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Category: Vehicles

  • MIL-OSI Security: USAO Ends 2024 with Notable Achievements to Combat Elder Fraud

    Source: US FBI

    CLEVELAND – Combatting elder fraud continues to be a top priority for the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the Northern District of Ohio, in 2024 and beyond. The office is responsible for prosecuting federal law violations that occur in any of the 40 northern counties in the state of Ohio which the district serves.

    Prosecutors in the USAO’s White Collar Crimes Unit carry out the Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiatives, which include a commitment to combatting elder abuse, neglect, financial fraud, and other scams that target our nation’s senior citizens. Elder fraud schemes take a variety of forms that range from small-scale identity thefts to mass mail fraud schemes that steal money and other assets from thousands of elderly victims. Annually, these fraud schemes bilk seniors out of billions of dollars throughout the country.

    “Many fraud crimes that target our elderly population involve criminals taking advantage of this group’s trusting nature. Fraudsters falsely claim to be government officials or promise to help with computer issues, persuading victims to provide fraudsters with access to their personal information,” said U.S. Attorney Rebecca Lutzko for the Northern District of Ohio. “Our office prioritizes prosecuting those who prey on the elderly members of our communities in an attempt to steal their savings.”

    Notable cases in 2024 that involved elder fraud include:

    U.S. v. Alahmad – A caregiver forged a power of attorney document and used it to apply for, and receive, credit and debit cards in the name of the victim who was an elderly adult. The victim was in a nursing home rehabilitation facility while the defendant made unauthorized withdrawals and purchases using the victim’s credit and debit cards. Alahmad was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $46,064.30.

    U.S. v. Xie – A Chinese national college student on an F‐1 Visa traveled across the country, worked as a “money mule” who picked up cash from older victims, and then transferred the funds to his handler. Xie was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to pay $188,000 in restitution.

    U.S. v. Wehman – The defendant was charged with wire fraud for stealing from his grandfather by using credit cards, debit cards, and a line of credit. He was sentenced to 37 months in prison and ordered to pay $376,069.46 in restitution.

    U.S. v. Turnipseede – The defendant defrauded approximately 72 investors out of more than $8.5 million through a Ponzi scheme that promised investors double-digit profits achieved through a purported algorithm designed to generate double-digit returns through various sports wagering businesses. Defendant used investor money to maintain the business, seek new sources of funds, pay off earlier investors, and fund personal expenses. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 3, 2025.

    U.S. v. Alexander – The defendant and other involved individuals engaged in a cold‐calling scheme that targeted older investors throughout the United States. They used aggressive and deceptive tactics and promised large returns if the victims participated in wine and whiskey investments. The court sentenced Alexander to three years of probation and ordered him to pay $202,195.58 in restitution.

    U.S. v. Mangukia – Defendants were charged in a conspiracy for falsely posing as customer service employees at a company or bank. Co-conspirators contacted a victim and falsely claimed that the victim’s account was at risk or had been compromised by a hacking event or similar computer intrusion. The conspirators directed the victim to make a wire transfer, convert cash to cryptocurrency at a Bitcoin ATM, and withdraw cash to purchase gold coins and bars. Defendants then traveled to Ohio to pick up the gold bars.

    U.S. v. Chaudhary – Defendants were charged as part of a conspiracy for falsely posing as customer service employees at a company or bank. Co-conspirators contacted a victim and falsely claimed that the victim’s account was at risk or had been compromised by a hacking event or similar computer intrusion. The conspirators directed the victim to withdraw cash and had a conspirator pick up the cash from the victim’s home.

    U.S. v. Kai – The defendant approached victims through social media to invest money into cryptocurrency. Victims were instructed to deposit their money through a “service director” affiliated with a cryptocurrency business. The service director informed the victims that deposits were to be made in person and in cash-only transactions. During one of these transactions, Kai was identified as the individual in a vehicle scheduled to take the victims’ money.

    Additionally, USAO staff conducted numerous public outreach efforts to educate the community to be aware of elder fraud scams including:

    • “Courier and Grandparent Scams,” National Consumer Protection Week Meeting
    • “Tops Scams for 2024,” St. Mary of the Woods Senior Living Community, FBI Organized Crime Conference, and Parma Snow Branch Library
    • “Elder Fraud Scams and Robocalls,” St. Mary of the Woods Independent Living
    • “Elder Fraud and Cold Calling Investment Scams,” AARP Podcast interview

    To report crimes, visit https://tips.fbi.gov/home or https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/financial-exploitation .

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Seeking Information From Key Bank Robbery

    Source: US FBI

    The FBI Toledo Resident Agency and the Toledo Police Department are seeking the public’s assistance identifying a male subject in connection to a bank robbery that occurred at approximately 1:54 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 9 at Key Bank, 5037 Suder Avenue, Toledo.

    Subject Description

    • White male
    • 50-60 years old
    • Standing over 6’ tall
    • Wearing a dark jacket, grey sweatshirt, blue jeans with grey/white tennis shoes

    The subject entered the bank, approached the victim teller, and produced a demand note. He then fled the bank with an undisclosed amount of money and entered an older model Buick vehicle, heading in the direction of South Suder toward Kroger Grocery Store.

    The FBI encourages anyone with information to contact the Toledo Resident Agency at (419) 243-6122 or the Toledo Police Department at (419) 936-3800. Your identity can remain anonymous when submitting tips to the FBI.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Savanna Police Officer Sentenced to 40 Years After First Guilty Verdict Obtained Under 2022 Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act Enhanced Penalties

    Source: US FBI

    A federal judge sentenced former Savanna Oklahoma Police Officer (SPD), Jeffrey Scott Smith, 35, to 40 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman during a traffic stop and obstructing justice by turning off his body-worn camera and dash camera in an effort to avoid recording the assault. This case represents the first sexual assault conviction and sentence under the 2022 Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act that added enhanced penalties for civil rights offenses involving sexual misconduct.

    Evidence presented at trial established that on Nov. 2, 2022, Smith, working his first solo shift for SPD, conducted a traffic stop of the victim, K.H., and her then-boyfriend, J.G. After running their licenses, Smith realized that J.G.’s license had recently expired. He had J.G. and K.H. get out of J.G.’s car to switch who was driving. Smith issued J.G. a speeding ticket, and then began asking personal questions, including how long they had been in their relationship. At this point, while still speaking to J.G. and K.H., Smith manually deactivated his SPD body worn camera (BWC).

    Smith then asked K.H. what she did for work. K.H. reluctantly admitted that she danced at a gentlemen’s club. Upon hearing K.H.’s answer, Smith asked to search J.G.’s car. During the search, Smith looked in K.H.’s purse and found a pre-rolled promotional marijuana cigarette from K.H.’s work. Rather than arrest her, or issue her a ticket, Smith walked back to his patrol car and manually deactivated his dashboard camera. Once the defendant had K.H. in his vehicle he sexually assaulted her.

    “Smith’s despicable acts traumatized the victim and soiled the reputation of the law enforcement community,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. “The sentence imposed is just punishment, and I am thankful to the FBI, the OSBI, and the prosecutors for their exceptional work in holding the defendant accountable for his crimes.”

    “The entire law enforcement profession is disparaged when an officer betrays the oath to protect and serve. That is exactly what Mr. Smith did on his first solo shift as a police officer,” said Special Agent in Charge Doug Goodwater of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. “I am proud of the joint effort by the FBI, OSBI, and US Attorney’s Office to hold Smith accountable for his despicable actions. The sentence handed down today represents our commitment to pursuing justice for victims, and to protecting the reputation of those who wear the badge with integrity.”

    The Oklahoma City FBI Field Office investigated the case with the assistance of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

    Trial Attorney Laura Gilson of the Civil Rights Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nicole Paladino and Clay Compton for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Serial Bank Robber Sentenced to Federal Prison

    Source: US FBI

    PORTLAND, Ore.—A Washington State man who admitted to committing at least ten bank robberies, including five while armed, was sentenced today to more than 23 years in federal prison.

    Clifford Court Uptegrove, 61, of Yakima, Washington, was sentenced to 280 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

    According to court documents, on December 17, 2021, approximately 14 months after being granted a compassionate release from federal prison, Uptegrove entered an Umpqua Bank branch in Hermiston, Oregon, brandished a firearm, and demanded large denomination bills from one of the bank’s tellers. After Uptegrove collected more than $13,000 in cash, he fled the bank and attempted to steal an occupied truck in nearby parking lot.

    Shortly after, a Hermiston police officer spotted Uptegrove and attempted a traffic stop. Uptegrove led the officer on a brief pursuit before stopping and being placed under arrest without further incident.

    On January 19, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a three-count indictment charging Uptegrove with armed bank robbery, possessing a firearm during a crime of violence, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. Later, on April 11, 2024, Uptegrove pleaded guilty to armed bank robbery.

    This case was investigated by the FBI and Hermiston Police Department and was prosecuted by Cassady Adams and Gregory Nyhus, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI New Zealand: Fatal crash, Clutha

    Source: New Zealand Police

    One person has died following a crash in Tapanui this afternoon.

    Just after 3:30pm, Police were called to a single vehicle crash on Station Road.

    The vehicle collided with a garage before catching fire. The sole occupant of the vehicle died at the scene.

    Police are making enquiries to determine the circumstances of the crash.

    Station Road remains closed while enquiries continue.

    ENDS

    Issued by Police Media Centre

    MIL OSI New Zealand News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Arizona Man Pleads Guilty for Making Online Threats Against Public Servants Including Federal Officials

    Source: US FBI

    PHOENIX, Ariz. – Michael Lee Tomasi, 37, of Rio Verde, Arizona, pleaded guilty yesterday to making threats against federal officials. 

    From May 2021 through November 2023, while living in Colorado and Arizona, Tomasi used a social media platform to express a desire to incite violence and threaten a variety of individuals and groups, including a city district attorney, a state court judge, a member of Congress and other federal officials and law enforcement officers. Tomasi pleaded guilty to posting a threat on Aug. 26, 2023, to kill FBI agents in order to impede, intimidate, or interfere with FBI agents’ performance of their official duties. Specifically, Tomasi admitted that, on that day, he posted: “Shoot the FBI first and ask questions later. . . .  Any FBI [] have a problem with that[,] come to my house and see what happens. Shoot before they even pull their guns out of their trunk and you shoot to kill.” 

