<p><strong><em>Remarks as Delivered</em></strong></p>
<p>Good morning, everyone.</p>
<p>Here with me today are Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Kristen Clarke, and First Assistant United States Attorney Ann Bildtsen.</p>
<p>I also want to acknowledge Mayor Jacob Frey, Council President Andrea Jenkins, Community Safety Commissioner Cedric Alexander, and Police Chief Brian O’Hara. Thank you all for joining us today.</p>
<p>On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed at the hands of a law enforcement officer who was sworn to protect him. As Mr. Floyd died, other officers failed to intervene.</p>
<p>The Justice Department has since convicted four former Minneapolis police officers for their roles in the death of George Floyd.</p>
<p>As I told George Floyd’s family this morning, his death has had an irrevocable impact on the Minneapolis community, on our country, and on the world. His loss is still felt deeply by those who loved and knew him, and by many who did not. George Floyd should be alive today.</p>
<p>Shortly after I was sworn in as Attorney General, I announced that the Justice Department had opened a separate civil investigation into whether the Minneapolis Police Department – the MPD – and the City of Minneapolis engage in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional or unlawful policing.</p>
<p>I am here today to announce the findings of that investigation. I am also announcing that the Justice Department, the City of Minneapolis, and the MPD have agreed in principle to negotiate towards a consent decree.</p>
<p>Since opening the investigation, the Justice Department has engaged in a comprehensive review of MPD’s policies, training, supervision, and use-of-force investigations.</p>
<p>Our review focused on MPD as a whole, not on the actions of any individual officer. We observed many MPD officers who did their difficult work with professionalism, courage, and respect. But the patterns and practices we observed made what happened to George Floyd possible.</p>
<p>As one city leader told us, “these systemic issues didn’t just occur on May 25, 2020…there were instances like that, that were being reported by this community long before that.”</p>
<p>The Department of Justice has concluded that there is reasonable cause to believe that the Minneapolis Police Department and the City of Minneapolis engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the First and Fourth Amendments of the United States Constitution. There is also reasonable cause to believe that they engage in conduct that violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Safe Streets Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.</p>
<p>Specifically, we found that MPD and the City of Minneapolis engages in a pattern or practice of:</p>
<ul>
<li>Using excessive force;</li>
<li>Unlawfully discriminating against Black and Native American people in enforcement activities;</li>
<li>Violating the rights of people engaged in protected speech; and</li>
<li>Discriminating against people with behavioral disabilities when responding to them in crisis.</li>
</ul>
<p>I will discuss each finding in somewhat greater detail.</p>
<p>First, we found that the Minneapolis Police Department routinely uses excessive force, often when no force is necessary, including unjust deathly force and unreasonable use of tasers. MPD officers discharge firearms at people without assessing whether the person presents any threat, let alone a threat that would justify deadly force.</p>
<p>For example, in 2017, an MPD officer shot and killed an unarmed woman who he said had “spooked” him when she approached his squad car. The woman had called 911 – 9-1-1, sorry – to report a possible sexual assault in a nearby alley.</p>
<p>We also found that MPD officers routinely disregard the safety of people in their custody. Our review found numerous incidents in which MPD officers responded to a person’s statement that they could not breathe with a version of: “You can breathe, you’re talking right now.”</p>
<p>We also found that MPD officers fail to intervene to prevent unreasonable use of force by other officers. Indeed, as outlined in our report, years before he killed George Floyd, Derek Chauvin used excessive force on other occasions in which multiple MPD officers stood by and did not stop him.</p>
<p>Second, we found that MPD unlawfully discriminates against Black and Native American people in its enforcement activities, including the use of force following stops. Based on our review of the data, MPD officers stop, search, and then use force against people who are Black and Native American at disproportionate rates.</p>
<p>The data showed, for example, that MPD stopped Black and Native American people nearly six times more often than white people in situations that did not result in arrest or citation, given their shares of the population.</p>
<p>We found several incidents in which MPD officers were not held accountable for racist conduct until there was a public outcry. For example, after MPD officers stopped a car carrying four Somali-American teens, one officer told the teens: “Do you remember what happened in Black Hawk Down when we killed a bunch of your folk? I’m proud of that… We didn’t finish the job over there… if we had… you guys wouldn’t be over here right now.” As everyone no doubt knows, this is a reference to the 1990s raid by American special forces in Mogadishu.</p>
<p>Such conduct is deeply disturbing, and it erodes the community’s trust in law enforcement.</p>
<p>Third, we found that MPD violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech, including by retaliating against protesters as well as members of the press.</p>
<p>For example, on May 30, 2020, MPD officers encountered journalists who were sheltering at a gas station. One officer approached a journalist who was filming, while holding up his press credential and shouting, “I’m press!” The officer forcefully pushed the journalist’s head to the pavement. And when the journalist held up his press credential again, an MPD sergeant pepper-sprayed him in the face and walked away.</p>
<p>Fourth, we found that MPD, along with the city, discriminates against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to calls for assistance. Assistant Attorney General Clarke will discuss these findings in further detail.</p>
<p>To the credit of MPD and city leaders, some important changes have already been instituted. Those include prohibiting all types of neck restraints and banning no-knock search warrants.</p>
<p>But as the report outlines, there is more work to be done. The Justice Department is recommending 28 remedial measures that provide a starting framework to improve public safety, build community trust, and comply with the Constitution and federal law.</p>
<p>As I noted at the outset, in an important step toward reform, the City of Minneapolis and MPD have signed an Agreement in Principle with the Department of Justice. This agreement commits the city and MPD to work with the Justice Department, the community, police officers, and other stakeholders to address the problems that we have identified. And this agreement commits all parties to the negotiation – to negotiate a legally binding consent decree with an independent monitor.</p>
<p>We are grateful to city and MPD leaders for their shared commitment to addressing these deep-seated challenges.</p>
<p>I also want to take this opportunity to address the officers of the Minneapolis Police Department.</p>
<p>Your profession is essential.</p>
<p>The work you do on a daily basis is extremely difficult and often very dangerous.</p>
<p>Your responsibilities are enormous and could not be more important. You are asked to keep your community safe, to uphold the rule of law, and to ensure equal justice under law.</p>
<p>For you to succeed, your police department must provide you with clear policies and consistent training that explain and re-enforce constitutional boundaries and responsibilities. It must give you the support you need to do your jobs safely and effectively. And its supervisors and chain-of-command must enable you to achieve the highest professional standards.</p>
<p>This agreement is an important step toward providing you with the support and resources you need to do your job effectively and lawfully.</p>
<p>And finally, to the people of Minneapolis: thank you for your partnership throughout our review process.</p>
<p>During the investigation, the Justice Department met with many community members, including people who had encounters with police, religious leaders, advocates, and many others who want a police department that serves them better.</p>
<p>We also met with the families of people who died or suffered grave injuries during encounters with MPD officers. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. We could not have completed this investigation without your contributions.</p>
<p>Please continue to engage these issues in the months ahead. Your involvement is critical to our success.</p>
<p>And finally, to the career staff of the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of [Minnesota] who conducted this investigation: Thank you for your work, which will make Minneapolis a better place for all of its residents.</p>
<p>Today, we have completed our investigation, but this is only the first step.</p>
<p>We look forward to working with the city and MPD to achieve meaningful and durable reform. I am now pleased to turn this over to Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta.</p>
<p> Speaker: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/ag/staff-profile/meet-attorney-general" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Attorney General Merrick B. Garland</a>Topic(s): Civil RightsComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Civil Rights Division</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/ag/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Office of the Attorney General</a> </p>
<p> Updated June 16, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-delivers-remarks-justice-department-findings-civil> Original Article </a></p>

Category Archives: Fraud News From World
A “Fraud News From World” directory is a collection of news articles about fraud and scams from around the world. These directories can be a valuable resource for staying informed about the latest scams and how to protect yourself from them. The directory typically includes information about the scam, such as the type of scam, the target audience, the location of the scam, and the date of the scam. It may also include information about how to protect yourself from the scam, such as how to identify a phishing email or how to report a scam to the authorities.
Justice Department Finds Civil Rights Violations by the Minneapolis Police Department and the City of Minneapolis
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Friday, June 16, 2023<br />
 Justice Department Finds Civil Rights Violations by the Minneapolis Police Department and the City of Minneapolis</p>
<p>Following a comprehensive investigation, the Justice Department announced today that the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and the City of Minneapolis (City) engage in a pattern or practice of conduct in violation of the U.S. Constitution and federal law. The Department also announced that the city and MPD have agreed in principle to resolve the Department’s findings through a court enforceable consent decree with an independent monitor, rather than through contested litigation.</p>
<p> Specifically, the Justice Department finds that the MPD:</p>
<ul>
<li>Uses excessive force, including unjustified deadly force and unreasonable use of tasers;</li>
<li>Unlawfully discriminates against Black people and Native American people in its enforcement activities, including the use of force following stops;</li>
<li>Violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech; and</li>
<li>Along with the city, discriminates against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to calls for assistance.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Department identified and concluded that persistent deficiencies in policy, training, supervision, and accountability contribute to the unlawful conduct.</p>
<p><strong>“</strong>George Floyd’s death had an irrevocable impact on his family, on the Minneapolis community, on our country, and on the world,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The patterns and practices of conduct the Justice Department observed during our investigation are deeply disturbing. They erode the community’s trust in law enforcement. And they made what happened to George Floyd possible. Today, we have completed our investigation, but this is only the first step. We will continue to work with the city and the MPD toward ensuring that MPD officers have the support and resources they need to do their jobs effectively and lawfully as we work together toward meaningful and durable reform.”</p>
<p>“I know this community is still hurting and that today’s announcement may also open up old wounds,” said Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta. “The Justice Department is committed to working with Minneapolis on a path forward, to constitutional policing, and stronger police-community trust. Together we can build a Minneapolis that protects the rights, safety, and dignity of all.”</p>
<p>“Every American deserves policing that is fair, equitable, and non-discriminatory,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The protests that unfolded across Minneapolis, and the country, underscore the urgency behind our efforts to ensure that police departments respect constitutional rights, while garnering public trust. We will stand by the people of Minneapolis as we work to institute reforms that are lasting and enduring.”</p>
<p>“These findings present a sobering picture of a flawed system – but today we turn towards change through justice,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann Bildtsen for the District of Minnesota. “This thorough investigation is the foundation to make fair and lawful policing a reality for our entire community.”</p>
<p>The city and MPD cooperated fully with the Justice Department’s investigation. The Department provided a comprehensive written report of its investigative findings to the city and MPD. The report acknowledges the changes already made by the city and MPD, and it identifies additional remedial measures that the Department believes are necessary to fully address its findings.</p>
<p>The Department opened this investigation on April 21, 2021. The investigation was conducted by career attorneys and staff in the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota. The team conducted numerous onsite tours of MPD facilities; interviewed MPD officers, supervisors, and command staff; spoke with city officials and employees; accompanied behavioral crisis responders and officers on ride-alongs; reviewed thousands of documents; and watched thousands of hours of body-worn camera footage. Department attorneys and staff also met with community members, advocates, service providers, and other stakeholders in the Minneapolis area.</p>
<p>The Department conducted this investigation pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12601 (Section 12601), which prohibits law enforcement officers from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law, the Safe Streets Act of 1968, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.</p>
<p>The findings announced today are the result of the Department’s civil pattern or practice investigation and are separate from the Department’s criminal cases against former MPD officers for federal crimes related to the death of George Floyd.</p>
<p>The Department will reach out to members of the Minneapolis community for input on remedies to address the Department’s findings. Individuals may also submit recommendations by email at Community.Minneapolis@usdoj.gov or by phone at 1-866-432-0268.</p>
<p>This is one of eight investigations into law enforcement agencies opened during this Administration by the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department under Section 12601. The Department has ongoing investigations into the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-investigation-city-phoenix-and-phoenix-police-department" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Phoenix Police Department</a>; the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-launches-investigation-mount-vernon-police-department" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Mount Vernon Police Department</a>; the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-investigation-louisiana-state-police" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Louisiana State Police</a>; the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-investigation-new-york-city-police-department-s-special-victims" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">New York City Police Department’s Special Victims Division</a>; the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-launches-investigation-worcester-police-department" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Worcester Police Department</a>; and the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-launches-investigation-oklahoma-s-mental-health-service-system-and" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Oklahoma City Police Department</a>. The Department has issued Section 12601 findings reports in the past year regarding the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-civil-rights-violations-louisville-metro-police-department-and" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Louisville Metro Police Department,</a> as well as the <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-civil-rights-violations-orange-county-california-district-attorney-s" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Orange County District Attorney’s Office and Sheriff’s Department</a>.</p>
<p>Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">www.justice.gov/crt</a>. Additional information about the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota is available at <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">www.justice.gov/usao-mn</a>.</p>
<p>Information specific to the Civil Rights Division’s Police Reform Work can be found here: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/crt/file/922421/download" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">www.justice.gov/crt/file/922421/download</a>.</p>
<p>The Justice Department will hold a virtual presentation on the findings at 5:00 p.m. CT. Members of the public are encouraged to attend to learn more about the findings. Please join the meeting <a href="https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_81BFQxi1RuSVJKzKHh95yg" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p> Attachment(s): <img title="application/pdf" src="https://www.justice.gov/modules/file/icons/application-pdf.png"/> <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1587661/download" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Download Findings Report.pdf</a><img title="application/pdf" src="https://www.justice.gov/modules/file/icons/application-pdf.png"/> <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1587666/download" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Download Agreement in Principle.pdf</a>Topic(s): Civil RightsComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Civil Rights Division</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/spl/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Civil Rights &#8211; Special Litigation Section</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/asg/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Office of the Associate Attorney General</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/ag/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Office of the Attorney General</a>Press Release Number: 23-674 </p>
<p> Updated June 16, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-civil-rights-violations-minneapolis-police-department-and-city> Original Article </a></p>

Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime Charges for Bias-Motivated Attacks in Boise
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Thursday, June 15, 2023<br />
 Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime Charges for Bias-Motivated Attacks in Boise</p>
<p>An Oregon man pleaded guilty in the U.S. District Court in Boise, Idaho, today to two federal hate crimes.</p>
<p>According to court records, on Oct. 8, 2022, while at the Boise Public Library Main Branch in downtown Boise, Matthew Alan Lehigh, 31, approached a transgender library employee, called her a slur, punched her and threatened to stab her. A member of the library’s security staff intervened, and Lehigh fled into the parking lot. When the security guard attempted to speak to Lehigh in the parking lot, Lehigh got into a car and suddenly accelerated it toward the guard, intending to collide with him. The guard narrowly escaped being struck by jumping behind a concrete barricade at the last moment, and Lehigh fled the scene.</p>
<p>Four days later, while sitting in his car in a public parking lot elsewhere in Boise, Lehigh saw two women walking together towards another vehicle. Assuming that the women identified as lesbian, Lehigh began shouting threats and slurs at them, then suddenly accelerated his car toward the women, intending to collide with them. The women jumped out of the path of Lehigh’s oncoming car, which struck the other vehicle at significant speed.</p>
<p>The superseding information to which Lehigh pled guilty charges him with one felony violation of the Hate Crimes Prevention Act for the vehicular assault on the library security guard, and a second felony violation of Act for the vehicular assault on the two women.</p>
<p>As part of his plea agreement, Lehigh also admitted that he was responsible for three other instances of anti-LGBTQI+ vandalism and violence that occurred in Boise during early October 2022. Specifically, he admitted to setting fire to a rainbow-striped “pride” flag attached to a residential property in North Boise, breaking several windows at a commercial building jointly occupied by an LGBTQI+ community organization and an LGBTQI+-affirming religious congregation, and punching a grocery store customer after calling him an anti-LGBTQI+ slur.</p>
<p>“This defendant targeted strangers for terrifying attacks for no reason other than his perceptions of their sexual orientation,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “No one should live in fear of hate-fueled violence because of who they are. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously prosecute those who commit heinous acts of hate, and we are committed to protecting the rights of all Americans, including those in the LGBTQI+ community.” </p>
<p>“Everyone, no matter who they are, should be free from senseless violence,” said U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit for the District of Idaho. “I am grateful to the Boise Police Department and the FBI for thoroughly and efficiently investigating this case. And I hope the victims are able to take solace in the fact that the defendant is being held accountable for his hateful and violent acts.”</p>
<p>“Hate crimes such as this are an attack on a deeply personal part of someone’s identity, and they have a devastating impact on families and communities,” said Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “The FBI will not tolerate violence against the LGBTQI+ community. We will continue to investigate civil rights violations and do everything we can to keep our communities safe and free from fear.”</p>
<p>Lehigh faces between 37 and 45 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. The agreement also requires that Lehigh pay restitution to all victims and that he remains continuously under the care of a clinical psychiatrist upon his release from prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.</p>
<p>The Boise Police Department and the Boise Resident Agency of the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office investigated the case.</p>
<p>Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Hurwit and Acting Special Agent in Charge Gibson made the announcement.</p>
<p>Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Horwitz for the District of Idaho and Trial Attorney Alec Ward of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case.</p>
<p><em>If members of the public have information concerning hate crimes or wish to report a similar crime, they should contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation at (208) 344-7843 or the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (208) 334-1211</em>.</p>
<p> Topic(s): Civil RightsHate CrimesComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Civil Rights Division</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/crm/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Civil Rights &#8211; Criminal Section</a>Press Release Number: 23-672 </p>
<p> Updated June 15, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/oregon-man-pleads-guilty-hate-crime-charges-bias-motivated-attacks-boise> Original Article </a></p>

Foreign National Sentenced for International Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Thursday, June 15, 2023<br />
 Foreign National Sentenced for International Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy</p>
<p>A Mexican national was sentenced today in the District of Columbia to 13 years in prison for conspiring to distribute cocaine for importation into the United States.</p>
<p>According to court documents, between 1998 and approximately 2012, Jaime Antonio Mandujano-Eudave, 61, worked with the Sinaloa Cartel to coordinate the transportation of cocaine by boat from Colombia to Culiacan, Los Cabos, and elsewhere in Mexico. Mandujano-Eudave communicated GPS coordinates to the boats’ crew members to facilitate meetings in the Pacific Ocean. There, the cocaine-laden boats from Colombia would meet other boats under the control of the Sinaloa Cartel and offload the cocaine. These boats transported multi-kilogram amounts of cocaine. Once the cocaine arrived in Mexico, other members of Sinaloa Cartel would transport the cocaine to the United States for sale. Mandujano-Eudave knew that the cocaine would be subsequently imported into the United States for further distribution.</p>
<p>In 2009, Mandujano-Eudave sent a vessel, the Fiona, to pick up approximately 1,000 kilograms of cocaine in the Pacific Ocean. In October 2009, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted the Fiona just north of Clarion Island, Mexico. The Fiona was set on fire by its crew, but the U.S. Coast Guard was able to recover 500 kilograms of cocaine from the water.</p>
<p>In August 2014, Spanish authorities arrested Mandujano-Eudave at the request of the United States. He was extradited from Spain to the United States in February 2015. On March 8, Mandujano-Eudave pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine, knowing and intending that it would be imported into the United States.</p>
<p>Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York Field Office made the announcement.</p>
<p>The HSI New York Field Office investigated the case with assistance from the FBI Washington Field Office.</p>
<p>Trial Attorneys Kirk Handrich and Melanie Alsworth of the Criminal Division’s Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section prosecuted the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of Enforcement Operations provided significant assistance. </p>
<p>The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Spain to secure the arrest and extradition of Mandujano-Eudave. </p>
<p>This case is supported by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF).</p>
<p> Topic(s): Drug TraffickingComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/criminal/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Criminal Division</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/criminal/ndds" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Criminal &#8211; Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/criminal-oeo" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Criminal &#8211; Office of Enforcement Operations</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/criminal-oia" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Criminal &#8211; Office of International Affairs</a><a href="http://www.fbi.gov/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/ocdetf" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces</a>Press Release Number: 23-671 </p>
<p> Updated June 15, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/foreign-national-sentenced-international-cocaine-trafficking-conspiracy> Original Article </a></p>

Two Jacksonville Compounding Pharmacies and Their Owner Agree to Pay at Least $7.4 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Thursday, June 15, 2023<br />
 Two Jacksonville Compounding Pharmacies and Their Owner Agree to Pay at Least $7.4 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations</p>
<p>The Justice Department announced today that Smart Pharmacy, Inc., SP2, LLC, and owner Gregory Balotin have agreed to pay at least $7.4 million to resolve lawsuits filed in Jacksonville, Florida, alleging they violated the False Claims Act by adding the antipsychotic drug aripiprazole to topical compounded pain creams to boost reimbursement and by routinely waiving patient copayment obligations. The settlement amount is based on the defendants’ ability to pay.</p>
<p>“When pharmacies inflate their revenue with medically unsupported prescription ingredients, they compromise the quality of patient care and waste taxpayer dollars,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will hold accountable those who undermine the integrity of federal healthcare programs for personal profit.” </p>
<p>“A primary mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office is protecting the Medicare and TRICARE programs from fraud,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “This case exemplifies our commitment to pursue pharmacies and pharmacists who abuse federal healthcare programs at the expense of the taxpayers.”</p>
<p>Aripiprazole, which is sold under the brand names Abilify, Abilify Maintena, and Aristada, is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat a number of psychological conditions such as schizophrenia and Tourette’s disorder. The United States alleged that the defendants crushed aripiprazole pills approved for oral use and included them in compounded creams used topically for pain treatment, while knowing that there was not an adequate clinical basis to do so. The defendants allegedly included the drug in the pain creams to increase their profits on prescriptions paid for by Medicare Part D and TRICARE, the federal health care program for active duty <a class="wpil_keyword_link" href="https://www.fraudswatch.com/category/military-scammer/" title="military" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="413">military</a> personnel, retirees, and their families. Both Medicare Part D and TRICARE reimburse pharmacies for the individual ingredients included in compounded drugs, thus defendants increased their reimbursement by adding aripiprazole to the combination of drugs used in their pain creams.</p>
<p>The government also alleged that the defendants improperly waived patient copayments to induce patients to accept the pain cream prescriptions. Although copayments may be waived in certain unique circumstances, such as on the basis of an individualized assessment of a patient’s <a class="wpil_keyword_link" href="https://www.fraudswatch.com/tag/financial-fraud/" title="financial" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="1012">financial</a> hardship, the defendants allegedly routinely waived copayments without regard to patient need.</p>
<p>In connection with the settlement, Gregory Balotin has agreed to enter into a three-year integrity agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), which includes an annual claims review by an independent review organization.</p>
<p>“Pharmacies participating in Medicare are obligated to obey laws designed to protect both the integrity of this program and the quality of care provided to patients,” said Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of HHS-OIG. “With our law enforcement partners, our agency is committed to investigating alleged health care fraud to protect both federal health care programs as well as the individuals served by those programs.”</p>
<p>“We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and other state and federal officials for their unwavering commitment to protect taxpayer dollars and safeguard the TRICARE pharmacy benefit,” said Chief Edward C. Norton Jr. of the Defense Health Agency’s Pharmacy Operations Division. “Their efforts ensure our service members, veterans, and their families continue to receive the highest-quality pharmacy benefit commensurate with the service and sacrifice they make for our nation.”</p>
<p>“Health care providers and suppliers that serve our nation’s active duty service members, military retirees, and their families are expected to meet the highest standards of ethical and professional behavior,” said Special Agent in Charge Darrin K. Jones of the Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office. “DCIS and its law enforcement partners will continue to investigate unprincipled health care providers that undermine the integrity of the DoD’s TRICARE program.”</p>
<p>The lawsuits, United States ex rel. Sanchez v. Smart Pharmacy, Inc., et al., No. 14-cv-1453 (M.D. Fla.), and United States ex rel. Kohli v. Smart Pharmacy, Inc., et al., No. 16-cv-387 (M.D. Fla.), were originally filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida by Amy Sanchez and Ashok Kohli, two former employees of Smart Pharmacy. The lawsuits were filed under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private parties to sue on behalf of the United States for false claims and share in any recovery. The Act permits the United States to intervene and take over such lawsuits, which the United States did here, in part. The share to be awarded in this case has not been determined.</p>
<p>This matter was handled by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, with assistance from HHS-OIG, DCIS, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General.</p>
<p>This matter was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Collette Cunningham for the Middle District of Florida, Trial Attorneys Nicholas Perros and Jessica Sievert of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, former Civil Division Trial Attorney Holly Snow (now an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina), and former Civil Division Trial Attorney Andrew Jaco (now with the Justice Department’s Criminal Division). </p>
<p>The claims asserted against the defendants are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability. </p>
<p> Attachment(s): <img title="application/pdf" src="https://www.justice.gov/modules/file/icons/application-pdf.png"/> <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1587711/download" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Download Settlement Agreement</a>Topic(s): False Claims ActComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/civil/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Civil Division</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">USAO &#8211; Florida, Middle</a>Press Release Number: 23-670 </p>
<p> Updated June 16, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/two-jacksonville-compounding-pharmacies-and-their-owner-agree-pay-least-74-million-resolve> Original Article </a></p>

