title: U.S. Attorney Announces Arrest Of Bronx Woman For Threatening To Shoot Up A New Rochelle Restaurant And Sports Bar On A Saturday Night

component: USAO - New York, Southern

body_text: Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, the Assistant Director in Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and Robert Gazzola, the Commissioner of the New Rochelle Police Department (“NRPD”), announced that JAYLEEN MOTA was arrested on April 16, 2023, and charged via a criminal Complaint filed in White Plains federal court with making threatening interstate communications, in which MOTA threatened to shoot up a popular nationwide chain restaurant and sports bar located on LeCount Place in New Rochelle on Saturday night. MOTA will be presented in White Plains federal court later today before United States Magistrate Judge Andrew E. Krause. U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “Actual or threatened gun violence cannot be tolerated. Simply put, those who place the public in fear by engaging in or threatening the use of violence will be held accountable. This Office commends the swift action of the New Rochelle Police Department and the FBI in quickly tracking down this threat.” FBI Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll said: “As alleged, Ms. Mota sent a series of text messages in which she threatened to commit a mass shooting at a crowded New Rochelle restaurant. Communicating threats like those we allege she made can waste valuable law enforcement resources and cause unnecessary alarm in our communities. Today’s charges should serve as a reminder for all that the FBI takes these types of threats seriously, and there will be consequences for those who make them.” NRPD Commissioner Robert Gazzola said: “I want to commend the New Rochelle Police detectives, members of the Westchester County Department of Public Safety's Real Time Crime Center, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney's Office. They worked quickly and diligently to identify and arrest the individual who allegedly made threats of mass violence directed at a local New Rochelle restaurant. It is a testament to the professional cooperation that exists in law enforcement today. The New Rochelle Police Department does not tolerate such acts and will make every effort to identify and arrest anyone making such threats.” As alleged in the Complaint filed today: [1] On April 15, 2023, the NRPD received a call from an individual (“Caller-1”) who had received an initial text message from an unknown person, later identified as MOTA, threatening to “shoot[] up” a popular nationwide chain restaurant and sports bar located on LeCount Place in New Rochelle (the “Victim Restaurant”). The text message further stated that there would be a “massacre” and “lots of people are going down.” A subsequent text message stated that “[t]odays a busy night because of the game DON’T TAKE ME AS A JOKE lots of people will die DON’T CALL THE STORE AND RUIN MY PLANS I’m gonna make the news.” That same day, the NRPD received a call from a second individual (“Caller-2”) who had received an identical text message from an unknown person threatening to “shooting[] up” the Victim Restaurant and commit a “massacre,” stating, “lots of people are going down.” The NRPD took the phone number from which the text-message threats were sent and traced the number back to MOTA. On the evening of April 15, 2023, pursuant to a search warrant, the FBI and New Rochelle Police searched MOTA’s apartment and found both MOTA and the cellphone from which MOTA sent the threats. After informing MOTA of her Miranda rights, she consented to being interviewed and admitted that she had sent text messages threatening to shoot up the Victim Restaurant to five individuals. * * * MOTA, 21, of the Bronx, New York, is charged with making threatening interstate communications, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential penalty is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge. Mr. Williams praised the outstanding investigative efforts of the NRPD and the FBI’s Westchester Safe Streets Task Force, which consists of investigators and analysts from the FBI and other New York state and local agencies. The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Ly is in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the descriptions of the Complaint set forth below constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.


title: Two Arrested for Operating Illegal Overseas Police Station of the Chinese Government

component: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

body_text: A complaint was unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, charging two defendants in connection with opening and operating an illegal overseas police station, located in lower Manhattan, New York, for a provincial branch of the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). “Harry” Lu Jianwang, 61, of the Bronx, and Chen Jinping, 59, of Manhattan, were arrested earlier this morning at their homes in New York City. Their initial appearances are scheduled this afternoon in Brooklyn before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ramon E. Reyes Jr. As alleged in the complaint, Lu and Chen are charged with conspiring to act as agents of the PRC government as well as obstructing justice by destroying evidence of their communications with an MPS official. The defendants worked together to establish the first overseas police station in the United States on behalf of the Fuzhou branch of the MPS. The police station – which closed in the fall of 2022 after those operating it became aware of the FBI’s investigation – occupied a floor in an office building in Manhattan’s Chinatown. While acting under the direction and control of an MPS Official, Lu and Chen helped open and operate the clandestine police station. None of the participants in the scheme informed the U.S. government that they were helping the PRC government surreptitiously open and operate an illegal MPS police station on U.S. soil. “The PRC, through its repressive security apparatus, established a secret physical presence in New York City to monitor and intimidate dissidents and those critical of its government,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The PRC’s actions go far beyond the bounds of acceptable nation-state conduct. We will resolutely defend the freedoms of all those living in our country from the threat of authoritarian repression.” “This prosecution reveals the Chinese government’s flagrant violation of our nation’s sovereignty by establishing a secret police station in the middle of New York City,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “As alleged, the defendants and their co-conspirators were tasked with doing the PRC’s bidding, including helping locate a Chinese dissident living in the United States, and obstructed our investigation by deleting their communications. Such a police station has no place here in New York City – or any American community.” “It is simply outrageous that China’s Ministry of Public Security thinks it can get away with establishing a secret, illegal police station on U.S. soil to aid its efforts to export repression and subvert our rule of law,” said Acting Assistant Director Kurt Ronnow of the FBI Counterintelligence Division. “This case serves as a powerful reminder that the People’s Republic of China will stop at nothing to bend people to their will and silence messages they don’t want anyone to hear. The FBI is dedicated to protecting everyone in the United States against efforts to undermine our democratic freedoms, and we’ll hold any state actors – and those who help them – accountable for breaking our laws.” Before helping to open the police station in early 2022, Lu had a longstanding relationship of trust with PRC law enforcement, including the MPS. Since 2015, and through the operation of the secret police station, Lu was tasked with carrying out various activities, including to assist the PRC government’s repressive activities on U.S. soil: In 2015, during PRC President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States, Lu participated in counterprotests in Washington, D.C,. against members of a religion that is forbidden under PRC law. A deputy director of the MPS awarded Lu a plaque for the work he performed on behalf of the PRC government. In 2018, Lu was enlisted in efforts to cause a purported PRC fugitive to return to the PRC. The victim reported being repeatedly harassed to return to the PRC, including through threats of violence made to the victim and the victim’s family in the United States and in the PRC. In 2022, the MPS Official sought Lu’s assistance in locating an individual living in California who is a pro-democracy activist. In turn, Lu enlisted the help of another coconspirator. Later, when confronted by the FBI about these conversations, Lu denied that they occurred. In October 2022, the FBI conducted a judicially authorized search of the illegal police station. In connection with the search, FBI agents interviewed both Lu and Chen and seized their phones. In reviewing the contents of these phones, FBI agents observed that communications between Lu and Chen, on the one hand, and the MPS Official, on the other, appeared to have been deleted. In subsequent consensual interviews, Lu and Chen admitted to the FBI that they had deleted their communications with the MPS Official after learning about the ongoing FBI investigation, thus preventing the FBI from learning the full extent of the MPS’s directions for the overseas police station. If convicted of conspiring to act as agents of the PRC, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The obstruction of justice charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The FBI New York Field Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander A. Solomon and Antoinette N. Rangel for the Eastern District of New York, and Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case. The FBI has created a website for victims to report efforts by foreign governments to stalk, intimidate, or assault people in the United States. If you believe that you are or have been a victim of transnational repression, please visit: www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/transnational-repression . The charges in the complaint are merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: 名中国国家警察被控实施针对美国居民的跨国镇压阴谋