    “Threats of violence against elected officials, judges, and FBI agents pose immense danger to the physical safety of individual victims and undermine our very system of government,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will hold to account anyone who targets public servants with illegal threats of violence.”

    “Threatening law enforcement officers and elected officials strikes at the heart of our communities and our democracy,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The men and women of the FBI work tirelessly every day to defend our homeland and protect the American people. I am proud of their selfless spirit — putting themselves in harm’s way to keep others safe — and we will hold accountable anyone who threatens them.”

    “This disgruntled defendant threatened officials from all three branches of government,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino for the District of Arizona. “Moreover, he was prepared to carry out his threats: when arrested he had a loaded handgun in his vehicle, as well as other firearms and body armor in his home. The prosecution of threats offenses makes Americans safer.”

    Tomasi pleaded guilty to making threats against federal officials. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 23, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

    The FBI is investigating the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raymond K. Woo and Abbie Broughton Marsh for the District of Arizona are prosecuting the case, with valuable assistance provided by Trial Attorney Dmitriy Slavin of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

    CASE NUMBER:            CR-23-01751-PHX-DWL
    RELEASE NUMBER:    2024-112_Tomasi

    # # #

    For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
    Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on X @USAO_AZ for the latest news.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Midway Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

    Source: US FBI

    FAYETTEVILLE –A Midway, Arkansas, man was sentenced on June 7, 2023, to 240 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release on one count of Possession with the Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine. The Honorable Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing for the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

    According to court documents, on September 8, 2022, investigators with the State of Arkansas 14th Judicial District Drug Task Force assisted Arkansas Department of Community Corrections Parole Officers with a search of the residence of Bobby Joe Amescua Gray, II, age 34, in Midway, Arkansas.  Upon the arrival of investigators, Gray attempted to flee out of the rear of the residence but was quicky apprehended.  Gray’s vehicle was searched, resulting in the discovery of 4.467 kilograms of 100% pure methamphetamine, a firearm, packaging and scales associated with methamphetamine sales and over $5,000 in United States Currency derived from methamphetamine sales.

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

    The State of Arkansas 14th Judicial District Drug Task Force and Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon Carter prosecuted the case for the United States.

    Today’s announcement is part of the Western District of Arkansas’ Operation Home on Ice, which is part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program.  The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy.  OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.  Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illicit drug supply.

    Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov , WDAR Case No. 3:22 CR 30013-001.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Father and Son Admit Role in International Market Manipulation Scheme Related to New Jersey Deli

    Source: US FBI

    CAMDEN, N.J. – A father and son today admitted to orchestrating a large-scale market manipulation scheme related to two publicly traded companies, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

    Peter Coker, Sr., 82, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Peter Coker, Jr., 56, formerly of Hong Kong, China, both pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Christine P. O’Hearn to securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud.

    James Patten, 65, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina previously pleaded guilty to the same charges.

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

    From 2014 through September 2022, Peter Coker Sr., Peter Coker Jr., and Patten conspired to enrich themselves through a scheme to manipulate securities prices via a pattern of coordinated trading, which injected inaccurate information into the marketplace, creating false impressions of supply and demand for these securities.

    As part of the securities fraud scheme, the defendants targeted two publicly traded companies—Hometown International Inc. and E-Waste Corp.—which were both traded on the OTC Link Alternative Trading System, also known as the OTC Marketplace. The OTC Marketplace is an alternative trading system that contains three tiers of markets, which are largely based on the quality and quantity of the listed companies’ information and disclosures.

    Coker Sr., Coker Jr., and Patten took steps to gain control of both entities’ management and stock with the ultimate intention of entering reverse mergers, a transaction through which an existing public company merges with a private operating company. A successful reverse merger would allow the defendants to sell shares of each entity at a significant profit.

    In or around 2014, two New Jersey residents began the process of opening a local deli in Paulsboro, New Jersey. One of the individuals discussed his interest in opening the deli with Patten, a long-time friend, who suggested the creation of Hometown International, an umbrella corporation, under which the deli would operate as a wholly owned subsidiary. Unbeknownst to the deli owners, after Hometown International was formed, Patten and his associates began positioning Hometown International as a vehicle for a reverse merger that would yield substantial profit to them.

    Around October 2019, Hometown International began selling shares on the OTC Marketplace. Shortly thereafter, Patten, Coker Sr., and Coker Jr. undertook a calculated scheme to gain control of Hometown International’s management and its shares from the deli owners. Coker Sr., Coker Jr., and Patten took similar actions to gain control of E-Waste Corporation’s stock and management.

    Once the defendants gained control of Hometown International and E-Waste’s shares, they arranged for the transfer of millions of shares of stock to a number of nominee entities, including entities controlled by Coker Jr., in an effort to mask their control of the shares.

    In addition, the defendants transferred shares to family members, friends, and associates and gained control over their trading accounts by obtaining their log-in information in order to conceal the defendants’ involvement. The defendants then used those accounts to commit a number of coordinated trading events, often referred to as match and wash trades, to trade in Hometown International and E-Waste Corp.’s stock on both sides of the transaction.

    These tactics artificially inflated the price of Hometown International and E-Waste’s stock by giving the false impression that there was a genuine market interest in the stock. Their scheme had the ultimate impact of artificially inflating Hometown International’s stock by approximately 939 percent and E-Waste’s stock by approximately 19,900 percent.

    The securities fraud count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine. The conspiracy to commit securities fraud carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense whichever is greatest.

    Judge O’Hearn scheduled Coker, Jr.’s sentencing for April 2, 2025 and Coker Sr.’s sentencing for May 13, 2025.

    U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, and special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Jenifer L. Piovesan in Newark, with the investigation. He also thanked special agents from FBI Charlotte, FBI Los Angeles, FBI San Francisco, FBI Denver, and FBI Knoxville, for their assistance.

    The government is represented by Lauren E. Repole, Chief of the Economic Crimes Unit, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Webman of the Economic Crimes Unit. 
     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: San Diego Man Charged with Using Explosives to Burglarize ATMs

    Source: US FBI

    NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 23, 2024

    SAN DIEGO – Son Nguyen of San Diego was arrested early today and charged in federal court with two counts of damaging property in connection with using explosives on two ATMs.

    Nguyen, who unsuccessfully attempted to steal money from the machines, was tracked through surveillance video, vehicle registration and facial features, the complaint said. He was taken into custody by the FBI at his Mira Mesa residence and is scheduled to make his first appearance in federal court Monday.

    According to the complaint, at approximately 3:24 a.m. on June 8, 2024, Nguyen drove up to an ATM outside of California Coast Credit Union on Governor Drive in San Diego. Nguyen got out of his car and brought a five-gallon blue plastic container with a white spout to the area in front of the ATM. He then appeared to insert a black polyvinyl chloride plastic (“PVC”) hose into the ATM. A short time later, a small explosion occurred inside the ATM. Despite efforts to pull money out of the machine, Nguyen left empty handed.

    San Diego Police officers responded to an alarm at the credit union and observed a white PVC pipe connected to a black PVC pipe with two batteries taped to it. They also observed pieces of what looked like a blue balloon around the ATM.  Approximately 20 feet from the ATM was another plastic pipe. 

    According to the complaint, a few weeks later, at approximately 2:10 a.m. on June 28, 2024, Nguyen drove up to another ATM in Rancho Bernardo outside of a First Citizen’s Bank branch in San Diego. He then repeated the same steps. After electrical components caught fire and smoke started coming out of the ATM, Nguyen returned and attempted to extract cash from the machine but was unsuccessful.

    Investigators used surveillance camera video to track the defendant and his vehicle. While serving a court-authorized search warrant at Nguyen’s home, investigators found gas, black powder, potassium nitrate sulfur, explosive pre-cursor chemicals, a paper that explains how to make black powder and a firearm in Nguyen’s residence, among other equipment and clothing items consistent with those used during the attempts.

    “Fortunately, neither of these incidents resulted in injury or successful theft of cash,” said U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath. “With the discovery of chemicals and equipment in the search today, future attempts were also thwarted.”

    This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Sherwood and Shital Thakkar.

    DEFENDANT                                               Case Number                         24-mj-03215

    Son Thanh Nguyen                                         Age: 44                                   San Diego, CA

    SUMMARY OF CHARGES

    Use of an Explosive to Damage Property – 18 U.S.C., Section 844(i)

    Maximum penalty: Twenty years in prison

    INVESTIGATING AGENCIES

    Federal Bureau of Investigation

    San Diego Police Department

    San Diego County Sheriff’s Department Bomb Squad

    City of San Diego’s Hazmat Team

    A complaint itself is not evidence that the defendant committed the crimes charged. The defendant is presumed innocent until the Government meets its burden in court of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. 

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Final Defendant Sentenced for ATM Burglaries

    Source: US FBI

    LAS VEGAS – The final defendant was sentenced Tuesday by United States District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey for his role in a conspiracy to burglarize multiple bank automatic teller machines by forcibly ripping them open with pry bars, hammers, hooks, and chains connected to stolen Ford F-250 pickup trucks.

    According to court documents, from March 2020 to December 2020, Stanley Booker, Demarcus Dosewell, Dominique Owens, and Jecorian McCutcheon, all of Houston, and George Densley, of Las Vegas, conspired to burglarize ATMs and participate in three ATM burglaries in Las Vegas and one ATM burglary in Henderson. For the three Las Vegas ATM burglaries, defendants ripped apart the ATMs but were unable to open the safes containing cash. For the Henderson ATM burglary, Booker, Dosewell, and Densley stole $114,100. Booker, Dosewell, Owens, and McCutcheon also burglarized an ATM in Phoenix, stole $151,200, and transported that money to Las Vegas.

    Owens pleaded guilty to three counts of bank burglary and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property; he was sentenced Tuesday to 51 months in prison. Dosewell pleaded guilty to one count of bank burglary; on February 21, 2023, he was sentenced to 41 months in prison. Booker pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary, four counts of bank burglary, and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property; on March 11, 2024, he was sentenced to 84 months in prison. McCutcheon pleaded guilty to two counts of bank burglary and one count of interstate transportation of stolen property; on March 5, 2024, he was sentenced to 41 months in prison. After a five-day jury trial, Densley was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit bank burglary and two counts of bank burglary; on May 7, 2024, he was sentenced to 60 months in prison. In addition to imprisonment, the defendants were ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $485,554.77.

    United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Special Agent in Charge Spencer L. Evans for the FBI made the announcement.