Air National Guardsman Indicted for Unlawful Disclosure of Classified National Defense Information
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Thursday, June 15, 2023<br />
 Air National Guardsman Indicted for Unlawful Disclosure of Classified National Defense Information</p>
<p>A member of the U.S. Air National Guard (USANG) stationed in Massachusetts was indicted today by a federal grand jury in Boston for allegedly retaining and transmitting classified national defense information on a social media platform beginning in or around 2022 and continuing until his arrest in April.</p>
<p>Jack Douglas Teixeira, 21, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, was indicted on six counts of willful retention and transmission of classified information relating to the national defense (National Defense Information). Teixeira was arrested on April 13, 2023, and charged by criminal complaint with retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or materials. On May 19, 2023, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge David H. Hennessy granted the government’s motion for detention. Teixeira remains in federal custody.</p>
<p>“As laid out in the indictment, Jack Teixeira was entrusted by the United States government with access to classified national defense information — including information that reasonably could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to national security if shared,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Teixeira is charged with sharing information with users on a social media platform he knew were not entitled to receive it. In doing so, he is alleged to have violated U.S. law and endangered our national security.”</p>
<p>“Individuals granted security clearances are entrusted to protect classified information and safeguard our nation’s secrets. The allegations in today’s indictment reveal a serious violation of that trust,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “The FBI and our partners remain firm in our commitment to hold accountable those who endanger our national security and the security of our allies around the world.”</p>
<p>“The unauthorized removal, retention, and transmission of classified information jeopardizes our nation’s security. Individuals granted access to classified materials have a fundamental duty to safeguard the information for the safety of the United States, our active service members, its citizens, and its allies,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts. “We are committed to ensuring that those entrusted with sensitive national security information adhere to the law.”</p>
<p>According to the charging documents, Teixeira enlisted in the USANG in September 2019 and has held a Top Secret security clearance since 2021. It is alleged that, beginning in or around January 2022, Teixeira willfully, improperly, and unlawfully retained and transmitted National Defense Information classified as “TOP SECRET” or “SECRET” and/or Sensitive Compartmented Information, which he had reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of a foreign nation, on a social media platform to persons not authorized to receive such information.</p>
<p>According to the charging documents, Teixeira transmitted the classified National Defense Information on the social media platform in two ways. First, Teixeira allegedly accessed classified documents containing National Defense Information from a classified workstation at the Otis USANG Base and transcribed and transmitted the information in written paragraphs to other users on the social media platform. Teixeira also posted images of classified documents to the social media platform, which bore standard classification markings – including “SECRET,” “TOP SECRET,” and SCI designations – indicating that they contained highly classified United States government information. At least one of the documents containing national defense information was allegedly found in digital form in a particular account associated with Teixeira.</p>
<p>Each charge of unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.</p>
<p>The FBI Boston and Washington Field Offices are investigating the case. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations provided valuable assistance.</p>
<p>Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nadine Pellegrini, Jared C. Dolan, and Jason A. Casey for the District of Massachusetts and Trial Attorney Christina A. Clark of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.</p>
<p><em>A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.</em></p>
<p> Topic(s): CounterintelligenceNational SecurityComponent(s): <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/nsd" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">National Security Division (NSD)</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao-ma" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">USAO &#8211; Massachusetts</a>Press Release Number: 23-669 </p>
<p> Updated June 16, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/air-national-guardsman-indicted-unlawful-disclosure-classified-national-defense-information> Original Article </a></p>

Foreign National Sentenced for Trafficking Child Pornography
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Thursday, June 15, 2023<br />
 Foreign National Sentenced for Trafficking Child Pornography</p>
<p>A Bulgarian national was sentenced today to 25 years in prison for conspiracy to traffic images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of young children.</p>
<p>According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Plamen Georgiev Velinov, 49, of Sofia, helped manage and administer the Newstar Enterprise, an internet-based business that profited from the sexual exploitation of vulnerable children under the guise of “child modeling,” through a collection of websites called the Newstar Websites. Beginning in around 2006 and continuing until 2019, Velinov assisted the enterprise by selecting children to be featured on the Newstar Websites, editing images and videos on those websites, communicating with customers, setting prices for videos, activating new websites, and creating advertising banners. While chatting with a co-conspirator, Velinov described one child as “nuclear sexy.” <a class="wpil_keyword_link" href="https://www.fraudswatch.com/tag/financial-fraud/" title="Financial" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="1013">Financial</a> records show that U.S.-based co-conspirators transferred more than $400,000 to Velinov’s Bulgarian bank account in connection with the conspiracy. </p>
<p>The Newstar Enterprise, which was founded around 2005, built and operated the Newstar Websites on servers in the United States and abroad. To generate content for the Newstar Websites, Newstar Enterprise members sourced, enticed, solicited, and recruited males and females under the age of 18, many of whom were prepubescent, to use as “child models” for the Newstar Websites. The Newstar Enterprise used the child victims to produce more than 4.6 million sexualized images and videos – including images and videos depicting children as young as six years old in sexual and provocative poses and wearing revealing underwear, clothing and costumes – that were distributed and sold through the Newstar Websites. Many of the child victims were recruited from Ukraine, Moldova, and other nations in Eastern Europe and were particularly vulnerable due to their age and socio-economic status.</p>
<p>Images were freely available to the public to preview on the Newstar Websites, but Newstar offered a paid subscription for greater access and more content. Newstar subscribers and customers were from more than 100 different countries. The sale of Newstar content generated more than $9.4 million during the conspiracy. To process, receive, and distribute this money, Newstar Enterprise leaders fraudulently opened merchant and bank accounts in the United States and laundered proceeds using a bogus jewelry company. </p>
<p>To date, seven members of the Newstar Enterprise have been charged in connection with the Newstar Websites. The chart below shows the status of each case:</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>
<p><strong>Name</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Charge(s)</strong></p>
</td>
<td>
<p><strong>Status</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>Tatiana Power</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Conspiracy to commit money laundering</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Pleaded guilty; sentenced to 12.5 years in prison</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>Kenneth Power</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Conspiracy to advertise child pornography; conspiracy to distribute child pornography</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Defendant deceased; case dismissed</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>Pavel Rohel</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Conspiracy to produce child pornography; conspiracy to distribute child pornography</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Charges pending</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>Patrice Wilowski-Mevorah</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Conspiracy to commit money laundering</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Pleaded guilty; sentenced to five years and three months in prison</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>Anthony Lee Kendall</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Conspiracy to commit money laundering; promotion money laundering; concealment money laundering</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Defendant deceased; case dismissed</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>
<p>Mary Lou</p>
<p>Bjorkman</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Conspiracy to commit money laundering</p>
</td>
<td>
<p>Pleaded guilty; sentenced to 1.5 years in prison</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida, and Special Agent in Charge John Condon of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa Field Office made the announcement.</p>
<p>The HSI Tampa Field Office and the High Technology Investigative Unit of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) investigated the cases, with substantial assistance provided by the HSI Fort Lauderdale Field Office and HSI Attaché offices in Athens, Greece, the Hague, and Vienna, Austria, as well as by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Sofia, Bulgaria. This investigation also benefited from substantial assistance and cooperation from foreign law enforcement, including from the Republic of Bulgaria, Supreme Cassation Prosecution Office; the National Investigative Service of Bulgaria; the Dutch National Police, International Legal Assistance Center, North Holland Unit; and the Regional Police Directorate for Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. </p>
<p>The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs assisted with securing foreign evidence and with Velinov’s extradition. The Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) provided capacity building assistance and mentoring.</p>
<p>Trial Attorney Kyle P. Reynolds of CEOS and Assistant U.S. Attorney Karyna Valdes for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the cases. </p>
<p>This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit <a href="https://www.justice.gov/psc" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">www.justice.gov/psc</a>.</p>
<p> Topic(s): Project Safe ChildhoodComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/criminal/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Criminal Division</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ceos" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Criminal &#8211; Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/criminal-oia" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Criminal &#8211; Office of International Affairs</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/criminal-opdat" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Criminal &#8211; Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance &; Training</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">USAO &#8211; Florida, Middle</a>Press Release Number: 23-667 </p>
<p> Updated June 15, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/foreign-national-sentenced-trafficking-child-pornography> Original Article </a></p>

Russian National Arrested and Charged with Conspiring to Commit LockBit Ransomware Attacks Against U.S. and Foreign Businesses
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Thursday, June 15, 2023<br />
 Russian National Arrested and Charged with Conspiring to Commit LockBit Ransomware Attacks Against U.S. and Foreign Businesses</p>
<p>The Justice Department today announced charges against a Russian national for his involvement in deploying numerous LockBit ransomware and other cyberattacks against victim computer systems in the United States, Asia, Europe, and Africa.</p>
<p>Ruslan Magomedovich Astamirov (АСТАМИРОВ, Руслан Магомедовичь), 20, of Chechen Republic, will make his initial appearance later today.</p>
<p>“This LockBit-related arrest, the second in six months, underscores the Justice Department’s unwavering commitment to hold ransomware actors accountable,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “In securing the arrest of a second Russian national affiliated with the LockBit ransomware, the Department has once again demonstrated the long arm of the law. We will continue to use every tool at our disposal to disrupt cybercrime, and while cybercriminals may continue to run, they ultimately cannot hide.”</p>
<p>According to a criminal complaint obtained in the District of New Jersey, from at least as early as August 2020 to March 2023, Astamirov allegedly participated in a conspiracy with other members of the LockBit ransomware campaign to commit wire fraud and to intentionally damage protected computers and make ransom demands through the use and deployment of ransomware. Specifically, Astamirov directly executed at least five attacks against victim computer systems in the United States and abroad. </p>
<p>“Astamirov is the third defendant charged by this office in the LockBit global ransomware campaign, and the second defendant to be apprehended,” said U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger for the District of New Jersey. “The LockBit conspirators and any other ransomware perpetrators cannot hide behind imagined online anonymity. We will continue to work tirelessly with all our law enforcement partners to identify ransomware perpetrators and bring them to justice.”</p>
<p>According to the criminal complaint, the LockBit ransomware variant first appeared around January 2020. LockBit actors have executed over 1,400 attacks against victims in the United States and around the world, issuing over $100 million in ransom demands and receiving at least as much as tens of millions of dollars in actual ransom payments made in the form of bitcoin.</p>
<p>In furtherance of his LockBit-related activities, Astamirov owned, controlled, and used a variety of email addresses, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and other online provider accounts that allowed him and his co-conspirators to deploy LockBit ransomware and to communicate with their victims. Additionally, in at least one circumstance, law enforcement was able to trace a portion of a victim’s ransom payment to a virtual currency address in Astamirov’s control.</p>
<p>“The FBI is committed to pursuing ransomware actors like Astamirov, who have exploited vulnerable cyber ecosystems and harmed victims,” said FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate. “We, in collaboration with our federal and international partners, are fully committed to the permanent dismantlement of these types of ransomware campaigns that intentionally target people and our private sector partners. We will continue to leverage every resource to prevent this type of malicious, criminal activity.”</p>
<p>Astamirov is charged with conspiring to commit wire fraud and conspiring to intentionally damage protected computers and to transmit ransom demands. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the first charge and a maximum penalty of five years in prison on the second charge. Both charges are also punishable by a maximum fine of either $250,000 or twice the gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest.</p>
<p>This announcement follows LockBit-related charges in two other cases from the District of New Jersey. In November 2022, the department announced criminal charges against <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/man-charged-participation-lockbit-global-ransomware-campaign" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Mikhail Vasiliev</a>, a dual Russian and Canadian national, who is currently in custody in Canada awaiting extradition to the United States. In May 2023, the department announced the indictment of <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/russian-national-charged-ransomware-attacks-against-critical-infrastructure" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Mikhail Pavlovich Matveev</a>, aka Wazawaka, aka m1x, aka Boriselcin, aka Uhodiransomwar, for his alleged participation in separate conspiracies to deploy LockBit, Babuk, and Hive ransomware variants against victims in the United States and abroad.</p>
<p>The FBI Newark Field Office’s Cyber Crimes Task Force is investigating the case. The Jersey City Police Department, New Jersey State Police, Newark IRS Criminal Investigation, and the international partners from Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre, Eurojust, National Police Agency of Japan, France’s Gendarmerie Nationale Cyberspace Command (Cyber Crime Investigation Unit / C3N), National Crime Agency and South West Regional Organized Crime Unit of the United Kingdom, Kantonspolizei Zürich of Switzerland, Landeskriminalamt Schleswig-Holstein and the Bundeskriminalamt of Germany, and Swedish Police Authority of Sweden also provided valuable assistance.</p>
<p>Trial Attorney Jessica C. Peck and Jorge Gonzalez of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew M. Trombly, Vinay Limbachia, and David E. Malagold for the District of New Jersey’s Cybercrime Unit in Newark are prosecuting the case.</p>
<p>The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona and the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs also provided significant assistance.</p>
<p>Victims of LockBit ransomware should contact their local FBI field office and visit StopRansomware.gov for further information.</p>
<p><em>A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.</em></p>
<p> Topic(s): CybercrimeComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/criminal/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Criminal Division</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/criminal-ccips" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Criminal &#8211; Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/criminal-oia" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Criminal &#8211; Office of International Affairs</a><a href="http://www.fbi.gov/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao-az" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">USAO &#8211; Arizona</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao-nj" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">USAO &#8211; New Jersey</a>Press Release Number: 23-666 </p>
<p> Updated June 15, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/russian-national-arrested-and-charged-conspiring-commit-lockbit-ransomware-attacks-against-us> Original Article </a></p>

