Month: July 2022

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Security News: Former BOP Employee Sentenced to 80 Months in Prison for Sexual Abuse of a Ward

Source: United States Department of Justice News

A former employee of the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Hosea Lee Jr., 43, was sentenced to 80 months in federal prison and 10 years of supervised release on Friday, by U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves, after pleading guilty to committing five counts of sexual abuse of a ward.

According to his plea agreement, Lee was employed as a correctional officer at the Federal Medical Center in Lexington, Kentucky, serving as a drug treatment specialist. In that position, Lee was responsible for conducting interviews regarding treatment eligibility and progress, leading drug education classes and providing group and individual counseling to inmates with substance use disorder. Between August and December 2019, on several occasions, Lee engaged in sexual acts with four separate women. Each of these victims was a participant in his drug treatment classes. These sexual acts all occurred in secluded spaces adjacent to the classroom or a closet area in his office.

Lee pleaded guilty in April 2022.

“The defendant’s abhorrent sexual misconduct betrays the trust we place in our correctional officers to protect those in their custody and to prepare them to return to society,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco. “As part of our ongoing effort to root out sexual misconduct within the Bureau of Prisons, the department has prioritized prosecuting cases of criminal misconduct by Bureau employees. We will continue to hold accountable those who violate their position of trust.”

“This defendant abused his authority and the public trust by preying sexually upon women entrusted to his care,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This betrayal of trust by a federal official is intolerable and the Department of Justice hopes that this prosecution brings some much-needed closure to his victims.”

“The safety and security of federal prisons are of the utmost importance, and correctional officers who abuse their authority undermine the integrity of these institutions,” said Department of Justice Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz. “Inmates should never experience sexual abuse at the hands of the Bureau of Prisons employees, and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General will continue to aggressively investigate allegations of abuse, including sexual abuse, across the BOP.”

“Instead of helping those in his custody and care with their substance use, the defendant preyed on particularly vulnerable individuals and betrayed an important public charge,” said U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “This despicable conduct has done enduring damage to his victims. Beyond that, when public officials act with such disregard for those in their care and protection, it erodes faith in law enforcement. We will continue our efforts to protect these individuals, and to combat abuses by those who fail to warrant the public trust.”

“Part of the FBI’s critical mission is to protect the American people. This includes those who are currently serving time in prison,” said Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office. “When corrections officers who have sworn to protect inmates within their facility abuse their position of authority, the FBI will stop at nothing to hold them accountable. Because investigating civil rights violations remains a top priority for the FBI in Kentucky, if you have knowledge of similar crimes occurring within our correctional facilities, contact your local FBI field office or submit information to tips.fbi.gov.”

Under federal law, Lee must serve 85% of his prison sentence. Upon his release from prison, he will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for three years.

U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Special in Agent Charge William J. Hannah of the Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG), Chicago Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office, jointly announced the sentencing.

The investigation was conducted by DOJ-OIG and FBI. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tashena Fannin and Kate Smith.

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Security News: Suburban Chicago Man Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison for Laundering Proceeds from Telemarketing Scheme That Defrauded Elderly Victims

Source: United States Department of Justice News

CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man was sentenced today to three years in federal prison for laundering cash proceeds from a telemarketing scheme that defrauded elderly victims.

HIRENKUMAR P. CHAUDHARI used a phony Indian passport, false name, and false address to open multiple bank accounts in the United States to receive money from victims of the telemarketing scheme.  The scheme involved phone calls from people falsely claiming to be associated with, among other agencies, the Social Security Administration and U.S. Department of Justice, stating that a victim’s identity had been stolen and that it was necessary to transfer money to various bank accounts, including the accounts opened by Chaudhari. 

One of the victims was a retired nurse from Massachusetts who transferred a total of more than $900,000 from her bank and retirement accounts to accounts controlled by Chaudhari or others.  On April 19, 2018 – one day after Chaudhari opened an account and received a $7,000 transfer from the Massachusetts victim – Chaudhari entered a bank branch in Chicago and withdrew $6,500.  Chaudhari engaged in this financial transaction knowing that the money represented proceeds of unlawful activity.

Chaudhari, 29, of Des Plaines, Ill., pleaded guilty last year to a federal money laundering charge.  In addition to the three-year prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis ordered Chaudhari to pay $6,500 in restitution to the Massachusetts victim.