    This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant United States Attorneys Joshua Brister and Steven Rose prosecuted the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: FBI Albany Update on Federal Investigation in Connection with the Fatal Shooting Involving a U.S. Border Patrol Officer in Coventry, Vermont

    Source: US FBI

    The FBI Albany Field Office continues to investigate an alleged assault on a federal officer in connection with the fatal shooting involving a U.S. Border Patrol Agent on the afternoon of January 20 on Interstate 91 in Coventry, Vermont.

    At approximately 3:15 p.m. on Monday, January 20, U.S. Border Patrol Agent David “Chris” Maland was involved in a traffic stop on Interstate 91 southbound near mile marker 168. During the course of the traffic stop, an exchange of gunfire occurred, and Agent Maland was struck. Additionally, one subject was killed, and one subject was injured and is currently being treated at an area hospital. We will not be releasing the identification of either subject at this time. However, our partners at the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the deceased subject is a German national in the U.S. on a current visa. 

    Agent Maland later succumbed to his injuries. We are heartbroken for our partners and share in their grief as they mourn the loss of their colleague, who also served his country as a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.   

    This investigation remains extremely active. 

    FBI Albany has numerous resources in the area, to include our Evidence Response Team (ERT), victim services, digital forensics, and dozens of special agents. We continue to work closely with our federal, state, and local partners to piece the details of this incident together. We want to extend our sincere thanks to our law enforcement partners from the Newport Police Department; Orleans County Sheriff’s Office; Vermont State Police; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Homeland Security Investigations; and Border Patrol for their swift response to assist with securing the scene, processing evidence, and following investigative leads.  

    FBI Albany will not be releasing anything further tonight.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Robert McLane Imprisoned for Defrauding Auto Dealer Employer

    Source: US FBI

    Burlington, Vermont – The United States Attorney’s Office announced that Robert McLane, 36, of Websterville, Vermont was sentenced yesterday in United States District Court in Burlington to 18 months of imprisonment following his guilty plea to a charge of mail fraud. Chief U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss ordered that McLane serve three years of supervised release following completion of his prison term and also pay restitution in the amount of $566,000. The court ordered McLane to surrender to the United States Bureau of Prisons on April 4, 2025 to begin serving his sentence.

    According to court records, between approximately March 2019 and September 23, 2022, McLane was employed by Formula Nissan, Inc., an automobile sales and service dealership located in central Vermont, where McLane served as the Parts Manager and then the Director of Parts and Service. In his positions, McLane oversaw the parts and service departments; supervised other employees; and ordered, received and paid for automotive parts needed in the dealership’s operations. In ordering, receiving and paying for parts, McLane typically communicated with Formula Nissan’s parts supplier, Nissan North America, using the Dealer Management System software.

    Beginning in about January 2021 and continuing until September 2022, McLane defrauded the dealership by ordering certain vehicle parts from the dealership’s parts supplier, including vehicle suspension lift kits. The cost to the dealership of each lift kit was in the $2300 to $2900 range. The supplier billed, and the dealership subsequently paid, for the lift kits McLane had ordered.

    As part of the scheme, McLane caused the lift kits not to be entered into the dealership’s inventory of parts-on-hand.

    Instead of selling the lift kits for the benefit of the dealership, McLane advertised them for sale on Facebook at prices substantially discounted from their wholesale cost to the dealership. Over the course of the scheme, McLane sold more than 200 lift kits to persons around the United States, and he shipped the kits to his own customers by using the dealership’s Federal Express account. Purchasers paid McLane for the lift kits via transfers of funds to a personal PayPal account that McLane maintained in his own name and for his own benefit.

    As a result of McLane’s fraud, Formula Nissan and its insurance company suffered an out-of-pocket loss of at least $575,000.

    This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

    McLane is represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth. The prosecutor is Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Waples.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Four Members of Charlotte-Based Multimillion-Dollar Auto Theft Ring Are Sentenced to Prison

    Source: US FBI

    The Defendants Stole High-End Automobiles From Dealerships Across the United States

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Four members of a theft ring that stole more than 100 high-end vehicles worth millions of dollars from dealerships located across the United States were sentenced in federal court late yesterday, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

    U.S. Attorney King is joined in making today’s announcement by Cardell T. Morant, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in North Carolina and South Carolina, Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD).

    The defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transport, possess, and sell stolen vehicles in interstate commerce and were sentenced as follows:

    • Dewanne Lamar White, 44, of Sumter, South Carolina, was sentenced to 108 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. White also pleaded guilty to possession of a stolen motor vehicle.
    • Kevin Ja’Coryen James Fields, 28, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 96 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Fields also pleaded guilty to interstate transportation of a stolen vehicle.
    • Reginald Eugene Hill, 25, of Charlotte, was sentenced to 60 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release.
    • Garyka Vaughn Bost, 26, of Denver, North Carolina, was sentenced to 12 months and a day in prison followed by two years of supervised release.

    According to court documents and court proceedings, from 2021 to 2023, the defendants engaged in a conspiracy to steal luxury vehicles worth millions of dollars from dealerships in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Arizona. To maximize profits, they targeted luxury vehicles made by Bentley, BMW, Cadillac, Land Rover, Porsche, and Mercedes-Benz, and other expensive models from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford, and other manufacturers.

    Court documents show that the defendants executed the thefts in a number of ways. In some instances, they visited dealerships posing as customers interested in purchasing the vehicles. After pretending to test drive or inspect the vehicles, the defendants would swap the vehicles’ key fobs with similar ones, and later use the stolen key fobs to steal the vehicles. Other times, they employed methods like “smash and grab” thefts, where they would break into dealerships and locate keys to the high-end models, or break open lockboxes containing keys to luxury vehicles, and then drive the vehicles off the lot. According to court records Bost, Fields, and Hill often served as drivers in the conspiracy, and White frequently paid them and other drivers for their work in the scheme. On several occasions the defendants and other co-conspirators stole multiple vehicles simultaneously, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.

    According to court documents and the sentencing hearings, once the stolen vehicles were taken off the dealership lots, the defendants avoided law enforcement detection by removing the GPS navigation and tracking systems from the stolen vehicles, attaching fictitious dealer tags or stolen license plates on the vehicles, and replacing the vehicles’ authentic Vehicle Identification Numbers, among other things. The stolen vehicles were then transported back to Charlotte where they were sold locally at prices well below market value.

    In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked HSI, FBI, and CMPD for their investigation of the case and recognized the contributions of the York County South Carolina Sheriff’s Office and many other state and local law enforcement partners that assisted with the investigation.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys William Bozin and Daniel Ryan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte are prosecuting the case.

     

     

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Three Tulsa Men Sentenced for Armed Robbery

    Source: US FBI

    TULSA, Okla. – Today, U.S. District Judge Raul M Arias-Marxuach sentenced three Tulsa men for armed robberies in Catoosa and Owasso, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

    “These three defendants were sentenced for violent crimes,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “They robbed the victim in an occupied hotel and shot at others recklessly in a neighborhood. They were violent and dangerous. The Northern District of Oklahoma is safer with them behind bars.”

    Yonaton Perez, 20, was sentenced to 96 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release for Obstructing, Delaying, and Affecting Commerce by Robbery and Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute.

    Anthony Gabriel Calvillo-Rodriguez, 20, to 190 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release for Obstructing, Delaying, and Affecting Commerce by Robbery; Carrying and Using a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; and Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.

    Anthony Alexander Bernal-Perez, 23, to 121 months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release for Obstructing, Delaying, and Affecting Commerce by Robbery; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country.

    Court records show that on April 7, 2023, Perez was parked in a private parking lot behind a bar in Tulsa. Tulsa Police officers approached the vehicle. During the investigation, officers found that Perez possessed more than 660 grams of methamphetamine that he intended to sell. 

    In September 2023, Perez directed another person to get a hotel room in Catoosa with the intent of robbing the victim. While the victim was in the hotel room, Perez, Calvillo-Rodriguez, and Bernal-Perez robbed the victim. The victim was targeted because he was a drug dealer, wore flashy jewelry, and routinely carried drug proceeds on him. The defendants robbed the victim of more than $100k in jewelry and cash.

    In a third incident in October 2023, Calvillo-Rodriguez and Bernal-Perez were waiting in a parking lot in Owasso when four juveniles pulled up to their vehicle and robbed Calvillo-Rodriguez. When the juvenile robbers drove off, Calvillo-Rodriguez and Bernal-Perez followed the robbers and blocked their vehicle. Calvillo-Rodriguez and Bernal-Perez opened fire on the juvenile robbers in a neighborhood, striking several homes and vehicles. 

    All three men will remain in custody pending transfer to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.

    The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), FBI, the Owasso Police Department, and the Tulsa Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Elmore and John Brasher prosecuted the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Grants Pass Man Accused of Causing Train Derailment

    Source: US FBI

    MEDFORD, Ore.—A Grants Pass, Oregon man is facing federal charges for manipulating railroad track equipment and causing a derailment.

    Craig David Saddler, 50, has been charged by criminal complaint with wrecking, derailing, or disabling railroad equipment and vehicles. 

    According to court documents, on August 12, 2024, officers responded to reports of Saddler trespassing at the Union Pacific Railroad (UPR) yard in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He was reported to be on the railroad near a lever that redirects the train to different tracks. While a train occupied by UPR employees was in motion, Saddler pulled the lever causing the tracks to switch and the train to derail. The derailment caused an estimated one million dollars in damage to the railway, four railcars, and surrounding property.

    Saddler fled the railyard, but officers quickly located him less than a mile away. Saddler stated he witnessed the train derail but denied involvement. He was arrested after a witness identified him as the man who pulled the lever causing the derailment. 

    Saddler made his first appearance in federal court today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge and was ordered detained pending further court proceedings.

    The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from other agencies. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Judi Harper.

    A criminal complaint is only an accusation of a crime, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Former Juneau Armored Transport Guard Sentenced to Over Two Years for Stealing From Banks, Credit Unions

    Source: US FBI

    JUNEAU, Alaska – A Juneau man was sentenced yesterday to two and a half years in prison and five years’ supervised release for stealing over $579,000 from three banks and two federal credit unions while serving as an armed transport guard.

    According to court documents, Austin Nolan Dwight Rutherford, 29, was an armed transport guard for Axiom Armored Transport from January 2019 to March 2022. Axiom provided armed transportation of U.S. currency for several banks, credit unions and ATMs. Rutherford was transferred to Axiom’s Juneau branch in March 2020 and started stealing funds around that time.

