Month: May 2022

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Security News: U.S. Attorney Avery Recognizes Law Enforcement Officers During National Police Week

Source: United States Department of Justice News

New Haven – In honor of National Police Week, which this year is observed from May 11 to May 17, U.S. Attorney Vanessa Roberts Avery recognizes the service and sacrifice of federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement.

“This week, we gather to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives in service to our country,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.  “We remember the courage with which they worked and lived. And we recommit ourselves to the mission to which they dedicated their lives. On behalf of a grateful Justice Department and a grateful nation, I extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the entire law enforcement community.”

“We in the U.S. Attorney’s Office are fortunate to work closely with members of federal, state and local law enforcement on a daily basis and, every day, we see first-hand their professionalism, courage and commitment to keeping our communities safe,” said U.S. Attorney Avery.  “It is an understatement to say that being a law enforcement officer is challenging, stressful work.  Please join me honoring their commitment to service, and remember those officers who have given their life to protect ours.”

In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices.  Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.  Based on data submitted to and analyzed by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund, 472 law enforcement officers died nationwide in the line of duty in 2021.  Of that number, 319 succumbed to COVID-19.

Additionally, according to 2021 statistics reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, 73 law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2021 were killed as a result of felonious acts, whereas 56 died in accidents.  Deaths resulting from felonious acts increased in 2021, rising more than 58 percent from the previous year.  In 2021, unprovoked attacks were the cause of 24 deaths significantly outpacing all other line of duty deaths resulting from felony acts and reaching the highest annual total in over 30 years of reporting.  Additional LEOKA statistics can be found on FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website for the LEOKA program. 

Tonight, beginning at 8:00 p.m., the names of the 619 fallen officers added this year to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial will be read during a Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C.  Those who wish to view the vigil live online, can watch on the NLEOMF YouTube channel found at https://www.youtube.com/TheNLEOMF. The schedule of National Police Week events is available on NLEOMF’s website.

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Security News: Hancock County Domestic Abuser Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Firearm Possession

Source: United States Department of Justice News

INDIANAPOLIS – Jason Lee Munden, 32, of Maxwell, Indiana, was sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm by a person previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

According to court documents, on March 1, 2021, deputies from the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office served a warrant to arrest Munden for burglary. During the arrest, deputies found a short barrel rifle they suspected belonged to Munden. Munden was detained and placed a monitored phone call in which he admitted that the rifle belonged to him, in one instance referring to it as his “hand cannon.”

Munden was previously convicted of domestic battery after he punched the victim in the face and threatened to kill them. As a result of that domestic violence conviction, Munden was prohibited from possessing firearms.

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Hancock County Sheriff Brad Burkhart made the announcement.

The Hancock County Sherriff’s Department investigated the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives provided valuable assistance. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young. As part of the sentence, Judge Young ordered that the defendant be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 3 years following his release from federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Abhishek S. Kambli, who prosecuted this case.

This case was brought as part of the LEATH Initiative (Law Enforcement Action to Halt Domestic Violence), named in honor of Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Officer Breann Leath, who was killed in the line of duty while responding to a domestic disturbance call.  A partnership among the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the IMPD, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, the LEATH Initiative focuses federal, state, and local law enforcement resources on domestic violence offenders who illegally possess firearms.

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Security News: Court Orders Washington, D.C. Man and His Two Companies to Cease and Desist From Engaging in Fraudulent N95 Mask Scheme

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Court Also Ordered the Return of Over $2.4 Million to Fraud Victims in Iowa and California

A Washington, D.C. man and his two companies have been ordered to stop engaging in fraud and transferring fraud proceeds in an N95 mask scheme.  He must also return over $2.4 million to his victims.  In a civil judgment filed in federal court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on May 12, 2022, Alex St. James Railey Cisco, also known as “Alex St. James” and “William Sir Knight Alex-St. James,” from Washington, D.C., had the judgment entered against him on an Amended Civil Complaint filed by the United States on February 16, 2021.  The Amended Civil Complaint alleged that Railey Cisco and his two corporations, US FED Group, LLC (“USFG”) and Trade-Backed Equity, LLC (“TBE”), engaged in wire fraud and money laundering as part of a fraudulent 3M N95 mask scheme in 2020.  

Evidence at multiple temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction hearings in 2021, as well as additional materials filed in conjunction with a motion filed in February 2022, showed that Railey Cisco controlled USFG and TBE and their bank accounts in Washington, D.C.  In October 2020, a Cedar Rapids first-aid manufacturer contracted with an intermediary in Florida for the purchase of one million 3M masks, which were in high demand at that time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, by means of a purported contract the intermediary had with USFG.  The intermediary represented that USFG was an authorized distributor of 3M masks, but in truth at no time was USFG an authorized 3M distributor.

Believing USFG was an authorized 3M distributor, the Cedar Rapids company wired over $2.4 million to a Florida lawyer for the purchase of the masks.  The Florida lawyer in turn wired those funds to an account that Railey Cisco controlled on behalf of USFG.  The Cedar Rapids company never received the masks or its money back, despite the Cedar Rapids company’s repeated demands. 