The sentence was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.  The case was investigated by the U.S. Treasury Department Inspector General for Tax Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Social Security Administration Inspector General, and Homeland Security Investigations.  The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kartik K. Raman and Rick D. Young.

“The defendant played a pivotal role in a telemarketing scheme by laundering money received directly from elderly victims,” said U.S. Attorney Lausch.  “We will continue to investigate, prosecute, and hold accountable anyone who attempts to scam elderly victims out of a peaceful retirement.”

“Crimes against the elderly target some of the most vulnerable people in society,” said Inspector in Charge William Hedrick for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  “The Inspection Service has been at the forefront of protecting customers from fraud schemes for many years and will continue to investigate and stop those who exploit older Americans for their own illegal gains.”

“This sentence demonstrates our commitment to hold those accountable who participate in unlawful schemes in an effort to use the good name of the Social Security Administration to prey on elderly Americans,” said Gail S. Ennis, Inspector General for the Social Security Administration.  “This individual deliberately created bank accounts using various false identities to manage funds obtained by illegal means.  We will continue to work with our investigative partners to combat Social Security-related phone scams and pursue those who swindle our citizens out of their life savings.”

If you believe you or someone you know is a victim of elder fraud, complaints may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission online at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov, or by calling 877-FTC-HELP.  More information about the Department of Justice’s efforts to help seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage.

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Security News: Leading ISIS Media Figure and Foreign Fighter Sentenced to Life Imprisonment

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Mohammed Khalifa Executed Two Syrian Soldiers on Behalf of ISIS and served as the English-Speaking Narrator on Exceptionally Violent ISIS Propaganda Videos

A Saudi-born Canadian citizen was sentenced today to life imprisonment for conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, resulting in death.

According to court documents, Mohammed Khalifa, aka Abu Ridwan Al-Kanadi and Abu Muthanna Al-Muhajir, 39, served in prominent roles within ISIS starting in 2013 and continuing until his capture by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in January 2019, following a firefight between ISIS fighters and the SDF. In addition to serving as a fighter and personally executing two Syrian soldiers on behalf of ISIS, Khalifa served as a lead translator in ISIS’s propaganda production and the English-speaking narrator on multiple violent ISIS videos.

In the spring of 2013, Khalifa traveled to Syria with the intent of becoming a foreign fighter and ultimately joining ISIS. In or around November 2013, he joined ISIS and swore allegiance to then-ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In early 2014, he was recruited to join ISIS’s media department due, in part, to his language abilities as a fluent English and Arabic speaker. Starting in 2016, Khalifa directed various supporter networks that assisted in the translation, production and dissemination of propaganda released under various ISIS media brands in order to reach Western audiences. He worked within the ISIS media operation until late 2018.

Khalifa provided the narration and translation for approximately 15 videos created and distributed by ISIS. The productions narrated by Khalifa include two of the most influential and exceptionally violent ISIS propaganda videos: “Flames of War: Fighting Has Just Begun,” distributed on Sept. 19, 2014, and “Flames of War II: Until the Final Hour,” distributed on Nov. 29, 2017. The videos depict glamorized portrayals of ISIS and its fighters as well as scenes of violence, including depictions of unarmed prisoners being executed, footage of ISIS attacks and fighting and depictions of ISIS attacks in the United States.

The ISIS “Flames of War” videos include scenes of Khalifa executing a different Syrian soldier in each of the two videos. In the final scenes of both videos, a masked Khalifa speaks to the camera and is then seen executing a kneeling Syrian soldier while other masked ISIS members shoot the prisoners kneeling in front of each of them.

During the time Khalifa was a prominent member of ISIS, the terrorist organization was conducting a brutal hostage-taking and ransom demand campaign involving journalists and humanitarian aid workers who came to Syria from across the globe. Between August 19, 2014, and February 6, 2015, ISIS killed eight American, British and Japanese citizens in Syria as part of the hostage scheme.