    An Axiom security camera recorded Rutherford taking a large amount of cash from Axiom property and into his personal vehicle, where he drove away. Bank records later showed that the defendant made multiple cash deposits into his personal bank account totaling over $338,000 and used the money for personal benefit.

    The defendant was terminated in March 2022 but continued to make large cash deposits into his bank accounts through May 2022. An internal Axiom audit determined that Rutherford stole a total of $579,400 in bank and credit union funds.

    Rutherford pleaded guilty to bank and credit union theft in June 2023. At the time of his plea, the defendant agreed to pay back all stolen funds through restitution. He is also required to pay over $86,000 in additional restitution claims for expenses related to Axiom’s investigation into Rutherford’s actions. The defendant will also serve five years’ supervised release.

    “Mr. Rutherford broke the trust of his employer and the people of Alaska by stealing funds for his personal gain,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “The United States Attorney’s Office will aggressively prosecute those individuals who threaten the security of our financial institutions and bring them to justice.”

    The FBI Anchorage Field Office investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack Schmidt prosecuted the case.

    ###

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Wasilla Man Sentenced for 2021 Carjacking During Armed Police Altercation

    Source: US FBI

    ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A Wasilla man was sentenced today to over nine years in prison for his involvement in recklessly evading the police and using a firearm during a carjacking in 2021.

    According to court documents, on Dec. 17, 2021, an Anchorage Police officer attempted a traffic stop on Bryson McEneaney, 36, but he evaded the officer and fled north on the Glenn Highway towards Palmer. Palmer Police deployed spike strips to stop the vehicle.  McEneaney avoided the strips by driving into oncoming traffic and stopping the vehicle.

    Officers tased McEneaney as he exited the vehicle, but he was able to continue on foot towards a stopped vehicle.  McEneaney used a rifle to gain control of that vehicle.

    According to a press release from the Anchorage Police Department about the defendant’s actions on Dec. 17, law enforcement located McEneaney in the stolen vehicle on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway. The defendant wrecked the vehicle while attempting to elude Wasilla Police officers and fled on foot. He was located by law enforcement behind a transit building and taken into custody.

    At the time of this conduct, the defendant was previously convicted of multiple violent felonies from 2016, including vehicle theft, assault and burglary.

    “Mr. McEneaney’s selfish and careless actions in 2021 were the pinnacle of his habitual violent offenses over the years. I want to thank our law enforcement partners who did tremendous collaborative work to ensure Mr. McEneaney was off the streets and no longer a threat to our communities,” said U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska. “My office will continue to work with law enforcement to prioritize prosecuting violent offenders who continually show disregard for the health and safety of Alaskans.”

    The FBI Anchorage Field Office, Alaska State Troopers, Anchorage Police Department, Palmer Police Department and Wasilla Police Department investigated the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Vandergaw prosecuted the case.

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    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Life in Federal Prison for Pope County Drug Trafficker Associated with White Supremacist Gang

    Source: US FBI

          LITTLE ROCK— Marcus Millsap, 55, of Little Rock, was sentenced to life in federal prison for conspiracy to violate racketeering laws, attempted murder in aid of racketeering, and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Millsap was sentenced earlier today by United States District Judge Brian S. Miller.

          Millsap was indicted in September 2019 for his involvement in a white supremacist prison gang known as the “New Aryan Empire,” or NAE. NAE’s slogan is “to the dirt,” referring to the fact that members must remain in the organization until they die. Millsap was charged with, and ultimately convicted of, conspiracy to violate racketeering influenced corrupt organization laws, or RICO, attempted murder in aid of racketeering,  and drug conspiracy. Evidence at trial established that Millsap and others used the NAE as a corrupt organization to conduct racketeering activities, including drug distribution, solicitations of murder, and attempted murder.

          At trial, the prosecution presented evidence that in May 2014, Millsap sold methamphetamine to an individual named Bruce Hurley, who was working as a confidential informant. Once Hurley completed the controlled purchase of methamphetamine and reported back to law enforcement, a traffic stop located more methamphetamine in Millsap’s vehicle. Millsap was convicted in the methamphetamine case, and while on an appeal bond, Millsap solicited members and associates of NAE to kill Hurley for his work in cooperating with law enforcement against Millsap. In January 2016, other NAE members attempted to murder Hurley. That attempt failed, and NAE members and associates continued attempting to arrange Hurley’s death. This conduct resulted in Millsap’s conviction for attempted murder in aid of racketeering.

          “The United States will not tolerate the vile and outrageous crimes committed by members and associates of the New Aryan Empire or any other white supremacist group,” said Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas. “If you are a member or associate of this or any other violent criminal organization, know that the United States will stop at nothing to dismantle and disrupt those who pose a threat to our communities and the future of our children, and the United States will seek significant prison sentences.”

          In addition to the life sentence, Millsap was ordered to pay a $200,000 fine and was sentenced to 10 years of supervised release should he ever be released from prison. The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Pope County Sheriff’s Office; the Russellville Police Department; the U.S. Marshals Service; the U.S. Postal Inspection Service; the Arkansas State Police; 5th Judicial Drug Task Force; the Conway Police Department, and the Arkansas Army National Guard’s Counterdrug Unit. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Liza Brown and Stephanie Mazzanti.  

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

    # # #

    This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the

    United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, is available online at

    https://www.justice.gov/edar

    Twitter:

    @EDARNEWS

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI China: China’s new cargo drone makes first flight, boosting unmanned logistics

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    The Caihong-YH1000, one of China’s latest cargo drones, has completed its maiden flight successfully, signaling progress in the field of unmanned logistics.

    Developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the drone is designed for versatile medium-altitude operations, with short take-off and landing capabilities, and is suitable for use in challenging environments.

    Its twin-engine design allows the vehicle to take off and land on secondary roads, hard dirt tracks and grasslands. It can even operate on water surfaces with optional float attachments, or on snow with ski attachments.

    The drone has a flight range of 1,500 kilometers and a maximum operational altitude of 8,000 meters. It can fly for up to 10 hours and carry a payload of 1,200 kilograms.

    It is equipped with multiple loading options, allowing cargo to be loaded through the nose and deployed mid-flight from its underbelly. Additionally, its 6-kilowatt onboard power supply enables it to undertake specialized missions.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI China: Auto powerhouse Chongqing charges ahead

    Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

    China SCIO | May 23, 2025

    At a sprawling Changan Automobile factory in southwestern China’s Chongqing, over 140 robotic arms moved in perfect synchrony, welding car parts with minimal human input. Automated guided vehicles zipped freely through the factory floor, weaving between workstations and enhancing both delivery speed and productivity.

    Robotic arms operate at the welding factory of Changan Automobile in southwestern China’s Chongqing, May 20, 2025. [Photo provided by Changan Automobile]

    Changan is one of China’s automotive giants headquartered in Chongqing, a city once best known as the world’s largest producer of laptops and a key mobile phone manufacturing base. In recent years, the inland metropolis has been building out a new industrial cluster centered on automobiles. Leading this shift are local champions like Changan and Seres Group, a private carmaker and partner of tech giant Huawei.

    “Chongqing has established a complete vehicle production system led by Changan and Seres,” said Mayor Hu Henghua during a group interview on May 19. In 2024, the city produced 2.54 million vehicles, ranking third nationwide, said Wang Zhijie, director of the city’s economy and information technology commission.

    Of these vehicles, 953,200 were new energy vehicles (NEVs), representing a year-on-year surge of 90.5% – nearly 60 percentage points above the national average.

    This explosive growth was no accident. The city implemented the “Chongqing Cars Go Global” campaign last year to boost auto export. As a result, exports of NEVs skyrocketed 96.5% last year, according to Hu.

    Cars are awaiting export at Chongqing Dry Port along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, May 20, 2025. [Photo by Liu Jianing/China SCIO]

    One of Chongqing’s key advantages lies in its logistics capabilities. Strategically located at the intersection of the Belt and Road Initiative and the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor, the city has developed a multidirectional, multimodal transportation network, Hu said. For example, in 2024, the land-sea trade corridor connected Chongqing with 555 ports in 127 countries and regions, according to him. 

    Chongqing’s strategy does not stop at export. It is also investing heavily in innovation. “We have established a collaborative innovation ecosystem that integrates industry, academia, and research, led by key enterprises and supported by coordinated efforts across the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain. And in the field of intelligent and connected NEVs, companies like Changan and Seres are leading the efforts,” Wang said. 

    For example, Changan has more than 18,000 engineers from 31 countries and regions, building a global R&D network connecting 10 cities in six countries, each with its own focus, according to the company. The carmaker has enhanced vehicle intelligence through its self-developed modular vehicle architecture and improved battery efficiency with its proprietary e-drive system.

    Last year, Chongqing’s investment in industrial technology upgrade grew by 24%, and it rose another 27.4% in the first quarter of 2025, Wang said. Seven Chongqing-based firms – including Changan and Seres – were selected for China’s first batch of national-level smart factory program. The city is also actively guiding suppliers to pivot from making auto parts for gas vehicles to NEV components.

    In the high-end segment, a premium model co-developed by Seres and Huawei dominated China’s luxury EV market in 2024, particularly in the price range above 500,000 yuan (US$69,403), Wang said. 

    On May 16, Changan’s plant in Rayong, Thailand, officially commenced production with an annual capacity of 100,000 NEV units, further strengthening Chongqing’s global foothold.

    MIL OSI China News –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Falconer Woman Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking and Drug Charges

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y. – U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that Cora Waddington, 25, of Falconer, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute, 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, and benefitting financially from trafficking in persons. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison and a maximum of life.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joshua A. Violanti and Maeve E. Huggins, who are handling the case, stated that between October and December 2022, Waddington conspired with Zaid Mendoza a/k/a Diamond, and Kelvin O. Thomas to conduct a sex trafficking operation utilizing two victims with drug addictions. Waddington, Mendoza, and Thomas provided shelter to the victims at a W. Main Street residence in Falconer, and provided them with food, clothing, and daily quantities of heroin and fentanyl in exchange for their performance of commercial sex acts for money. The proceeds went to Mendoza who then provided clothes, food, spending money, heroin, and methamphetamine to Waddington. The victims, through force and threats of force, performed commercial sex acts at both “in calls” at the W. Main Street residence, and “out calls.” Waddington transported the victims to “out calls.” Waddington, Mendoza, and Thomas utilized the website Skipthegames.com to entice customers for their sex trafficking scheme.

