancy that, while eventually filled, led to a backlog at one point of over 700 laboratory orders, barriers to inmates requesting and accessing care for routine conditions, delays in medical and dental care due to lack of medical equipment and supplies, a backlog of outside medical visits, and potentially dangerous medication distribution practices, U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., 24-070, Inspection of the Fed. Bureau of Prisons’ Fed. Corr. Inst. Sheridan 1, 8–13 (2024), https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/24-070_0.pdf; and at FCI Lewisburg, intake screening errors, certain prescription medication discontinuation decisions made without speaking with or examining the patients in advance and without tapering as recommended by BOP clinical guidance, colorectal cancer screenings provided to less than half of inmates within the recommended risk range and significant delays in providing colonoscopies to those for whom it was ordered, and failure to provide A1C tests to the majority of qualifying inmates within recommended time frames, U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., 24-113, Inspection of the Fed. Bureau of Prisons’ Fed. Corr. Inst. Lewisburg 1, 10–14 (2024), https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/24-113.pdf.

    [19] U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., 25-009, Inspection of the Fed. Bureau of Prisons’ Fed. Corr. Inst. Devens i (2024), https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/25-009.pdf.

    [20] Id.

    [21] Sentencing courts listed serious physical or medical condition in 12.5 percent of cases, ongoing COVID-19 pandemic concerns unable to be timely mitigated in 3.3 percent of cases, and BOP failure to provide treatment in 1.7 percent of cases, among other reasons. U.S. Sent’g Comm’n, Compassionate Release Data Report 1, 17 (2025), https://www.ussc.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/research-and-publications/federal-sentencing-statistics/compassionate-release/FY24-Compassionate-Release.pdf.

    [22] Order for Immediate Release of Defendant Bovis, United States v. Bovis, No. 20-cr-00204, Dkt. 100 (N.D. Cal. Mar. 6, 2025); see also United States v. Diggs, No. 02-CR-1129, 2025 WL 1371367, at *8 (N.D. Ill. May 12, 2025) (granting compassionate release after finding “BOP has shown no intention and/or ability to provide the necessary care [to the petitioner], despite its doctors’ recommendations”).

    [23] Angel San Juan, Prison Pay: Low Pay Rates for Correctional Officers is Creating a Staffing Crisis, 6KFDM (May 19, 2023), https://kfdm.com/news/local/prison-pay-low-pay-rates-for-correctional-officers-is-creating-a-staffing-crisis.

    [24] U.S. Dep’t of Just., Off. of the Inspector Gen., 24-041, Evaluation of Issues Surrounding Inmate deaths in Fed. Bureau of Prisons Inst. 1, 65 (2024), https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/24-041.pdf.

    [25] Id.

    [26] Id. at 54, 67, 70.

    [27] Though Congress recently provided $5 billion in additional funding to BOP, see Act of July 4, 2025, Pub. L. No. 119-21, this appropriation represents just the first small step needed to begin to correct the institutional problems caused by underfunding BOP. Commission consideration in this area remains imminently necessary given the longstanding and ongoing impacts of BOP challenges on effectuating the purposes of sentencing.

    [28] Letter from Richard J. Durbin, U.S. Senator, Adam B. Schiff, U.S. Senator, Sheldon Whitehouse, U.S. Senator, Mazie K. Hirono, U.S. Senator, Cory A. Booker, U.S. Senator, Alex Padilla, U.S. Senator, and Peter Welch, U.S. Senator, to Pam Bondi, U.S. Att’y Gen. (Feb. 25, 2025), https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Letter%20to%20AG%20Bondi%20re%20BOP%20facilities%20for%20ICE.pdf.

    [29] Id.

    [30] 28 U.S.C. § 994(g).

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran Citizen Sentenced to Prison for Illegal Reentry; Faces Deportation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    WILLIAMSPORT -The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Elio Yoel Cardona-Torres, age 43, a citizen of Honduras, was sentenced on July 17, 2025, to time-served (five months in prison) by Chief United States District Judge Matthew W. Brann for illegally reentering the country after having previously been removed.  Cardona-Torres had pleaded guilty to the charge. 

    According to Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus, Cardona-Torres was arrested during targeted enforcement in Sayre, Pennsylvania, on February 22, 2025.  Cardona-Torres had previously been removed from the United States pursuant to court order in 2006, 2008 and 2010.  Cardona-Torres again faces deportation proceedings.

    The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations. Assistant United States Attorney Robin Zenzinger prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).    

    # # #

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Grand Juries Charge Three Mexican Nationals with Illegal Reentry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    TOLEDO, Ohio – The United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) has announced that federal grand juries in the Northern District of Ohio have returned indictments charging three Mexican nationals with violating Title 8 U.S. Code (USC) 1326, illegal reentry. Additionally, one defendant was charged with using fraudulent documents. These are separate cases and not related.

    Raul Samano-Fuerte, 49, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has been previously removed from the United States four times with the most recent being March 10, 2009. On June 23, 2025, he was found in Norwalk, Ohio, without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security for readmission.

    Gonzalo Diaz-Resendiz, 29, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has been previously removed from the United States on at least one occasion with the most recent being Sept. 6, 2013. On June 30, 2025, he was found in Ottawa, Ohio, without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security for readmission.

    Cesar Ramirez-Velazquez, aka Cesar Ramirez-Rincon, 44, has been charged with one count of illegal reentry. He has two previous removals from the United States with the most recent being June 7, 2009. He was again found in the country on March 19, 2024, in Norwalk, Ohio without the consent of the U.S. Attorney General or the Secretary for Homeland Security to be readmitted. He was also charged with two counts of possession of a fraudulent identification document for possessing a fraudulent permanent resident card and a fraudulent Social Security card in violation of Title 18 USC 1546 (a). Additionally, the defendant is charged with misuse of a Social Security Number, in violation of Title 42, USC 408 (a)(7)(B).

    The investigations preceding the indictments were conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol-Sandusky Bay Station.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Ava Rotell Dustin is leading the prosecution.

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

    If convicted, the defendant’s sentence will be determined by the Court after a review of factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal records, if any, the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violations.

    These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Carbon County Man Sentenced To 188 Months’ Imprisonment For Drug Trafficking Offense

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    SCRANTON – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Jason Mika, age 44, of Lansford, Pennsylvania, was sentenced on July 17, 2025, to 188 months’ imprisonment and four years of supervised release by United States District Judge Karoline Mehalchick for one count of possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine.

    According to Acting United States Attorney John Gurganus, Mika previously pled guilty to possessing with the intent to distribute over 50 grams of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine.  As part of his guilty plea, Mika also admitted to possessing over 400 grams of methamphetamine, other controlled substances, and a revolver–all of which were found in his Lansford, PA, home during the execution of a search warrant by members of the Nesquehoning Police Department, and other investigators.

    The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Office of the Attorney General of Pennsylvania, the Lehighton Borough Police Department, the Nesquehoning Police Department, the Lansford Police Department, the Franklin Township Police Department, and the Carbon County District Attorney’s Office.  United States Attorney James Buchanan prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America (https://www.justice.gov/dag/media/1393746/dl?inline) a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).   

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Jacksonville Convicted Child Sex Traveler Sentenced To More Than 17 Years In Prison For Attempting To Entice And Meet A 13-Year-Old Child To Engage In Sexual Activity

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Jacksonville, Florida – Chief United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard has sentenced Jeremy Wayne Leggett (37, Jacksonville) to 17 years and 6 months in federal prison for using the internet to attempt to entice and meet a 13-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. Leggett was arrested on June 19, 2023, and has remained been in federal custody. Leggett pleaded guilty on January 15, 2025.

    According to court records, Leggett is a registered child sex offender, having been previously convicted in Florida in 2020 of traveling to meet a minor to commit an unlawful sexual offense and transmitting harmful materials to a minor. 

    On June 16, 2023, an undercover FBI agent (UC) in the Jacksonville area, posing as a child, was working online in a social media application (app) to identify individuals seeking to meet children for sexual activity. The UC engaged in online conversation with an app user “dAddi” who posted a notice in a public chat room that read “Lookingfor [under 18 emoji] wannaspoiladaughter.” During this online conversation, user “dAddi,” who was identified as Leggett, was advised that the “child” was 13 years old. Leggett asked if the “child” “[l]ike[d] older men,” and sent the “child” a photo of himself. Leggett denied being a murderer or a kidnapper, telling the “child” that he was “just a pedophile.” He suggested that that they meet so he could perform oral sex on “her” in his vehicle. After more conversation, Leggett sent the “child” explicit photos of himself. On June 17, 18, and 19, 2023, Leggett initiated text messages with the UC and continued attempting to persuade the “child” to meet for sex.

    On June 19, 2023, Leggett and the “child” arranged through text messages to meet at a retail shopping center in Jacksonville. That evening, Leggett drove his vehicle to this location to meet the “child” and circled the parking lot. When law enforcement officers attempted to stop Leggett’s vehicle, he quickly reversed his vehicle and fled the scene. A short time later, officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and FBI agents located Leggett at a residence in Jacksonville and he was arrested. 

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

    It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: José Adolfo “Fito” Macías Villamar, Leader of Los Choneros Transnational Criminal Organization Extradited to Brooklyn Federal Court to Face International Drug and Gun Charges

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    BROOKLYN, NY – José Adolfo Macías Villamar, also known as “Fito,” a citizen of Ecuador, will be arraigned today at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn for crimes committed as the leader of Los Choneros, a transnational criminal organization based in Ecuador that is responsible for significant drug trafficking into the United States, firearms trafficking from the United States, and acts of extreme violence.  Macías Villamar will be arraigned on a seven-count superseding indictment charging him with international cocaine distribution conspiracy; international cocaine distribution; using firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking; smuggling firearms from the United States; and straw purchasing of firearms conspiracy.  Macías Villamar will be arraigned before United States Chief Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon after being extradited yesterday from Ecuador to the Eastern District of New York.

    Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Robert Murphy, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); L.C. Cheeks, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division (ATF); and Jonathan Carson, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement, New York Field Office (OEE), announced the extradition and arraignment.

    “As alleged, the defendant served for years as the principal leader of Los Choneros, a notoriously violent transnational criminal organization, and was a ruthless and infamous drug and firearms trafficker.  The defendant and his co-conspirators flooded the United States and other countries with drugs and used extreme measures of violence in their quest for power and control,” stated United States Attorney Nocella.  “This case demonstrates our Office’s commitment to identifying and targeting the leadership of such organizations, wherever they may be located, and bringing them to face justice here in the United States.”

    “José ‘Fito’ Macias thought he could traffic poison into our country, smuggle American weapons back to his killers, and further his criminal enterprise using chaos and bloodshed. He was wrong,” stated DEA Acting Administrator Robert Murphy.  “Today, the kingpin of Los Choneros faces justice on U.S. soil for his crimes.”

    “ATF remains dedicated to working with our local, state, and federal partners to disrupt the shooting cycle by focusing on those individuals and criminal organizations responsible for the gun violence that plagues our neighborhoods,” stated ATF Special Agent in Charge Cheeks.  “ATF will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to address violent gang and drug-related activity that endangers the safety of our communities.  Our joint efforts are essential in bringing accountability to violent offenders, combatting threats to the public, and reducing violent crime.”

    As alleged in the indictment and other public filings, from at least 2020 to 2025, Macías Villamar was the principal leader of Los Choneros, the most violent and powerful transnational criminal organization in Ecuador.  As the principal leader of Los Choneros, Macías Villamar employed members of the organization to carry out serious acts of violence on the organization’s behalf. At Macías Villamar’s direction, Los Choneros committed violent acts toward Ecuadorean law enforcement, Ecuadorian politicians, attorneys, prosecutors, and civilians.  Los Choneros obtained many of its firearms and weapons by illegally trafficking and exporting them from the United States to Ecuador.  As alleged, the defendant specifically employed individuals who purchased firearms, firearms components, and ammunition in the United States and then illegally smuggled them to Ecuador for use by Los Choneros.

    In 2011, Macías Villamar went to prison in Ecuador on murder, robbery, weapons possession, and drug trafficking charges.  He escaped in 2013 before being recaptured months later.  During his second imprisonment in Ecuador, Macías Villamar used contraband cell phones and the internet to continue to direct the activities of Los Choneros and publish external communications and threats on Los Choneros’ behalf.  In January 2024, he escaped from Ecuadorian prison a second time—just two days ahead of his planned move to a maximum-security facility. In response to his escape, Ecuador erupted in violence—including prison riots, gang attacks, kidnappings, and bombings—and the government of Ecuador declared a state of emergency.  Ecuadorian authorities recaptured Macías Villamar on June 25, 2025, and he was extradited from Ecuador yesterday.

    Macías Villamar and members and associates of his organization used firearms in furtherance of their weapon and drug trafficking activities, including machine guns, AK-47 assault rifles, and grenades.  Macías Villamar and the Los Choneros organization have also been sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

    The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and Ecuadorian authorities provided substantial assistance to secure the extradition of Macías Villamar.  This marks Ecuador’s first extradition of an Ecuadorian national since an April 2024 popular referendum amended Ecuador’s constitution to allow for the extradition of Ecuadorian nationals.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

    The charges in the superseding indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  If convicted, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and up to life.

    The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s International Narcotics and Money Laundering Section, and as part of the work of the Office’s Transnational Criminal Organizations Strike Force.  Assistant United States Attorneys Chand Edwards-Balfour, Lorena Michelen, and David Berman are in charge of the prosecution.

    The Defendant:

    JOSÉ ADOLFO MACÍAS VILLAMAR (also known as “Fito”)
    Age:  45
    Ecuador

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 25-CR-114 (FB)

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Foreign National Sentenced for Conspiring to Export U.S.-Made Drill Rigs to Iran in Violation of U.S. Sanctions Laws

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

    Brian Assi, also known as Brahim Assi, 63, of Beirut, Lebanon, was sentenced to 44 months in prison for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR), attempted unlawful export of goods from the United States to Iran without a license, attempted smuggling goods from the United States, submitting false or misleading export information, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

    “The defendant conspired to export millions of dollars of U.S.-made heavy machinery to Iran, a leading state sponsor of terrorism,” said John A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security. “The National Security Division will find and prosecute those who illegally sell American products to our adversaries.”

    “The defendant threatened U.S. economic and national security by conspiring and concealing his efforts to circumvent our export controls to provide heavy machinery to Iran, a designated state sponsor of terrorism for the past 40 years,” said U.S. Attorney John P. Heckin for the Northern District of Florida. “My office will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who violates our laws and offers material support to America’s enemies.”

    Assi was convicted of the charges in October 2024. According to evidence presented at trial, Assi was a Middle East-based salesman of a multinational heavy machinery manufacturer with a U.S.-based subsidiary and production plant located in Alachua, Florida. Assi conspired with individuals affiliated with Sakht Abzar Pars Co. (SAP-Iran), based in Tehran, Iran, to export U.S.-made heavy machinery indirectly to Iran without first obtaining the required licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

    Assi and his Iranian co-conspirators orchestrated the scheme by locating an Iraq-based distributor to serve as the forward-facing purchaser of two U.S.-origin blasthole drills from the U.S. subsidiary of Assi’s employer. The drills are a type of heavy machinery used to create holes in the ground that are then filled with controlled explosives for mining.

    Assi facilitated the sale of the drills and attempted export them to Iran and used freight forwarding companies to ship the heavy equipment from the U.S. to Turkey. In doing so, Assi concealed any Iranian involvement in the transaction from his employer, claiming the drills were ultimately destined for use in Iraq. But in truth, Assi intended for his Iranian co-conspirators to transship or reexport those items from Turkey to Iran, in circumvention of the U.S. export control and sanction laws.

    In furtherance of the conspiracy, Assi concealed his activities with his Iranian co-conspirators by causing false information to be entered into the Automated Export System (AES), a U.S.-government database containing information about exports from the United States. The U.S.-based plant hired a U.S. freight forwarder to arrange the drill’s export from the U.S. to Iraq. As part of the shipping process, the freight forwarder submitted information to AES about the shipment, including the ultimate consignee’s name and the ultimate delivery destination. Assi misled his employer by claiming that the Iraqi distributor was the ultimate consignee, and that the ultimate delivery destination was Iraq. In fact, Assi knew that his co-conspirators in Iran were the true intended recipients, and Iran was the ultimate intended delivery destination.

    In furtherance of the illicit transaction, Assi and his co-conspirators caused the transfer of approximately $2.7 million from Turkey to pass through the United States.

    The Commerce Department Bureau of Industry and Security’s Office of Export Enforcement investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew J. Grogan and Harley W. Ferguson for the Northern District of Florida and Trial Attorney Ahmed Almudallal of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Martin Man Sentenced to Nearly Five Years in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of a Firearm

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

    RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Martin, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on July 14, 2025.

    Aloysius Mousseau, 23, was sentenced to four years and eight months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

    Mousseau was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in January 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 22, 2025.

    In November 2024, officers with the Rapid City Police Department found Mousseau with a pistol.  Mousseau gave a false name and age to law enforcement. Mousseau had been convicted for crimes punishable beyond a year in prison. Possessing any firearm after such conviction is a felony offense.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

    This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Fentanyl Distributor Pleads Guilty

    Source: US FBI

    HOUSTON – A 36-year-old Houston resident has entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.

    Velasquez-Nikki Saadia Porter admitted to conspiring to distribute nearly 200 grams of fentanyl from a motel room in the North Harris County area.

    The investigation began in 2023 after authorities identified Porter as part of an operation targeting fentanyl distribution and overdoses in the Houston area. 

    Porter operated a narcotics distribution point out of a local motel room where he served fentanyl to customers.

    U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge will impose sentencing Oct. 2. At that time, Porter faces up to 40 years in prison and a maximum $5 million fine. 

    Porter has been and will remain in custody pending that hearing.

    The FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation with the assistance of Montgomery County Narcotics Enforcement Team. OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found on the Department of Justice’s OCDETF webpage.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart Tallichet prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SJ, others to attend Belt-Road event

    Source: Hong Kong Information Services

    Secretary for Justice Paul Lam, in his capacity as the chair of the sub-group on Belt & Road development under the Steering Group on Integration into National Development, will lead Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government officials in attending the eighth “Joint Conference on Advancing Hong Kong’s Full Participation in & Contribution to the Belt & Road Initiative”, due to be held on Thursday in Beijing. 

    The other officials attending include Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Algernon Yau, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn, Permanent Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Maggie Wong, Under Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury Joseph Chan and Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology & Industry Lillian Cheong.

    During his stay in Beijing, Mr Lam and Law Officer (International Law) in the Department of Justice James Ding will visit the State Council’s Hong Kong & Macao Affairs Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to report on the progress of the Department of Justice’s major policy initiatives, including relevant work on the International Organization for Mediation and promoting Hong Kong’s position as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre.

    Mr Lam will also visit the Ministry of Commerce to exchange views on matters of mutual interest.

    He will return to Hong Kong on the afternoon of July 24. During Mr Lam’s absence, Deputy Secretary for Justice Cheung Kwok-kwan will be Acting Secretary for Justice.