In January 2019, Khalifa engaged in fighting on behalf of ISIS and attacked an SDF position in Abu Badran, Syria. Khalifa, alone and armed with three grenades and an AK-47, threw a grenade on the roof of a house where SDF soldiers were standing. The grenade detonated and Khalifa ran into the house and attempted to go to the roof, but an SDF soldier was firing from the stairs. Khalifa began firing at the SDF soldier and attempted to use all three of his grenades during the attack. Khalifa fired most of his ammunition during the assault before his AK-47 jammed. Khalifa surrendered to the SDF on or about Jan. 13, 2019. He was transferred to the custody of the FBI last year and brought to the Eastern District of Virginia, where he had his initial appearance on Oct. 4, 2021. Khalifa pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization, resulting in death, on Dec. 10, 2021.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Assistant Director in Charge Steven M. D’Antuono of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge T. S. Ellis III.  

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Raj Parekh, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dennis M. Fitzpatrick, John T. Gibbs and Aidan Taft Grano-Mickelson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Trial Attorney Alicia H. Cook of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted this case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-271.

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Security News: Massachusetts Man Arrested for Making Bomb Threat to Arizona State Election Official

Source: United States Department of Justice News

A Massachusetts man was arrested today in Falmouth, Massachusetts for allegedly sending a communication containing a bomb threat to an election official in the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office.

James W. Clark, 38, of Falmouth, is charged with one count of making a bomb threat, one count of perpetrating a bomb hoax, and one count of communicating an interstate threat. Clark made his initial appearance today at the federal courthouse in Boston. 

“Illegal threats of violence put election officials and workers at risk and undermine the bedrock of our democracy: free and fair elections,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Our Election Threats Task Force, working with partners across the nation, will continue to vigorously investigate and prosecute illegal threats like these to hold accountable those who threaten our democracy.”

“Throughout Arizona, we are fortunate to have highly professional state, county and local officials who administer elections in a fair and impartial manner,” said U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino. “Democracy requires that we support those officials, and that we take seriously allegations of threats or violence against them.”

“The FBI takes all threat-to-life matters very seriously,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Ormerod of the FBI’s Phoenix field office. “While this arrest demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to hold accountable anyone who tries to intimidate a public official, it also shows that people cannot threaten others with violence and physical harm without repercussions.”

According to the indictment, on or about Feb. 14, 2021, Clark allegedly sent the following message via the website contact form of the Elections Division, Arizona Secretary of State’s Office, addressed to the election official: “Your attorney general needs to resign by Tuesday February 16th by 9 am or the explosive device impacted in her personal space will be detonated.”

The indictment also alleges that Clark utilized a web browser to search for the address of the election official and searched for “how to kill” the election official. The indictment further alleges that, on or about Feb. 18, 2021, Clark utilized a web browser to search for “fema boston marathon bombing” and “fema boston marathon bombing plan digital army.”

If convicted, Clark faces a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in prison for making the bomb threat and up to five years in prison for each of the counts on the bomb hoax and making a threatening interstate communication.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona, and Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Ormerod of the FBI’s Phoenix Field Office made the announcement.

FBI Phoenix is investigating the case, with the assistance of FBI Lakeville (Mass.).

Trial Attorney Tanya Senanayake of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean K. Lokey for the District of Arizona are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force. Announced by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and launched by Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco in June 2021, the task force has led the department’s efforts to address threats of violence against election workers, and to ensure that all election workers — whether elected, appointed, or volunteer — are able to do their jobs free from threats and intimidation. The task force engages with the election community and state and local law enforcement to assess allegations and reports of threats against election workers, and has investigated and prosecuted these matters where appropriate, in partnership with FBI field offices and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices throughout the country. A year after its formation, the Task Force is continuing this work and supporting the United States Attorneys’ Offices and FBI Field Offices nationwide as they carry on the critical work that the Task Force has begun. 

Under the leadership of Deputy Attorney General Monaco, the task force is led by the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and includes several other entities within the Department of Justice, including the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Criminal Division, the Civil Rights Division, the National Security Division, and the FBI, as well as key interagency partners, such as the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. For more information regarding the Justice Department’s efforts to combat threats against election workers, read the Deputy Attorney General’s memo.

To report suspected threats or violent acts, contact your local FBI office and request to speak with the Election Crimes Coordinator. Contact information for every FBI field office may be found here: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/. You may also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or file an online complaint at: tips.fbi.gov. Complaints submitted will be reviewed by the task force and referred for investigation or response accordingly. If someone is in imminent danger or risk of harm, contact 911 or your local police immediately.

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

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Defense News: FRCE materials engineers assist Coast Guard with parts backlog

Source: United States Navy

A team of Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) materials engineers recently extended a helping hand to their colleagues in the Coast Guard to help them solve a puzzling organic coating removal problem.