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Statement on Haaland v. Brackeen
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Thursday, June 15, 2023<br />
 Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Statement on Haaland v. Brackeen</p>
<p>The Justice Department issued the following statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland following the Supreme Court’s decision in <em>Haaland v. Brackeen</em>:</p>
<p>“The Justice Department is committed to honoring Tribal sovereignty and protecting Indian children and families. For nearly 45 years, the Indian Child Welfare Act has helped protect Tribal children from being unnecessarily separated from their parents, extended family, and Tribal communities. </p>
<p>I am pleased that today’s Supreme Court decision in <em>Haaland v. Brackeen</em> rejected this challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act. The Justice Department vigorously defended the statute before the Supreme Court and will continue to support the Indian Child Welfare Act and do everything in our power to protect Tribal communities and affirm Tribal sovereignty.”</p>
<p> Topic(s): Indian Country Law and JusticeComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/ag/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Office of the Attorney General</a>Press Release Number: 23-668 </p>
<p> Updated June 15, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-statement-haaland-v-brackeen> Original Article </a></p>

Readout from Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta’s Meeting with Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Thursday, June 15, 2023<br />
 Readout from Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta’s Meeting with Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe</p>
<p>Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta traveled to Minnesota today and met with Tribal leaders and members of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. The trip focused on areas – public safety, justice administration, reentry and victims’ services – where the Justice Department provides substantial grant funding to support Tribal self-governance. Associate Attorney General Gupta held government-to-government meetings with the Tribe’s leadership, heard about the Tribe’s work to respond to challenges and reinforced the Justice Department’s commitment to supporting Indian Country. She was joined throughout the trip by Director Tracy Toulou of the Justice Department’s Office of Tribal Justice (OTJ).</p>
<p>The Associate Attorney General’s trip to the Mille Lacs Band is the first in a series of meetings with Tribal governments on Tribal land in the coming months and is part of the Justice Department’s continued efforts to strengthen ties to Indian Country and elevate the voices and concerns of American Indians and Alaska Natives. </p>
<p>Associate Attorney General Gupta opened the visit by remarking on the Supreme Court’s decision to reject constitutional challenges to the Indian Child Welfare Act, a landmark statute that protects Indian children and families and safeguards Tribal self-governance. As Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-statement-haaland-v-brackeen" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">statement</a> following the decision, the Justice Department vigorously defended the Act before the Court and will continue to do everything in its power to protect Tribal communities and affirm Tribal sovereignty. </p>
<p><strong>Meetings with Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Chief Executive and Tribal Leadership</strong></p>
<p>Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin of the Mille Lacs Band welcomed the Associate Attorney General and convened a meeting with a number of the Band’s executive, legislative and judicial leaders. During the meeting, the Associate Attorney General learned more about the operations of the Band’s government, day-to-day challenges and exercise of sovereignty over their Homelands. Chief Executive Benjamin is the Midwest representative on the Attorney General’s Tribal Nations Leadership Council.</p>
<p> <img title="Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta (center) and Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin (center right) with members of Tribal Leadership." alt="Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta (center) and Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin (center right) with members of Tribal Leadership." src="https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/styles/width_12/public/press-releases/images/2023/06/15/mn_1_v2_1.jpg?itok=fadW6TuE"/></p>
<p>Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta (center) and Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin (center right) with members of Tribal Leadership.</p>
<p> <img title="Associate Attorney General Gupta (right) and Chief Executive Benjamin (left)" alt="Associate Attorney General Gupta (right) and Chief Executive Benjamin (left)" src="https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/styles/width_5/public/press-releases/images/2023/06/16/20230616-asg-mille-lacs-band-of-ojibwe-02.1_0.jpg?itok=RShmc3f3"/></p>
<p>Associate Attorney General Gupta (right) and Chief Executive Benjamin (left)</p>
<p><strong>Tour of Reservation and Government Programming</strong></p>
<p>Later in the afternoon, Associate Attorney General Gupta joined a tour of the reservation, which included visits to Tribal Courts and the Band’s Police Department and Government Center. She also visited the Band’s aanjibimaadizing, a center dedicated to “changing lives” by providing social services to youth and adults. She ended her visit at the Band’s Health and Human Services Department.</p>
<p> <img title="Associate Attorney General Gupta (right) speaking with Associate Justice Brenda Moose, of the Mille Lacs Band Central Court of Jurisdiction (left)." alt="Associate Attorney General Gupta (right) speaking with Associate Justice Brenda Moose, of the Mille Lacs Band Central Court of Jurisdiction (left)." src="https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/styles/width_5/public/press-releases/images/2023/06/16/20230616-asg-mille-lacs-band-of-ojibwe-01.jpg?itok=Z72_tVyD"/></p>
<p>Associate Attorney General Gupta (right) speaking with Associate Justice Brenda Moose, of the Mille Lacs Band Central Court of Jurisdiction (left).</p>
<p> <img title="Associate Attorney General Gupta (left) touring the Mille Lacs Band Tribal Police Department with Chief of Police James West (right)." alt="Associate Attorney General Gupta (left) touring the Mille Lacs Band Tribal Police Department with Chief of Police James West (right)." src="https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/styles/width_5/public/press-releases/images/2023/06/16/20230616-asg-mille-lacs-band-of-ojibwe-03.1_0.jpg?itok=vbsHgcl_"/></p>
<p>Associate Attorney General Gupta (left) touring the Mille Lacs Band Tribal Police Department with Chief of Police James West (right).</p>
<p> <img title="Assembly Speaker and Secretary-Treasurer Sheldon Boyd (left) briefing Associate Attorney General Gupta (right) on the Band’s implementation of Justice Department-supported grant programming." alt="Assembly Speaker and Secretary-Treasurer Sheldon Boyd (left) briefing Associate Attorney General Gupta (right) on the Band’s implementation of Justice Department-supported grant programming." src="https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/styles/width_5/public/press-releases/images/2023/06/16/20230616-asg-mille-lacs-band-of-ojibwe-04.1_0.jpg?itok=iaL3Mt-B"/></p>
<p>Assembly Speaker and Secretary-Treasurer Sheldon Boyd (left) briefing Associate Attorney General Gupta (right) on the Band’s implementation of Justice Department-supported grant programming.</p>
<p><strong>Justice Department Resources to Address the Unique Needs of Indian Country</strong></p>
<p>Throughout the visit, the Associate Attorney General and Tribal leadership discussed the Justice Department’s grant programs and how they assist the Band’s self-government initiatives. Through the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) and Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), the Justice Department has provided the Band resources to construct new courtrooms, recruit and retain police officers, revise the Band’s statutes and provide shelter and services for victims of domestic violence. The Justice Department has also designated a Band attorney as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to enable the Band to more effectively prosecute serious crimes.</p>
<p>OTJ, among other duties, serves as a primary point of contact for Tribal governments and organizations regarding policies and programs and issues relating to public safety and justice in Indian country. In line with a whole-of-department approach, the department recently announced the hiring of 44 additional Assistant U.S. Attorneys and support staff to serve Native communities nationwide. In Minnesota alone, five new department personnel will be added to address issues arising within Indian Country.</p>
<p> Topic(s): Indian Country Law and JusticeComponent(s): <a href="http://ojp.gov/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Office of Justice Programs (OJP)</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/asg/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Office of the Associate Attorney General</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/tribal/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Office of Tribal Justice</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/ovw" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Office on Violence Against Women</a>Press Release Number: 23-673 </p>
<p> Updated June 16, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/readout-associate-attorney-general-vanita-gupta-s-meeting-mille-lacs-band-ojibwe-0> Original Article </a></p>

Director Rachel Rossi of the Office for Access to Justice Delivers Remarks at the Black Public Defender Association Conference
<p><strong><em>Remarks as Prepared for Delivery</em></strong></p>
<p>Thank you, Heather. I want to extend my appreciation to you, the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, the Black Public Defender Association and Alaina Bloodworth and April Frazier Camara for your hospitality and leadership.</p>
<p>It really is an honor to be here. I am excited to celebrate the public defenders, mitigation specialists, executives, administrators and other professionals in this room, who have dedicated their careers to affirming the dignity and humanity of the people they represent.</p>
<p>This Monday, our nation will collectively commemorate and celebrate Juneteenth. This holiday, which recognizes the end of enslavement for Black Americans, also marks the beginning of a long and continuing struggle for equality, equity and justice. </p>
<p>We cannot celebrate Juneteenth without acknowledging the continued and pervasive injustices that continue to impact Black communities in this country. From Jim Crow, to disenfranchisement, to redlining, to disparate health outcomes, to mass incarceration – Black Americans, among other people of color, have shouldered a disproportionate burden of inequity.</p>
<p>And public defenders, and the professionals who support them, bravely remain at the front lines in this contemporary struggle for equality and civil rights. Those here in this room advance the movement forward each day, with commitment and vigor, and usually without accolades or awards.</p>
<p>The reason I chose to join the legal profession was because I wanted to join this very fight. From the first day I set foot in a jail lockup in college, to the first day I entered misdemeanor arraignment court as a public defender, what continued to drive me forward every day was seeing mostly, some days only, communities of color, and specifically Black fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters cycling through the justice system.</p>
<p>You never had to cite statistics or numbers to me.</p>
<p>You didn’t need to tell me that Black Americans make up 38% of America’s incarcerated population despite representing only twelve percent of the population.</p>
<p>You didn’t need to tell me that Black litigants receive, on average, 4% higher court fines and lower rates of charge reductions in civil-infraction proceedings.</p>
<p>And you didn’t need to tell me that according to some studies, Black people receive sentences that are almost 10% longer than those of comparable white people arrested for the same crimes.</p>
<p>I saw it in the faces of my clients.</p>
<p>I know that many in this room have had this same experience and endured the unique toll of both belonging to and serving communities disproportionately impacted by the criminal legal system. How do we endure that contrast, that racial trauma and move forward in our work for social and racial justice? </p>
<p>We must first recognize that Black defenders occupy a unique position in the movement for transformational and systemic change.</p>
<p>Second, we must rely on community, collaboration and strong collective organizations like BPDA for training, mentorship, and most critically – refuge. </p>
<p>And third, we simply must fund public defense.</p>
<p>As we evaluate where we are, 60 years after <em>Gideon</em>, I am inspired by how public defenders have answered the call, responding directly to the needs of their communities. You’ve expanded your services beyond traditional criminal representation, adapted, and leveraged innovative client-centered programs to serve your communities. You’ve done this despite incredible challenges and with limited resources.</p>
<p>Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that “human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable.”</p>
<p>Indeed, this is why your fight matters. Your perspectives, strategies, and expertise are critical not only within the confines of the criminal legal system, but within the broader struggle for equality, equity and justice.</p>
<p>So as I conclude, I charge you all as I charge myself, to continue to be bold and stand firm in an unapologetic demand for systemic change and equity. Because if we abandon hope — for fear, exhaustion or apathy — the truest ideal of equal justice won’t ever be within reach.</p>
<p>Thank you for your service, and Happy Juneteenth.</p>
<p> Speaker: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/atj/staff-profile/meet-director" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Rachel Rossi, Director</a>Topic(s): Access to JusticeComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/atj/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Office for Access to Justice</a> </p>
<p> Updated June 15, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/director-rachel-rossi-office-access-justice-delivers-remarks-black-public-defender> Original Article </a></p>