body_text: 美国纽约东区检察官办公室今天在布鲁克林联邦法院公布两起刑事诉讼，指控 44 名被告犯有与中华人民共和国国家警察—公安部（MPS）骚扰居住在纽约大都市区和美国其他地区的中国公民有关的各种罪行。被告包括 40 名公安部官员和两名中国网信办官员。他们涉嫌对政治观点和行为(例如在中国倡导民主)不受中国政府青睐的美国居民实施跨国镇压阴谋。 在这两项阴谋中，被告创建并使用虚假社交媒体账户，骚扰和恐吓居住在国外的中国持不同政见者，并试图压制持不同政见者在一家美国电信公司（公司1）平台上的言论自由。据信，这些阴谋中受控的被告居住在中国或亚洲其他地方，并且仍然在逃。 美国司法部国家安全司助理司法部长马修·奥尔森说：“这些案件表明，中华人民共和国政府会竭尽全力，压制和骚扰那些行使基本权利公开反对中华人民共和国压迫的美国人士，包括非法利用一家总部位于美国的科技公司。” “此类行为违反了我们的法律，是对我们民主价值观和基本人权的侮辱。” 美国联邦调查局反情报司代理助理主任库尔特·罗诺（Kurt Ronnow）表示：“中国公安部利用特工，针对那些有勇气公开反对中国共产党的华裔人士，其中一种是秘密传播宣传，破坏人们对我们民主进程的信心，另一种是压制美国视频会议用户的言论自由。” “我们不会容忍中共在美国的镇压—即其威胁、骚扰和恐吓人民的行为。联邦调查局将继续对抗中国政府违反我们法律并压制我国人民权利和自由的行为。” 披露：纽约东区美国检察官 布 伦 · 皮士 ( Breon Peace) 回避本案，未参与美国诉 朱利安 · 金 ( Julien Jin) 等人 (20-mj-1103) 的案件。 美国诉白云鹏等人。 该两项罪名起诉书指控 34 名公安部官员串谋传播州际威胁和串谋进行州际骚扰。据信所有被告均居住在中国，但仍然在逃。 据指控，这些官员与北京市公安局合作，目前或曾经被分配到一个名为“912特别项目工作组”（简称“工作组”）的精英特遣队。该工作组的目的，是对付世界各地（包括美国）的中国持不同政见者。 纽约东区美国检察官布伦·皮斯表示：“正如所指控，中国政府部署国家警察和912特别项目工作组不是作为维护法律和保护公共安全的工具，而是作为一个酸民农场，对在我国以其认为令人不快的方式行使言论自由的人实施攻击，并进行宣传，其唯一目的是在美国境内煽动分裂。” “我赞扬调查团队，因为其全面揭露了一项针对美国居民的国家主导犯罪阴谋的阴险性。” 起诉书列出该工作组成员如何在推特等社交媒体网站上创建数千个虚假网络角色，通过在线骚扰和威胁，针对中国持不同政见者。此类网络人物还传播中华人民共和国政府的官方宣传和叙事，以对抗中国持不同政见人士的民主言论。例如，据称，工作组成员通过临时电子邮件，创建和维护虚假社交媒体帐户，发布中国政府官方内容，并与其他在线用户互动，以避免工作组账户涉嫌“淹没”特定社交媒体平台。工作组跟踪成员履行在线职责的表现，并在成功运营多个在线角色的工作组成员，而不会被托管平台的社交媒体公司或平台的其他用户发现时对其奖励。 调查还发现，公安部官方要求该工作组成员根据某些主题撰写文章和视频，例如针对海外中国持不同政见者的活动或美国政府的政策。 据称，被告还试图通过传播中华人民共和国政府的宣传或叙事，招募美国人在不知情的情况下，充当中华人民共和国政府的代理人。被告多次利用网络角色联系被评估为同情和支持中国政府言论的个人，并要求这些人传播工作组内容。 此外，该工作组成员多次采取明确的行动，将中国持不同政见者及其会议从公司1的平台上删除。例如，该工作组成员通过平台的聊天功能，发布针对参与者的威胁，扰乱了持不同政见者通过视频会议，纪念天安门广场大屠杀的努力。在中国持不同政见者组织的另一场以反共为主题的第一连视频会议中，工作组成员挤满了视频会议，大声的音乐、粗俗的尖叫声和针对民主派参与者的威胁淹没了会议。 美国诉 朱利安 · 金等人。 该修订后起诉书指控 10 名人士，包括一名前驻中华人民共和国 公司1 员工、六名公安部官员和两名网信办官员，串谋实施州际骚扰和非法串谋实施转移身份识别手段。据信，其中九名被告居住在中国，目前仍在逃。据信第十名被告居住在印度尼西亚或中国，并且仍然在逃。 纽约东区美国第一助理检察官波科尼( Pokorny)说：“对一名美国电信公司前驻中国员工提出的修订后起诉书中的指控表明，在中国运营的美国公司面临着内部威胁。”他感谢公司1 在政府调查中的合作。 “据指控，朱利安·金及其在中国公安部和网信办的同谋将雇佣他的美国电信公司武器化，以恐吓和压制持不同政见者并执行中国法律，从而损害了纽约等地的中国活动人士的利益，后者我国寻求庇护，以和平方式表达其民主观点。” “此类案件表明，中国共产党再次试图恐吓、骚扰和镇压在美国的中国持不同政见者，”联邦调查局华盛顿办事处助理主任大卫·桑德伯格(David Sundberg)说。 “在美国，言论自由是我们民主的基石，联邦调查局将不懈努力，捍卫每个人对自由言论的权利，而不必担心中共的报复。这些复杂的调查揭示，公安部通过利用美国通讯平台和虚假社交媒体账户审查政治和宗教言论来镇压个人。” 2020 年 12 月，该部门首次 宣布对朱利安•金提出指控 ，罪名是他努力扰乱 2020 年 5 月和 6 月在公司1 平台上举行的一系列纪念 1989 年天安门广场大屠杀的会议。 金担任公司1 与中国政府执法和情报部门的主要联络人。在那个角色中，他定期响应中国政府的要求，终止会议并屏蔽公司1 视频通信平台上的用户。 正如原起诉书详细描述，金和其他人在中国政府的指示下，合谋使用公司1 的美国系统，审查位于美国和其他地区人士的政治和宗教言论。例如，金和其他人扰乱了公司1 平台上举行的会议，讨论中国政府不可接受的政治敏感话题，包括天安门广场大屠杀。金及其同谋捏造了所谓不当行为的证据，导致公司1 的美国员工终止会议。 经修订起诉书中的指控显示，金与公安部和网信办的被告直接合作，并接受被告的命令，扰乱公司1 平台上的会议，且同案被告自 2018 年以来，始终对付在美持不同政见者在公司1 平台上的言论。 从 2018 年起，金和他的同案被告多次试图终止一名居住在纽约市的中国持不同政见人士组织的视频聊天会议，该人士一直直言不讳地批评中国政府和中国共产党。在 网信办要求公司1 终止持不同政见者在公司1 平台上的会议后，金努力查明与持不同政见者相关的所有帐户，使与持不同政见者相关的会议在“隔离区”（即响应时间已知滞后的服务器上）举行，随后努力封锁与持不同政见者相关的所有帐户。同样，2019 年，金与公安部和网信办合作，封锁了纪念天安门广场大屠杀的账户。 联邦调查局华盛顿办事处对上述案件进行了调查。 纽约东区的美国助理检察官亚历山大·所罗门 (Alexander A. Solomon)、安托瓦内特·兰格尔 (Antoinette N. Rangel)、伊恩·理查森 (Ian C. Richardson)、尼古拉斯·莫斯科 (Nicholas J. Moscow) 和杰西卡·威格尔 (Jessica K. Weigel) 以及国家安全部反情报和出口管制科的审判律师斯科特·克拉菲 (Scott A. Claffee) 正在起诉这些案件。 联邦调查局创建了一个网站，供受害者举报外国政府跟踪、恐吓或袭击美国民众的行为。请访问： www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/transnational-repression 。