    Waddington was also an organizer, leader, manager, and supervisor in Mendoza’s drug trafficking operation. She provided heroin and fentanyl, and methamphetamine to the victims, as well as Mendoza’s other drug customers. In October 2022, law enforcement stopped Waddington’s vehicle, which included Mendoza as a passenger. Waddington had an outstanding warrant and was arrested. Officers recovered methamphetamine on her person, as well as a bag of fentanyl on Mendoza’s person. On December 7, 2022, a search warrant was executed at the West Main Street residence, during which cash, drug paraphernalia, a semi-automatic pistol, and multiple plastic bags of narcotics were recovered.

    The plea is the result of an investigation by the Jamestown Police Department Metro Drug Task Force, under the direction of Chief Timothy Jackson; the Chautauqua County Sheriff’s Office County Drug Task Force, under the direction of Sheriff James Quattrone; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia; Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Erin Keegan; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Bryan Miller, New York Field Division; the Drug Enforcement Administration, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Frank Tarantino III, New York Field Division; and the Town of Ellicott Police Department, under the direction of Chief William Ohnmeiss Jr.

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

    This investigation is also assisted by the Western New York Human Trafficking Task Force, a multi-disciplinary task force that brings law enforcement and social service agencies together to identify and investigate human trafficking utilizing a victim centered and trauma informed response, was also part of this effort.

    Sentencing is scheduled for May 13, 2025, before Judge Sinatra.

    # # # #

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Buffalo Man Sentenced for His Role in Narcotics Conspiracy Which Resulted in a Triple Homicide

    Source: US FBI

    BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that James Reed a/k/a Fatts,  42, of Buffalo, NY, who was convicted of narcotics conspiracy, conspiracy to obstruct justice, use of fire to commit a felony, and accessory after the fact, was sentenced to serve 166 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Wolford.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael J. Adler, Maeve E. Huggins, and Joseph M. Tripi, who handled the case, stated that beginning in 2014, Reed, and others, began receiving and selling marijuana, heroin, and cocaine. Reed, and his co-conspirators utilized 973 Fillmore Avenue to store, package, and sell the illegal narcotics. In furtherance of the narcotics conspiracy, on September 15, 2019, Reed accompanied co-defendant Jariel Cobb to purchase a kilogram of cocaine from Miguel Anthony Valentin-Colon and Dhamyl Roman-Audiffred, who served as Cobb’s sources of supply. Valentin-Colon, along with his wife. Nicole Marie Merced-Plaud, their minor son, and Roman-Audiffred, arrived in their vehicle, a white minivan, at a residence on Roebling Avenue, as directed by Cobb. Roman-Audiffred exited the van and entered the residence’s kitchen, at which time co-defendant Deandre Wilson hit her in the head with a blunt object and she fell to the floor. Wilson then went outside and shot and killed both Valentin-Colon and Merced Plaud, in the presence of their minor son, who was seated in a child’s car seat. Wilson then drove the minivan and parked it on Scajaquada Street near Kilhoffer Street in Buffalo.

    A short time later, Reed and Cobb moved the body of Dhamyl Roman-Audiffred from the kitchen into the residence’s basement, where they dismembered her body. Cobb placed the body parts into multiple trash bags and placed them into the trunk of his vehicle, and then Cobb and Reed drove to a residence on Box Avenue, removed the trash bags, and placed them into a burning fire in a fire pit area in the backyard.

    The following day, during the early morning hours of September 16, 2019, Cobb and Wilson retrieved the minivan from Scajaquada Street, with the bodies of Miguel Valentin-Colon and Nicole Marie Merced-Plaud still inside, as well as their minor son. They drove the minivan into the yard of a residence on Tonawanda Street and doused the vehicle and the bodies with gasoline, lighting the vehicle and bodies on fire. They took the minor child and left him on a stranger’s porch on Potomac Avenue in Buffalo.

    James Cobb and Deandre Wilson were previously convicted. Cobb was sentenced to serve 20 years in prison, while Wilson was sentenced to serve three life sentences.

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

    The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia; the Buffalo Police Department, under the direction of Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia; the Erie County Sheriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff John Garcia; the Erie County Central Police Services Forensic Laboratory, under the direction of Commissioner James Jancewicz. Additional assistance was provided by the Erie County District Attorney’s Office, under the direction of District Attorney Michael Keane.

    # # # # 

     

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Twenty-Five Metropolitan Detention Center Inmates, Their Associates and a Former Correctional Officer—Charged in a Dozen Criminal Cases at the Federal Jail in Brooklyn

    Source: US FBI

    Charges Include a Range of Violent Assaults and Contraband Smuggling in Continued Effort by Law Enforcement to Combat Crime Inside the Prison

    Today the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York announced criminal charges against 25 defendants in 12 separate cases relating to violence and contraband smuggling at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC-Brooklyn) in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. These include charges against 15 inmates for violent assaults against other inmates from May 2024 to the present; a former correctional officer for attempting to smuggle contraband into the facility on January 21, 2025; an inmate for orchestrating a contraband smuggling operation between April and June 2024; an inmate for smuggling ceramic scalpels into the facility on October 12, 2024; an inmate for possession of contraband and continuing to commit fraud while detained at MDC-Brooklyn; and an MS-13 gang associate for attempting to smuggle a large package of contraband, including 18 cellphones and marijuana, to other MS-13 gang members incarcerated at MDC-Brooklyn.

    Previously, nine inmates at MDC-Brooklyn were charged by the Office in September 2024 for violence and contraband smuggling.  In addition, the Office, in conjunction with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (USAO-SDNY) and more than a dozen law enforcement partners, assisted in October 2024 with a week-long multi-agency operation aimed at detecting and seizing contraband from MDC-Brooklyn.

    John J. Durham, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Leslie R. Backschies, Acting Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) and Kathleen Toomey, Associate Deputy Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons, announced the charges.

    “The safety and security of our federal detention facilities is paramount,” stated United States Attorney Durham.  “As alleged, in several separate charging instruments, inmates viciously attacked fellow detainees, a correctional officer betrayed his duty by attempting to smuggle drugs into the facility, several inmates orchestrated elaborate contraband smuggling operations and yet another inmate continued to engage in fraud schemes while detained.  These actions undermine the order and security of MDC-Brooklyn and endanger everyone within its walls.  My Office is working tirelessly to hold accountable those who commit violent acts or introduce contraband into the prison, whether they are inmates or staff.  These charges serve as a warning to those who would engage in criminal conduct behind bars, and anyone else who facilitates those crimes: your conduct will be uncovered, and you will be held accountable.”

    Mr. Durham thanked the U.S. Bureau of Prisons and the FBI New York Field Office for their investigative work in these cases, as well as the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the Department of Justice, Office of Inspector General for their assistance.

    “These 25 defendants, an array of inmates and a former correctional officer, allegedly committed numerous violent attacks against fellow inmates and orchestrated various schemes to smuggle contraband into the prison,” stated FBI Acting Assistant Director in Charge Backschies. “These cases reflect the alleged extreme disregard for adhering to the rules designed to protect the other inmates and correctional staff within the institution. The FBI will never tolerate any individual, regardless of their incarceration status, who engages in deviant behavior that threatens the safety and stability of our federal facilities.

    “The Federal Bureau of Prisons would like to thank the FBI and the EDNY for their partnership and support to further prevent and prosecute violence and contraband in our facilities, through our unified efforts we are making our facilities safer for our employees and those in our custody,” stated Federal Bureau of Prisons Associate Deputy Director Toomey.   

    A summary of the cases follows:

    U.S. v. Mike Josie

    Mike Josie has been charged by indictment with assault in a federal detention facility in connection with his participation in an assault of another inmate at MDC-Brooklyn on May 26, 2024.  As alleged, Josie brutally attacked another inmate in his housing unit who was sitting at a table in a common area of the unit.  Josie approached the victim from behind and made several slashing motions towards the victim’s face.  After the assault, the victim was taken to a nearby hospital to treat lacerations to his neck and face. If convicted, Josie faces up to10 years in prison.  Josie is scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge Taryn A. Merkl. Assistant United States Attorney Sean Fern is in charge of the prosecution.

    U.S. v. Daryl Campbell, Ian Diez, Jonathan Guerrero, Abel Mora and Mayovanex Rodriguez

    Daryl Campbell, Ian Diez, Jonathan Guerrero, Abel Mora and Mayovanex Rodriguez are charged by complaint with conspiracy to smuggle contraband into MDC-Brooklyn.  As alleged, between April and June 2024, Campbell used a contraband cell phone to conspire with others to smuggle contraband into MDC-Brooklyn.  In several voice recordings found on the phone, Campbell explained his method of throwing a “line” out of a window of MDC-Brooklyn for a co-conspirator on the outside to “hook” or attach contraband, which could then be pulled back inside.  On June 30, 2024, Diez, Guerrero, Mora, and Rodriguez attempted to execute Campbell’s scheme by pulling a rope through the window of the recreation room in their housing area.  At the other end of that rope, correctional officers found what appeared to be suboxone, marijuana, a scalpel, a phone charger, lighters, and cigarettes.  If convicted, the defendants face up to 10 years in prison.  Assistant United States Attorneys Russell Noble and Elizabeth D’Antonio are in charge of the prosecution.

    U.S. v. Sean Smith, Rasheed Chapman and Antwan Mosley

    Sean Smith, Rasheed Chapman and Antwan Mosley have been indicted by a grand jury for the June 2, 2024 assault of another inmate at MDC-Brooklyn.  The defendants violently assaulted the victim, slashing him across the face and neck and causing serious lacerations.  The victim was then chased through the housing unit and struck repeatedly by his assailants. If convicted, the defendants face up to 10 years in prison.  Assistant United States Attorney Kamil Ammari is in charge of the prosecution.

    U.S. v. Adil Duran

    Adil Duran has been charged in an indictment with assault with a dangerous weapon, assault resulting in serious bodily injury and possessing contraband in prison.  As captured on video surveillance footage, on July 11, 2024, Duran slashed another inmate in the face and neck with a sharpened weapon, causing serious lacerations that required sutures.  If convicted, Duran faces up to 20 years in prison.  Assistant United States Attorney Kate Mathews is in charge of the prosecution.