    In Mr Yau’s absence, Under Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Bernard Chan will be Acting Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development. During Ms Linn’s absence, Under Secretary for Development David Lam will be Acting Secretary for Development.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI Asia-Pac: SJ to lead government officials to attend joint conference on Belt and Road Initiative in Beijing

    Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4

         The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, in his capacity as the chair of the sub-group on Belt and Road development under the Steering Group on Integration into National Development, will lead Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government officials, including the Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau; the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn; the Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Ms Maggie Wong; the Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan; and the Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms Lillian Cheong, to attend the eighth Joint Conference on Advancing Hong Kong’s Full Participation in and Contribution to the Belt and Road Initiative to be held on Thursday morning (July 24), with departures for Beijing tomorrow (July 22) and on July 23 respectively.
     
         During his stay in Beijing, Mr Lam and the Law Officer (International Law) of the Department of Justice, Dr James Ding, will visit the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to report on the progress of the Department of Justice’s major policy initiatives, including the relevant works on the International Organization for Mediation and promoting Hong Kong’s position as an international legal and dispute resolution services centre. He will also visit the Ministry of Commerce to exchange views on matters of mutual interest.

         Mr Lam will return to Hong Kong on the afternoon of July 24. During Mr Lam’s absence, the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, will be the Acting Secretary for Justice. During Mr Yau’s absence, the Under Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Dr Bernard Chan, will be the Acting Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development. During Ms Linn’s absence, the Under Secretary for Development, Mr David Lam, will be the Acting Secretary for Development.

    MIL OSI Asia Pacific News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Durbin Presses Bondi, Patel, Bongino On Rifts Between DOJ, FBI, White House On Epstein Files

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin

    July 18, 2025

    Durbin files official oversight requests with Bondi, Patel, Bongino, as MAGA world continues imploding over the Epstein cover up and breaking reporting by the Wall Street Journal describes Trump sending a lewd letter to Epstein

    CHICAGO – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed Attorney General Pam Bondi, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel, and Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino on apparent discrepancies regarding the handling of the Epstein files and findings from a July 7 Department of Justice (DOJ) memorandum and instructions reportedly received by FBI personnel to identify records mentioning President Trump.

    In letters to Bondi, Patel, and Bongino, Durbin began by highlighting contradictions between its first finding revealing no “incriminating client list” and Bondi’s public statements, writing: “The first finding directly contradicts public statements Attorney General Bondi has repeatedly made. On February 21, 17 days after her confirmation as Attorney General, Attorney General Bondi was asked directly by Fox News’ America Reports host John Roberts: ‘DOJ may be releasing the list of Jeffrey Epstein’s clients; will that really happen?’ She responded: ‘It’s sitting on my desk right now to review.’ On February 27, Attorney General Bondi released binders of documents related to Epstein to conservative influencers and commentators, but despite the major media event the White House staged around this release, these files were largely already publicly available. After intense blowback from this incident, Attorney General Bondi then appeared on another FOX News show, Life Liberty Levin, and claimed that a ‘whistleblower’ told her that ‘New York SDNY [was] sitting on thousands of pages of documents’; that ‘we will get everything’; that she was ‘assured’ there was more; and that the country would eventually see ‘the full Epstein files.’ She also claimed that the ‘FBI withheld all of those documents’ and you were providing a detailed report as an explanation for the FBI’s actions with respect to those materials.”

    Durbin then invoked breaking reporting that Trump sent a bawdy letter to Epstein, writing: “Notably, in 2002, Mr. Trump said of Mr. Epstein, ‘I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy, He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.’ Just yesterday, it was reported that the Department previously reviewed a ‘leather-bound album’ comprised of dozens of letters from Mr. Epstein’s friends in celebration of his 50th birthday in 2003. The letters were collected by Mr. Epstein’s partner Ghislaine Maxwell and included one from President Trump that allegedly ‘contains several lines of typewritten text framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with a heavy marker … and the future president’s signature is a squiggly ‘Donald’ below her waist.’”

    Durbin continued: “Despite tens of thousands of personnel hours reviewing and re-reviewing these Epstein-related records over the course of two weeks in March, it took DOJ more than three additional months to officially find there is ‘no incriminating ‘client list,’’ and the memorandum with this finding includes no mention of the whistleblower or additional documents, the existence of which Attorney General Bondi publicly claimed on February 27.”

    Durbin then discussed public scrutiny over the memorandum’s second finding that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide, writing: “The second finding in the July 7 memorandum does not contradict any official statement from DOJ and accords with the DOJ Inspector General’s investigation into the Bureau of Prisons’ custody of Jeffrey Epstein. However, public skepticism of the government’s transparency in this matter has been needlessly increased due to the release of surveillance video from outside of Jeffrey Epstein’s cell in the hours leading up to his death, which the July 7 memorandum described as ‘full raw’ footage; in fact, the footage was likely modified, according to the metadata embedded in the video.”

    To Director Patel, Durbin wrote: “According to information my office received, the FBI was pressured to put approximately 1,000 personnel in its Information Management Division (IMD) … on 24-hour shifts to review approximately 100,000 Epstein-related records in order to produce more documents that could then be released on an arbitrarily short deadline. This effort, which reportedly took place from March 14 through the end of March, was haphazardly supplemented by hundreds of FBI New York Field Office personnel, many of whom lacked the expertise to identify statutorily-protected information regarding child victims and child witnesses or properly handle FOIA requests. My office was told that these personnel were instructed to ‘flag’ any records in which President Trump was mentioned.”

    To Deputy Director Bongino, Durbin wrote: “Prior to becoming FBI Deputy Director, you spent years as a private citizen making claims about the Jeffrey Epstein case. For example, you stated: ‘That Jeffrey Epstein story is a big deal. Please do not let that story go. Keep your eye on it.’ On July 11, far-right activist Laura Loomer claimed that you and FBI Director Patel ‘[were] livid with [Attorney General Bondi] over her DOJ Memo and the lack of transparency from her office regarding the Jeffrey Epstein files.’ Subsequent public reporting indicates this apparent dispute came to a head at a meeting between White House, DOJ, and FBI officials that you and Director Patel attended, leading to claims that you may resign from your position over these issues. You have made no public statements since these reports have come out, but reports have emerged that the dispute may have been related to Attorney General Bondi accusing you of leaking to NewsNation a story critical of her for allegedly preventing the FBI from releasing more Epstein-related records.”

    Durbin concluded with requests for information to be produced by August 1, 2025, citing “the serious questions about the veracity of Attorney General Bondi’s public statements regarding the Epstein-related records in DOJ’s possession and the effect those questions are having on the public’s ability to trust DOJ’s July 7 finding that there is ‘no incriminating “client list.”’”

    For a PDF of the letter to Attorney General Bondi, click here.

    For a PDF of the letter to Director Patel, click here.

    For a PDF of the letter to Deputy Director Bongino, click here.

     

    -30-

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Attorney General Bonta Releases Report, Finds Firearm Microstamping Technology Viable

    Source: US State of California

    Friday, July 18, 2025

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

    OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today released a report finding that firearm microstamping technology is technologically viable when imprinting a unique microscopic array of characters, referred to as a microstamp, on spent cartridge cases discharged by a firearm into which a microstamped firing pin has been installed. This report follows recent amendments to the Unsafe Handgun Act, including requiring that new semiautomatic pistols must have microstamping capabilities that allow law enforcement to trace a shell casing to the pistol that fired it. The California Department of Justice’s (DOJ) investigation found that microstamping components installed in semiautomatic pistols regularly produce microstamps on spent cartridge cases discharged by these firearms, including after sustained or repeat firing. The investigation was led by DOJ’s Bureau of Forensic Services, performed in consultation with relevant legal and subject matter experts, and included input from stakeholders, who were invited to provide written comments relevant to DOJ’s technological viability investigation.

    “My office’s investigation into the technological viability of microstamping components has found that this technology is viable,” said Attorney General Bonta. “Microstamping technology could help law enforcement match cartridges found at crime scenes directly to the firearms they came from. Today, my office released a report outlining the findings of our investigation in an effort to provide appropriate transparency as to the basis of our determination.”

    Microstamping technology causes a firearm to imprint a unique microscopic code onto ammunition cartridge cases when a firearm is fired that identifies the firearm’s make, model, and serial number, helping law enforcement match cartridges found at crime scenes directly to the firearms they came from.  

    In 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 452, authored by Senator Catherine Blakespear (D-Encinitas), which amended California’s Unsafe Handgun Act and added separate Penal Code provisions that adopted new requirements concerning microstamping components in semiautomatic pistols sold or transferred in the state. California Penal Code section 27532 required DOJ to investigate the technological viability of microstamping components. Beginning January 1st, 2028, the Unsafe Handgun Act will mandate that all semiautomatic handguns sold by licensed dealers must be verified as microstamping enabled. 

    In the report, DOJ outlines the findings of the investigation, including:

    • Engraved firing pins consistently leave legible microstamps on spent cartridge cases.
    • In many tested firearms and ammunition types, microstamping components can reliably imprint all data needed to identify the firearm. 
    • Even incomplete microstamps can yield useful leads for solving and prosecuting gun crimes.
    • Using partial microstamps is equivalent to using partial fingerprints, license plates, or firearm serial numbers as investigative leads. 

    This fall, DOJ will work to provide written guidance on performance standards for entities engaged in the business of producing microstamping components. Starting early next year, DOJ will start accepting applications for licensure of entities to engage in the business of producing microstamping components that meet these performance standards. 

    A full copy of the report can be found here. 