title: 名中國國家員警被控實施針對美國居民的跨國鎮壓陰謀

body_text: 美國紐約東區檢察官辦公室今天在布魯克林聯邦法院公佈兩起刑事訴訟，指控 44 名被告犯有與中華人民共和國國家員警—公安部（MPS）騷擾居住在紐約大都市區和美國其他地區的中國公民有關的各種罪行。被告包括 40 名公安部官員和兩名中國網信辦官員。他們涉嫌對政治觀點和行為(例如在中國宣導民主)不受中國政府青睞的美國居民實施跨國鎮壓陰謀。 在這兩項陰謀中，被告創建並使用虛假社交媒體帳戶，騷擾和恐嚇居住在國外的中國異見者，並試圖壓制異見者在一家美國電信公司（公司1）平臺上的言論自由。據信，這些陰謀中受控的被告居住在中國或亞洲其他地方，並且仍然在逃。 美國司法部國家安全司助理司法部長馬修·奧爾森說：“這些案件表明，中華人民共和國政府會竭盡全力，壓制和騷擾那些行使基本權利公開反對中華人民共和國壓迫的美國人士，包括非法利用一家總部位於美國的科技公司。” “此類行為違反了我們的法律，是對我們民主價值觀和基本人權的侮辱。” 美國聯邦調查局反情報司代理助理主任庫爾特·羅諾（Kurt Ronnow）表示：“中國公安部利用特工，針對那些有勇氣公開反對中國共產黨的華裔人士，其中一種是秘密傳播宣傳，破壞人們對我們民主進程的信心，另一種是壓制美國視頻會議用戶的言論自由。” “我們不會容忍中共在美國的鎮壓—即其威脅、騷擾和恐嚇人民的行為。聯邦調查局將繼續對抗中國政府違反我們法律並壓制我國人民權利和自由的行為。” 披露：紐約東區美國檢察官 布 倫 · 皮士 ( Breon Peace) 回避本案，未參與美國訴 朱利安 · 金 ( Julien Jin) 等人 (20-mj-1103) 的案件。 美國訴白雲鵬等人。 該兩項罪名起訴書指控 34 名公安部官員串謀傳播州際威脅和串謀進行州際騷擾。據信所有被告均居住在中國，但仍然在逃。 據指控，這些官員與北京市公安局合作，目前或曾經被分配到一個名為“912特別項目工作組”（簡稱“工作組”）的精英特遣隊。該工作組的目的，是對付世界各地（包括美國）的中國異見者。 紐約東區美國檢察官布倫·皮斯表示：“正如所指控，中國政府部署國家員警和912特別項目工作組不是作為維護法律和保護公共安全的工具，而是作為一個酸民農場，對在我國以其認為令人不快的方式行使言論自由的人實施攻擊，並進行宣傳，其唯一目的是在美國境內煽動分裂。” “我讚揚調查團隊，因為其全面揭露了一項針對美國居民的國家主導犯罪陰謀的陰險性。” 起訴書列出該工作組成員如何在推特等社交媒體網站上創建數千個虛假網路角色，通過線上騷擾和威脅，針對中國異見者。此類網路人物還傳播中華人民共和國政府的官方宣傳和敍事，以對抗中國異見人士的民主言論。例如，據稱，工作組成員通過臨時電子郵件，創建和維護虛假社交媒體帳戶，發佈中國政府官方內容，並與其他線上用戶互動，以避免工作組帳戶涉嫌“淹沒”特定社交媒體平臺。工作組跟蹤成員履行線上職責的表現，並在成功運營多個線上角色的工作組成員，而不會被託管平臺的社交媒體公司或平臺的其他用戶發現時對其獎勵。 調查還發現，公安部官方要求該工作組成員根據某些主題撰寫文章和視頻，例如針對海外中國異見者的活動或美國政府的政策。 據稱，被告還試圖通過傳播中華人民共和國政府的宣傳或敍事，招募美國人在不知情的情況下，充當中華人民共和國政府的代理人。被告多次利用網路角色聯繫被評估為同情和支持中國政府言論的個人，並要求這些人傳播工作組內容。 此外，該工作組成員多次採取明確的行動，將中國異見者及其會議從公司1的平臺上刪除。例如，該工作組成員通過平臺的聊天功能，發佈針對參與者的威脅，擾亂了異見者通過視頻會議，紀念天安門廣場大屠殺的努力。在中國異見者組織的另一場以反共為主題的第一連視頻會議中，工作組成員擠滿了視頻會議，大聲的音樂、粗俗的尖叫聲和針對民主派參與者的威脅淹沒了會議。 美國訴 朱利安 · 金等人。 該修訂後起訴書指控 10 名人士，包括一名前駐中華人民共和國 公司1 員工、六名公安部官員和兩名網信辦官員，串謀實施州際騷擾和非法串謀實施轉移身份識別手段。據信，其中九名被告居住在中國，目前仍在逃。據信第十名被告居住在印尼或中國，並且仍然在逃。 紐約東區美國第一助理檢察官波科尼(Pokorny)說：“對一名美國電信公司前駐中國員工提出的修訂後起訴書中的指控表明，在中國運營的美國公司面臨著內部威脅。”他感謝公司1 在政府調查中的合作。 “據指控，朱利安·金及其在中國公安部和網信辦的同謀將雇傭他的美國電信公司武器化，以恐嚇和壓制異見者並執行中國法律，從而損害了紐約等地的中國活動人士的利益，後者我國尋求庇護，以和平方式表達其民主觀點。” “此類案件表明，中國共產黨再次試圖恐嚇、騷擾和鎮壓在美國的中國異見者，”聯邦調查局華盛頓辦事處助理主任大衛·桑德伯格(David Sundberg)說。 “在美國，言論自由是我們民主的基石，聯邦調查局將不懈努力，捍衛每個人對自由言論的權利，而不必擔心中共的報復。這些複雜的調查揭示，公安部通過利用美國通訊平臺和虛假社交媒體帳戶審查政治和宗教言論來鎮壓個人。” 2020 年 12 月，該部門首次 宣佈對朱利安•金提出指控 ，罪名是他努力擾亂 2020 年 5 月和 6 月在公司1 平臺上舉行的一系列紀念 1989 年天安門廣場大屠殺的會議。 金擔任公司1 與中國政府執法和情報部門的主要聯絡人。在那個角色中，他定期回應中國政府的要求，終止會議並遮罩公司1 視頻通信平臺上的用戶。 正如原起訴書詳細描述，金和其他人在中國政府的指示下，合謀使用公司1 的美國系統，審查位於美國和其他地區人士的政治和宗教言論。例如，金和其他人擾亂了公司1 平臺上舉行的會議，討論中國政府不可接受的政治敏感話題，包括天安門廣場大屠殺。金及其同謀捏造了所謂不當行為的證據，導致公司1 的美國員工終止會議。 經修訂起訴書中的指控顯示，金與公安部和網信辦的被告直接合作，並接受被告的命令，擾亂公司1 平臺上的會議，且同案被告自 2018 年以來，始終對付在美異見者在公司1 平臺上的言論。 從 2018 年起，金和他的同案被告多次試圖終止一名居住在紐約市的中國異見人士組織的視頻聊天會議，該人士一直直言不諱地批評中國政府和中國共產黨。在 網信辦要求公司1 終止異見者在公司1 平臺上的會議後，金努力查明與異見者相關的所有帳戶，使與異見者相關的會議在“隔離區”（即回應時間已知滯後的伺服器上）舉行，隨後努力封鎖與異見者相關的所有帳戶。同樣，2019 年，金與公安部和網信辦合作，封鎖了紀念天安門廣場大屠殺的帳戶。 聯邦調查局華盛頓辦事處對上述案件進行了調查。 紐約東區的美國助理檢察官亞歷山大·所羅門 (Alexander A. Solomon)、安托瓦內特·蘭格爾 (Antoinette N. Rangel)、伊恩·理查森 (Ian C. Richardson)、尼古拉斯·莫斯科 (Nicholas J. Moscow) 和潔西嘉·威格爾 (Jessica K. Weigel) 以及國家安全部反情報和出口管制科的審判律師斯科特·克拉菲 (Scott A. Claffee) 正在起訴這些案件。 聯邦調查局創建了一個網站，供受害者舉報外國政府跟蹤、恐嚇或襲擊美國民眾的行為。請訪問： www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/transnational-repression 。


title: 40 Officers of China’s National Police Charged in Transnational Repression Schemes Targeting U.S. Residents

body_text: Two criminal complaints filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York were unsealed today in federal court in Brooklyn charging 44 defendants with various crimes related to efforts by the national police of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) – the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) – to harass Chinese nationals residing in the New York metropolitan area and elsewhere in the United States. The defendants, including 40 MPS officers and two officials in the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), allegedly perpetrated transnational repression schemes targeting U.S. residents whose political views and actions are disfavored by the PRC government, such as advocating for democracy in the PRC. In the two schemes, the defendants created and used fake social media accounts to harass and intimidate PRC dissidents residing abroad and sought to suppress the dissidents’ free speech on the platform of a U.S. telecommunications company (Company-1). The defendants charged in these schemes are believed to reside in the PRC or elsewhere in Asia and remain at large. “These cases demonstrate the lengths the PRC government will go to silence and harass U.S. persons who exercise their fundamental rights to speak out against PRC oppression, including by unlawfully exploiting a U.S.-based technology company,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “These actions violate our laws and are an affront to our democratic values and basic human rights.” “China’s Ministry of Public Security used operatives to target people of Chinese descent who had the courage to speak out against the Chinese Communist Party – in one case by covertly spreading propaganda to undermine confidence in our democratic processes and, in another, by suppressing U.S. video conferencing users’ free speech,” said Acting Assistant Director Kurt Ronnow of the FBI Counterintelligence Division. “We aren’t going to tolerate CCP repression – its efforts to threaten, harass, and intimidate people – here in the United States. The FBI will continue to confront the Chinese government’s efforts to violate our laws and repress the rights and freedoms of people in our country.” Disclosure: U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York is recused from and has not participated in the case captioned United States v. Julien Jin et al., 20-mj-1103. United States v. Yunpeng Bai, et al. The two-count complaint charges 34 MPS officers with conspiracy to transmit interstate threats and conspiracy to commit interstate harassment. All the defendants are believed to reside in the PRC, and they remain at large. As alleged, the officers worked with Beijing’s MPS bureau and are or were assigned to an elite task force called the “912 Special Project Working Group” (the Group). The purpose of the Group is to target Chinese dissidents located throughout the world, including in the United States. “As alleged, the PRC government deploys its national police and the 912 Special Project Working Group not as an instrument to uphold the law and protect public safety, but rather as a troll farm that attacks persons in our country for exercising free speech in a manner that the PRC government finds disagreeable, and also spreads propaganda whose sole purpose is to sow divisions within the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York. “I commend the investigative team for comprehensively revealing the insidiousness of a state-directed criminal scheme directed at residents of the United States.” The complaint alleges how members of the Group created thousands of fake online personas on social media sites, including Twitter, to target Chinese dissidents through online harassment and threats. These online personas also disseminated official PRC government propaganda and narratives to counter the pro-democracy speech of the Chinese dissidents. As alleged, for example, Group members created and maintained the fake social media accounts through temporary email addresses, posted official PRC government content, and interacted with other online users to avoid the appearance that the Group accounts were “flooding” a given social media platform. The Group tracks the performances of members in fulfilling their online responsibilities and rewards Group members who successfully operate multiple online personas without detection by the social media companies who host the platforms or by other users of the platforms. The investigation also uncovered official MPS taskings to Group members to compose articles and videos based on certain themes targeting, for example, the activities of Chinese dissidents located abroad or the policies of the U.S. government. As alleged, the defendants also attempted to recruit U.S. persons to act as unwitting agents of the PRC government by disseminating propaganda or narratives of the PRC government. On several occasions, the defendants used online personas to contact individuals assessed to be sympathetic and supportive of the PRC government’s narratives and asked these individuals to disseminate Group content. In addition, Group members took repeated affirmative actions to have Chinese dissidents and their meetings removed from the platform of Company-1. For example, Group members disrupted a dissident’s efforts to commemorate the Tiananmen Square Massacre through a videoconference by posting threats against the participants through the platform’s chat function. In another Company-1 videoconference on the topic of countering communism organized by a PRC dissident, Group members flooded the videoconference and drowned out the meeting with loud music and vulgar screams and threats directed at the pro-democracy participants. United States v. Julien Jin, et al. This amended complaint charges 10 individuals, including a former PRC-based Company-1 employee, six MPS officers, and two officials with the CAC, with conspiracy to commit interstate harassment and unlawful conspiracy to transfer means of identification. Nine of the defendants are believed to reside in the PRC and remain at large. The tenth defendant is believed to reside in Indonesia or the PRC and also remains at large. “The amended complaint charging a former PRC-based employee of a U.S. telecommunications company illustrates the insider threat faced by U.S. companies operating in the PRC,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Pokorny for the Eastern District of New York, who thanked Company-1 for its cooperation in the government’s investigation. “As alleged, Julien Jin and his co-conspirators in the Ministry of Public Security and Cyberspace Administration of China weaponized the U.S. telecommunications company he worked for to intimidate and silence dissenters and enforce PRC law to the detriment of Chinese activists in New York, among other places, who had sought refuge in this country to peacefully express their pro-democracy views.” “These cases demonstrate that the Chinese Communist Party, once again, attempted to intimidate, harass, and suppress Chinese dissidents in the United States,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “In the United States, the freedom of speech is a cornerstone of our democracy, and the FBI will work tirelessly to defend everyone's right to speak freely without fear of retribution from the CCP. These complex investigations revealed an MPS-wide effort to repress individuals by using the U.S. communications platform and fake social media accounts to censor political and religious speech.” In December 2020, the Department first announced charges against Julien Jin in connection with his efforts to disrupt a series of meetings on the Company-1 platform held in May and June 2020 commemorating the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre. Jin served as Company-1’s primary liaison with PRC government law enforcement and intelligence services. In that capacity, he regularly responded to requests from the PRC government to terminate meetings and block users on Company-1’s video communications platform. As detailed in the original complaint, Jin and others conspired to use Company-1’s U.S. systems to censor the political and religious speech of individuals located in the United States and elsewhere at the direction of the PRC government. For example, Jin and others disrupted meetings held on the Company-1 platform to discuss politically sensitive topics unacceptable to the PRC government – including the Tiananmen Square Massacre. Jin and his co-conspirators fabricated evidence of purported misconduct to cause U.S.-based employees of Company-1 to terminate the meetings. The allegations in the amended complaint reveal that Jin worked directly with and took orders from defendants at the MPS and the CAC to disrupt meetings on the Company-1 platform and that the co-defendants had targeted U.S.-based dissidents’ speech on Company-1’s platform since 2018. Starting in 2018, Jin and his co-defendants repeatedly sought to terminate video chat meetings organized by a Chinese dissident residing in New York City who has been a vocal critic of the PRC government and the Chinese Communist Party. After the CAC requested that Company-1 terminate the dissident’s meetings on the Company-1 platform, Jin worked to identify all accounts associated with the dissident, caused meetings related to the dissident to be hosted in a “quarantine zone” – that is, on a server with known lags in response time – and later worked to block all accounts associated with the dissident. Similarly, in 2019, Jin collaborated with the MPS and CAC to block accounts seeking to commemorate the Tiananmen Square Massacre. The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the cases. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander A. Solomon, Antoinette N. Rangel, Ian C. Richardson, Nicholas J. Moscow and Jessica K. Weigel of the Eastern District of New York, and Trial Attorney Scott A. Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the cases. The FBI has created a website for victims to report efforts by foreign governments to stalk, intimidate, or assault people in the United States. Please visit: www.fbi.gov/investigate/counterintelligence/transnational-repression .