    U.S. v. Erik Steadman and Javaughn Horton

    Erik Steadman and Javaughn Horton have been charged by complaint with assault in a federal detention facility for the September 5, 2024 assault of another inmate at MDC-Brooklyn.  As alleged, Horton and Steadman approached another inmate in their unit and began punching him repeatedly in the face until he fell to the ground.  The defendants continued punching and kicking the victim in the face, causing a significant laceration to his face.  If convicted, the defendants face up to 10 years in prison.  Assistant United States Attorney Molly Delaney is in charge of the prosecution.

    U.S. v. Angel Villafane

    Angel Villafane, a member of the gang Valentine Avenue Crew, has been indicted for possession of 21 ceramic scalpels smuggled into MDC-Brooklyn on October 12, 2024.  As alleged, while sitting in the visiting room at MDC-Brooklyn, Villafane removed a ball full of ceramic scalpels from a bag of Doritos chips and placed them in his shirt.  Correctional officers later discovered the scalpels during a search.  If convicted, the defendant faces up to five years in prison. Department of Justice Trial Attorney Margaret P. Mortimer is in charge of the prosecution.

    U.S. v. Juan Lopez and Jose Rivera

    Juan Lopez and Jose Rivera have been indicted for assaulting another inmate and possessing contraband weapons.  As alleged, on November 11, 2024, Lopez and Rivera slashed and stabbed another inmate in their housing unit.  The victim was seated at a table when Rivera snuck up behind him and slashed him multiple times in the head and neck with a sharp object. As the victim ran to seek help, Lopez tried to prevent him from reaching the correctional officers’ station by swinging his own weapon, stabbing the victim in the arm.  The victim suffered three lacerations to the back of his head, one laceration to his neck and a puncture wound to his forearm.  If convicted, the defendants face up to 15 years in prison.  Assistant United States Attorney Russell Noble is in charge of the prosecution.

    U.S. v. Tyquan Robinson

    Tyquan Robinson has been charged in a five-count superseding indictment with conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft and possession of contraband in prison.  Robinson was originally detained at MDC-Brooklyn for his alleged role in defrauding a court-appointed criminal defense attorney by obtaining a stolen $125,000 Treasury check issued to the attorney as payment for representing indigent defendants and stealing his identity.  In October 2024, officers at the MDC performed a search of Robinson’s cell. Inside his locker, the officers discovered that Robinson had hidden a contraband cellphone inside of a box of Raisin Bran cereal. An examination of this contraband cellphone revealed that even while incarcerated at the MDC, Robinson was participating in a separate fraud scheme from his original charges by discussing stealing checks issued to others, opening multiple bank accounts, and exchanging third parties’ personally identifiable information.  If convicted, Robinson faces up to 30 years in prison.  Assistant United States Attorney James R. Simmons is in charge of the prosecution with the assistance of Special Agent Anthony Cunder.

    U.S. v. Jairon Ortega-Corea

    Jairon Ortega-Corea, an MS-13 gang associate, was charged by indictment with attempting to provide contraband to inmates at MDC-Brooklyn.  He was arrested on March 3, 2025 in Minnesota.  The charges stem from the December 2, 2024 discovery, by MDC-Brooklyn employees, of a package on the fourth-floor roof of the jail containing 18 cellular telephones, approximately 345 grams of marijuana and one liter of drinking alcohol, among other items.  The prior evening, a witness had observed the attempted smuggling of the package into MDC-Brooklyn, when it was pulled up by a rope dangled out of the window of an empty cell within the unit that houses MS-13 members.  An investigation subsequently revealed that the defendant, who is related to a high-ranking MS-13 member housed at MDC-Brooklyn, purchased several of the contraband items at a local Walmart the day prior to the discovery.  At the time of the purchase, Ortega-Corea was communicating with MS-13 inmates at MDC-Brooklyn who were using a different contraband phone.  If convicted, Ortega-Corea faces up to 20 years in prison.  Assistant United States Attorneys Megan E. Farrell, Paul G. Scotti and Justina L. Geraci are in charge of the prosecution.

    U.S. v. Najee Jackson

    Najee Jackson, a former correctional officer at MDC-Brooklyn, has been indicted by a grand jury for attempting to smuggle contraband into the facility.  On January 21, 2025, Jackson, who was employed as a correctional officer, arrived at MDC-Brooklyn to begin working a night shift. After making several failed attempts to clear the metal detector in the staff screening area, Jackson removed his Bureau of Prisons-issued protective vest, which was found to contain vacuum‑sealed bags of marijuana and cigarettes. Jackson resigned from the Bureau of Prisons two days later.  If convicted, the defendant faces up to five years in prison.  Assistant United States Attorneys Turner Buford and Russell Noble are in charge of the prosecution.

    U.S. v. Devone Thomas

    Devone Thomas, who was previously charged with the June 7, 2024 killing of Uriel Whyte inside of the MDC Brooklyn, is now additionally charged by complaint with possession of a contraband weapon.  On February 28, 2025, Thomas was transported to federal court in Brooklyn for a status conference in connection with his murder case. Upon his return to MDC-Brooklyn after the court appearance, a blade was found in Thomas’s groin area.  If convicted, the defendant faces up to five years in prison.  Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth D’Antonio is in charge of the prosecution.

    U.S. v. Brian Castro, Franklin Gillespie, Juan Lopez, Jowenky Nunez Jr., Hugo Rodriguez and Elvis Trejo

    Brian Castro, Franklin Gillespie, Juan Lopez, Jowenky Nunez Jr., Hugo Rodriguez, and Elvis Trejo have been charged by complaint with assault in a federal detention facility for their roles in what became a unit-wide fight between inmates at MDC-Brooklyn. As alleged, on February 22, 2025, Castro, Lopez, Nunez, Rodriguez and Trejo, along with other as-yet uncharged individuals, approached another inmate in their unit, armed with weapons, and began chasing and stabbing him.  The victim was stabbed 18 times and required hospitalization for his injuries. The brawl ultimately resulted in at least five inmates, including the victim, requiring transportation to a local hospital for further treatment.  Gillespie, who was not a part of the initial group attacking the victim, joined the brawl after it began, and, also armed with a weapon, assaulted a fellow inmate in the course of the fight.  The fight resulted in more than 20 inmates requiring medical assessments, and at least 10 inmates appeared to have wounds consistent with being stabbed or slashed.  If convicted, each defendant faces up to 10 years in prison.  Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Petraeus is in charge of the prosecution.

    *          *          *

    The Office’s General Crimes Section is principally responsible for handling these cases, with substantial contributions from the Public Integrity Section, the Organized Crime and Gangs Section and the Office’s Long Island Criminal Section.  In addition to the Assistant United States Attorneys and Special Agent listed above, Special Agent Danielle Williams, Law Enforcement Coordinator Specialist Herbert Martin and Paralegal Specialists Matias Burdman and Erin Payne have provided substantial support on these cases.

    The charges in the indictments and complaints described above are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

    The Defendants:

    MIKE JOSIE
    Age: 25

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-76 (FB)

    ————–

    DARYL CAMPBELL
    Age: 39

    IAN DIEZ
    Age: 20

    JONATHAN GUERRERO
    Age: 34

    ABEL MORA
    Age: 23

    MAYOVANEX RODRIGUEZ
    Age: 30

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-MJ-72

    ————–

    SEAN SMITH
    Age: 34

    RASHEED CHAPMAN
    Age: 21

    ANTWAN MOSLEY
    Age: 23

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-58

    ————–

    ADIL DURAN
    Age: 23

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-9 (ARR)

    ————–

    ERIK STEADMAN
    Age: 24

    JAVAUGHN HORTON
    Age: 30

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-MJ-70

    ————–

    ANGEL VILLAFANE
    Age: 40

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-71 (HG)

    ————–

    JUAN LOPEZ
    Age: 26

    JOSE RIVERA
    Age: 20

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-72 (CBA)

    ————–

    TYQUAN ROBINSON
    Age: 30

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-51 (AMD)

    ————–

    JAIRON ORTEGA-COREA
    Age: 23

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-83

    ————–

    NAJEE JACKSON
    Age: 32

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-CR-67 (OEM)

    ————–

    DEVONE THOMAS
    Age: 25

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 24-CR-360 (EK)

    ————–

    BRIAN CASTRO
    Age: 24

    FRANKLIN GILLESPIE
    Age: 34

    JUAN LOPEZ
    Age: 68

    JOWENKY NUNEZ JR.
    Age: 22

    HUGO RODRIGUEZ
    Age: 29

    ELVIS TREJO
    Age: 24

    E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 25-MJ-73

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Second Whiteville Man Sentenced to Nearly Six Years in Prison for Gunfire That Injured Pregnant Woman

    Source: US FBI

    RALEIGH, N.C. – A Whiteville man was sentenced to 71 months in prison for possessing a firearm by a felon.  On October 17, 2024, Robert Jamar Avant pled guilty to the charges.

    “This reckless shootout, adjacent to t-ball fields where hundreds of kids and parents were playing, left a pregnant woman shot and enduring an emergency c-section to save her baby.  It is a miracle the baby survived, and the Whiteville Police Department deserves credit for their swift action on this case,” said U.S. Attorney Michael F. Easley, Jr.  “We’ve cemented firm partnerships with local law enforcement throughout Eastern North Carolina to shut down senseless violence that degrades communities and puts innocent lives at risk.  Those partnerships led to a statutory maximum sentence against one of the shooters.  We won’t stop fighting for our communities until every kid lives free from gun violence.”

    According to court records and evidence presented to the court, Robert Avant, 33, and his co-defendant, Dashaud Maultsby, opened fire on a group of men at the Sandy Ridge Apartment Complex in Whiteville on May 13, 2021. The incident began when Maultsby got into an argument with his girlfriend while at the apartment complex. After leaving the area, he returned with Avant and they began firing AR-15 rifles at an unidentified group of men, who then returned fire. Avant retreated to his vehicle while Maultsby continued shooting as he also moved towards the vehicle. In the process, Maultsby attempted to shoot with one hand as he got into the vehicle, but his rifle fell and discharged accidentally, hitting Avant in the head.

    The Whiteville Police Department (WPD) responded swiftly to the scene and found Avant injured from the gunshot wound while sitting in his vehicle. As officers tended to Avant, they noticed and secured his AR-15 rifle and a pistol that were located near his leg. Avant was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing firearms.  Avant was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Additionally, a pregnant woman was shot in the torso during the incident, which necessitated an emergency cesarean section to save her child’s life. Following the events, WPD officers apprehended Maultsby and Avant.

    On June 6, 2024, Maultsby was sentenced to 10 years, the maximum sentence allowed by statute. His criminal history includes a prior conviction for attempted trafficking of opium.

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

    Michael F. Easley, Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Whiteville Police Department investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaren E. Kelly is prosecuted the case.

    Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for the case number 7:23-cr-00087.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Charlotte Jury Convicts Armed Bank Robber

    Source: US FBI

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Charlotte jury returned a guilty verdict today against Kendall Charles Alexander, Sr., 60, of Baltimore, Maryland, for the armed robbery of a Bank of America branch, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.

    Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in North Carolina, and Chief Johnny Jennings of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department, join U.S. Attorney King in making today’s announcement.

    According to filed court documents and evidence presented at trial, on October 15, 2021, at approximately 10 a.m., Alexander and his co-defendant, Derrius Fleming, robbed at gunpoint the Bank of America branch located at 212 Iverson Way in the Southend area of Charlotte. Trial evidence established that Alexander entered the bank holding a loaded semi-automatic rifle.  Fleming went directly to an unarmed security guard at the corner of the building and forced her inside at gunpoint with his loaded semi-automatic rifle. Once inside, Alexander and Fleming threatened to kill the employees and customers if they did not comply with their demands. The victims were ordered to the ground and Alexander ordered the manager to open the vault room and the vault. Alexander loaded a bag with the money from the vault while Fleming kept watch over the victims.

    According to trial evidence, using GPS tracking, law enforcement tracked Alexander and Fleming who had met up with a third individual. Alexander and Fleming attempted to burn their getaway car and got into the car with the third man. Ultimately, the robbers crashed that vehicle, at which point Alexander and Fleming fled on foot across I-77. All of the stolen money was recovered from a bag dropped by Alexander.

    The jury convicted Alexander of armed bank robbery with forced accompaniment, brandishing a rifle, including a short-barreled rifle, in furtherance of a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Alexander has prior convictions for attempted murder of a federal officer, use of a firearm in commission of a felony, possession and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence, and armed bank robbery. He was also on federal supervised release for committing a bank robbery in Maryland. Because of his violent criminal history, Alexander faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.

    Alexander will remain in federal custody pending sentencing. A sentencing date has not been set.

    Fleming has pleaded guilty to brandishing a short-barreled rifle in furtherance of a crime of violence and been sentenced to ten years in prison.

    In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney King thanked the FBI and CMPD for their investigation of the case.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Erik Lindahl and David Kelly are prosecuting the case.

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

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Columbus Woman Sentenced to More Than 23 Years in Prison for Kidnapping Infant Twins

    Source: US FBI

    COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Columbus woman was sentenced in U.S. District Court today to 280 months in prison for two counts of kidnapping a minor.

    Nalah T. Jackson, 26, kidnapped two infants in December 2022 and traveled interstate with one of them.

    “Jackson left one five-month-old twin baby alone and strapped in a car seat in an airport parking lot in subzero temperatures. Then, she left the other twin baby strapped in his car seat in an abandoned vehicle in another state. Even if her crime had started as a crime of opportunity to steal a running vehicle, Jackson’s blatant disregard for the lives of two helpless infants is heinous,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “Today’s sentence represents the serious and significant nature of harm Jackson caused to these children and our community.”

    According to court documents, close to 10pm on the night of Dec. 19, Jackson walked out of Donatos Pizza on North High Street in Columbus and drove away in a black Honda Accord that had been left running in the parking lot. Two twin five-month-old infants were buckled in the back seat. The infants’ mother was inside Donatos to pick up a delivery order at the time.

    Over the next several hours, Jackson drove from Columbus to Dayton and to various other locations in central and western Ohio.

    Jackson arrived at the Dayton International Airport close to 3am. She parked in an economy lot and left the infants in the car while she entered the airport. Jackson attempted to hire an Uber to find the stolen car in the economy lot, but could not pay, and ultimately found the stolen car on foot. After finding the vehicle, Jackson left one of the infants in the parking lot at approximately 4am. A passerby parking their vehicle saw the baby in his car seat wrapped in a quilt between two vehicles and alerted security.

    After Jackson left the Dayton International Airport parking lot at high speeds, she traveled to Indianapolis with the second baby still in the vehicle.

    She arrived at a Papa Johns Pizza on Indiana Avenue near the university district at approximately 8am on Dec. 20, and exited the stolen car on foot. She never returned to the vehicle, leaving the second baby strapped in his car seat in the back seat of the car.

    The baby remained strapped in the car seat for the next two-and-a-half-days while family members, concerned citizens and law enforcement officers continued to search for him.

    By happenstance, an Indianapolis woman encountered Jackson after she abandoned the stolen vehicle on Dec. 20. Jackson was selling stolen merchandise outside of a local gas station. The woman gave Jackson a ride to a nearby shopping plaza and gave Jackson her cell phone number in case Jackson came across any more holiday gifts for resale.

    That night, the woman noticed several social media posts regarding the kidnapping and recognized Jackson as the alleged kidnapper. The woman called her cousin, and together they formulated a plan to meet up with Jackson to confirm her identity, recover the infant if possible and lead Jackson to law enforcement.

    On Dec. 22, the women met up with Jackson, whom they traced to a local residence through a phone number Jackson had previously used to call one of them. The women confirmed that Jackson was the same person identified as the kidnapping suspect and drove her to several shopping centers in Indianapolis, all-the-while surreptitiously attempting to contact law enforcement in Columbus and Indianapolis.

    Eventually, one of the women was able to route local law enforcement to their vehicle over the phone by pretending that she was speaking with her boyfriend and providing updates on her location. The women tried to signal to Indianapolis police that Jackson was the kidnapping suspect, and eventually told officers when they were removed from Jackson’s immediate presence.  Jackson provided a false name and another individual’s identification card to the officers. After some time, the officers confirmed Jackson’s identity and arrested her for kidnapping. After the arrest, they let the two women go without interviewing them about their time spent with Jackson.

    The two women decided to continue searching for the missing infant. They discovered a bus schedule that Jackson left behind in the backseat of their vehicle and decided to focus their search on a bus route near the university district.

    While driving around searching that area to no avail, and with driving conditions worsening quickly due to an impending snowstorm, the women decided to get something to eat before heading home. As they were pulling into a Blaze Pizza, they noticed a black Honda Accord at the nearby Papa Johns and noticed snow had already accumulated on the car.

    They drove up to the stolen car and attempted to open the back door, which was locked. The driver’s door did open. Due to an overwhelming foul smell coming from the car, and the silence of the baby, one of the women screamed, assuming the baby was deceased. Upon hearing the scream, the baby alerted and began crying. One of the women removed the baby from his car seat and began comforting him.

    The women then noticed an empty Indianapolis police cruiser parked nearby and began looking for officers, who they found on their lunch break inside the Blaze Pizza. Indianapolis police then relocated to Papa Johns Pizza and took custody of the baby, taking him to a local hospital. The infant was treated for dehydration, heart abnormalities due to the dehydration, extreme diaper rash and skin deterioration due to him being buckled in a car seat for three days while sitting in his own excrement.

    Jackson was charged federally in January 2023.

    U.S. Attorney Parker acknowledged the numerous law enforcement agencies who have assisted in this case, including FBI offices in Columbus, Dayton and Indianapolis; the Columbus, Dayton, Huber Heights, Riverside, Vandalia, Dayton International Airport and Indianapolis police departments; the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office; Ohio State Highway Patrol and U.S. Marshals Service’s Southern Ohio Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team (SOFAST).

    Assistant United States Attorneys Emily K. Czerniejewski and Noah R. Litton are representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Dayton Men Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murder of DEA Task Force Officer

    Source: US FBI

    DAYTON, Ohio – Two Dayton men were sentenced in federal court here today to life in prison for their roles in the narcotics case that caused the 2019 death of Dayton Police Detective and DEA Task Force Officer Jorge DelRio.

    While attempting to prevent federal agents from seizing approximately half-a-million dollars in fentanyl and other drugs, Nathan Goddard, 44, murdered Det. DelRio. Goddard was sentenced today to life plus 10 years in prison.

    Goddard was convicted of murder following a jury trial in March 2024. He and Cahke Cortner, 44, were also convicted of multiple narcotics and firearms charges. Cortner was sentenced today to life plus five years in prison.

    “Every day DEA Special Agents and Task Force Officers put their lives on the line to protect their communities against dangerous and violent drug traffickers who threaten the safety of the American people. On November 7, 2019, DEA Task Force Officer Jorge DelRio made the ultimate sacrifice while protecting the city of Dayton,” said DEA Administrator Anne Milgram.  “Today’s sentences mean these two defendants will never walk free or hurt an innocent person again. DEA is as committed as ever to continuing this fight against violent drug traffickers.  We do it in honor of TFO DelRio and all the other narcotics officers who have given their lives for the pursuit of justice.” 

    “We stand with the DelRio family and our law enforcement partners, and we recognize that DEA Task Force Officer Jorge DelRio sacrificed his life to protect this community. As was stated by Deputy Criminal Chief Tabacchi at today’s sentencing, Task Force Officer DelRio ‘was a son of the Dayton community – serving with dignity and selflessness.’ We will never forget his ultimate sacrifice,” said U.S. Attorney Kenneth L. Parker. “This case is a reminder that, as public servants, law enforcement officers do a dangerous job every day. Today’s sentences should also serve as a reminder to perpetrators of violent crime that we see these matters through to the end and we will hold you accountable.”

    “The Dayton Police Department is pleased to see the sentences imposed against Nathan Goddard and Cahke Cortner in the tragic shooting of Detective Jorge DelRio,” said Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal. “They mark a significant step of closure for Detective DelRio’s loved ones, our department, and our community. We extend our gratitude to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their diligent efforts throughout this case. It is imperative that those who inflict harm in our community are held accountable.”

    “Every day, members of law enforcement put their lives on the line to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the public. Mr. Goddard’s actions resulted in the tragic loss of Task Force Officer Jorge DelRio. While this verdict does not bring him back, we hope his family and our community as a whole can find comfort in knowing that Mr. Goddard will spend the rest of his life in a federal prison,” said DEA Detroit Special Agent in Charge Orville O. Greene.

    “While the FBI is pleased that Goddard and his accomplice will be held accountable for this murder, nothing can make up for the loss of Detective DelRio,” stated FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatarola. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners continue to mourn his death and honor his legacy of service and sacrifice.”