    # # #

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Murkowski Helps Advance First Four Spending Bills with Alaska Wins

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Alaska Lisa Murkowski
    07.18.25
    Washington, DC – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, voted to advance four bills for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) that contain significant investments for Alaska. The four appropriations bills that passed committee are for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (AG); Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (MilCon); Commerce, Justice, and Science and Related Agencies (CJS); and Legislative Branch (LEG). All were approved in committee, and will now advance to the Senate floor for consideration.
    “With crucial investments in affordable housing, infrastructure, public safety, and fisheries, we are addressing some of the most pressing challenges faced by Alaskans, and helping the sustainability and future of not only our communities, but our way of life. I am proud to fight for Alaskan priorities and ensure that our state’s needs are met,” said Senator Murkowski.
    HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND SCIENCE (CJS) APPROPRIATIONS BILL
    Supporting NOAA’s Mission in Alaska
    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is a vital partner for the state of Alaska, leveraging partnerships at federal, state, local, and Tribal levels. NOAA provides everything from real time weather forecasts to fisheries monitoring, so that our communities are safe and our way of life is sustainable. To that end, Senator Murkowski prioritized ensuring the agency had programmatic support from the CJS Appropriations Bill to further advance their core missions in Alaska.
    One of the largest wins included $75 million for NOAA to recapitalize vessels, so that the fleet can continue to provide state-of-the-art weather forecasts and fisheries monitoring. The budget also included a $1 million increase for the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Regional Observations, which directly supports Alaska’s Ocean Observing System.
    Wins for NOAA Fisheries that will support sustainable seafood harvesting and conserving habitat:
    $10 million increase for Fisheries Surveys to support the historical levels of Alaska trawl surveys and exploring shifting fish stocks
    $3.125 million for the Bycatch Reduction Engineering Program (BREP), an increase of $250,000. This program was established to develop improved fishing practices and gear technologies in the effort of reducing bycatch.
    $4 million for the Fishery Survey Contingency Fund, which was established through the U.S. Treasury to compensate Alaska fishermen for economic losses.
    $5.5 million increase for Salmon Management Activities, which will be used to support the production of 42 million hatchery fish, to help increase the harvest for Tribal, commercial, and recreational fisheries.
    $41.5 million for the Pacific Salmon Treaty, a $500K increase from last fiscal year. This funding will go towards joint United States/Canada management of salmon fishing to prevent over-fishing and provide for optimum harvest
    $58.4 million for Observers and Training, including $2 million for the North Pacific Observer Program. These programs are essential for the conservation and management of fisheries in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Island, and Gulf of Alaska
    Wins for NOAA Weather & Climate Monitoring Systems
    $5 million increase for the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC). The NDBC is a network of monitoring infrastructure that collects and analyzes real-time data to ensure maritime safety.
    $10 million increase for Analyze, Forecast, and Support – includes language supporting tsunami detection and response systems relevant to Alaska.
    Advancing Connectivity in Alaska
    Senator Murkowski has set herself apart with her focus on broadband infrastructure in Alaska, shepherding record investment to the state through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021. She continues to be a leader in the space, inserting report language in the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program that acknowledges Alaska’s challenges with short construction seasons and logistics, laying the groundwork for future flexibility and support if needed. She also directed the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to consider supplemental funding that would ensure rural and remote Tribal projects are completed.
    Promoting Public Safety in Alaska
    Public safety in Alaska is always foremost on Senator Murkowski’s mind—particularly in our rural communities. She used the CJS bill as a vehicle for direct investment towards advancing that goal. The bill includes an increase in funding for the Tribal Youth Program, which does everything from improvements to the juvenile justice system, invest in alcohol and substance abuse prevention programs, and offer mental health services for Tribal youth. She was able to secure a 5% Tribal Set-Aside in the Crime Victims Fund along with strong report language that supports Tribal flexibility and streamlined access. The Senator also included increased funding for Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction, with language supporting Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) efforts and improved Department of Justice (DOJ) grant coordination for Native communities. Additionally, the bill follows up on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on MMIW with a directive for immediate reporting.
    Alaska faces some of the highest rates of sexual assault per capita of any state, and Senator Murkowski was intent on using the CJS bill to address this crisis. She approved an almost tripling of the Sexual Assault Forensic Exam Grants funding, which will support training and resources for forensic examination of sexual assault survivors. The Senator also included report language directing the Office for Victims of Crime/Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to support Alaska-specific Child Advocacy Centers.
    The bill also includes funding increases for Transitional Housing Assistance, Underserved Populations Program, Regional Information Sharing Systems, and Veterans Treatment Courts.
    Investing in Arctic Research
    As the leading expert in Congress on Arctic policy and polar affairs, Senator Murkowski uses her position to advance American priorities in the North. The bill provides $9.1 billion, just $60 million below the last enacted level – preserving support for critical Arctic scientific research despite tight fiscal constraints. Arctic research remains a priority, with the National Science Foundation (NSF) playing a key role in supporting long-term monitoring, infrastructure development, and partnerships with Alaska-based institutions and Indigenous communities.
    In addition to broader programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski was able to secure investments in this bill that are specific to local 17 Alaska communities or entities, projects that have been requested and prioritized by local governments and organizations:
    Anchorage: $305,000 to support the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in Alaska so they can further advance their mission of catching child sexual predators
    Anchorage: $1.5 million for the University of Alaska Anchorage to acquire specialty equipment that will help propel the institution to be a leader in biotechnological innovation, leveraging Alaska’s Arctic environment
    Bethel: $70,000 for the purchase and installation of a new security system at the Bethel Police Department’s headquarters
    Cordova: $355,000 to update equipment for climate and ecosystem monitoring as part of a ten-year long study of the region
    Fairbanks: $1.5 million to develop drone-borne maritime lidar to count salmon.
    Statewide: $498,000 for the creation and deployment of a Mobile Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) that will provide coordinated care to survivors of sexual assault in rural communities where traditional, stationary services may not be readily available
    Southeast: $500,000 for Sealaska Heritage Institute to develop and implement a sustainable workforce development program to address growth in fisheries and ocean sciences in Southeast Alaska over the next ten years
    Ketchikan: $3 million to upgrade its radio communication system, which has been identified as an essential public safety need in the after-action plan following recent landslides to improve disaster response and community resilience
    Statewide: $2 million for the Alaska Fisheries Development Foundation to modernize and revitalize Alaska’s seafood industry by investing in processing innovation, workforce development, and infrastructure improvements.
    Statewide: $2.5 million for the North Pacific Research Board to investigate how ecosystem changes in the Northern Bering Sea influence species of commercial, ecological, and subsistence importance to inform local, state, and federal fisheries management
    Statewide: $1 million to help implement Next Generation 911, which will improve location accuracy and system resiliency for emergency call centers
    Statewide: $500,000 for the Bering Sea Fisherman’s Association to enable Tribes and Tribal organizations to participate as Cooperating Agencies in environmental analysis and management decisions made by federal agencies that affect subsistence resources.
    Statewide: $165,000 for the Alaska Ocean Observing System to purchase an Imaging Flow CytoBots (IFCBs) to continue monitoring for harmful algal blooms.
    Statewide: $1 million for Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center to support Tribes in implementing survivor-centered and trauma-informed programs in Tribal justice systems
    Statewide: $3.5 million for the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (ANDVSA) to support their mission of serving survivors of gender-based violence
    Unalaska: $3.5 million for the Bristol Bay Science and Research Institute to genetically analyze chum salmon from the pollock fishery bycatch in the Bering Sea to determine when and where Western Alaska chum salmon are being caught
    Valdez: $5.5 million to replace obsolete and failed emergency services communication towers and equipment
    HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES (AG) APPROPRIATIONS BILL
    Investments in housing and community development
    Affordable housing remains one of the most pressing challenges facing Alaska and our country. Senator Murkowski was intent on using the AG spending bill to address this challenge, particularly in rural communities where the cost of development remains prohibitively high. She supported $1.715 billion for the Rental Assistance Program, which will help low-income families around the country with for affordable rental housing in rural areas. She was able to secure $25 million for very low-income housing repair grants so that Alaskans can stay in their homes safely.
    Also included in the legislation was $1.25 billion for direct loans to improve critical infrastructure such as public safety buildings and community centers in rural communities.
    Updating Alaska’s clean water and utility infrastructure
    Senator Murkowski has made it her mission to ensure Alaska has the infrastructure to support daily life – no matter what community Alaskans’ call home. She was able to include $65 million for Rural Water and Waste Disposal Grants, and inserted report language that would prioritize Alaska Native communities. She also was able to secure $8 million for the High Energy Cost Grant Program, which assists energy providers in lowering energy costs for families with extremely high per-household energy costs.
    Bolstering food security and agriculture
    Senator Murkowski has been focused on bolstering Alaska’s food security for many years. She was able to secure a number of Alaska-specific wins, including:
    $5 million for Micro-Grants for Food Security, with report language prioritizing eligibility for reindeer herders, greenhouse growers, and hydroponic farmers
    $5 million for Alaska Native-Serving Institutions to promote equal access to education in rural Alaska and provide sustainable food and energy solutions for Alaska Native communities
    $3.5 million for the Geographically Disadvantaged Farmers and Ranchers Transportation Program, helping offset high freight costs for Alaskan producers
    $3 million for the FDPIR 638 Contracting Authority Pilot, with direction for the USDA to allow direct purchases of traditional foods directly from small indigenous producers
    $888.9 million for the Summer Food Service Program, with report language supporting the continued implementation of non-congregate meal service to ensure low-income students can eat while school is out
    $1.826 billion for Agricultural Research Service, with continued funding for research on cover crops and cereal grains for northern climates and permafrost regions
    In addition, the bill includes $80 million for The Emergency Food Assistance Program’s storage and distribution funding to ensure rural food banks can receive supplies; a $3 billion increase for Child Nutrition programs, including School Breakfast and School Lunch programs, and the Child and Adult Care Food Program, as well as a $603 million increase to fully fund Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The bill also directs USDA to work with states, tribes, and local stakeholders to use federal nutrition dollars for the direct purchase of foods from local and regional producers for the various food assistance programs.
    In addition to programmatic funding to help Alaskans, Murkowski was able to secure investments in this bill that are specific for 10 Alaska communities, projects that have been requested and prioritized by local governments and organizations:
    Bethel: $605,000 to establish a permanent Food Bank and Pantry in Bethel
    Eagle: $750,000 for the construction of a fire hall/public safety building for the local fire department and Emergency Medical Services team
    Houston: $1.95 million for the construction of Public Works Facility so preventive maintenance can be performed on equipment
    Kenai: $2.045 million for the installation of telecommunications infrastructure to improve emergency response times and enhance public communications
    Nunapitchuk: $55,000 to develop a Preliminary Investigation Feasibility Report whether the Native Village of Nunapitchuk can pursue a community-wide relocation project in the Nunavakanukakslak Lake-Johnson River Watershed
    Petersburg: $225,000 to purchase emergency response equipment for the local fire department
    Statewide: $4.2 million for Alaska Municipal League to purchase heavy equipment for several communities designed to conduct road improvements and maintain infrastructure in rural Alaska
    Statewide: $750,000 to expand veterinary care in rural Alaska to prevent zoonotic disease outbreaks in communities off the road system
    Whittier: $310,000 for the removal and abatement of asbestos hazards in community housing where 85% of the city’s residents live
    Wrangell: $2.438 million to rehabilitate Wrangell’s Public Safety Building and Emergency Operations Center
    HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE MILITARY CONSTRUCTION, VETERANS AFFAIRS, AND RELATED AGENCIES (MILCON) APPROPRIATIONS BILL
    Ensuring Alaska’s military bases are state-of-the-art facilities
    Senator Murkowski is committed to supporting servicemembers in Alaska to ensure they have access to up-to-date resources as they protect and defend our nation, but also bolster their personal well-being as they adapt to life in Alaska. She secured over $400 million in programmatic funding for a Joint Integrated Testing and Training Center (JITTC) at JBER for the Air Force, a base supply complex at JBER for the Air National Guard, and a barracks at Fort Wainwright for the Army.
    Supporting Alaska’s veterans
    Senator Murkowski was able to secure funding for the construction of State Extended Care Facilities and Veterans Cemeteries. She also secured report language directing the VA to focus on benefits eligibility education for veterans who lack a direct road connection to a VA facility. She also secured her annual bill language to allow for care-sharing agreements between Federally Qualified Health Centers in the State of Alaska and Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations which are party to the Alaska Native Health Compact with the Indian Health Service. She made certain that the VA received full funding for mental health programs, telehealth programs, women veteran gender-specific care programs, homelessness programs, and for the Office of Rural Health.
    In addition to programmatic funding, Murkowski was able to secure investments in this bill that are specific for 3 of Alaska military installations, projects that have been requested and prioritized by the Department of Defense:
    JBER: $45 million to complete the runway extension project for the Air Force.
    Eielson Air Force Base: $6.7 million to finish planning and designing of a new permanent party dormitory for the Air Force.
    Fort Wainwright: $7.7 million to begin the planning and designing of a new dining facility for the Army.
    HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH (LEG) APPROPRIATIONS BILL
    Senator Murkowski inserted report language in the Legislative Branch FY26 Appropriations Act that incentivizes the Senate Dining Room and food-service facilities in the Capitol to source domestic seafood products, including wild-caught Alaska salmon.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran National Guilty Of Illegal Re-Entry