title: Arkansas Man Charged with Transportation of Unlawfully Killed Wildlife

component: USAO - Alaska

body_text: ANCHORAGE – An Arkansas resident was charged on April 11, 2023, relating to unlawfully transporting illegally taken wildlife from Alaska to his residence in Arkansas. According to court documents, Edward A. Bundy, of Tuckerman, Arkansas, 54, was charged by the United States Attorney’s Office for transporting a bull caribou from Alaska to his home in Arkansas which he killed in violation of Alaska Fish and Game laws. It is alleged that Bundy falsely claimed Alaska residency when he was not a resident of the state of Alaska, making his take of the bull caribou illegal. Bundy is charged with a violation of the Lacey Act, which prohibits transportation of unlawfully taken wildlife over state lines. If convicted, Bundy faces up to a year imprisonment and a fine of $100,000. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker of the District of Alaska; and Resident Agent in Charge David Rippeto made the announcement. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with the assistance of the Alaska Wildlife Troopers is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Skrocki is prosecuting the case. An information is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. ### usao/ak/23-026


title: Burrillville Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing More Than 200 Firearms, Making False Statements on ATF Firearm Purchase Forms

component: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF)

body_text: PROVIDENCE – A 39-year-old Burrillville man who falsely claimed on federal documents that he was not an unlawful user of controlled substances, including cocaine, when he purchased and possessed more than 200 firearms and tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition was sentenced today to more than five years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. In February 2022, when Burrillville Police responded to reports of shots fired at the home of Ronald Andruchuk, numerous gunshots could be heard – with some bullets passing overhead of responding officers. Andruchuk was found wearing a Commando-style multipurpose vest and was carrying four firearms and methamphetamine. After Andruchuk was taken into custody, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) agents and Burrillville Police executed a federal search warrant and seized 219 firearms strewn unsecured within Andruchuk’s home. Among the items seized were an AR-style privately-made firearm; assorted firearm ammunition magazines and accessories; and approximately 25,390 rounds (1,555.8lbs) of assorted boxed and loose ammunition of various calibers. Additionally, an ATF investigation determined that Andruchuk previously admitted to law enforcement that he was a user of controlled substances and that he had a substance abuse problem. Further investigation determined that when attempting to purchase firearms from federally licensed firearms dealers, Andruchuk falsely claimed on federal forms that he was not “an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance.” “By repeatedly violating federal law to acquire an arsenal of firearms – firearms that he stored and used in a way that is the antithesis of responsible gun ownership, Ronald Andruchuk put his family, his neighbors, and our communities at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Cunha. “Today’s sentence should make crystal clear that we and our law enforcement partners intend to vigorously enforce federal gun laws to keep our communities safe.” "Individuals who illegally use controlled substances are prohibited from possessing firearms,” said James M Ferguson Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Boston Field Division “ATF will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure these offenders do not have the opportunity to illegally possess firearms. In this case, we were able to recover 219 guns and thousands of rounds of ammunition from Ronald Andruchuk” “Ronald Andruchuk’s child-like infatuation with weapons, recklessness and illegal drug use posed an extreme threat to the lives and safety of his neighbors, his family and the Burrillville Police, added Burrillville Police Chief Colonel Stephen J. Lynch. “The Burrillville Police is appreciative of the collaborative work with ATF, its Task Force members, and the US Attorney’s Office in bringing Andruchuk to justice.” According to court documents, during a routine review of multiple sales reports of firearms, ATF learned that between July and November of 2021, Andruchuk had purchased 169 firearms. Agents began to investigate further to ensure that Andruchuk was not involved in illegal firearms-trafficking activities. During that review, agents learned that Andruchuk had previous contact with the Cranston Police Department, during which he admitted to being a medical marijuana user. During a later contact with Cranston Police, Andruchuk was arrested on controlled substance offenses and admitted to having a substance abuse problem. Further investigation by ATF determined that, in December 2021, two firearms, drugs, and other items were located in the drop ceiling of a bathroom inside a Millbury, MA, retail store shortly after Andruchuk vacated the restroom. Both firearms were traced to Andruchuk as the purchaser. He did not have a license to carry a firearm in Massachusetts. Andruchuk pleaded guilty on January 18, 2023, to two charges of making a false statement of material fact during a firearm purchase and possession of a firearm by an unlawful user of a controlled substance. At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy sentenced Andruchuk to sixty-three months in federal prison to be followed by three years of federal supervised release, and to pay a $10,000 fine. At the request of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the court ordered the 219 firearms and more than 25,000 rounds of ammunition seized from the defendant to be forfeited to the Government to be destroyed. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United Sates Attorney Ronald R. Gendron. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. ###


title: Nine Additional States Join Justice Department’s Suit Against Google for Monopolizing Digital Advertising Technologies

component: Antitrust Division

body_text: The Attorneys General of Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Washington and West Virginia today joined a civil antitrust lawsuit filed by the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division along with the Attorneys General of California, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Virginia , against Google for monopolizing multiple digital advertising technology products in violation of Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Act. The Antitrust Division and the state Attorneys General filed an amended complaint in the Eastern District of Virginia. “We look forward to litigating this important case alongside our state law enforcement partners to end Google’s long-running monopoly in digital advertising technology markets,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Doha Mekki of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Today we welcome the States of Arizona, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia who join our existing coalition of eight co-plaintiff states, to deliver the benefits of competition to website publishers, digital advertisers, and the American public.”