    “These individuals are responsible for the death of Detective Jorge DelRio, who was working to keep our community safe from dangerous drug traffickers,” stated Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division. “As a Dayton Police Detective and DEA Task Force Officer, Det. DelRio was a selfless hero who gave his all, and ultimately his life, to protect the citizens of this nation. ATF is honored to have played a role in holding to account those responsible for Det. DelRio’s sacrifice. I hope these sentences bring some measure of closure to the family of Det. DelRio and send a message to criminals that law enforcement will be relentless in our pursuit of justice.”

    According to court documents and trial testimony, on Nov. 4, 2019, Goddard murdered Det. DelRio while Det. DelRio and others were executing a federal search warrant at 1454 Ruskin Road in Dayton.

    During the execution of the search warrant, Det. DelRio and other officials announced themselves and entered the home at approximately 6:50pm. Det. DelRio descended the stairway to the basement of the residence, immediately came under gunfire from the basement, and was struck and killed.

    As the government proved beyond a reasonable doubt at trial, from 2018 until November 2019, Goddard and Cortner participated in a narcotics conspiracy involving kilograms of fentanyl, cocaine and marijuana.

    The defendants kept firearms – including handguns fitted with laser sights – to protect the illegal drugs and their illicit proceeds. Goddard and Cortner acquired handguns on the black market referred to as “cop killers” because the firearms discharge bullets that can penetrate body armor. The defendants fitted these guns with high-capacity magazines.

    In the residence they used, officials discovered 10 kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine, 50 to 60 pounds of marijuana, and more than $55,000 in cash. As the government’s sentencing memorandum notes, the amount of fentanyl recovered from the basement represented millions of potential street sales of fentanyl – enough poison to cause the overdose of almost every person in the Miami Valley.

    Goddard and Cortner were originally charged in this case on Nov. 6, 2019, and were charged by superseding indictment in July 2022.

    Their co-defendant Lionel Combs III, 45, pleaded guilty just before the start of trial to maintaining a drug premises, a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

    Kenneth L. Parker, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio; Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal; Orville O. Greene, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA); Elena Iatarola, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Division; Daryl S. McCormick, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF); and Montgomery County Prosecutor Mat Heck, Jr. announced the sentences imposed today by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Newman. U.S. Attorney Parker recognized the critical assistance of the Criminal Interdiction Team of Central Oklahoma (CITCO).

    Deputy Criminal Chief Brent G. Tabacchi, Assistant United States Attorneys Amy M. Smith and Christina E. Mahy, and Special Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claypoole from the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office are representing the United States in this case.

    # # #

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Ohio Man Arrested for Assaulting Law Enforcement and Other Charges During January 6 Capitol Breach

    Source: US FBI

    Defendant Allegedly Created Large “Trump” Sign Used as a Battering Ram Against Police

                WASHINGTON — An Ohio man has been arrested for allegedly assaulting law enforcement and other charges related to his alleged conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, breach of the U.S. Capitol. His alleged actions and the actions of others disrupted a joint session of the U.S. Congress convened to ascertain and count the electoral votes related to the 2020 presidential election.

                Jeffrey Newcomb, 41, of Polk, Ohio, is charged in a criminal complaint filed in the District of Columbia with felony offenses of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers and obstruction of law enforcement during a civil disorder.  In addition to the felonies, Newcomb is charged with misdemeanor offenses of entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and disorderly conduct in a capitol building or grounds.

    The FBI arrested Newcomb today in Polk, Ohio, and he will make his initial appearance in the Northern District of Ohio.

                According to court documents, it is alleged that Newcomb created a large 13ft by 10ft custom metal sign, which read “Trump” and was supported by large casters about the size of a person’s head. Newcomb brought this sign with him as he traveled from Ohio to Washington. D.C., and participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

                Court documents say Newcomb was identified in video footage on the morning of January 6th carrying the sign onto the U.S. Capitol grounds. Images from that day depict Newcomb moving the sign around Constitution Avenue, NW, and other areas near the “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House. Later, Newcomb pulled the sign toward the southwest corner of the Capitol grounds with the help of several other rioters along the way. Newcomb and others then carried the sign up the Maryland Walkway, closer to the Capitol building.

                It is alleged that Newcomb and others then carried the sign into a mob of rioters facing off against a police line on the West Plaza. Court documents say that Newcomb, with the assistance of others, passed the giant metal framed sign from the southwestern portion of the West Plaza mob toward the center front of the crowd. Rioters cheered the sign’s arrival, and many in the crowd helped pass it closer and closer to the police line as Newcomb carried the sign by one of its large casters.

                At approximately 1:40 p.m., Newcomb and the sign reached the police line on the West Plaza. At this point, it is alleged that Newcomb still carried the sign by one of its casters. It is further alleged that Newcomb and other rioters then started pushing the sign on a path in order to ram it into the police line. At one point, Newcomb fell as he began to walk up the plaza’s steps, and the sign’s progression temporarily paused.

                Newcomb got back up and grabbed the sign once again as the mob resumed pushing it forward. Just before the mob was about to hit the police line with the sign, Newcomb released the sign, allowing it to move further forward with the mob like a battering ram. As police officers struggled to address the danger caused by the sign, Newcomb dropped back and, at one point, supported rioters continuing to shove the sign toward the police line by pushing on rioters’ backs. The sign eventually struck police.

                According to court documents, the sign could have easily knocked over police due to the frame’s sheer size and the sharp edges and corners, which were readily capable of causing slicing or splitting injuries. Police worked quickly to pull the sign away from the mob. It ultimately took over a dozen officers to completely remove the sign.

                Newcomb remained on the West Plaza for some time until well after the West Plaza police line fell at approximately 2:30 p.m., and rioters swarmed onto the Inaugural stage.

               This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio.

                This case is being investigated by the FBI’s Cleveland and Washington Field Offices. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department.                                       

                In the 45 months since Jan. 6, 2021, more than 1,532 individuals have been charged in nearly all 50 states for crimes related to the breach of the U.S. Capitol, including more than 571 individuals charged with assaulting or impeding law enforcement, a felony. The investigation remains ongoing.

                Anyone with tips can call 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or visit tips.fbi.gov.

                A complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Federal Jury Convicts Wister Resident of First-Degree Murder

    Source: US FBI

    MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced today that Kendall Lee Forrester, age 35, of Wister, Oklahoma, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of First Degree Murder in Indian Country, one count of Use, Carry, Brandish and Discharge of a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence, and one count of Causing the Death of a Person in the Course of a Violation of Title 18 United States Code Section 924(c).

    The jury trial began with testimony on February 24, 2025, and concluded on February 27, 2025, with the guilty verdicts.

    During the trial, the United States presented evidence that on the morning of October 31, 2023, Forrester shot and killed the victim with a single gunshot wound to the head.  On November 1, 2023, the victim’s body and a set of bloody towels were discovered wrapped in plastic sheeting inside a hope chest in the back of the victim’s vehicle.  At trial, the United States presented evidence from the officers who conducted a traffic stop on Forrester that while inventorying Forrester’s vehicle they discovered a 9mm handgun, one 9mm magazine loaded with 9 rounds ammunition, and a trash bag of freshly washed clothes and towels.  Investigators also testified that a search of Forrester’s Wister residence a few hours later uncovered more towels appearing to be from the same set and a roll of plastic sheeting matching the plastic wrapped around the victim’s body.  Additionally, a fingerprint comparison expert testified that a latent print found on the sheeting around the victim’s body matched Forrester’s prints.  The United States also presented evidence that the chest had been in Forrester’s living room only hours before.

    The guilty verdicts were the result of investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Choctaw Nation Lighthorse Police, and the Heavener Police.

    The crimes occurred in LeFlore County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation of Oklahoma, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

    The Honorable Ronald A. White, Chief U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the trial and ordered the completion of a presentence report.  The sentencing will be scheduled following completion of the report.  Forrester will remain in the custody of the United States Marshals until sentencing.

    Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jordan Howanitz and Dean Burris represented the United States.

    MIL Security OSI –

  • MIL-OSI Security: Portland Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distributing Fentanyl and Stealing COVID Relief Program Funds

    Source: US FBI

    PORTLAND, Ore.—A local man was sentenced to federal prison today for distributing counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl in and around Portland and stealing federal funds intended to help small businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic.

    Yuriy Viktorovich Vasilchuk, 33, a Portland resident, was sentenced to 49 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $32,855 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

    According to court documents, in early 2021, special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) identified Vasilchuk as a Portland area source of supply for counterfeit Oxycodone pills containing fentanyl. In December 2021, Vasilchuk was located in a stolen vehicle. He was arrested with 88 counterfeit Oxycodone pills and later released.

    On May 3, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Vasilchuk with one count of possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl. Following his indictment, HSI special agents and probation officers from the Multnomah County Department of Community Justice (DCJ) attempted to arrest Vasilchuk who was again located in a stolen vehicle. As the probation officers approached Vasilchuk’s stolen vehicle, Vasilchuk sped off, nearly striking a nearby probation officer. After fleeing for several miles and causing multiple accidents, Vasilchuk’s vehicle became inoperable and he fled on foot. Soon after, investigators located Vasilchuk hiding in an abandoned RV and placed him under arrest.

    Following his arrest, investigators obtained evidence that, between March and November of 2021, while he was actively distributing fentanyl, Vasilchuk applied to receive Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the SBA. In his applications, Vasilchuk falsely stated that he had not, within the past five years, been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a felony involving fraud, bribery, embezzlement, or making a false statement on a loan application. Based on the false information provided, the SBA disbursed more than $32,000 to Vasilchuk, which he in turn spent on various personal expenses.

    On August 22, 2023, Vasilchuk was charged by criminal information with wire fraud. On March 11, 2024, he pleaded to one count each of wire fraud and possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, resolving both of his criminal cases.

    These cases were investigated by HSI, the Westside Interagency Narcotics Team (WIN), and the SBA Office of Inspector General with assistance from the Portland Police Bureau and DCJ. They were prosecuted by Cassady A. Adams and Rachel K. Sowray, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

    WIN is a Washington County, Oregon-based multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program that includes members from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Beaverton and Hillsboro Police Departments, Oregon National Guard Counter Drug Program, FBI, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

    The Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program is an Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) sponsored counterdrug grant program that coordinates with and provides funding resources to multi-agency drug enforcement initiatives.

    MIL Security OSI –