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    NEW ORLEANS – Acting U.S. Michael M. Simpson announced that MELVIN JOSE TEJADA MORILLO (“MORILLO”), age 35, pled guilty on July 8, 2025, to illegal re-entry of a removed alien, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Sections 1326(a) and 1326(b)(2).

    According to the indictment, MORILLO, re-entered the United States after being previously deported on March 21, 2016. At sentencing, MORILLO faces up to two years imprisonment, up to a $250,000 fine, up to one year of supervised release, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. However, because MORILLO has a prior felony conviction, MORILLO also faces a sentencing enhancement of up to 20 years’ imprisonment.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson praised the work of the United States Homeland Security Investigations in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Tiwana Wright is in charge of the prosecution.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Canada: Canada invests in the expansion of Saskatchewan Drug Treatment Courts

    Source: Government of Canada News (2)

    July 18, 2025—Regina, Saskatchewan—Department of Justice Canada

    The Government of Canada is providing up to $850,000 annually to support the operation of drug treatment courts (DTCs) by the Government and Courts of Saskatchewan. This funding has allowed the recent opening of the Battlefords Drug Treatment Court, which marks an expansion of existing DTCs in Regina and Moose Jaw to serve the Battlefords and west central Saskatchewan. This was made possible through Justice Canada’s Drug Treatment Court Funding Program.

    The opening of the additional DTC was applauded by Buckley Belanger, Member of Parliament for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. The Government of Canada is committed to provide support to break the cycle of addiction without punishment.

    DTCs provide a way to mix justice with health care, giving treatment instead of punishment to those whose crimes are related to substance use. These courts aim to break the cycle of addiction and crime for eligible adult offenders.

    MIL OSI Canada News –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Congressional Delegation Demands USPS Refocus on Drug Interdiction, Protection of Children, Theft Prevention, and Other Core Duties

    Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Don Beyer (D-VA)

    U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) today led 26 U.S. Representatives in pressing the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to immediately withdraw Postal Inspectors from the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) immigration task force. They warned that diverting USPS resources to DHS priorities jeopardizes USPS’ abilities to fulfill its essential responsibilities, including interdicting dangerous drugs, stopping theft, and investigating and preventing crimes against children.

    They wrote to Acting Postmaster General Doug Tulino:

    “We write with grave concern over the reported diversion of essential Postal Service law enforcement resources away from critical tasks like drug interdiction, anti-theft measures, and the prevention and investigation of crimes against children.

    “As supporters of drug interdiction, anti-theft measures, and the protection of children, we are deeply concerned over reports that USPIS is being diverted away from those core missions to work on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) priorities. According to those reports, inspectors are spending time assisting DHS with painstaking review of individual letters and packages to locate individual immigrants targeted by DHS. That new task comes only a year after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) specifically recommended that USPIS continue its “increasingly important” efforts to align its resources with current mail security needs—not external priorities.

    “At a time when the Postal Service is seeing year-over-year increases in serious crimes, both to employees and to mailboxes themselves, as well as mail theft, USPIS needs to focus on its core mission and not be subsumed into playing support staff for another agency’s priorities. If DHS needs additional staff and resources for their investigations, they can request additional appropriations from Congress as well as end reduction-in-force plans and hiring freezes that limit their ability to allocate and maintain appropriate staffing.

    “On behalf of the countless Americans who are concerned about illegal narcotics, mail theft, child protection, we ask that you immediately end USPIS’ participation in DHS’ immigration task force and allow the service to renew its focus on its essential law enforcement efforts. Please provide an update as to the status of this request by Friday, August 1, 2025.”

    The letter to Acting Postmaster General Tulino was sent by  U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (VA), Suzanne Bonamici (OR), André Carson (IN), Troy Carter (LA), Greg Casar (TX), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL), Judy Chu (CA), Yvette Clarke (NY), Steve Cohen (TN), Lou Correa (CA), Danny Davis (NC), Dwight Evans (PA), Dan Goldman (NY), Al Green (TX), Jonathan Jackson (IL), Pramila Jayapal (WA), Henry Johnson (GA), Zoe Lofgren (CA), Sarah McBride (DE), LaMonica McIver (NJ), Jimmy Panetta (CA), Bobby Scott (VA), Mark Takano (CA), Paul Tonko (NY), Marc Veasey (TX), Nydia Velázquez (NY), and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC).

    Full text of the letter follows below, and a signed copy is available here.

    ***

    Dear Acting Postmaster General Tulino:

    We write with grave concern over the reported diversion of essential Postal Service law enforcement resources away from critical tasks like drug interdiction, anti-theft measures, and the prevention and investigation of crimes against children.

    The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) is the oldest law enforcement agency in the country and has more than 200 years of experience protecting USPS workers from serious crime while enforcing laws that prohibit the use of our nation’s mail system for illegal activities. Among other responsibilities, postal inspectors prevent the flow of illegal and dangerous drugs through the mail and aggressively investigate mail theft. They are also invaluable partners to broader federal programs like the Department of Justice’s (DOJ’s) Project Safe Childhood (PSC), which is the federal government’s nationwide initiative to prevent the sexual exploitation of children.

    Thanks to its long history and narrow focus on mail-related crimes, USPIS is tremendously effective at its core missions. In FY25 alone, USPIS has seized 1,301 pounds of fentanyl— enough for more than 295 million lethal doses of the drug. Over the course of another recent year, the Inspection Service initiated 1,559 arrests for mail theft, 482 for assault or robbery, and 3 for child exploitation. Historically, thanks to investigators’ dedicated work the consistent resources dedicated to USPIS, the service has more than a 98% conviction rate when it takes a case to trial.

    As supporters of drug interdiction, anti-theft measures, and the protection of children, we are deeply concerned over reports that USPIS is being diverted away from those core missions to work on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) priorities. According to those reports, inspectors are spending time assisting DHS with painstaking review of individual letters and packages to locate individual immigrants targeted by DHS. That new task comes only a year after the Government Accountability Office (GAO) specifically recommended that USPIS continue its “increasingly important” efforts to align its resources with current mail security needs—not external priorities.

    At a time when the Postal Service is seeing year-over-year increases in serious crimes, both to employees and to mailboxes themselves, as well as mail theft, USPIS needs to focus on its core mission and not be subsumed into playing support staff for another agency’s priorities. If DHS needs additional staff and resources for their investigations, they can request additional appropriations from Congress as well as end reduction-in-force plans and hiring freezes that limit their ability to allocate and maintain appropriate staffing.