title: Justice Department Secures Agreement with Washington School District to Remedy Discriminatory Seclusion and Restraint Practices

component: Civil Rights Division

body_text: The Justice Department announced today a settlement agreement with Spokane Public Schools in Spokane, Washington, to address the discriminatory use of seclusion and restraint against students with disabilities. The settlement agreement, which resolves the department’s investigation under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), will protect students with disabilities by eliminating seclusion and reforming the district’s restraint practices. The department’s investigation concluded that the school district inappropriately and repeatedly secluded and restrained students with disabilities and did not limit its use of restraint and seclusion to emergency situations, as required by state law and the district policy. Instead, the district restrained and secluded students with disabilities to address noncompliant behavior, even when those actions appeared to escalate the behavior or when students showed clear signs of trauma. As a result, students with disabilities missed hundreds of hours of instructional time. Under the settlement agreement, Spokane Public Schools has agreed to end the use of seclusion, overhaul its restraint practices and better train staff on how to anticipate, address and de-escalate students’ disability-related behaviors through effective and appropriate interventions and supports. “When schools discriminate against students with disabilities through improper restraints and seclusion, they unjustly deprive those students of equal access to education and the opportunity to succeed,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Schools need the tools and the training to appropriately serve all students, including students with disabilities. This agreement will put Spokane Public Schools firmly on a path to systemic reforms that will protect students with disabilities and provide them with a safe and supportive learning environment. The Civil Rights Division will continue to fight discrimination against children with disabilities in public schools across the country.” “Each and every child deserves a fair and equal opportunity to learn and thrive,” said U.S. Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref for the Eastern District of Washington. “Our office, in partnership with the department’s Civil Rights Division, will vigorously investigate allegations of discrimination on the basis of disability in all settings, including in our public schools. We are heartened by the school district’s commitment to this sweeping agreement, which will undoubtedly improve the education and everyday lives of many of our students in the Spokane community.” The district fully cooperated throughout the investigation, and before entering the agreement, began steps to voluntarily reform its practices. Among other actions, under the agreement, the district will: Prohibit the use of seclusion (referred to in the agreement as “isolation”) at all district schools; Only restrain students when their behavior poses an imminent likelihood of serious harm to the student or another person; Improve data collection efforts and establish review protocols following the use of restraint; Review and improve behavioral intervention plans; Create classroom-wide behavior management plans that promote positive behaviors and de-escalate noncompliant behaviors to support teachers and students in classrooms serving students with high-intensity behaviors; Deliver appropriate training and resources to help schools implement the agreement and respond appropriately to student behavior; Create a complaint procedure through which families can file a complaint with the district regarding the use of seclusion or restraint; Offer counseling and compensatory education services to students with disabilities who were subjected to the district’s discriminatory practices; and Appoint an Intervention Coordinator to ensure the district’s compliance with the agreement and Title II of the ADA. Enforcement of Title II of the ADA is a priority of the Civil Rights Division. This agreement is the most recent in a series of division settlements to address and prevent unlawful seclusion and restraint of students with disabilities in public schools. On Feb. 16, for example, the division reached a settlement with the Anchorage School District in Alaska to address the discriminatory use of seclusion and restraint against students with disabilities. The division reached similar agreements in December 2022 with the Okaloosa County School District in Florida, in September 2022 with the Cedar Rapids Community School District in Iowa, in December 2021 with the Frederick Public School District in Maryland and in December 2020 with the North Gibson School Corporation in Indiana. Additional information about the Civil Rights Division is available on its website at www.justice.gov/crt , and additional information about the Educational Opportunities Section’s work is available at www.justice.gov/crt/educational-opportunities-section. To learn more about the section’s work under the ADA to combat improper seclusion in schools, visit this website: www.justice.gov/schoolseclusion . Members of the public may report possible civil rights violations at www.civilrights.justice.gov/ .


title: Sibley Hospital and Johns Hopkins Health System Settle Allegations of Improper Compensation Arrangements

component: Civil Division

body_text: Sibley Hospital (Sibley) and its parent company, Johns Hopkins Health System (Johns Hopkins), have agreed to pay the United States $5 million to resolve allegations arising from claims that Sibley submitted to the Medicare Program, the Justice Department announced today. The Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly known as the Stark Law, prohibits a hospital from billing Medicare for certain services referred by physicians with whom the hospital has a financial relationship, unless that relationship satisfies one of the law’s statutory or regulatory exceptions. It is intended to ensure that medical decision-making is not influenced by improper financial incentives and instead is based on the best interests of the patient. Today’s settlement resolves allegations that, from 2008 through 2011, Sibley violated the Stark Law by billing Medicare for services referred by ten cardiologists to whom Sibley was paying compensation that exceeded the fair market value of the services provided. These allegations arose out of conduct that Sibley and Johns Hopkins self-disclosed to the United States. “Improper financial arrangements between hospitals and physicians can influence the type and amount of health care that is provided,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department is committed to holding accountable those who violate prohibitions designed to protect the integrity of physician decision-making.” “Patients have the right to medical care that is strictly about their health and not about the financial benefit or obligation that a physician might receive or owe,” said U.S. Attorney Graves for the District of Columbia. “We welcome conversations with anyone who might have credible information that medical care is being undermined by outside influences. This office works in concert with many partners to protect the public, including the Fraud Section of the Department of Justice and the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health, to ensure the rules are followed.” The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch (Fraud Section), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services. This matter was handled by Fraud Section Attorney David Wiseman and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Graham-Oliver for the District of Columbia. The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.


title: Hopkinton Man Sentenced to Six Years in Prison on Child Pornography Charges

component: USAO - Rhode Island

body_text: PROVIDENCE – A Hopkinton man who previously admitted to a federal judge that he possessed and shared child pornography while he was awaiting trial in Rhode Island state court in two unrelated child pornography cases was sentenced today to six years in federal prison, announced United States attorney Zachary A. Cunha. Christopher Leherissier, 34, admitted that in February 2021, he uploaded video files of child pornography involving prepubescent children via an account on the online messenger application Kik that he managed and that he used to store child pornography. Members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force identified an IP address, email address, and a Kik screenname Leherissier untilized to upload images of child pornography. Task Force members identfied 160 images and 124 videos of child pornography stored on a mobile device and a hard drive seiezed from Leherisser at the time of his arrest; and 80 images and 101 videos of child pornography stored in two email accounts he controlled. At the time of his arrest in this matter, Leherissier was on pre-trial on two different cases pending in Rhode Island state court involving charges of allegedly solicitating a minor and disseminating indecent matter to that minor in early 2020; and, in a separate matter dated from the fall of 2020, for allegedly being in possession of child pornography stored in a DropBox account as well as on his electronic devices. Related to his most recent arrest, Leherisser pleaded guilty in federal court on November 15, 2022, to charges of distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to seventy-two months of incarceration to be followed by ten years of federal supervised release. Additionally, Leherisser is ordered to pay a statutory mandated restitution in the amount of $3,000 to each of eight identified victims who appear in images and videos shared by Leherisser and who sought restitution. The matter prosecuted in U.S. District Court was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dulce Donovan. Homeland Security Investigations assisted the ICAC Task Force in the investigation of this matter. ###


title: Drug Enforcement Administration Announces Spring Take Back Day

component: USAO - Tennessee, Western

body_text: Memphis, TN – The Drug Enforcement Administration has announced the date of its 24th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. On Saturday, April 22, DEA, and its partners will collect tablets, capsules, patches, and other solid forms of prescription drugs. For more than a decade, DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day has helped Americans easily rid their homes of unneeded medications—those that are old, unwanted, or expired—that too often become a gateway to addiction. Take Back Day offers free and anonymous disposal of unneeded medications at more than 4,000 local drop-off locations nationwide. What: National Prescription Drug Take Back Day When: Saturday, April 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time Who: State and local law enforcement partners across Kentucky, Tennessee, and West Virginia Where: For a complete list of collection sites, visit www.DEATakeBack.com In Memphis, the “Street Team for Overdose Prevention” (S.T.O.P.), a collaboration of several agencies, encourage citizens to turn in unused medications safely and anonymously at 2811 Clarke Road. In partnership with local law enforcement, Take Back Day has removed more than 8,300 tons of medication from circulation since its inception. Collection sites will not accept syringes, sharps, and illicit drugs. Liquid products, such as cough syrup, should remain sealed in their original container. The cap must be tightly sealed to prevent leakage. To find a collection site near you, visit www.DEATakeBack.com. ### For more information, please contact Public Information Officer Cherri Green at (901) 544-4231 or cherri.green@usdoj.gov. Follow @ WDTNNews on Twitter for office news and updates.


title: Rusk County Man Sentenced to 18 Months for False Statements to Federal Agencies Regarding Non-Citizen Workers

component: USAO - Wisconsin, Western

body_text: MADISON, WIS. – A Bruce, Wisconsin man was sentenced today for making false materials statements to the U.S. Department of Labor and to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security concerning foreign workers. The sentencing is announced by Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin. Alfredo Aguilar, 52, was sentenced today by Chief U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson to eighteen months in prison. Aguilar was ordered to pay restitution to the non-citizen workers in the amount of $1,144,693.56 and a civil penalty in the amount of $210,696.39. Aguilar pleaded guilty to these charges on January 13, 2023 and has paid over the full fine and restitution for the immigrant workers. From 2015 until December 2018, Aguilar was a co-owner of Northwoods Forestry, Inc., a business based in Eleva, Wisconsin. Aguilar recruited workers from Mexico and Central America, known as H-2B workers, to work in forestry by planting and caring for trees and clearing and developing woodland. Through the H-2B program, employers are permitted to hire temporary workers from other countries to perform labor to address one-time, seasonal, intermittent, or peak needs. Northwoods Forestry agents made statements and attestations under oath to the Department of Labor and USCIS regarding the type of work the workers would do and the wages they would receive. Aguilar admitted that he placed Northwoods Forestry H-2B workers with non-forestry employers, including in meat packing, construction, roofing, agriculture, painting, fur processing, and landscaping businesses, and that he assured those employers that the H-2B employees could legally work at their businesses when he knew that was not true. Aguilar also admitted that Northwoods Forestry did not pay the workers the highest applicable wages, did not pay the workers overtime, deducted the cost of safety boots from the wages of employees sent to work in meat packing, and deducted expenses and subsistence for transportation to and from the United States from the H-2B employees’ pay, all contrary to their sworn statements to the Department of Labor. “My office is committed to holding accountable those who exploit vulnerable workers,” said U.S. Attorney O’Shea. “We will continue to work with the Department of Labor and our other law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute such offenses.” “Alfredo Aguilar and co-conspirators made false statements to the U.S. Department of Labor in order to fraudulently obtain H-2B work visas. Aguilar and his co-conspirators failed to pay the required prevailing wages to the foreign workers he employed pursuant to that program. Today’s sentencing is an affirmation of our efforts, along with those of our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, to pursue individuals who abuse the H-2B program for financial gain,” said Irene Lindow, Special Agent-in-Charge, Great Lakes Region, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. “The Wage and Hour Division’s investigation that led to this result is a significant accomplishment on behalf of workers seeking to use the nonimmigrant visa programs. The resulting collaboration with our federal criminal law enforcement was nothing short of seamless and outstanding,” explained Wage and Hour Regional Administrator Michael Lazzeri in Chicago. “The widespread placement of workers in unapproved job classifications and falsification of payment records during the investigation by this employer demonstrated a reckless disregard for the respective visa program. Today the victims have been made whole through restitution and this egregious employer has been debarred from participation in the H-2B Visa program for the next five years. Employers who seek to abuse these programs should take note of this result and reconsider.” The investigation in this matter was conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General and Wage and Hour Division, with assistance from the U.S. Department of State and the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. U.S. Attorney O’Shea and Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Pfluger handled the prosecution.