FACT SHEET: Update on Justice Department ’s Ongoing Efforts to Tackle Gun Violence
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Wednesday, June 14, 2023<br />
 FACT SHEET: Update on Justice Department ’s Ongoing Efforts to Tackle Gun Violence</p>
<p>On June 14, 2023, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-delivers-remarks-meeting-us-attorneys-violent-crime" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">convened a meeting</a> with the Criminal Division, FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), U.S. Marshals Service, and all 93 U.S. Attorneys to discuss ongoing efforts to reduce violent crime and combat the gun violence that fuels it. These efforts include implementing the landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) passed by Congress and signed by the President last June; addressing the proliferation of untraceable and unlawful “ghost guns” that threaten public safety; surging resources to federal, state, local, and Tribal law-enforcement partners on the front lines; and adopting other common-sense reforms that keep guns out of the wrong hands.â¯â¯ </p>
<p><strong>Focusing U.S. Attorney Resources on Gun Crimes: </strong>Today during the meeting, the Attorney General reiterated his February 2022 direction to U.S Attorneys’ Offices to prioritize combating gun violence. Among other actions, the Attorney General directed U.S. Attorneys to increase prosecutorial resources devoted to cracking down on illegal firearm trafficking pipelines, to hold accountable those who possess unlawful “ghost guns,” and to pursue investigations against unlawful gun dealing. </p>
<p><strong>Expanding Background Checks: </strong>BSCA expanded background checks to include juvenile criminal and mental health records and local law enforcement contacts for prospective purchasers under the age of 21. Since the law’s enactment, the FBI has conducted more than 100,000 enhanced background checks for purchasers under the age of 21. Those checks have kept nearly 1,000 firearms out of the hands of dangerous and prohibited persons – including over 200 attempted transactions that were denied solely because of the changes made by BSCA. The FBI continues to engage in extensive education and outreach efforts to improve the state and local partnerships necessary to the success of these enhanced background checks, including by hosting webinars attended by over 500 law enforcement agencies.</p>
<p><strong>Narrowing the Boyfriend Loophole: </strong>BSCA also narrowed the so-called “boyfriend loophole” by expanding restrictions on firearm purchases by those convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence to include those convicted of assault in a “dating relationship.” In August 2022, the FBI implemented the new “dating relationship” definition into its background-check system, and in October, the Department trained federal prosecutors and law enforcement agents on the expanded restriction. The Department is also continuously engaging in efforts to educate state and local law enforcement, prosecutors, and court personnel on the need to document “dating relationship” factors in police reports and court records.</p>
<p><strong>Fighting Illegal Trafficking in Firearms</strong>: BSCA created new criminal offenses for unlawfully trafficking in firearms and for straw-purchasing a firearm on behalf of a prohibited person, and it expanded the definition of “engaging in the business” of dealing in firearms. In the months since BSCA’s enactment, the Department held multiple trainings for federal prosecutors and law enforcement agents on these new provisions. That upfront investment is paying dividends in the courtroom: U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country have already charged more than 100 defendants with the new BSCA offenses of firearms-trafficking and straw-purchasing, and prosecutions for engaging in the business of dealing in firearms without a license have increased 52% over their FY2021 level.</p>
<p><strong>Funding Evidence-Based Interventions: </strong>BSCA authorized a total of $1.4 billion in funding for new and existing violence-prevention and -intervention programs between 2022 and 2026. The Department has awarded more than <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-over-200-million-investments-state-crisis-intervention" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">$231 million in Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program</a> grants that will fund state crisis intervention programs, such as drug, mental health, and veterans’ treatment programs and extreme risk protection orders that will keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others. State programs funded by the grants so far include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Education, training, and public-awareness campaigns on extreme risk protection order (“red flag”) laws;</li>
<li>School resource officer training programs related to gun violence and youth mental health; and</li>
<li>Drug, mental health, and veterans treatment courts and behavioral health responses such as crisis mobile response teams and stabilization facilities.</li>
</ul>
<p>The Department has also announced the allocation of</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.ojp.gov/files/archives/pressreleases/2022/doj-awards-almost-190-million-grants-support-school-safety" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">$40 million in supplemental STOP School Violence grants</a>;</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ojp.gov/files/archives/pressreleases/2022/doj-awards-almost-190-million-grants-support-school-safety" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">$20 million in supplemental COPS School Violence Prevention Program grants</a>; and</li>
<li><a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-awards-100-million-reduce-community-violence" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">$100 million in supplemental Community Violence Intervention Grants</a>, which will go toward developing and expanding the infrastructure needed to strengthen neighborhood and community safety.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Cracking down on ghost guns: </strong>Privately made firearms (PMF) – more commonly known as “ghost guns” – are especially attractive to dangerous and prohibited persons because of their untraceable nature. In 2022, the Department recovered 25,785 ghost guns in domestic seizures, as well as 2,453 through international operations. So far in 2023, the Department has recovered more than 10,000 PMFs domestically and 1,000 internationally. These recoveries come on the heels of <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-new-rule-modernize-firearm-definitions" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">newly announced Department regulations</a> that modernize firearm definitions to curb the proliferation of ghost guns.</p>
<p><strong>Enhancing Firearm and Ballistics Tracing Efforts: </strong>The Department continues to expand the availability and effectiveness of federal investigative resources to help state, local, and Tribal partners solve crimes and bring perpetrators to justice. Last year, the National Tracing Center operated by the ATF conducted 622,735 traces for firearms associated with crimes, representing a 10% increase over 2021 and a 48% increase over 2017. As of June 2023, the National Tracing Center has conducted 299,319 traces and is forecasting a total of over 675,000 traces by the end of this year. Nearly 10,000 law enforcement agencies have now been granted access to eTrace, the online system that allows participating agencies to submit firearm traces to ATF. And since June 2022, the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN) has generated approximately 200,000 leads for law enforcement partners across the country.</p>
<p><strong>Holding Gun Dealers Who Violate the Law Accountable: </strong>The Department has adopted an enhanced enforcement policy for federally licensed firearms dealers who willfully violate the law – for example, by refusing to run required background checks or selling guns with full awareness that they will end up in the hands of prohibited persons. Earlier this year, the ATF published information on over 90 federal firearms license revocations.</p>
<p> Topic(s): Violent CrimeComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/ag/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Office of the Attorney General</a>Press Release Number: 23-665 </p>
<p> Updated June 14, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/fact-sheet-update-justice-department-s-ongoing-efforts-tackle-gun-violence> Original Article </a></p>

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks at Meeting with U.S. Attorneys on Violent Crime
<p><strong><em>Remarks as Delivered</em></strong></p>
<p>Good [afternoon]. In just a few minutes, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco and I will be meeting with all 93 of our U.S. Attorneys, and with the heads of the Department’s law enforcement components, to discuss our summer anti-violent crime strategy.</p>
<p>Among other things, we will be reinforcing the importance of identifying, investigating, and prioritizing the prosecution of those who are responsible for the greatest violence in our communities. </p>
<p>We will discuss the U.S. Marshals’ upcoming launch of the next phase of Operation North Star. The last two phases resulted in the capture of more than 2,300 fugitives wanted for violent crimes across the country. Our Deputy U.S. Marshals will conduct this next phase together with our state and local task force partners to target the most dangerous criminals in communities with the highest levels of violence.</p>
<p>We will also discuss DEA’s plans to launch the third phase of Operation Overdrive. So far, the first two phases of that operation have resulted in the seizure of over 13 million deadly doses of fentanyl and over 1,300 illegal guns, as well as over 1,700 arrests. The next phase will build on that work to disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking networks and the violent crime associated with them.</p>
<p>A little over two years ago, we issued a Department-wide strategy to leverage the resources of our federal prosecutors, agents, investigators, criminal justice experts, and grant programs to combat violent crime.</p>
<p>Since then, every one of our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country has worked alongside our state and local partners to implement district-specific violent crime reduction strategies.</p>
<p>Each of our law enforcement components has worked with its state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement partners to seize illegal guns and deadly drugs and to prosecute those who commit acts of violence in our communities.</p>
<p>In 2023 alone, we have already prosecuted more than 6,000 individuals for violent crimes.</p>
<p>At the same time, our grantmaking components have worked closely with communities across the country to provide targeted support and assistance. That includes providing resources to give law enforcement agencies the tools and training they need to protect their communities and to build the public trust that is essential to effective law enforcement.</p>
<p>Over the coming year, the Department anticipates that our Office of Justice Programs and our Office of Community Oriented Policing Services will award over $1.3 billion to support state and local law enforcement efforts to combat violent crime.</p>
<p>We have also accelerated our efforts to fight gun violence on every front – from cracking down on criminal gun-trafficking pipelines, to updating regulations, to deepening our partnerships with state and local law enforcement.</p>
<p>Today, ATF is working more closely than ever with our state and local partners to turn the evidence they collect at crime scenes into concrete leads. Using its powerful forensic ballistics tool, known as NIBIN, ATF has generated nearly 200,000 leads on violent criminals – just since last summer.</p>
<p>As we build on this work this summer, we will also be putting important new tools to use thanks to the passage last year of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.</p>
<p>Those include expanded background check requirements that require checking juvenile criminal history and mental health records before a firearm is sold to anyone under 21. </p>
<p>Thanks to those requirements, more than 200 firearms have been kept out of the hands of young people who should not have had access to them.</p>
<p>These tools also include the Act’s new proscriptions against illegal firearms trafficking and straw purchases.</p>
<p>Thanks to the work of our U.S. Attorneys, we have already charged more than 100 defendants under the Act’s gun trafficking provisions and seized hundreds of firearms in connection with those cases.</p>
<p>That work will continue.</p>
<p>Before we begin our meeting, I want to take this opportunity to publicly recognize the Department’s prosecutors and law enforcement agents.</p>
<p>Often, the Department’s law enforcement agents are among the first to arrive on the scene of a mass shooting. There, they come face-to-face with the devastation and horror inflicted on victims that, thankfully, most people will never see.</p>
<p>And often, the Department’s prosecutors are on the ground, consoling families and communities that have been shattered by horrific acts of violence, and pursuing justice on their behalf.</p>
<p>The Department’s prosecutors and law enforcement agents do enormously difficult and demanding work on behalf of the American people. And in doing so, they conduct themselves with the utmost integrity.</p>
<p>I am grateful to them. And I could not be prouder to work with them.</p>
<p>I can now take a few questions.</p>
<p> Speaker: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/ag/staff-profile/meet-attorney-general" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Attorney General Merrick B. Garland</a>Topic(s): Violent CrimeComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/ag/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Office of the Attorney General</a> </p>
<p> Updated June 14, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/attorney-general-merrick-b-garland-delivers-remarks-meeting-us-attorneys-violent-crime> Original Article </a></p>

Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco Delivers Remarks at the Southbound Firearms Trafficking Coordination Meeting
<p><strong><em>Remarks as Prepared for Delivery</em></strong></p>
<p>Thank you so much, Director Dettelbach.</p>
<p>And, thank you to the women and men of the ATF for hosting us today. </p>
<p>Thank you all for being here and for your commitment to our shared mission of keeping the American people safe.</p>
<p>I also want to acknowledge the dedicated members of the U.S. Attorney community here today—U.S. Attorneys Diggs, Esparza, Hamdani, Restaino, Simonton, and Uballez. Thanks for the work you are leading across this country to combat firearms trafficking.</p>
<p>It’s also great to be here with Deputy Secretary John Tien and the Deputy Homeland Security Advisor, Josh Geltzer. </p>
<p>And I’m grateful to Ambassador Ken Salazar for taking time out from the Chief of Missions conference to be here for this important discussion.</p>
<p>Although we represent different agencies, we share the same commitment to fighting the epidemic of gun violence that has shattered communities across our country.</p>
<p>Disrupting illegal firearms trafficking networks—those that operate within our borders and across them—is central to our efforts on both fronts.</p>
<p>The size and scale of the gun and drug trafficking networks we confront demand a united, comprehensive approach.</p>
<p>That is why we are here today.</p>
<p>The ATF is focused on using all of its authorities to prevent the trafficking of illegal firearms in the United States.</p>
<p>As you all know, the majority of firearms trafficked into Mexico—including high caliber and assault weapons—are shipped from the United States. The rise of privately made firearms, or “ghost guns,” has only made this problem more acute.</p>
<p>These weapons empower drug cartels to intimidate local communities, challenge state authority, and expand their deadly drug trade back into the United States.</p>
<p>Tragically, some of these weapons have been used against Mexican security forces bravely seeking to capture cartel leaders responsible for so much death and destruction both in Mexico and the United States.</p>
<p>That’s why we at the Department of Justice have ramped up our efforts to combat this challenge in four essential ways.</p>
<p>First, under Director Dettelbach’s leadership, we have increased joint operations with our Mexican law enforcement partners through Operation Southbound—the Department’s signature initiative to disrupt the trafficking of firearms from the U.S. to Mexico.</p>
<p>Since its creation, Operation Southbound has deployed nine Firearms Trafficking Task Forces to eight cities along the Southwest Border.</p>
<p>Focused on the trafficking of firearms to Mexico, these teams include partners from Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, and state and local law enforcement, as well as prosecutors across the U.S. Attorney community and the Department’s Criminal Division.</p>
<p>As a result of these combined efforts:</p>
<ul>
<li>Nearly 2,000 firearms were seized from last October to just the past March—a more than 65% increase over the same period last year.</li>
<li>Over 80,000 rounds of ammunition were seized in the same period—also a substantial increase since last year.</li>
</ul>
<p>In this room today, we have gathered the ATF leadership and U.S. Attorneys that are driving that success. Thank you, in advance, for the sustained commitment, energy, and initiative that we will build on in the days ahead.</p>
<p>Second, in partnership with the Government of Mexico, we have expanded access to the ATF’s eTrace system to enable Mexican law enforcement to quickly track the origin and purchaser of crime guns. In the last several months, nearly 12,000 traces were submitted to ATF by Mexican government agencies, and over a third of those were successfully traced to a purchaser.</p>
<p>Third, last year the Department of Justice established a new cartel weapons trafficking group along the Southwest border—led by U.S. Attorneys. It has already taken concerted action against firearm-trafficking networks.</p>
<p>Lastly, we are using new criminal authorities established by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act to identify and hold firearms traffickers accountable. </p>
<p>Our agents and prosecutors have now charged over 100 defendants with violations of these new firearms-trafficking or straw-purchasing provision, or in some cases, both. The firearms-trafficking provision has proven particularly useful at the Southwest Border, as more than half of all cases charging that new offense have been brought by border-state U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.</p>
<p>There are many important investigations that the U.S. Attorneys here today will highlight, including a joint ATF and HSI investigation that resulted in the arrest of Michel Bacasegua-Barriga, the alleged leader of a prolific transnational firearms trafficking group based in Nogales, Sonora. Barriga was arrested in May in partnership with Mexico’s FGR and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.</p>
<p>Another example of your collective efforts is the prosecution of Roberto Lugardo Moreno Jr. in the Southern District of Texas, a case that was made possible by cooperation with Mexican law enforcement officials. Moreno, who has pleaded guilty, straw purchased an AR-15 in Texas that was transported to Mexico and linked to the notorious kidnapping and murder of U.S. citizens in Matamoros just a few months ago.</p>
<p>These are just two examples of the outstanding work that U.S. and Mexican law enforcement are performing every day to combat cartels, trafficking organizations, and violent crime. But we must do more. Together with our partners across government, including Deputy Secretary Tien and Ambassador Salazar, we are committed to deepening our coordination and enhancing our efforts to protect our communities.</p>
<p>I urge all of us here today to redouble our efforts in the following ways:</p>
<p>First, we know that data driven efforts yield better results. To successfully combat firearms trafficking, we need reliable, actionable data that can be shared in real time.</p>
<p>To help drive this effort, I have designated a senior prosecutor in my office—Mike Ben’Ary—to lead this process and to identify new opportunities to foster cooperation and data sharing.</p>
<p>Second, we must maintain the momentum in disrupting southbound firearms trafficking during the summer months. This means pooling our resources to continue gaining ground against the cartels and those who arm them.</p>
<p>And third, it is critical that we continue to strengthen our cooperation with our Mexican partners.</p>
<p>In conversations with the highest levels of Mexican law enforcement, I confirmed that we are aligned on the firearms challenge and the need to do more. Recently, Mexican Attorney General Gertz and his Deputy Attorney General Gallo established a vetted unit to work exclusively on firearms trafficking and to focus on strategic enforcement efforts.</p>
<p>By working with this new unit, we hope to increase information sharing and access to seized firearms. That information, in turn, will allow us to trace these weapons to their source in the U.S. and identify the networks that traffic them to Mexico.</p>
<p>In just a few months, senior officials from the Mexican and United States governments will gather for the U.S.-Mexico High Level Security Dialogue, to focus on our shared security interests—including combating firearms trafficking.</p>
<p>In closing, I want to thank all my colleagues here today. Through the work of your teams, we are showing our resolve in going after violent gun trafficking networks. I’m confident with your leadership we can continue our vital work to keep our communities safe.</p>
<p>Thank you very much.</p>
<p> Speaker: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/dag/staff-profile/meet-deputy-attorney-general" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Lisa O. Monaco, Deputy Attorney General</a>Component(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/dag/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Office of the Deputy Attorney General</a> </p>
<p> Updated June 14, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/deputy-attorney-general-lisa-o-monaco-delivers-remarks-southbound-firearms-trafficking> Original Article </a></p>

U.S. Army Soldier Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Charges for Attempting to Help ISIS Conduct Deadly Ambush on U.S. Troops
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Wednesday, June 14, 2023<br />
 U.S. Army Soldier Pleads Guilty to Terrorism Charges for Attempting to Help ISIS Conduct Deadly Ambush on U.S. Troops</p>
<h2>U.S. Army Private First-Class Cole Bridges Provided Tactical Guidance in Attempt to Help ISIS Attack and Murder U.S. Service Members in the Middle East</h2>
<p>An Ohio man today pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and attempting to murder U.S. <a class="wpil_keyword_link" href="https://www.fraudswatch.com/category/military-scammer/" title="military" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="412">military</a> service members based on his efforts to help the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) to attack and kill U.S. soldiers in the Middle East.</p>
<p>Cole Bridges, aka Cole Gonzales, 22, of Stow, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman. According to court documents, Bridges joined the U.S. Army in approximately September 2019 and was assigned as a cavalry scout in the Third Infantry Division based in Fort Stewart, Georgia. Beginning in at least 2019, Bridges began researching and consuming online propaganda promoting jihadists and their violent ideology. Bridges also expressed his support for ISIS and jihad on social media. In or about October 2020, Bridges began communicating with an FBI online covert employee (the OCE), who was posing as an ISIS supporter in contact with ISIS fighters in the Middle East. During these communications, Bridges expressed his frustration with the U.S. military and his desire to aid ISIS. Bridges then provided training and guidance to purported ISIS fighters who were planning attacks, including advice about potential targets in New York City. Bridges also provided the OCE with portions of a U.S. Army training manual and guidance about military combat tactics, for use by ISIS.</p>
<p>In or about December 2020, Bridges began to supply the OCE with instructions for the purported ISIS fighters on how to attack U.S. forces in the Middle East. Among other things, Bridges diagrammed specific military maneuvers intended to help ISIS fighters maximize the lethality of attacks on U.S. troops. Bridges further provided advice about the best way to fortify an ISIS encampment to repel an attack by U.S. Special Forces, including by wiring certain buildings with explosives to kill the U.S. troops. Then, in January 2021, Bridges provided the OCE with a video of himself in his U.S. Army body armor standing in front of a flag often used by ISIS fighters and making a gesture symbolic of support for ISIS. Approximately a week later, Bridges sent a second video in which Bridges, using a voice manipulator, narrated a propaganda speech in support of the anticipated ambush by ISIS on U.S. troops.</p>
<p>Attempting to provide material support to ISIS carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, and attempting to murder U.S. military service members carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Bridges is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 2.</p>
<p>Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York and Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI Counterterrorism Division made the announcement.</p>
<p>The FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which primarily consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI, the New York City Police Department, and over 50 other federal, state and local agencies, is investigating the case. The U.S. Army Counterintelligence, the FBI Washington Field Office, the FBI Atlanta Field Office and its Savannah Resident Agency, the FBI Cleveland Field Office, the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command and the U.S. Army Third Infantry Division provided valuable assistance.</p>
<p>Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Adelsberg and Matthew Hellman for the Southern District of New York and Trial Attorney Michael Dittoe of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case.</p>
<p> Topic(s): CounterterrorismComponent(s): <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/nsd" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">National Security Division (NSD)</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">USAO &#8211; New York, Southern</a>Press Release Number: 23-664 </p>
<p> Updated June 14, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-army-soldier-pleads-guilty-terrorism-charges-attempting-help-isis-conduct-deadly-ambush-us> Original Article </a></p>

Montana Man Sentenced for Federal Hate and Firearms Crimes for Shooting Intended to Kill and Rid Town of LGBTQI+ Residents
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Wednesday, June 14, 2023<br />
 Montana Man Sentenced for Federal Hate and Firearms Crimes for Shooting Intended to Kill and Rid Town of LGBTQI+ Residents</p>
<p>A Montana man was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris to 18 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release for shooting into a residence and attempting to shoot others with the intent of ridding a town of LGBTQI+ residents.</p>
<p>John Russell Howald, of Basin, was convicted by a federal jury on Feb. 17 of a hate crime involving an attempt to kill and discharge of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence for firing an AK-style rifle at the residence of a woman who was known within the town as lesbian and was home at the time, and then walking further into town intending to target others he perceived to be lesbian, queer, and gay. The trial lasted four days.</p>
<p>“This defendant is being held accountable for his horrific attempted mass shooting against the LGBTQI+ community in a Montana town,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Howald set out to rid the town of all LGBTQI+ members by killing them. He shot into the home of a lesbian resident, nearly killing her, with the hope of inspiring similar attacks around the country. The Justice Department will continue to vigorously defend the rights of all people, regardless of their sexual orientation, to be free from hate-fueled violence. This Pride Month, we affirm our commitment to using the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act to hold perpetrators of hate-fueled violence targeting the LGBTQI+ community accountable.”</p>
<p>“Howald fired multiple shots into someone’s home based solely on her sexual orientation and only the heroic and brave actions of residents and law enforcement, as well as some good fortune, prevented a targeted mass shooting,” said U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich for the District of Montana. “It is the kind of conduct that has no place in Montana, which is why our office vigorously prosecuted Howald and why the justice system is holding him accountable for his actions. Our office has an unshakable commitment to uphold the rule of law and protect the civil rights of all Montanans, including our LGBTQI+ friends and family members.”</p>
<p>“Motivated by hatred of the LGBTQI+ community and armed with multiple firearms and high-capacity magazines, this defendant sought to intimidate &#8211; even terrorize – an entire community by shooting into the victim’s home trying to kill her for no reason other than her sexual orientation, this defendant did something distinctly un-American by depriving her of her sense of safety, freedom and privacy all at once,” said ATF Director Steven Dettelbach. “This 18-year sentence reflects the appalling nature of Howald’s actions. I want to commend the ATF Helena Field Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their extraordinary work ensuring justice, not only for the victim, but for the entire LGBTQI+ community.”</p>
<p>“The unfortunate reality is bigotry and hate exist in our communities. Still, as a diverse nation, we will not tolerate violence motivated by such bias,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office. “The harm and trauma experienced by the victim, her family, and the entire community may be irreparable, but rest assured, the FBI is committed to protecting the civil rights of all.”</p>
<p>According to court documents, on March 22, 2020, Howald went on a self-described mission to rid the town of Basin of its lesbian, queer and gay community. Howald was armed with two assault rifles, a hunting rifle, two pistols and multiple high-capacity magazines that were taped together to speed reloading. Howald walked to the first victim’s residence and fired multiple rounds from an AK-style rifle into her property and home, all because of his belief regarding her sexual orientation. Hoping he had killed her, Howald set off toward other houses occupied by people who identify as lesbian, queer or gay.</p>
<p>Local residents, who knew Howald and happened to be leaving church, stalled him long enough for a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy to respond and inadvertently recorded Howald yelling and firing more rounds with the same rifle, expressing his hatred toward the community’s gay and lesbian residents and his determination to “clean” them from his town. When the deputy arrived, Howald pointed the AK-style rifle at the officer, nearly starting a shootout in downtown Basin, and then fled into the hills, firing at least one round as he went. Law enforcement arrested Howald the next day and found him armed with a loaded pistol and a knife. In Howald’s car, officers found an AR-style rifle and a revolver. During a search of Howald’s camper, officers found an AK-style rifle, a hunting rifle, and ammunition.</p>
<p>Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Laslovich, Special Agent in Charge Gibson and ATF Director Dettelbach made the announcement.</p>
<p>The FBI, ATF and Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.</p>
<p>Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan R. Plaut for the District of Montana and Trial Attorney Eric N. Peffley of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.</p>
<p> Topic(s): Civil RightsComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Civil Rights Division</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/crm/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Civil Rights &#8211; Criminal Section</a>Press Release Number: 23-663 </p>
<p> Updated June 14, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/montana-man-sentenced-federal-hate-and-firearms-crimes-shooting-intended-kill-and-rid-town> Original Article </a></p>

Construction Firm CFO Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax Crime
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Tuesday, June 13, 2023<br />
 Construction Firm CFO Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax Crime</p>
<h2>Defendant Failed to Pay More Than $6 Million in Payroll Taxes</h2>
<p>The Chief <a class="wpil_keyword_link" href="https://www.fraudswatch.com/tag/financial-fraud/" title="Financial" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="1011">Financial</a> Officer (CFO) of a Mississippi company pleaded guilty today to willfully failing to report and pay over employment taxes withheld from employees’ paychecks.</p>
<p>According to court documents and statements made in court, Julian Russ of Houma, Louisiana, was the CFO of Community Construction Company LLC, a pipeline-maintenance and construction company based in Hazelhurst, Mississippi. From at least 2012 through October 2018, Russ did not file required quarterly employment tax returns or pay over the taxes withheld from employees’ wages to the IRS, despite knowing of his obligation to do so. In total, Russ caused a tax loss to the IRS of more than $6 million.</p>
<p>Russ faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution, and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory actors.</p>
<p>Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Darren J. LaMarca for the Southern District of Mississippi made the announcement. </p>
<p>IRS-Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.</p>
<p>Trial Attorney Curtis Weidler of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Kirkham for the Southern District of Mississippi are prosecuting the case.</p>
<p> Topic(s): TaxComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/tax/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Tax Division</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao-sdms" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">USAO &#8211; Mississippi, Southern</a>Press Release Number: 23-662 </p>
<p> Updated June 13, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/construction-firm-cfo-pleads-guilty-employment-tax-crime> Original Article </a></p>

Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Tuesday, June 13, 2023<br />
 Oregon Man Pleads Guilty to Conspiring to Provide Material Support to ISIS</p>
<p>An Oregon man pleaded guilty in federal court today for conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) by producing and distributing propaganda and recruiting materials online in coordination with ISIS members overseas.</p>
<p>Hawazen Sameer Mothafar, 33, an Iraqi national residing in Troutdale, Oregon, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.</p>
<p>According to court documents, Mothafar immigrated to the U.S. from Iraq in 2014 and, since his arrival, has resided in Troutdale. An ISIS supporter since 2014, Mothafar was the co-founder of the Sunni Shield Foundation, a pro-ISIS media organization that created and published violent propaganda promoting ISIS ideology and objectives. In this role, Mothafar created the Sunni Shield’s first media product, a video of ISIS battle footage obtained from an official ISIS online platform intended to promote ISIS. In subsequent videos produced by Mothafar, he encouraged viewers to travel to Iraq and Syria to fight for ISIS and conduct attacks on behalf of the organization.</p>
<p>Mothafar and other members of the Sunni Shield obtained ISIS Central Media’s permission to begin publishing Al Anfal, an online newspaper promoting the Islamic State’s goals and advocating violent jihad. Mothafar oversaw planning and production of the publication while also serving as one of its graphic designers. Graphics designed by Mothafar for the publication incited readers to attack and kill Westerners and conduct knife attacks against ISIS enemies.</p>
<p>Mothafar communicated directly with ISIS Central Media officials in Iraq, from whom he regularly took instructions about media production. He represented the Sunni Shield in a private online group comprised of ISIS Central Media officials and representatives of other ISIS supporter groups. In this group, ISIS media officials would pass instructions to the supporter groups about official ISIS media campaigns. The supporter groups, including the Sunni Shield, would then prepare media materials to publish in support of the campaigns.</p>
<p>In addition to his work with the Sunni Shield, Mothafar aided other pro-ISIS media organizations and conspired with numerous ISIS associates in furtherance of his support to the terrorist organization. Mothafar provided graphic designs to the Khattab Media Foundation, assisted in the production of the Youth of the Caliphate magazine, published ISIS news on Nashr News Agency channels, worked with Fursan al-Rafa’ (Knights of Uploading) to publish pro-ISIS material on various websites, and assisted the Saqri Foundation with designs. Mothafar also communicated with Abu Qaswara al-Shanqiti, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist imprisoned in West Africa, and connected Qaswara al-Shanqiti with two ISIS officials in hopes of aiding his release.</p>
<p>On Nov. 3, 2020, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a five-count indictment <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-or/pr/portland-area-resident-indicted-providing-material-support-isis" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">charging</a> Mothafar with conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, providing and attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, and making false statements in an immigration application and to a government agency.</p>
<p>Mothafar faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and a life term of supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 11, 2024 before U.S. District Court Judge Marco A. Hernández.</p>
<p>Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Natalie K. Wight, and Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI Counterterrorism Division made the announcement.</p>
<p>The FBI Portland Field Office is investigating the case.</p>
<p> Topic(s): CounterterrorismComponent(s): <a href="http://www.fbi.gov/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)</a><a href="https://www.justice.gov/nsd" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">National Security Division (NSD)</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/usao-or" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">USAO &#8211; Oregon</a>Press Release Number: 23-661 </p>
<p> Updated June 13, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/oregon-man-pleads-guilty-conspiring-provide-material-support-isis> Original Article </a></p>

Property Management Company to Pay Nearly $75,000 to Resolve Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Claims
<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br />
 Tuesday, June 13, 2023<br />
 Property Management Company to Pay Nearly $75,000 to Resolve Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Claims</p>
<p>The Justice Department today announced that FPI Management Inc. (FPI) has agreed to pay $74,087 to resolve allegations that it violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by imposing unlawful charges on nine servicemembers who were exercising their right to terminate their apartment leases after receiving <a class="wpil_keyword_link" href="https://www.fraudswatch.com/category/military-scammer/" title="military" data-wpil-keyword-link="linked" data-wpil-monitor-id="411">military</a> orders to relocate.</p>
<p>“The right for servicemembers to terminate leases without penalty when military orders send them elsewhere is a critical protection for people who already sacrifice so much,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to enforce federal civil rights laws to ensure that paying rent for housing they no longer need is not another sacrifice servicemembers must bear.”</p>
<p>“The SCRA protects servicemembers who have answered our country’s call to serve,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert for the Eastern District of California. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners in the Civil Rights Division stand ready to vindicate those rights, to allow our servicemembers to focus on their duty and relieve stress on them and their families.”</p>
<p>The SCRA extends various protections to servicemembers to allow them to devote their entire energy to the national defense. The SCRA provides protections for servicemembers in areas such as evictions, security deposits, pre-paid rent, civil judicial proceedings, installment contracts, interest rates, foreclosures and automobile leases. The SCRA also allows servicemembers to terminate their residential leases after entering military service or receiving military orders for a permanent change of station, deployment or retirement. Landlords are prohibited from imposing an early termination charge on servicemembers who terminate their leases under the SCRA.</p>
<p>The department launched an investigation into FPI’s leasing practices after receiving a referral from Coast Guard Legal Assistance about two instances where FPI attempted to require servicemembers who were terminating their leases early under the SCRA to repay discounts they had received when they signed the lease. In one case, FPI required Coast Guard Petty Officer First Class Aaron Gomez and his wife to repay $8,590 in lease concessions after they terminated their lease at an apartment building in Oakland, California, near Coast Guard Island Alameda. In the other case, FPI told Coast Guard Petty Officer First Class William Fuchs that he would have to repay $7,838 in lease incentives after he terminated his lease at the same apartment building. Fuchs had just received military orders to relocate Charleston, South Carolina.</p>
<p>In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, the department alleges that FPI unlawfully imposed early termination charges on a total of nine servicemembers who had exercised their right to terminate their residential leases upon receipt of qualifying military orders.</p>
<p>Under the consent order, which still must be approved by the court, FPI has agreed to pay a total of $51,587 to the servicemembers and a $22,500 civil penalty to the United States. The order also requires FPI to repair the servicemembers’ tenant database entries, implement new policies and procedures that comply with the SCRA and training its employees on the SCRA.</p>
<p>Since 2011, the Justice Department has been awarded over $481 million in monetary relief for over 146,000 servicemembers through its enforcement of the SCRA. For more information about the department’s SCRA enforcement efforts, please visit <a href="http://www.servicemembers.gov/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">www.servicemembers.gov</a>.</p>
<p>Servicemembers and their dependents who believe that their rights under the SCRA have been violated should contact the nearest Armed Forces Legal Assistance Program Office. Office locations may be found at <a href="http://legalassistance.law.af.mil/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">legalassistance.law.af.mil</a>.</p>
<p> Attachment(s): <img title="application/pdf" src="https://www.justice.gov/modules/file/icons/application-pdf.png"/> <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1587321/download" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Download Complaint.pdf</a><img title="application/pdf" src="https://www.justice.gov/modules/file/icons/application-pdf.png"/> <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/press-release/file/1587326/download" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Download Consent Order.pdf</a>Topic(s): Servicemembers InitiativeCivil RightsFair HousingComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Civil Rights Division</a><a href="http://www.justice.gov/crt/about/hce/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Civil Rights &#8211; Housing and Civil Enforcement Section</a>Press Release Number: 23-660 </p>
<p> Updated June 13, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/property-management-company-pay-nearly-75000-resolve-servicemembers-civil-relief-act-claims> Original Article </a></p>