    On behalf of the countless Americans who are concerned about illegal narcotics, mail theft, child protection, we ask that you immediately end USPIS’ participation in DHS’ immigration task force and allow the service to renew its focus on its essential law enforcement efforts. Please provide an update as to the status of this request by Friday, August 1, 2025.

    Sincerely,

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Repeat offender sentenced to 20 years in prison for trafficking narcotics and laundering the proceeds

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    ALEXANDRIA, Va. – A Connecticut man was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, conspiracy to import GBL with intent to manufacture GHB, and concealment money laundering.

    In May 2024, investigators learned that Hatem S. Salem, 56, was importing quantities of GBL, a precursor for the “date-rape” drug GHB, into Virginia from China. From August 2024 through January 2025, law enforcement conducted five controlled purchases of various controlled substances, including cocaine, ketamine, MDMA, and over 100 grams of meth from Salem.

    On Jan. 30, investigators searched Salem’s residence in Shelton, Connecticut. Agents recovered 151 grams of meth, 626 grams of cocaine, various quantities of Ketamine, MDMA, and LSD, bottles containing GBL and GHB, and 157 boxes containing nearly 1,200 liters of suspected GBL in Salem’s basement. As part of his guilty plea, Salem admitted that over 2,000 liters of GBL was involved in the importation conspiracy.  Investigators also discovered a clandestine lab in Salem’s shed that contained substances and equipment for manufacturing GHB. A financial investigation revealed that Salem used various methods, such as convoluted transactions between business and personal bank accounts, to conceal or disguise the proceeds from his drug conspiracy. Investigators seized assets constituting proceeds of Salem’s drug trafficking conspiracy and property involved in money laundering, including approximately $370,000 in cash and $171,500 in cryptocurrency.

    Salem has several prior federal narcotics-related convictions. In 1999, Salem was convicted for conspiracy to distribute anabolic steroids, distribution of anabolic steroids, and making false statements. In 2005, Salem was convicted for distribution of GBL and GHB while he was on probation for his 1999 conviction. In 2015, Salem was convicted for unlawful importation of GBL with intent to manufacture GHB.

    Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Christopher Heck, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Kevin Davis, Fairfax County Chief of Police, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge Claude M. Hilton.

    Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hahn and Assistant U.S. Attorney Annie Zanobini prosecuted the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

    A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:25-cr-105.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Boston Teacher Indicted for Child Exploitation

    Source: Office of United States Attorneys

    Defendant is believed to have communicated with at least 20 underage females around the world; Engaged in sexualized conversations while teaching in class

    BOSTON – A former science teacher at Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly coercing or enticing at least one underage female to engage in sexual conversations online and requesting she produce and send child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of herself.

    John Magee Gavin, 35, of Brookline, was indicted on one count of coercion and enticement of a minor; one count of receipt of child pornography; and one count of possession of child pornography. The defendant is currently in state custody on related charges and will appear in federal court in Boston on July 21, 2025 at 10:45 a.m.

    According to court filings, Gavin is a former teacher at the Josiah Quincy Upper School in Boston. Prior to that, he was a 6th grade teacher at the Academy of the Pacific Rim Charter Public School in Hyde Park and was a paraprofessional with the Brookline Public Schools.

    In January 2025, Gavin was allegedly identified as the owner of a Discord account who messaged at least 20 underage females between the ages of 12 and 17 years old located throughout the country, including Georgia, Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia, North Carolina and Florida, as well as the United Kingdom and Canada. It is alleged that, in these chats, Gavin disclosed that he was a teacher, engaged in sexual conversations and often asked the minors to send him pictures of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct – knowing that the children were underaged. He was arrested by local authorities in February 2025 and charged in Brookline District Court with enticing a child under 16, possession of child pornography and other offenses.

    A forensic review of evidence seized from Gavin’s Brookline residence  allegedly revealed approximately 147 files (94 images and 53 videos) on his iPhone depicting CSAM. It is alleged that the CSAM depicted rape of both female and male minors, ranging in age from approximately five to 17 years old.

    Further analysis of Gavin’s Discord account identified numerous chats with underage females in which he allegedly engaged in online masturbation sessions with the minors, solicitated images from and exchanged images with the minors and engaged in sexualized conversations with the minors while he was at school. The chats also allegedly included conversations in which Gavin expressed his sexual interest in certain students at Josiah Quincy. In one conversation, Gavin allegedly discussed his sexual interest in a freshman student at the school where he was employed as a teacher and fantasied about having sex with her.

    The charge of coercion and enticement of a minor provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and up to life in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

    Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274 or contact USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

    United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Brookline Police Department; the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations; and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm, Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

    This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by 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.

    The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.  

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Missouri Man Sentenced for Possessing Child Pornography

    Source: US FBI

    TULSA, Okla. – A Warrensburg, Missouri man was sentenced today for Possession of Child Pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

    U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Jimmie Lloyd Skelton, 34, to 168 months imprisonment, followed by 15 years of supervised release. Upon his release, Skelton will also be required to register as a sex offender.

    According to court documents, the Claremore Police Department responded to a report of child exploitation. The homeowner found Skelton masturbating to a video of a child under 12 years old. When law enforcement searched the home, they found several electronic devices owned by Skelton. Investigators found videos that Skelton recorded secretly of the child victim.

    Skelton will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

    The FBI and the Claremore Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Scott Dunn and Stacey Todd 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 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: Former Coach and Missouri Middle School Teacher Sentenced for Coercing, Enticing, and Sexually Abusing a Minor Child

    Source: US FBI

    TULSA, Okla. – A former coach and middle school teacher was sentenced today for six counts related to child exploitation and sexual abuse of a minor child, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. 

    U.S. District Judge Sara E. Hill sentenced Ronald Dale Sanders, 57, of Belton, Missouri, for Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Conduct, Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country, Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country, Tampering with Evidence by Corrupt Persuasion, Coercion and Enticement of a Minor, and Production of Child Pornography.

    Judge Hill ordered Sanders to serve 360 months’ imprisonment, followed by lifetime supervision. Upon his release, Sanders will also be required to register as a sex offender.

    “Sanders is a dangerous child predator and every parent’s worst nightmare,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “His career in teaching and coaching put him in a position to manipulate and exploit a minor child and their family to fulfill his sexual desires.”

    “As a teacher, the defendant held a position of trust in the eyes of his victim and the community. He violated that trust by exploiting a former student for his own sexual gratification,” said FBI Oklahoma City Acting Special Agent in Charge Joe Ogden. “There is no place in our society for predators like Ronald Sanders, and the FBI will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to ensure they face justice.”

    On several occasions between August 2023 and October 2023, Sanders admitted to driving from Missouri to Oklahoma to engage in sexual acts with a 14-year-old. Court records show that Sanders began messaging with a former 6th-grade student through social media. The messages quickly turned into inappropriate sexual conversations, and he coerced the minor child to send him sexually explicit photos. Sanders manipulated the minor child into believing that they were in a relationship and to delete messages or deny their relationship if anyone asked. He purchased gifts for the minor child, including lingerie and a ring with Sanders’ initials on it.

    Court records show that Sanders’ employment career included teaching special education, middle school education, and coaching boys’ and girls’ teams. He used that background to insert himself into the minor child’s life by claiming he was a tutor and befriending the child’s family, attending school football games, and visiting the minor child during school. In October, one of the minor child’s parents caught Sanders outside their house late at night. When the parent attempted to confront Sanders, he hit their vehicle and sped off. The parent followed Sanders and called 911.

    Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol pulled over Sanders. He had alcohol and sex toys inside his vehicle. The investigation revealed that Sanders was blatant in his pursuit of the minor child and that he had 1,000’s of messages with the minor child that contained sexually explicit material.

    Sanders will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

    The FBI, the Miami Police Department, the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol investigated the case. Miami Public Schools played a significant role in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia Hockenbury and Valeria Luster 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 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.

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Honduran National Charged with Resisting, Assaulting, and Injuring ICE Officer During Traffic Stop

    Source: US FBI

    OKLAHOMA CITY – Today, JOSE MELGAR-RIVAS, 34, of Honduras, was charged by Complaint with assaulting, resisting, or impeding a federal officer resulting in bodily injury, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

    According to the Complaint, on July 15, 2025, officers with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) pulled over a vehicle on NW 23rd Street in Oklahoma City. The driver, Melgar-Rivas, was a Honduran national and an ICE fugitive. The Complaint alleges that Melgar-Rivas refused the officer’s demands to exit the vehicle, and, as officers attempted to remove Melgar-Rivas from the vehicle, a struggle ensued. During the struggle, Melgar-Rivas put the vehicle into drive and fled the scene. As the vehicle accelerated, an ICE officer became trapped in the door of the vehicle, which caused the officer to be dragged down the road. The officer ultimately freed himself from the vehicle but sustained several injuries. Melgar-Rivas, who fled the scene, was arrested several hours later.

    “Ensuring the safety of law enforcement personnel in executing their lawful duties is paramount, and it remains a top priority of the Justice Department,” said United States Attorney Robert J. Troester. “Those who assault or interfere with members of law enforcement for simply doing their job enforcing the law must and will be held accountable.”

    “Those who assault federal officers will face swift and stern accountability for their actions,” said Travis Pickard, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Dallas Special Agent in Charge over North Texas and Oklahoma. “Violence and any threats of violence to a federal officer in the performance of their duties will result in an immediate and collaborative law enforcement response to track down the perpetrator.”

    “Assaults on federal agents will not be tolerated by the FBI,” said FBI Oklahoma City Acting Special Agent in Charge Joe Ogden. “We will continue to aggressively support and defend our fellow public servants so they can safely carry out their sworn duties.”

    If found guilty, Melgar-Rivas faces up to 20 years in federal prison, and a fine of up to $250,000.

    Melgar-Rivas appeared today in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City and was ordered to be detained in federal custody pending further proceedings.

    The public is reminded this charge is merely an allegation, and that Melgar-Rivas is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

    This case is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Removal Operations, and the Oklahoma City Police Department, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Edgmon is prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

    Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Eight Young Mob Gang Members Indicted in Memphis on Racketeering, Murder, Robbery, Firearm and Drug Charges

    Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

     Larry Wilson, of Memphis, Tennessee, made his initial appearance in federal court today for his role in Young Mob (YM), a violent street gang that allegedly commits crimes including murder, assault, arson, drug trafficking, kidnapping, robbery, and narcotics trafficking. Wilson is the last of eight Young Mob defendants charged to make his initial appearance related to this case.

    “As alleged, this gang shot and killed a member of a rival gang in a restaurant drive-through and robbed customers at gunpoint at another Memphis establishment, recklessly endangering innocent bystanders,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Gang violence that spills into our community spreads fear and insecurity in our neighborhoods. The Criminal Division, in partnership with our federal and local law enforcement colleagues, remains steadfast in our pursuit of gangs that inflict senseless violence in our country.”

    “This gang engaged in numerous unlawful activities, including acts of extreme violence, which demonstrated a blatant disregard for human life,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason Stankiewicz of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). “Through a coordinated effort, the ATF and its local, state, and federal partners worked tirelessly to dismantle the organization and ensure that its members are held accountable.”

    Larry Wilson, 35, Brian Lackland, 35, Paul Nelson, 32, Mohamed Samba, 25, Braxton Beck, 33, Edgar Smith, 39, Jerrod Cox, 32, and Cedric Jackson, 33, all Tennessee residents, were charged for their membership and association with YM. YM members signify their membership by wearing red and/or black clothing and jewelry with an “Eight Ball” or the letters YM or YMM. YM members and recruits are required to commit acts of violence to gain membership and maintain their status in the gang.

    On May 28, 2022, Samba and other, not-yet-identified, YM members, shot suspected rival KSBG gang members ─ murdering one and attempting to murder two others ─ in a McDonald’s restaurant drive-through in Memphis. After the shootings, YM members burned the stolen car used in the shooting.

    The indictment further alleges that on May 13, 2023, at Tug’s Casual Grill, a Memphis restaurant, Nelson, Cox, and another unnamed YM member robbed customers at gunpoint. The unnamed member was shot and killed. Nelson and Cox left the mortally wounded man in a nearby fire station parking lot and then drove their stolen vehicle to another location and burned it. 

    The indictment also alleges that on March 17, 2024, Lackland and Beck attempted the murder of a suspected gang rival, which was thwarted in part due to police presence in the area. In addition, on June 11 and June 12, 2024, Lackland, Wilson, Beck, and Jackson attempted to rob customers at a Memphis tattoo shop before abandoning the scene because of police presence. Undeterred, the same group, along with Smith this time, returned to the tattoo shop after police left the area and robbed multiple customers.

    As alleged, YM receives money and income from drug trafficking, kidnappings, and robberies. Such funds are used for gang purposes, including obtaining weapons and narcotics and providing support for YM gang members, including those in prison serving time for various crimes. YM also receives money and income from various musical interests, with defendant Lackland being a well-known rapper who goes by the stage name “Stupid Duke.”

    YM members and associates are also separately charged as part of a drug conspiracy that was responsible for the distribution of 400 grams or more of fentanyl and 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Multiple members are also charged with various firearm offenses.  

    If convicted, Lackland, Samba, Nelson, Smith, and Cox face a maximum penalty of life in prison. If convicted, Wilson faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in prison, Beck faces a maximum penalty of 45 years in prison, and Jackson faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

    The ATF, Memphis Multi-Agency Gang Unit, and Memphis Police Homicide Unit are investigating the case.

    Trial Attorneys Brian P. Leaming and Amanda Kotula of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section (VCRS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney P. Neal Oldham for the Western District of Tennessee are prosecuting the case.

    This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative in Memphis conducted in partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Tennessee and local, state, and federal law enforcement. The joint effort addresses violent crime by employing, where appropriate, federal laws to prosecute gang members and their associates in Memphis.

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

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  • MIL-OSI USA: Senator Peters Secures Funding to Strengthen Public Safety, Michigan Manufacturing, and Great Lakes Protections in Appropriations Bill

    US Senate News:

    Source: United States Senator for Michigan Gary Peters

    WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) helped secure funding in the Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act to fund Michigan priorities, high-impact local projects, and federal programs that support manufacturing, our environment and Great Lakes, public safety, law enforcement, and cutting-edge research.

    “This bipartisan legislation advances critical projects in Michigan and across the country,” said Senator Peters. “The bill makes needed investments to strengthen public safety, support local law enforcement, and boost Michigan’s economic competitiveness. It will also help safeguard our state’s precious natural resources and the Great Lakes for future generations. I’m proud to have helped secure this funding and will keep working to get it across the finish line.”

    Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is considering their own funding bills. The Senate and House will then need to reach an agreement on a final funding bill and have it pass both chambers before being sent to the President to be signed into law.

    The bill includes numerous measures led and supported by Peters, including:

    Strengthening Michigan’s Manufacturing Sector

    Preventing Illegal Trump Administration Cuts to Manufacturing Programs: The bill included language Senator Peters authored to prevent the Department of Commerce from unilaterally defunding or withdrawing contracts from Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Programs – like the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center. The bill also includes $175 million for the MEP program despite the Trump Administration’s budget proposal to eliminate it. This program helps small and medium manufacturers grow their business, integrate advanced manufacturing techniques and technology, and works to strengthen our domestic manufacturing supply chain. For every dollar of federal investment, MEP generates $24.60 in new sales growth for manufacturers and $27.50 in new investment. This translates into $4.3 billion in new sales annually. In 2024, the Michigan Manufacturing Tech Center estimated they helped 584 businesses produce over $150 million in sales growth and over $100 million in investments. For every $1 of a company’s investment, the Center returns $18 in financial returns.

    Addressing Unfair Chinese Trade Practices: Peters secured language in the bill recognizing that non-allied nations like China are becoming large global exporters of electric vehicles and underscoring a concern that these electric vehicles will soon flood the U.S. market. Some Chinese motor vehicle producers are seeking to establish manufacturing plants in Mexico and other strategic locations to sidestep U.S. tariffs. Peters’ provision in the bill directs the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), in consultation with other relevant departments and agencies, to examine non-allied nations’ non-market policies and practices related to electric vehicles, including policies that prevent U.S auto manufacturers from competing in their markets on a level playing field.

    USMCA: In the summer of 2026, the United States’ trade agreement with Mexico and Canada will undergo a mandatory review period. Peters secured language directing the Office of the United States Trade Representative to pursue changes to the agreement that will improve the agreement’s labor standards, prevent China from taking advantage of it, and onshore more manufacturing jobs throughout the United States, including Michigan.

    National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST): The bill invests heavily in the National Institute of Standards and Technology. These resources will help NIST advance research in cutting-edge fields like carbon dioxide removal, artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and cybersecurity. NIST will also develop standards, tools, and tests to help ensure AI systems operate safely.

    Making Michigan Communities Safer

    PAWS Act: Peters secured $3 million in the Fiscal Year 2026?Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for the Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grant Program, which was established by Peters’ Pet and Women Safety (PAWS) Act. The grant program, administered by the Department of Justice, provides emergency and transitional shelter options for domestic violence survivors with companion animals. Peters secured language in the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act encouraging the Department of Justice to continue providing robust funding for grants under the program.

    Project Safe Neighborhood: Peters secured funding in the bill for the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative – a nationwide law enforcement program that uses evidence-based and data-driven approaches to reduce violent crime. Last Congress, the Senate passed Peters’ bipartisan legislationto reauthorize the Project Safe Neighborhoods program.

    Promoting Community Policing in Oakland County: The bill includes $1 million to modernize Oakland County’s Courts and Law Enforcement Management Information Systems (CLEMIS), which will improve transparency of law enforcement activity and promote community policing.

    Improving Criminal Investigation in Van Buren County: Peters secured $576,000 in the bill for Van Buren County to support purchase of rapid-processing DNA technology, which will reduce a current backlog and enable crimes to be solved more efficiently.

    Purchasing New Patrol Vehicles in Kalamazoo: The bill includes $490,000 to help the City of Kalamazoo upgrade its public safety vehicles, which will allow personnel to respond to service calls safely and efficiently.

    Making Road Patrols Safer in Oakland County: The bill would provide $26,000 for the Oakland County Sherriff’s Office to purchase safety equipment for motorcycle patrol officers.

    Supporting Safe Traffic Stops in Warren: Peters secured $38,000 in the bill to help the City of Warren Police Department purchase new safety equipment to aid officers during traffic stops and investigations.

    Improving the Health of the Great Lakes: The bill includes $1,500,000 for the Great Lakes Commission to improve the health of the Great Lakes. Specifically, funding will help address water quality, nutrient pollution, harmful algal blooms, aquatic invasive species, and coastal management throughout the Great Lakes region.

    Upgrading Police Communications in Marquette: The bill would provide $264,000 for the City of Marquette to purchase new portable radios, which would improve emergency response for Marquette Police Department officers.

    Upgrading Aging Patrol Vehicle Fleet in Houghton: The bill includes $385,000 for the City of Houghton to purchase new police patrol vehicles, helping to improve emergency response throughout the region.

    Bolstering AI Research to Help Small and Medium Sized Manufacturers: Senator Peters secured $2,000,000 in this bill to support Michigan Tech’s research into and deployment of AI standards and practices that would help boost small and medium manufacturers in Michigan.