title: Martinsburg woman admits to trafficking a teenager

component: USAO - West Virginia, Northern

body_text: MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – A Martinsburg, West Virginia woman has admitted to trafficking a teenager to a Florida man. Destiny Rebecca Somersall, age 41, pled guilty today to one count of sex trafficking of a child. Somersall sent photographs and videos of the minor to 75-year-old John Balch for cash and gifts. One of the videos included a second victim. Somersall later drove the teen to a hotel in Maryland for sexual contact with Balch for money on multiple occasions. Investigators found at least 60 cash transactions between Balch and Somersall over a period of two years totaling $13,725. Balch has been indicted in the District of Maryland on related charges. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Maryland assisted. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberley Crockett is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . For more information on human trafficking, go to www.stophumantraffickingwv.org . To report a potential human trafficking crime, email USWVN-Report@usdoj.gov or call 304-234-0100.


title: Former Bristol Woman Sentenced for Theft of Federal Funds

body_text: PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A former Bristol woman who perpetrated a scheme to fraudulently collect more than $42,000 in Social Security Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits earmarked for a disabled child who was no longer in her care or custody was sentenced today to three years of federal probation and ordered to reimburse the Social Security Administration, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. Sonia Pimentel, 44, formerly of Bristol, RI, now residing in Norwich, CT, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence on December 1, 2022, to a charge of theft of public funds. Pimentel admitted that, from December 2011 through October 2016, she continued to receive, and to keep for her own personal use, monthly SSI payments totaling $42,346.73; those funds were earmarked for the care of a disabled child who was no longer in her custody or care at the time. The child was, in fact, in the custody and care of his father at that time Pimentel fraudulently and willfully collected and retained the SSI payments. At sentencing today, U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy sentenced Pimentel to three years of federal probation and ordered her to pay restitution in the amount of $42,346.73 to the Social Security Administration. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton. The matter was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General. ###


title: Justice Department Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Kentucky Rental Property Owner

body_text: The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a lawsuit against the owner and operator of rental properties in the Pulaski County, Kentucky, area for engaging in sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of the Fair Housing Act. The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, alleges that Danny T. Bell sexually harassed numerous female tenants since at least 2010. According to the complaint, Bell made repeated and unwelcome sexual comments to female tenants, entered the homes of female tenants without their consent, touched female tenants’ bodies without their consent, offered reduced or free rent in exchange for sexual contact and took adverse housing-related actions against female tenants who refused his sexual advances. “Everyone deserves to feel safe at home, and sexual harassment in housing destroys that feeling of security,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to vigorously enforce the Fair Housing Act to protect tenants from harassment and retaliation by their landlords.” “Whenever sexual harassment in housing erodes the security and sanctity of a person’s home, it is more than a shame – it is a violation of the law,” said U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “We are committed to doing our part to enforcing the law and ensuring the protections of the Fair Housing Act.” The lawsuit seeks monetary damages to compensate persons harmed by the alleged harassment, a civil penalty to vindicate the public interest and a court order barring future discrimination. The Justice Department launched its Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative in October 2017. The department’s initiative is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country. The initiative seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers and other people who have control over housing. Since launching the initiative, the department has filed 30 lawsuits alleging sexual harassment in housing and recovered over $9.8 million for victims of such harassment. The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing based on sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability and familial status. Individuals who believe that they may have been victims of sexual harassment or other types of housing discrimination at rental dwellings owned or managed by Bell, or who have other information that may be relevant to this case, may contact the Housing Discrimination Tip Line at 1-833-591-0291, select a language, and select option number 2, then option number 8 to leave a message. Individuals may also e-mail the department at fairhousing@usdoj.gov or submit a report online . Reports also may be made by contacting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or by filing a complaint online . The complaint contains allegations of unlawful conduct. The allegations must be proven in federal court.


title: Manchester Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Trafficking More Than 2 lbs. of Fentanyl in New Hampshire

component: USAO - New Hampshire

body_text: CONCORD – A Manchester man pleaded guilty in federal court to drug trafficking in New Hampshire, U.S. Attorney Jane E. Young announces. Zachary Janas, 40, pleaded guilty to distributing fentanyl and unlawfully possessing with the intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Joseph LaPlante scheduled sentencing for July 27, 2023. Janas was charged on September 27, 2021. On September 21, 2021, the Federal Bureau of Investigation agents arranged to purchase approximately one-half kilogram of fentanyl from Janas at his Manchester residence. On September 24, 2021, federal law enforcement seized an additional one-half kilogram of fentanyl packaged for distribution, approximately $7,000 cash, several firearms, and ammunition. The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, 3 years of supervised release, and a fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Major Offender Task Force led the investigation Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer C. Davis is prosecuting the case. ###


title: Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 90-Months in Federal Prison For Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material

body_text: CONCORD – A Philadelphia man was sentenced in federal court for distributing and aiding and abetting the transportation of child sexual abuse material, U.S Attorney Jane E. Young announces. Michael Wilcox, 33, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Laplante to 90 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release. Wilcox was also ordered to pay $8,000 in restitution. “Today’s sentence sends a strong message to those who exploit the most vulnerable members of our community that they will be prosecuted, and upon conviction, they will be sentenced to lengthy periods of incarceration,” United States Attorney Jane E. Young said. “We will work tirelessly to expose the perpetrators of these heinous crimes and bring them to justice.” Wilcox engaged in sexually explicit online chats with a law enforcement officer on various social media platforms. During those chats, Wilcox offered to sell child sexual abuse material to the undercover officer in exchange for payment via CashApp. Wilcox sent various images and videos of child sexual abuse material to the undercover officer as “samples” of material that he had available for sale. He later sent links to online cloud storage folders that contained hundreds of additional images, many of them depicting child sexual abuse material. Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Nashua Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey Weiland prosecuted the case. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc . ###


title: Cherry Hill Gang Member Sentenced to 21 Years in Federal Prison for a Racketeering Conspiracy, Including Murdering a Rival Gang Member

component: Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces

body_text: Baltimore , Maryland – U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III today sentenced Deaven Cherry, age 35, of Baltimore, Maryland to 21 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for a conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise. The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; Special Agent in Charge Toni M. Crosby of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division; Commissioner Michael Harrison of the Baltimore Police Department; and Interim Chief Dennis J. Delp of the Baltimore County Police Department. According to his guilty plea, Cherry was an associate of a gang known as “Hillside” which operated in part of Cherry Hill in Baltimore, Maryland. Members of Hillside distributed powder and crack cocaine, heroin, oxycodone and marijuana, primarily in a local shopping center, in other locations throughout Cherry Hill, and in west and southwest Baltimore City. The members of Hillside used the proceeds of their narcotics sales to purchase firearms, to enrich themselves, and to further the narcotics trafficking and other activities of the organization. Hillside members also committed acts of violence, including robberies, non-fatal shootings and homicides. As stated in his plea agreement, Hillside members and associates have been in a long-running dispute with rival gang members, including Up Da Hill (“UDH”), the Lakebrook Circle Boys, and others. Members and associates of Hillside have routinely engaged in murder and other acts of violence directed at members of these rival gangs, or persons in the territories controlled by these rival gangs. Cherry knew members of Hillside sold narcotics and committed violent acts against rival gangs or others who impeded on Hillside’s territory. Further, Cherry admitted that he participated in Hillside’s racketeering enterprise, including the murder of a UDH member (Victim 1). On May 22, 2010, Cherry shot and murdered Victim 1 in the 2900 block of Denham Circle. Later that day, Cherry was in possession of a loaded 9mm semi-automatic pistol with an extended magazine containing 21 rounds. Ballistic evidence confirmed that Cherry’s firearm was used to murder Victim 1. Cherry also admitted that it was reasonably foreseeable to him that Hillside was responsible for the distribution of between one and three kilograms of heroin, between five and 15 kilograms of cocaine, between 280 and 840 grams of crack cocaine, as well as marijuana and oxycodone. Cherry and co-defendant Travis Alewine fled after their indictment and were fugitives until their arrests in 2020 and 2019, respectively. Nineteen other Hillside co-defendants pleaded guilty and were sentenced to up to 23 years in federal prison. Travis Alewine has also pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on April 20, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (“PSN”), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. This case was made possible by investigative leads generated from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives’ (ATF) National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). NIBIN is the only national network that allows for the capture and comparison of ballistic evidence to aid in solving and preventing violent crimes involving firearms. NIBIN is a proven investigative and intelligence tool that can link firearms from multiple crime scenes, allowing law enforcement to quickly disrupt shooting cycles. For more information on NIBIN, visit https://www.atf.gov/firearms/national-integrated-ballistic-information-network-nibin . This case is also part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks. United States Attorney Erek L. Barron praised the ATF, the Baltimore County Police Department, and the Baltimore City Police Department for their work in the investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service for their assistance. Mr. Barron thanked Assistant United States Attorneys Patricia C. McLane and Brandon K. Moore, who are prosecuting the case. For more information on the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, please visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/project-safe-neighborhoods-psn # # #


title: Illinois Man Sentenced to 75 Years for Online Sextortion of Minors

component: USAO - Illinois, Southern

body_text: BENTON, Ill. – A U.S. District Court judge sentenced an Illinois man to 75 years in federal prison on Monday after he was found guilty of conducting a sextortion scheme on Facebook with multiple victims ranging in ages from 11 to 17 years old. Michael A. Ferris, 44, of Mill Shoals, Illinois, was convicted by a jury in November 2022 on 25 felony counts of extortion, cyberstalking, and production, distribution, and possession of child pornography. Following his prison sentence, he will serve the rest of his life on supervised release. “Michael Ferris intentionally sought out young girls with exploitable past trauma for his own callous pleasure, and his coercive crimes caused devastating and long-lasting suffering for his victims,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “I appreciate the work by the investigative agencies to offer justice to the defendant’s victims.” “Combating child exploitation is a team effort and requires cooperation at the federal, state and local levels,” said HSI Chicago Special Agent in Charge Sean Fitzgerald. “The efforts to bring this individual to justice have resulted in one less predator on the streets who would look to victimize our children and endanger our communities.” According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Ferris targeted teenage girls on Facebook and engaged in a pattern of extortion, commonly known as “sextortion” from at least March 2020 until November 2020. As part of his scheme, Ferris created fake Facebook personas appearing to be teenage girls. He joined Facebook groups for teenagers or young survivors of sexual abuse. Ferris sent unsolicited messages to teenage girls under the guise of being a peer looking to make a new friend. If the teens responded, Ferris tried to convince them to send a nude photograph or answer personal questions about themselves. Ferris then used that information as leverage to coerce them into sending more explicit photos, answering more sexual questions, or performing sexual acts while Ferris watched on video chat. If his victims refused to comply, or pleaded to stop, Ferris harassed and threatened them until they kept going, usually threatening to send the girls’ photos or answers to personal questions to their friends, parents, police, or child protective services. Even after Ferris’ victims complied with his demands, he would often still distribute their sexually explicit images to friends and family. The investigation was conducted by agents from Homeland Security Investigations—Springfield with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations domestic and international offices, Jackson County Oregon Sheriff’s Office, Jefferson County Illinois Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police, and Aurora Missouri Police Department. Victim and Witness Support was provided by the U.S. Attorneys’ Office from the Southern District of Illinois, the Eastern District of Missouri, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ali Burns and Luke Weissler prosecuted the case.


title: Construction Company Owner Sentenced to 78 Months in Prison and Ordered to Pay Nearly $1 Million in Restitution for Rigging Bids and Bribing a Public Official

body_text: A construction company owner in California was sentenced to 78 months in prison and ordered to pay $984,699.53 in restitution for his role in a bid-rigging and bribery scheme involving California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) improvement and repair contracts. According to a guilty plea entered on Nov. 14, 2022, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California in Sacramento, Bill R. Miller engaged in a conspiracy from April 2015 through as late as December 2019. As part of the conspiracy, Miller recruited others to submit sham bids on Caltrans contracts, including co-conspirator William D. Opp, a former business partner who pleaded guilty in the case on Oct. 3, 2022. In addition to pleading guilty to bid rigging, Miller also pleaded guilty to paying bribes to Choon Foo “Keith” Yong, the former Caltrans contract manager who managed the contracts involved on behalf of Caltrans, a California state agency that receives significant federal funding. On April 11, 2022, Yong pleaded guilty for his role in the bid-rigging and bribery scheme. According to Yong’s plea agreement, Yong received the bribes in the form of cash payments, wine, furniture and remodeling services on his home. The total value of the bribes that Miller paid to Yong was nearly $1 million. Miller is the first defendant to be sentenced in the case. “This sentence sends a strong message that criminals who corrupt the competitive bidding process will face stern consequences,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “Protecting infrastructure spending and taxpayer dollars remains a top priority for the Antitrust Division and our Procurement Collusion Strike Force partners.” “A lengthy investigation and a series of guilty pleas has led to the sentencing today for a bid-rigging and bribery conspiracy,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert for the Eastern District of California. “But our work is not done. Anticompetitive practices harm taxpayers and legitimate businesses alike. My office will continue to investigate and prosecute such conduct.” “Fair and free competition is essential to ensure taxpayer money is only obligated and spent on essential services and contracts,” said Special Agent in Charge Sean Ragan of the FBI Sacramento Field Office. “The FBI is committed to working with our partners to investigate such allegations, and bringing to justice those who conspire to enrich themselves by cheating the American public as a whole. We hope this sentence serves as ample warning to anyone contemplating a scheme to falsely influence a government bidding process for personal gain.” Today’s sentencing is the result of a joint investigation that was conducted by the Antitrust Division’s San Francisco office, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California and the FBI Sacramento Field Office as part of the Justice Department’s Procurement Collusion Strike Force (PCSF). Trial Attorneys Christopher J. Carlberg and Tai S. Milder of the Antitrust Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Lee S. Bickley for the Eastern District of California prosecuted the case. In November 2019, the Department of Justice created the Procurement Collusion Strike Force, a joint law enforcement effort to combat antitrust crimes and related fraudulent schemes that impact government procurement, grant, and program funding at all levels of government — federal, state and local. To contact the Procurement Collusion Strike Force, or to report information on market allocation, price fixing, bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct related to construction or infrastructure, go to www.justice.gov/procurement-collusion-strike-force .


title: President of Metalhouse LLC Indicted for Sanctions Evasion and International Money Laundering

component: Criminal Division

body_text: The Justice Department announced today the indictment and arrest of John Can Unsalan, aka Hurrem Can Unsalan, the president of Metalhouse LLC, for engaging in a three-year scheme to violate U.S. sanctions against oligarch Sergey Kurchenko and two of Kurchenko’s companies by providing those sanctioned parties with over $150 million in return for steelmaking materials. As alleged in the indictment, between July 2018 and October 2021, Unsalan, 41, of Orlando, Florida, acting through his company, Metalhouse, transferred over $150 million to Kurchenko and companies controlled by Kurchenko. In return, Unsalan received from Kurchenko metal products used in steelmaking and attempted to collect from Kurchenko millions of dollars of funds for undelivered products. “The arrest of John Can Unsalan should serve as a warning to those who seek to do business with sanctioned individuals or entities that endanger the security of the United States and our allies,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department is relentlessly pursuing those whose seek to evade sanctions imposed against the Russian regime and whose crimes enable the regime to continue its unjust, illegal war in Ukraine.” “For over three years, the defendant pursued personal profit at the expense of our national security, by unlawfully transacting with sanctioned entities that were propping up puppet governments in Russian-occupied Ukraine, as alleged in today’s indictment,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “The Department of Justice will use all of its authorities to stop those who would conspire with Kremlin cronies to support Russia’s unprovoked attacks on Ukraine.” “For years, John Can Unsalan engaged in a scheme to do business with a sanctioned oligarch and his company through more than $150 million in illegal transactions,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Today’s arrest demonstrates the FBI’s steadfast commitment to pursue those who seek to violate sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked aggression toward Ukraine.” “Economic sanctions are critical tools used to protect the national security of the United States and our allies,” said Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office. “During a three-year scheme, Unsalan allegedly transferred $150 million to Sergey Kurchenko, who was sanctioned for his role in misappropriating Ukrainian state assets. Let the defendant's arrest serve as a reminder of the FBI's commitment to bringing to justice those who try to evade U.S. sanctions in an effort to support sanctioned Russian oligarchs.” “As highlighted by this arrest, we are firmly committed to enforcing the sanctions imposed by the United States against Russia for its malevolent military invasion of Ukraine,” said U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg for the Middle District of Florida. “Thanks to the dedicated investigative work by our law enforcement partners, an individual who willfully sent more than $150 million to a sanctioned oligarch is facing the possibility of a lengthy term of imprisonment.” Kurchenko was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in 2015 for his role in misappropriating state assets of Ukraine or of an economically significant entity in Ukraine. The two sanctioned companies – Kompaniya Gaz-Alyans, OOO (Gaz-Alyans), based in the Russian Federation, and ZAO Vneshtorgservis (Vneshtorgservis), based in the Russian occupied Georgian region of South Ossetia – were designated by OFAC in 2018 for acting on behalf of and providing material support to the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic in the separatist-controlled regions of eastern Ukraine. Unsalan allegedly engaged in trade with these sanctioned individuals and entities to procure steelmaking equipment and raw material despite knowing that Kurchenko, Gaz-Alyans, and Vneshtorgservis were subject to U.S. sanctions that prohibited Unsalan from doing business with them. No licenses from OFAC were applied for or issued for these payments or transfers. Unsalan is charged with one count of conspiring to violate and evade U.S. sanctions, in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA); 10 counts of violating IEEPA; one count of conspiring to commit international money laundering; and ten counts of international money laundering. The indictment also provides notice of the United States’ intention to forfeit from Unsalan the proceeds of his offenses. Unsalan made his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Norway of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of conviction. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The FBI Tampa Field Office, Orlando Resident Agency, and Washington Field Office, International Corruption Unit, are investigating the case, with valuable assistance provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and OFAC. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chauncey A. Bratt for the Middle District of Florida, Trial Attorney Emma Ellenrieder of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, and Trial Attorney Sean O’Dowd of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section are prosecuting the case. The investigation was coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture, an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export controls and economic countermeasures that the United States, along with its foreign allies and partners, has imposed in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. Announced by the Attorney General on March 2, 2022, and under the leadership of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the task force will continue to leverage all of the department’s tools and authorities to combat efforts to evade or undermine the collective actions taken by the U.S. government in response to Russian military aggression. An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.


title: West Bloomfield Doctor Pleads Guilty to Illegally Distributing Prescription Drugs

component: USAO - Michigan, Eastern

body_text: DETROIT, Mich. - A West Bloomfield physician pleaded guilty today to illegally distributing over 7,000 oxycodone pills, a Schedule II prescription drug-controlled substance, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison. Ison was joined in the announcement by Special Agent in Charge Orville Greene, Drug Enforcement Administration, Detroit Field Division. Scott Henry Cooper, 61, pleaded guilty before United States District Judge Denise Page Hood. According to court records, Cooper practiced as a primary care physician at a medical clinic, Comprehensive Medical Associates, located in West Bloomfield, MI, from 2013 through 2018. A portion of his practice involved patients who sought highly abused and valuable prescription drug-controlled substances such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, methadone, alprazolam (Xanax) and dextroamphetamine-amphetamine (Adderall). The defendant was required by his employer to see Medicaid (low income) patients. Cooper admitted that his controlled substance patients were problem patients, he did not want to see them, and in fact he often did not see them while continuing to prescribe controlled substances. One such patient served time in prison from January 9, 2015 until December 7, 2017. For almost three years the defendant wrote monthly prescriptions for the patient without an examination or determination of medical necessity. The prescriptions were picked up at the front desk by a relative while the patient was in prison. The drugs prescribed by Cooper to the patient while the patient was in prison totaled over 7,000 dosage units. The count of conviction relates to a prescription written on October 16, 2017, without an examination or determination of medical necessity. The prescription was for 120 dosage units of oxycodone 15mg. Under the terms of the guilty plea agreement, the judge must impose a sentence of at least 44 months in prison and may impose a sentence of up to 87 months of imprisonment. The exact sentence imposed will be determined at sentencing, which will take place on August 24, 2023, at 2 PM. The defendant has not been able to prescribe any prescription drug-controlled substances since June of 2020, due to bond conditions imposed by the court. “A doctor who supplies a patient with addictive and dangerous controlled substances without assessing the patient’s need for the drugs endangers the patient and the community,” stated U.S. Attorney Ison. “My office is committed to keeping highly addictive opioids off the street, and we will aggressively investigate and prosecute doctors who illegally distribute controlled substances.” Special Agent in Charge Orville stated, ““Dr. Cooper’s actions were reckless and criminal. This type of negligence by medical personnel is what fuels addiction. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold accountable those who act illegally and put patients’ health and safety at risk.” The case was investigated by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Wayne F. Pratt of the Health Care Fraud Unit.


title: Readout of Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr.’s Trip to Lithuania

body_text: On April 13 and 14, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division traveled to Vilnius, Lithuania, to meet with the Ukraine Joint Investigation Team (JIT), which is investigating core international crimes committed in Ukraine. Representatives of the JIT in attendance were from the countries of Lithuania, Ukraine, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, and Romania, as well as Eurojust and the International Criminal Court. “We had productive conversations on ongoing investigations, and I pledged the U.S. Department of Justice’s increased support,” said Assistant Attorney General Polite. “Just one month ago, on March 3, in Lviv, Ukraine, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with all seven JIT national members, becoming the first country to do so. On Thursday, in an effort to further strengthen this partnership, the U.S. Department of Justice pledged to second an experienced prosecutor to the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) that will be based at Eurojust in The Hague. We look forward to providing additional resources to assist our colleagues from Ukraine and other JIT member partners, including by sharing our expertise to enhance investigations into atrocities committed by Russian perpetrators. Our mission is clear, our resolve will not weaken, and our determination to seek justice will not waiver. The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to holding Russian perpetrators accountable for their brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.” (From Left to Right) Assistant Attorney General Polite, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, Lithuanian Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė, and Eurojust Vice President and National Member for Lithuania Margarita Šniutytė-Daugėlienė. One of the main agenda points of the JIT coordination meeting was the ICPA's implementation and future work. The ICPA will be part of the existing support structure for the JIT. It will be based at Eurojust in The Hague and will have a specific focus on supporting and enhancing investigations into the crime of aggression against Ukraine. AAG Polite concluded April 13 by attending a reception organized by the Lithuanian Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė. On April 14, AAG Polite met separately with Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin. Also on April 14, the three leaders and Eurojust Vice-President and National Member for Lithuania, Ms. Margarita Šniutytė-Daugėlienė, delivered remarks at a press conference with Lithuanian press. The same day, AAG Polite had a courtesy call with U.S. Ambassador Robert Gilchrist and Deputy Chief of Mission Tamir Waser to convey the Department’s gratitude for the Embassy’s support for the Justice Department’s personnel and programs. (From Left to Right) Assistant Attorney General Polite, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, and Lithuanian Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė. The AAG’s trip concluded with a visit to Lithuania’s Old Town. Assistant Attorney General Polite in Vilnius, Lithuania. Partners agreed to cooperate extensively and emphasized their shared commitment and dedication to ensuring that Russian perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.


title: Ada Resident Sentenced For Domestic Violence, Child Neglect, And Assault With A Dangerous Weapon

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announces that Terrell Eugene Delozier, age 39, of Ada, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 46 months for domestic violence, 46 months for assault with a dangerous weapon, and 57 months for child neglect on March 29, 2023. The sentences will run concurrently. The charges arose from an investigation by the Ada Police Department, the Chickasaw Lighthorse Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. On February 15, 2022, Delozier pleaded guilty to one count of Domestic Violence in Indian Country, one count of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country, and one count of Child Neglect in Indian Country stemming from a single incident on April 28, 2021, where he assaulted and threatened a former intimate partner in front of her children. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted this case because the victims are members of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in Pontotoc County, which is within the boundaries of the Chickasaw Nation Reservation and the Eastern District of Oklahoma. “Domestic violence is a scourge which impacts and destabilizes all segments of society, including our Tribal Nations. Today’s sentencing of Terrell Delozier for domestic violence affords safety to his victims and ensures that crimes against intimate partners and children continue to be taken seriously in the Eastern District of Oklahoma,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. "The severe assault by Terrell Delozier will have long-lasting effects on his victims, including young children, who should never have to endure such violence,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue these cases and ensure justice is met for violent offenders.” The Honorable Bernard M. Jones, II, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearings in Muskogee. Delozier was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal at the conclusion of sentencing. He will remain in custody pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his sentence of incarceration. Assistant United States Attorney Cameron McEwen represented the United States.


title: Marble City Resident Sentenced For Murder, Arson In Indian Country

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Joseph Allen Hernandez, age 34, of Marble City, Oklahoma, was sentenced for his role in two homicides. Hernandez was sentenced to life in prison for two counts of Murder in Indian Country, and 20 years imprisonment for one count of Arson in Indian Country. A jury found Hernandez guilty in November 2021 of the murders of his mother and grandmother. During the trial, the United States presented evidence that Hernandez doused both victims in accelerant and set them on fire at their home in Marble City, Oklahoma. The guilty verdicts were the result of an investigation by the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. "The crimes committed by Hernandez were horrific, and there is no question the sentencing is just,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “We hope the life sentence handed down today brings a sense of closure and healing for the family of his victims. The FBI is proud to have worked alongside our partners at the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in this investigation." “The sentencing of Joseph Hernandez to life imprisonment ensures he will be held accountable for the heinous act he committed upon members of his own family and never again step outside the confines of a federal penitentiary to victimize others,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted the case because the defendant is a member of a federally-recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in Sequoyah County, within the boundaries of the Cherokee Nation Reservation and the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The Honorable Charles B. Goodwin, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, presided over the hearing. Upon sentencing, Hernandez was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal. Assistant United States Attorney Jarrod Leaman represented the United States.


title: Choctaw County Resident Sentenced For Abusive Sexual Contact In Indian Country

body_text: MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Jimmy Ray Robinson, age 55, of Choctaw County, Oklahoma, was sentenced to the statutory maximum 24 months in federal prison for one count of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country. Robinson pleaded guilty to the offense in August 2022. The evidence in this case established that in September of 2020, Robinson intentionally touched a child over the clothing in a sexual manner. The victim disclosed the abuse and provided details during a forensic interview. On August 24, 2022, Robinson pleaded guilty to one count of Abusive Sexual Contact in Indian Country. Robinson was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal to await sentencing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. “Let today’s sentence send the message that those who prey on Oklahoma’s children will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain committed to ensuring the safety of our communities, especially our most vulnerable citizens." “Cases like this are especially troubling and heart-wrenching,” said United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson. “I am thankful for the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Attorney’s Office to see to it the defendant was brought to justice.” Prosecutors brought this case as part of Project Safe Childhood. Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood draws on federal, state, and local agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc . The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma prosecuted this case because the defendant is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe and the crimes occurred in Choctaw County, within the boundaries of the Choctaw Nation Reservation and the Eastern District of Oklahoma. The Honorable Bernard M. Jones, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, presided over the sentencing in Muskogee. Robinson will remain in custody pending transportation to a designated United States Bureau of Prisons facility to serve his non-paroleable sentence of incarceration. Upon completion of his term of imprisonment, Robinson will serve a life term of supervised release under Federal supervision. Assistant United States Attorney Edith Singer represented the United States.