Instead of returning the Cedar Rapids company’s money or providing the one million 3M masks, Railey Cisco transferred the Cedar Rapids company’s funds to an account he controlled at TBE.

The Cedar Rapids company was not Railey Cisco’s only victim.  In September 2020, a California company had also agreed to wire over $250,000 to USFG’s account in Washington, D.C. in anticipation of receiving 3M masks, but the California company never received the 3M masks or its money back from Railey Cisco or USFG.  The court found Railey Cisco received the money even though he knew that he, USFG, and TBE were unable and would be unable to fulfill any order for 3M masks.  Railey Cisco was the sole owner of the USFG and TBE bank accounts at all relevant times.

United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams ordered the return of over $2.4 million dollars to St. James’s victims and entered a permanent injunction forbidding Railey Cisco, USFG, or TBE from engaging in fraud or transferring fraud proceeds.  However, the court will retain jurisdiction over related matters including, but not limited to, enforcement of the permanent injunction order and the discovery, restraint, disgorgement, collection, and return of fraudulent and laundered funds for any victims of the scheme.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

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

The case was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Timothy L. Vavricek and Matthew Gillespie and investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General.  Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. 

The case file number is 21-CV-8.

Follow us on Twitter @USAO_NDIA.

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Security News: United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., Recognizes Police Week

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Memphis, TN– In honor of National Police Week, United States Attorney Joseph C. Murphy, Jr., will recognize the service and sacrifice of federal, state, and local law enforcement.  This year, the week is observed Wednesday, May 11 through Tuesday, May 17, 2022. 

“This week, we gather to pay tribute to the law enforcement officers who sacrificed their lives in service to our country,” said Attorney General Garland. “We remember the courage with which they worked and lived. And we recommit ourselves to the mission to which they dedicated their lives. On behalf of a grateful Justice Department and a grateful nation, I extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude to the entire law enforcement community.” 

“Police officers,” said United States Attorney Murphy, “are our Nation’s first line of defense when it comes to the safety of our local communities. We should always remember that when an emergency arises, police officers are usually among the first people we call and the first people to arrive on the scene to aid. Our community is safer because of their efforts.” 

In 1962, President Kennedy issued the first proclamation for Peace Officers Memorial Day and National Police Week to remember and honor law enforcement officers for their service and sacrifices.  Peace Officers Memorial Day, which every year falls on May 15, specifically honors law enforcement officers killed or disabled in the line of duty.  Based on data submitted to and analyzed by the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund (NLEOMF), 472 law enforcement officers died nationwide in the line of duty in 2021.  Of that number, 319 succumbed to COVID-19.  Seven officers have died in the line of duty in the Western District of Tennessee. 

Additionally, according to 2021 statistics reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Law Enforcement Officer Killed and Assaulted (LEOKA) Program, 73 aw enforcement officers who died in the line of duty in 2021 were killed as a result of felonious acts, whereas 56 died in accidents.  Deaths resulting from felonious acts increased in 2021, rising more than 58 percent from the previous year.  In 2021, unprovoked attacks1 were the cause of 24 deaths significantly outpacing all other line of duty deaths resulting from felony acts and reaching the highest annual total in over 30 years of reporting.  Additional LEOKA statistics can be found on FBI’s Crime Data Explorer website for the LEOKA program.   

The names of the 619 fallen officers added this year to the wall at the National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial will be read on Friday, May 13, 2022, during a Candlelight Vigil in Washington, D.C., starting at 8:00 PM EDT. Those who wish to view the vigil live online, can watch on the NLEOMF YouTube channel found at https://www.youtube.com/TheNLEOMF. The schedule of National Police Week events is available on NLEOMF’s website.

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Defense News: Department of the Navy Earth Day Summary of Activities

Source: United States Navy

“Today we are at an important turning point as we confront real-time impacts of climate change, and what it means for the mission of the DON to protect our air, land, and sea resources, which are essential to the health, safety, and defense of Americans today,” said Meredith Berger, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations, and Environment. “I am proud of our Sailors, Marines and their families who responded to the call to action this past Earth Day to invest back into our planet and develop partnerships in their communities to advance the DON’s mission as environmental stewards.”

The DON’s Earth Day activities and environmental stewardship efforts are not limited to a single day. Through continued dedication to the stewardship of the environment the DON ensures the values of Earth Day are upheld every day. Clean air, water, and land are essential to the safety and health of our military and civilian personnel, our families, and our neighboring communities, and the ability of our installations and ranges to continue to meet mission critical functions. The Department has a duty to conserve and protect natural and cultural resources on our installations and ranges, both as a public trust responsibility, and because well-managed resources ensure the continued access to long-term sustainability of our ranges and installations. Conducting training, testing, construction and other base operating activities in a manner that minimizes impacts to natural and cultural resources safeguards important species and habitats ensuring the continued resiliency of the environment to support vital naval missions and changing operational demands.

The DON encourages and empowers every Sailor, Marine, and Civilian to take action both on behalf of the Department and personally to invest in our planet, develop partnerships in the communities, and take care of our planet. Every action taken helps contribute to the Department’s mission and the global mission of protecting the environment and combating climate change.

Below are examples of Department of the Navy’s Earth Day activities from around the globe: