Month: June 2022

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Defense News: CNO, Japanese Chief of Staff Meet to Discuss Maritime Security

Source: United States Navy

WASHINGTON (NNS) – Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday hosted the Chief of Staff of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Adm. Ryo Sakai in Washington, D.C., for an office visit, June 28.

The two leaders discussed maritime security and ongoing efforts to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific.  

“The alliance between Japan and the United States is the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific”, said Gilday.  “Our bond with Japan has never been stronger.  We share a common vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and, together, we will work tirelessly to ensure and maintain security and stability in one of the world’s most important regions. Adm. Sakai’s visit provides a great opportunity to gain his first-hand strategic insights into regional security issues as well as engage in productive discussions on how our navies can accelerate critical advances in interoperability.”

“The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force will be celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, and our history has always been with the U.S. Navy – protecting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific Region,” said Sakai. “The importance of the U.S.-Japan alliance is growing by the day, and today Adm. Gilday and I confirmed our strong bond and will to realize our common values of peace and stability in Indo-Pacific region.”

The meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss how Japan and the U.S. can increase readiness, deter and counter malign gray-zone activities in the Indo-Pacific, and focus on interoperability and interchangeability between the two forces.

JMSDF and U.S. naval forces regularly operate together around the globe. This year the two navies participated in exercises such as Noble Fusion, Sea Dragon, Resilient Shield, and numerous other bilateral engagements.

This is the first opportunity for the two leaders to meet since Sakai became JMSDF’s Chief of Staff in March 2022.

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GSA Announces Leo J. Ryan Memorial Federal Building As Part of New Pollinator Initiative

Source: United States General Services Administration

June 28, 2022

SAN FRANCISCO — Today, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced its new Pollinator Initiative that supports the federal government’s commitment to protect pollinators, including in San Bruno, California. Saving bees and other pollinators from the risks they face is an important part of a sustainable future because they are critical to agriculture and food production – contributing to the national economy by more than $20 billion each year. This is just the latest step in GSA’s agency-wide commitment to advancing sustainability and confronting climate change.

GSA has established policies and practices to support pollinator habitats through the design, construction, and maintenance of federal properties nationwide. In support of these efforts, GSA has installed honeybee hives at 11 GSA facilities across the country as part of a yearlong pilot.

In May, a pollinator program beehive was installed on the property of the Leo J. Ryan Memorial Federal Building in San Bruno, California. The installation represents the Pacific Rim Region’s first step in supporting the Pollinator Protection Initiative that supports the reversal of the honeybee decline, supports the local ecosystem and improves a broad range of plant life in surrounding neighborhoods through pollination.

The project seeks to enable GSA to lead by example and to create a more efficient and effective design policy that can be modeled by other federal agency partners, builders, and property managers.

“By using data-producing honey bee hives at GSA-controlled facilities to help inform updates to these directives and policies, we can promote sustainability and enhance urban habitats,” said GSA Administrator Robin Carnahan. “I look forward to how this pilot can uncover new strategies to help promote the health of our local pollinators and to set the foundation for other GSA facilities to expand placement locations and integrate into their sustainability efforts.”

GSA’s Center for Urban Development is managing the pilot program through its Good Neighbor Program with a contract awarded to The Best Bees Company, a major U.S. beekeeping service. Best Bees Company will maintain the hives over the course of a year, analyze honey production from each hive, and identify the plants and landscapes that are specifically beneficial to local pollinators. This information is expected to help guide GSA’s future pollinator-friendly landscape design and maintenance policies and practices.

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About GSA: GSA provides centralized procurement and shared services for the federal government, managing a nationwide real estate portfolio of nearly 370 million rentable square feet, overseeing approximately $75 billion in annual contracts, and delivering technology services that serve millions of people across dozens of federal agencies. GSA’s mission is to deliver the best customer experience and value in real estate, acquisition, and technology services to the government and the American people. For more information, visit GSA.gov and follow us at @USGSA.

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Security News: Camden County Woman Sentenced to Year and a Day in Prison For Witness Tampering

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CAMDEN, N.J. – A Camden County, New Jersey, woman was sentenced today to 12 months and one day in prison for attempting to bribe a witness to steal a gun from a car that was in the custody of the Camden County Police Department, pending the execution of a search warrant, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced.

Saidah A. Davis, aka “Sacha,” 42, of Woodlynne, New Jersey, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman in Camden federal court to an indictment charging her with witness tampering. 

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

Davis admitted that on April 16, 2021, she and codefendant Anthony D. Parker, aka “Papa Smurf,” 38, of Camden, went to the home of an individual who she knew worked at a Camden tow lot that impounded vehicles that were seized by the Camden County Police Department for criminal investigations. Davis, an acquaintance of a relative of the tow lot employee, explained that Parker had a problem, and she asked the employee if he could help Parker. Parker said that his vehicle had been seized by the police pending a search warrant application, and that there was a gun and cash inside the vehicle. Parker offered the tow lot employee $2,000 to break into the vehicle and remove the gun and cash. The tow lot employee refused the bribe, and Davis took the employee’s phone number and said, “we’ll be in touch.”

Parker was convicted of possession of a firearm by a previously convicted felon and is scheduled to be sentenced July 12, 2022.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Kugler sentenced Davis to three years of supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire in Philadelphia; the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay; and officers of the Camden County Police Department, under the direction of Chief Gabriel Rodriguez; with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing. 

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen M. Harberg of the Criminal Division in Camden.

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Security News: St. Louis County man sentenced to seven years in prison for threatening postal worker with a gun

Source: United States Department of Justice News

ST. LOUIS – U.S. District Judge John A. Ross on Tuesday sentenced a St. Louis County man to seven years in prison for threatening a mail carrier with a gun in 2021.

The postal worker was preparing to deliver a package to the home of DeJuan Wilson in the 1400 block of Columbus Drive on Jan. 11, 2021 when Wilson emerged from his home. Wilson was upset and claimed that a package delivered four days earlier was missing some of its contents.

Wilson became increasingly aggressive, pulled a semiautomatic firearm from his right front pocket and then told the mail carrier that he had two hours to produce the missing contents or Wilson would “settle this.”

The worker, fearing for his safety, got into his vehicle and began to drive away.  As he did so, Wilson fired his weapon several times.  Neither the worker or his vehicle was hit.

Wilson, 27, pleaded guilty March 22 to assaulting a postal employee with a deadly weapon.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Ware prosecuted the case.

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Security News: Texas Man Sentenced To 4 ½ Years in Federal Prison for Aggravated Identity Theft and Other Crimes

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Louisville, KY – A Texas man was sentenced yesterday to 4 ½ years in prison for aggravated identity theft, unlawful possession of identity documents, possession of counterfeit and unauthorized credit and debit card information, and possession of equipment to make fraudulent credit and debit cards.  There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, Bronson Meador, 35, of Hurst, Texas, who lived for a brief time in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, engaged in a months-long scheme in 2021 to obtain and use counterfeit and unauthorized credit and debit cards and other personally identifying information and financial information of various real individuals for his own personal benefit.  As part of his scheme, Meador would purchase and otherwise obtain counterfeit and unauthorized credit card, debit card, and other personally identifying information and financial information of various individuals, known and unknown to him, and then use that information to personally assume their identities and access the financial accounts of those individuals without their authorization.  Meador would also use the information to manufacture unauthorized access devices, such as credit or debit cards, which he subsequently used or sold.  When Meador was encountered and stopped by law enforcement in April 2021, while engaged in an act of aggravated identity theft, he was in possession of at least 16 identification documents, including driver’s licenses, social security cards and military identification documents, and at least 44 credit or debit card numbers, several of which he had recently used to make unauthorized purchases.  In addition to the 4 ½-year prison sentence, Meador was also ordered to pay $66,592 in restitution. 

“I appreciate the combined effort of the United States Secret Service, the Elizabethtown Police Department, and the Louisville Airport Police during the investigation and prosecution of this case,” said United States Attorney Michael A. Bennett.  “The fallout for victims of identity theft is burdensome, costly, and often long lasting.  I commend our law enforcement partners for their quick response in this case and their ongoing work to make the Western District safer for all citizens.”

“This case should serve as a strong deterrent for criminals considering taking part in identity theft and related fraud schemes,” said Robert Holman, Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service Louisville Field Office.  “The Secret Service along with our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and arrest criminals who attempt to defraud and victimize our citizens.”

The United States Secret Service, the Elizabethtown Police Department, and the Louisville Airport Police investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Zimdahl prosecuted the case.

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