    Westland Police Technology Update: The bill also includes $100,000 to upgrade aging computer systems in police squad cars in Westland.

    Preventing Violence Against Women: The bill contains increased funding for the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) and its lifesaving programs. Grants from OVW programs support training for police officers, state domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, rape prevention programs, homicide reduction initiatives, domestic violence hotlines, women’s shelters, transitional housing, and rural support services. In addition, Peters secured language in the bill directing the Department of Justice to develop best practices, in consultation with Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) community-based organizations, for the investigation and prosecution of violence against MENA women.

    Improving Police-Community Relations: The bill provides funding for State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance and Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office grant programs which aim to strengthen police-community relations.

    Addressing Substance Use Disorder in Our Communities: The bill provides significant funding to help our communities and first responders address substance use disorders, including opioids, and to address drug trafficking.

    Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Program: Peters helped secure funding for the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program. This program is critical to thousands of abused or neglected children who have highly trained and extremely dedicated advocates appointed on their behalf, and to child victims who are still waiting for the presence of a consistent, caring adult to speak for their best interests in the courtroom and in the community. This funding will help improve outcomes for every abused and neglected child, as was the intention of Congress when it enacted the Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990.

    Investing in Sustainable Solutions to Protect Michigan’s Environment, Natural Resources

    Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory: The bill provides funding for the Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab (GLERL), which studies the dynamic environments and ecosystems of the Great Lakes. The work produced and shared by GLERL informs local decisions for safe and sustainable resource management throughout the Great Lakes Basin. GLERL research also plays a crucial role in the work carried out by the Coast Guard’s Center of Expertise for Oil Spill Preparedness and Response in Sault Ste Marie. Peters secured language in the bill recognizing the importance of continued support for the work of the Great Lakes Center of Expertise for Oil Spill Preparedness and Response, which examines the impacts of oil spills in freshwater environments and develops effective responses. Peters-led efforts made the Great Lakes Center of Expertise a reality. Peters authored and passed legislation into law establishing the Great Lakes Center of Expertise in 2018, and then successfully secured $4.5 million in total to kick-start the initiative the following year. Peters then announced the Great Lakes Center of Expertise will be headquartered in two Michigan locations to maximize research and operational capabilities. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Peters has continued to secure funding to support the Center’s work.

    Great Lakes Monitoring: The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) is the nation’s premier ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes observing program. The bill provides funding to fill critical gaps in our nation’s ocean and Great Lakes observation infrastructure. It will also ensure the availability of coastal data to inform management decisions on oil spill planning and response, navigation safety, fisheries management, and harmful algal blooms.

    Addressing Harmful Algal Blooms: The bill supports the National Ocean Service’s research on harmful algal blooms (HABs). This funding is vital to preserving the health of the Great Lakes, which provide drinking water to more than 40 million people; support a $16 billion recreational boating industry; and draw 37 million anglers, hunters, and bird watchers each year. HABs, which produce toxic or harmful effects on people and wildlife, have been reported in the Great Lakes and in every U.S. coastal state. According to NOAA, their occurrence may be on the rise.

    Coastal Zone Management Grants: This bill provides much-needed funding for NOAA’s Coastal Zone Management Program, which provides grants to states with approved coastal zone management plans for the protection, restoration, and enhancement of coastal zone areas, including those in the Great Lakes region. All eight Great Lakes states have active Coastal Zone Management programs committed to preserving the health of the Lakes and the $6 trillion regional economy they help sustain. This unique program is essential to the economic and ecological importance of our coastlines and Great Lakes shorelines while supporting state and local efforts to address critical management issues such as coastal hazards, habitat, and water quality.

    Marine Debris Program: The NOAA Marine Debris Program is a joint effort that supports national and international efforts to prevent, identify, and reduce the occurrence of marine debris. The program leverages resources from state and local agencies, tribes, non-governmental organizations, academia, and industry for innovative research, outreach, and education initiatives. This bill provides funding to allow this important work to continue.

    Improving the Census Process to Ensure Michigan Communities Are Accurately Represented

    Census Bureau: The bill provides funding for the U.S. Census Bureau, however, it provides less funding than is required to meet the needs of the upcoming 2030 decennial census. The census and other key federal surveys are tied to important outcomes for communities in Michigan and across the country, including federal resources for education, health care and infrastructure. The resources allocated by this bill will give the Census Bureau the tools it needs to prepare for the 2030 Census, produce critical economic data, and ensure the public can access high-quality data that keeps pace with the needs of our nation. This funding is essential to ensuring the Bureau does not fall behind on crucial preparations and can control long-term costs. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, where Peters serves as Ranking Member, is responsible for conducting oversight of the Census Bureau. Peters previously convened a hearing in downtown Detroit to examine impacts of the 2020 Census on Michigan. Peters also convened a hearing in 2021 with senior federal officials to examine how lawmakers can work to improve operations at the Census Bureau. Peters has also pressed the Census Bureau to ensure it addresses 2020 Census undercounts and improves annual population data.

    Investing in Science, Innovation, and the STEM Workforce

    Michigan Technological University AI Program: Peters secured $2.5 million in funding from the Safe and Secure AI Manufacturing Implementation Program for Michigan Technological University to support research into and deployment of AI standards and practices to support small and medium manufacturers.

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): The bill provides continued funding for key NASA science and STEM education programs that support cutting edge research and scholarships at Michigan’s Universities. The STEM education programs also strengthen our aerospace workforce pipeline. These programs were partially eliminated under the Trump Administration’s budget request.,

    Fully Fund the Artemis Space Mission: This bill includes full funding that Senator Peters’ championed for the Artemis Mission, which is set to take the United States back to the Moon as well as, eventually, to Mars. This mission was partially eliminated under the Trump budget proposal. The Artemis program is supported by Michigan Aerospace manufacturers and one of the astronauts participating in the upcoming Artemis III mission is a Michigander, Christina Koch.

    National Science Foundation: Senator Peters helped secure $9 billion in funding for the National Science Foundation. This level of funding avoids the catastrophic 55% cut proposed by the Trump Administration, which would have devastated U.S. scientific and STEM leadership, and harmed Michigan’s research institutions’ ability to continue to do cutting edge research.

    Implementation of Peters’ PROSWIFT Act: Peters secured funding for the pilot program Peters created through his Promoting Research and Observations of Space Weather to Improve the Forecasting of Tomorrow (PROSWIFT) Act. The program aims to strengthen our nation’s ability to predict severe space weather events and mitigate their harmful impacts on Earth – work being spearheaded at Michigan’s own Universities.

    Improving Access to Reentry: Peters secured language in the bill directing Residential Reentry Centers, where individuals often go between prison and full return to their communities, to better collect ID-related data. A 2022 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that opportunities exist to better assist incarcerated people with obtaining ID documents prior to release. Peters’ language requires an assessment from BOP regarding the feasibility of contracting with additional state DMVs to provide identification document services to qualifying individuals prior to release.

    National Marine Fisheries Services – Studying PFAS in Fish: The bill recognizes the threat posed by the concentration of PFAS detected in fish tissue. The bill directs NOAA to conduct fish tissue sampling and monitoring of PFAS to evaluate the impacts on aquatic health.

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: $4.9 Million Secured for Victims of Ayudando Guardians Fraud Scheme Through Settlement and Asset Forfeiture

    Source: US FBI

    ALBUQUERQUE – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico announced today the recovery of $4.9 million for victims of the Ayudando Guardians fraud scheme. The U.S. Department of Justice has retained a third-party administrator to assist with disbursing the funds to victims of the decade-long embezzlement scheme that exploited vulnerable individuals under guardianship.

    The U.S. Marshals Servicedemanded coverage from Travelers Casualty and Surety Company of America (Travelers) under a “Wrap + Crime” policy for the losses sustained due to the criminal acts of Ayudando employees. Travelers Insurance denied coverage under the policy, so on March 31, 2022, the United States filed a civil action against Travelers in the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico (“Civil Action”). The United States pursued claims against Travelers for coverage under the policy, bad faith, and violation of the New Mexico Unfair Insurance Practices Act and the New Mexico Unfair Practices Act, alleging that Travelers’ denial of the United States’ claim was unfounded and frivolous, and that Travelers misrepresented the coverage afforded.

    On September 20, 2024, the parties participated in a settlement conference before the Honorable Gregory J. Fouratt, resulting in a settlement of the Civil Action. Travelers has agreed to pay the United States the amount of $4.9 million.

    On July 17, 2025, the U.S. District Court entered a final order of forfeiture in the related criminal case, awarding $4.9 million in funds obtained through the settlement with Travelers. The recovered funds satisfy a portion of the $6.8 million money judgment against Harris.

    In relation to the original criminal case, Harris, the former president and 95% owner of Ayudando, was sentenced to 47 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Her husband, William S. Harris, who worked as a guardian, received a 15-year prison sentence, also followed by three years of supervised release. Sharon A. Moore, former chief financial officer and 5% owner, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. Craig M. Young, Susan Harris’ son, was sentenced to 71 months in federal prison.

    U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison, Acting Special Agent in Charge Philip Russell, Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Albuquerque Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick, IRS Criminal Investigation’s Phoenix Field Office, made the announcement today.

    The Albuquerque Field Office of the FBI and the Phoenix Field Office of IRS Criminal Investigation conducted the criminal investigation with the assistance of the Complex Assets Unit and the U.S. Marshals Service, the Criminal Investigations Division of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and the Dallas Field Division of the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. The original criminal case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy Peña. The Civil Action and settlement were led by Assistant United States Attorneys Ruth Keegan and Jesse Hale, with assistance from Clifford Krieger, forfeiture counsel for the U.S. Marshals Service and several attorneys from the Social Security Administration. The asset forfeiture proceedings were overseen by Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen R. Kotz. 

    MIL Security OSI –