Deputy Assistant Attorney General Manish Kumar Delivers Remarks at Global Competition Review Live: Cartels 2023
<p>Thank you for the kind introduction. I appreciate the opportunity to share some thoughts with all of you today on the Antitrust Division’s global approach to criminal enforcement.</p>
<p>One of our values at the Antitrust Division, and the department as a whole, is to be clear with the public about our enforcement priorities, policies and the standards we apply in making charging decisions. And when we have issues and topics appropriate for reasoned discussion, we want to hear from a diverse set of views. For this reason, my colleagues and I appreciate the opportunity to participate in today’s conversations and describe the outstanding work by division prosecutors day in and day out to seek economic justice on behalf of our country.</p>
<p>Economic liberty is something cherished around the world. Looking at the enforcers, private practitioners, competition law experts, in-house counsel and former colleagues assembled in this room, there is at least one thing we share: We all want dynamic, vibrant economies, where innovation and entrepreneurship are encouraged. We need global supply chains and labor markets to work smoothly and international trade to flourish. Simply put, we all benefit when markets are free from collusion.</p>
<p>To accomplish this aim, effective antitrust enforcement requires a coordinated, global approach. When I say “global” I mean international in the literal sense. But I also mean a holistic approach. We are engaging more law enforcement partners and regulators, both in the U.S. and abroad. We are innovating as we embrace new technologies like data analytics and data science. We are expanding our toolkit, both in the statutes that we charge and the investigative strategies that we employ. We are investing in technology and personnel within the division to increase our investigation and litigation capabilities.</p>
<p>With that concept of “global” in mind, there are three topics that I’d like to address today:</p>
<p>First, I want to reaffirm some core principles for our criminal enforcement program that underlie this global approach.</p>
<p>Second, I want to share with you more about the proactive, comprehensive approach that the Antitrust Division is taking in our investigations and outreach. This approach both increases detection and in turn encourages companies to invest in compliance and, where compliance fails to prevent a violation, to avail itself of the leniency program.</p>
<p>Finally, I want to talk about some of the division’s important work in the international arena to deter and detect cartels and to help build capacity for antitrust enforcement around the globe.</p>
<p>Before I talk about how our criminal program is evolving and innovating, I want to place this work in the context of the Division’s long history of cartel enforcement. Over the years, our core principles have remained unchanged. Our leniency program relies on certain cornerstones: the threat of severe and significant sanctions, a heightened risk of detection, and transparent and predictable enforcement policies. As my predecessors have stated, for the program to be effective, rather than simply espousing these cornerstones, we have to reaffirm them continuously through our actions.</p>
<p>These are enduring lessons, which is why you can find some version of what I just said in speeches from every one of my predecessors dating back to the birth of the leniency program.</p>
<p>These cornerstones have been a constant throughout my time as a trial attorney, as a manager in the San Francisco Office, and now as Criminal Deputy. It is in this new role that I want to talk more about how we maintain transparency and predictability even as our criminal program evolves over time.</p>
<p>The pandemic reminded us how the world can change, and that we must adapt to those changes even though our mission remains the same. We cannot close our eyes to changing realities, like the opportunities and threats posed by AI, or the global pandemic and supply chain crisis, or increasing consolidation and inflation that hurts everyday Americans. Nor should we ignore the lessons we learn from seeing our policies play out in action, in the context of real investigations and of course, litigation. We must update our investigative techniques to tackle new technologies and ways to collude. And we need to foster productive dialogue with the broader community, including our fellow enforcers, government counterparts and practitioners and incorporate the valuable feedback and new ideas we hear.</p>
<p>So how can we ensure transparency and predictability even as our work evolves to meet our mission? We do this by ensuring our policies and practices are accessible. We write them down in the Justice Manual and in accessible public documents, and we speak publicly about our enforcement priorities and the concerns we’re seeing. And of course, the cases we file are the best guidance of all.</p>
<p>Our experience updating the Leniency Policy last year illustrates this point.</p>
<p>In our first revision to the Leniency Policy since 1993, the policy was incorporated into the Justice Manual. And the division also published a substantial update to our frequently asked questions as a means of clarifying the policy and consolidating the guidance from numerous speeches into a single source.</p>
<p>The goal of all of this was to increase transparency and predictability for everyone: from small mom-and-pop businesses to sophisticated multinationals.</p>
<p>The substantive changes were incremental, largely reflecting places where our practices had begun to diverge from the written policy. The core of the leniency policy has always been to encourage timely self-reporting by providing nonprosecution protection to only the first company or individual to self-report, and this of course is unchanged.</p>
<p>The policy updates also reflect the division’s consistent approach with the rest of the department. For example, the requirement that an applicant promptly self-report its misconduct mirrors the prompt reporting requirements in the Criminal Division’s Voluntary Self-Disclosure and Corporate Enforcement Policy and the USAO’s recent Voluntary Self-Disclosure Policy. In other respects, of course, the Leniency Policy differs from every other self-disclosure policy at the department in that it provides non-prosecution protections for executives.</p>
<p>Policies and priorities can and should evolve over time to ensure we are best meeting our mandate. But as the division has long done, when we make these changes, they are incremental, predictable, and clear to the public. Here today, the division is reaffirming its commitment to a criminal enforcement program that is predictable and transparent.</p>
<p>As I turn to my next topic of proactive investigations and outreach, I will begin by referencing another cornerstone: the risk of detection.</p>
<p>As the division has long recognized, this cornerstone is critical to an effective leniency program. The more a company is concerned that we will discover its criminal conduct, the more likely it is to report its wrongdoing and provide valuable cooperation in exchange for leniency.</p>
<p>So under Assistant Attorney General Kanter’s leadership, we are laser-focused on increasing the risk that cartel conduct will be detected — not only to maintain the incentives for a wrongdoer to seek leniency, but also to make sure that antitrust risk is front and center when companies are deciding where to invest in compliance, and to best position our prosecutors to investigate and bring cases without a leniency applicant when necessary. As time and experience has shown, conspiracy cases based on immunized testimony have unique challenges.</p>
<p>With all that said, how do we maximize detection?</p>
<p>We start with law enforcement, by expanding the reach of the Antitrust Division by working with partners who are force multipliers.</p>
<p>Increasingly, antitrust investigations and prosecutions are not being run by the Antitrust Division alone but are being conducted in consultation and often coordination with local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.</p>
<p>The Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF), first launched in 2019 and led by my colleague Dan Glad, serves as a model for this interagency approach.</p>
<p>The PCSF initiative shows the force multiplier concept at work. Through the PCSF, antitrust prosecutors in the five criminal offices of the Antitrust Division can collaborate through preexisting partnerships with more than twenty U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country.</p>
<p>In addition to the FBI, the PCSF also adds ten more federal law enforcement agencies that can assist in Antitrust Division investigations, including investigators in Offices of Inspector General that have subject matter expertise in everything from defense contracting to energy production.</p>
<p>We are also bringing new tools to bear, such as data analytics. To that end, the PCSF Data Analytics Project works to encourage the application of data analytics to procurement data throughout the federal government. This training, which has included investigators, analysts, auditors, and data scientists for various federal agencies with procurement and investigation functions, focuses on recognizing suspicious bid patterns and identifying other red flags of collusion.</p>
<p>In addition, the Antitrust Division is investing in cutting-edge collusion detection methods by building our internal capacity. As has been publicly announced, the division is actively hiring data scientists to work alongside its attorneys and economists.</p>
<p>I want to address my final point to the in-house counsel in the room, which is the affirmative outreach that we conduct and the complaints that we receive from industry participants.</p>
<p>While many of these efforts are not in public view, there are important outreach efforts that the Antitrust Division does publicly announce for purposes of deterrence and lead generation. For example, in February 2022, the Antitrust Division announced a global supply chain initiative to deter and detect price fixing and other collusive schemes aimed at exploiting global supply chain disruptions and other inflationary pressures following the Covid-19 pandemic.</p>
<p>When talking to would-be complainants, a question that we get often is whether the Antitrust Division will treat the information they provide confidentially. The answer is yes.</p>
<p>It is the Antitrust Division’s consistent practice to “protect the identity of complainants and the information they provide to the full extent of the law.” We treat this information like we would if it came from any confidential human source that is assisting an investigation. We know it is a difficult decision to blow the whistle on a trading partner, even if it the right thing to do to prevent wrongdoing against other victims. For this reason, we are happy to have off-the-record, anonymous conversations with complainants to further explain how confidentiality works in practice during our investigations.</p>
<p>I say all of this in this forum because many of the members of this audience work for companies that might be witnesses to anticompetitive conduct. These risks are especially acute given continued supply chain disruptions and inflationary pressures that impact the macroeconomy.</p>
<p>Upstream suppliers, downstream customers, distributors, retailers, and other types of market participants are uniquely positioned to detect cartel behavior in their respective industries. These companies can serve as an early warning system.</p>
<p>It may be an overlooked aspect of corporate compliance training. You are likely to see red flags and indicia of collusion before we do, especially in your procurement departments.</p>
<p>Such training can limit or even avoid criminal sanctions on the one hand, and potentially allow for recovering damages on the other.</p>
<p>I can say that the Antitrust Division currently is — and will continue — working with individuals and responsible corporate citizens in the business community as part of our ongoing efforts to identify criminal conduct.</p>
<p>As part of those efforts, we are taking steps to encourage and protect individual whistleblowers. As you may be aware, individual whistleblowers now receive protection under the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act (CAARA) when assisting in antitrust investigations. We are also looking at ways to promote access via our website and Citizen Complaint Center so that members of the public can register antitrust complaints and concerns more efficiently.</p>
<p>As a result of these efforts, and others that I have not mentioned, the Antitrust Division is pursuing proactive investigations at a pace not seen in decades.</p>
<p>Many of these matters are intelligence-driven at their inception and involve consultation with other antitrust enforcers. Other proactive investigations are predicated on complaints from industry participants, tips from citizens, and referrals from other agencies.</p>
<p>Having now visited with prosecutors in all five of our offices with acting director Emma Burnham, we are continually impressed by the creativity and persistence with which they are pursing investigative leads across a range of industries and geographies alongside their law enforcement partners, using the full complement of investigative techniques. It is truly something behold and one of the best parts of my new role.</p>
<p>My final topic today is how engagement at the international level is a critical component of our global approach to cartel detection and deterrence.</p>
<p>For decades, the United States has promoted international engagement and the adoption of criminal cartel enforcement. Today, more jurisdictions than ever before are effectively investigating and seriously punishing cartel offenses.</p>
<p>This topic could not be more timely. Next week, the division will be participating in meetings of the OECD’s Competition Committee, including a roundtable on Cooperation and Enforcement. The Competition Committee facilitates exchanges of views on competition policy issues, and since adopting its Hard Core Cartel Recommendation 25 years ago, it has played a critical role in making cartel enforcement a priority around the globe. Those meetings are an important opportunity for the Antitrust Division and our international counterparts to learn from each other.</p>
<p>That regular engagement with our fellow enforcers runs a broad spectrum from case-specific cooperation, to sharing leads and ideas for investigative methods, to productive dialogues that inform our respective policies. All of those collaborations make us more effective enforcers within our respective jurisdictions, many of which now prosecute collusion criminally. They help us root out transnational collusion. In an increasingly globalized economy, they maximize our ability to promote competitive markets around the world.</p>
<p>Much of this engagement among enforcers, including at OECD, happens outside the view of the defense bar and business community. There are good reasons why not all of our conversations can be public, including to preserve confidentiality and maximize candor on sensitive issues. But we balance those needs against another set of critically important values: transparency, predictability, and equal access to justice — a key priority of the entire Justice Department. That is why I am pleased to preview a few of the topics that have been on my mind as I engage with my colleagues around the world, why these remarks will be published on our public website, and why I look forward to further engagement with the broader bar, business community, and public.</p>
<p>The OECD event is one of several ways in which we are working to bring the international antitrust enforcement community closer together, perhaps more so than at any point in the history of the division.</p>
<p>In March 2023, the Antitrust Division, along with our sister agency the Federal Trade Commission, hosted an Enforcers’ Summit in Washington, D.C. The summit convened enforcement agencies from the United States and around the globe “to discuss enforcement priorities and strategies for effective coordination.”<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/#_ftn1" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">[1]</a></p>
<p>The Antitrust Division also serves as a co-chair of the International Competition Network’s Cartel Working Group. Alongside our counterparts from Chile and Italy,<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/#_ftn2" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">[2]</a> the Antitrust Division launched a multi-year project called “Back to Basics,” a series of experiential learning programs designed to help ICN members improve cartel detection and enforcement techniques.</p>
<p>The Antitrust Division is also working to expand successful national initiatives to the international level. Building on the success of the Procurement Collusion Strike Force, the PCSF: Global initiative was launched with an inaugural presentation to the OECD’s Competition Committee in 2020. PCSF: Global has already conducted workshops, trainings, and presentations in countries ranging from the Republic of Korea to Bosnia-Herzegovina, and to audiences including U.S. and foreign criminal investigators, prosecutors, analysts, and auditors. Not surprisingly, the PCSF has already recorded its first successful international prosecution, which yielded a significant criminal fine for a price-fixing conspiracy targeting the United States Department of Defense.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/#_ftn3" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">[3]</a></p>
<p>Finally, as I previously mentioned, as part of the global supply chain initiative, the Antitrust Division is working with a number of antitrust enforcers around the globe, including the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority — I understand that you will be hearing from my colleague Juliette Enser later today, European Commission’s Directorate General for Competition, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Canadian Competition Bureau, and the New Zealand Commerce Commission.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/#_ftn4" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">[4]</a> The Division’s investigative efforts have benefitted greatly from these and other bilateral and multilateral conversations, and I expect that you will be seeing the fruits of these collaborations in our future enforcement activities.<a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/#_ftn5" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">[5]</a></p>
<p>Today, you will hear from a number of division leaders and highly experienced cartel practitioners. I encourage you to attend the panels with my colleagues Jim Fredricks, the chief of our Washington Criminal II Section, Carolyn Olson, who is acting chief of our Washington Criminal I section and Special Counsel Andrew Schupanitz. I know that you will appreciate their insights, which are informed by their exemplary work leading the Division’s investigations and litigation.</p>
<p>We welcome the opportunity to share our thoughts with you all today and facilitate a public dialogue based on shared values, like promoting competition. While the adversarial setting of a courtroom is like second nature to many of us, let us not forget that there is also much we accomplish when we listen to each other. I look forward to today’s conversations. Thank you.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/#_ftnref1" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">[1]</a> <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-and-federal-trade-commission-hold-annual-spring-enforcers-summit" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-and-federal-trade-commission-hold-annual-spring-enforcers-summit</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/#_ftnref2" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">[2]</a> Chile’s Fiscalía Nacional Económica (FNE) and Italy’s Autorità Garante Della Concorrenza e del Mercato (AGCM).</p>
<p><a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/#_ftnref3" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">[3]</a> See U.S. DOJ Office of Public Affairs, <em>Belgian Security Services Firm Agrees to Plead Guilty to Criminal Antitrust Conspiracy Affecting Department of Defense Procurement</em>, (June 2021) available at <a href="https://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/09/2002758992/-1/-1/1/210625_BELGIAN-SECURITY-SERVICES-FIRM-A.PDF" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">ttps://media.defense.gov/2021/Jul/09/2002758992/-1/-1/1/210625_BELGIAN-SECURITY-SERVICES-FIRM-A.PDF</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/#_ftnref4" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">[4]</a> Richard A. Powers, <em>Keynote at the University of Southern California Global Competition Thought Leadership Conference</em>, (June 2022) available at <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/deputy-assistant-attorney-general-richard-powers-delivers-keynote-university-southern" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/deputy-assistant-attorney-general-richard-powers-delivers-keynote-university-southern</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/#_ftnref5" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">[5]</a> Manish Kumar, Deputy Assistant Attorney General, <em>Remarks at Second Annual Spring Enforcers Summit</em>, (March 2023) available at <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/deputy-assistant-attorney-general-manish-kumar-delivers-remarks-second-annual-spring" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/deputy-assistant-attorney-general-manish-kumar-delivers-remarks-second-annual-spring</a>.</p>
<p> Speaker: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/atr/staff-profile/manish-kumar-deputy-assistant-attorney-general-criminal-enforcement" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Manish Kumar, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Enforcement</a>Topic(s): AntitrustComponent(s): <a href="http://www.justice.gov/atr/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Antitrust Division</a> </p>
<p> Updated June 7, 2023<a href=https://www.justice.gov/opa/speech/deputy-assistant-attorney-general-manish-kumar-delivers-remarks-global-competition-review>Original Article</a></p>