FRCE’s Materials Engineering Division is responsible for the materials and processes that affect an aircraft’s surfaces, such as bonding, painting, stripping and corrosion prevention. Engineers usually support aircraft maintainers in FRCE’s production shops or in Navy or Marine Corps fleet units around the world. Recently, engineering personnel at the U.S. Coast Guard’s Aviation Logistics Center (ALC) in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, reached out to FRCE for help on removing organic coatings from aircraft parts.

The ALC’s environmental protection processes allow the use of certain chemical strippers to remove coatings from aircraft parts, but they were not always effective at chemically removing coatings from parts. To further complicate the issue, maintenance manuals state that other paint removal methods like blasting or sanding cannot be used on parts that require non-destructive inspections for cracks after stripping, according to Chief Warrant Officer 3 Hayward Workman, Industrial Operations Division Engineering Support Branch chief.

“Often, the technical manuals we use will state chemical stripping only, which means we can’t use sanding, because you don’t want to remove material. You don’t want to blast with plastic media because it can leave traces of the coating and the media, which can get embedded and reduce detection of cracks or defects in the part,” said Workman. “Chemical stripping was the only way to remove the coating and be in accordance with the procedures, but it was impossible with the kind of strippers that were available at the ALC. That’s when I reached out for help from FRCE.”

Workman contacted Chris Gladson, Materials and Processes Branch head at FRCE, for suggestions on how to solve this dilemma. Gladson invited Workman and his team to tour the paint stripping facilities at FRCE and to brainstorm on solutions to the Coast Guard’s problem. FRCE and ALC were using similar methods of paint stripping, but differences in Coast Guard and Navy regulations allowed FRCE artisans to generate a higher throughput than those at ALC, Gladson said.

FRCE has a long record of environmental stewardship, and its aviation maintenance policies and procedures reflect that commitment to environmental compliance. Workman presented the information he received at FRCE to ALC safety and engineering teams to justify the conclusion that more aggressive stripping agents could be used safely and effectively to remove the more resistant coatings from parts. The ALC adopted similar procedures and safety equipment to that used at FRCE to ensure that the stripping agents were used in a safe and environmentally sound manner.

“We set up ventilated booths and containment areas to capture the more aggressive stripper so it could be sent off to be disposed of safely,” Workman said. “We use the milder chemicals when we can, but we have two designated booths available when the coatings require the more aggressive chemical to remove them.”

In the time it took to establish the new procedures and acquire the necessary equipment, Workman said the Coast Guard facility developed a backlog of more than 60 parts that needed to be chemically stripped before they could be inspected and repaired at the ALC. Once again, FRCE was able to assist by helping ALC catch up with demand.

Linda Holton, business office operations specialist in the FRCE Workload Acceptance Branch, works as a liaison between FRCE and the fleet units that may unexpectedly need its services. She helped the ALC arrange for FRCE’s assistance with the backlogged parts.

“Although FRCE’s workload is planned out far in advance, occasionally a fleet unit will need assistance on an emergent basis. That’s when they reach out to us,” Holton said. “Our team communicates with the planners and the supervisors to ensure the emergent parts can fit in with the regular planned work. We get a lot of satisfaction from helping the fleet units when they need us most.”

Gladson said the Small Clean Shop at FRCE was able to prioritize the Coast Guard’s workload and help them get back on track.

“We had three or four artisans out of our paint stripping shop working on these parts as they came in, and a couple of engineers and I pitched in as well,” Gladson said. “The extra manpower assisted Coast Guard personnel in clearing the backlog in an efficient manner. We were really glad to be able to help.”

Workman and Gladson both said the benefits of cooperation between the Coast Guard and Navy depots go beyond a one-time project, as each facility can learn from the other.

“Recently, when we run into problems or try something new, I can reach out to the Materials and Processes Branch, and the FRC already has the procedures and has experienced what we’re experiencing,” Workman said. “The team has shared how they’re doing it and let us look at their local procedures.  Basically, it keeps us from having to start over from scratch by seeing what’s working for them.”

Gladson agreed the relationship has been mutually beneficial.

“In the engineering world, we talk about having communities of interest,” Gladson said. “We’ve been able to add the Coast Guard to our community of interest, whether it is corrosion technologies, paint stripping or paints in general. It’s good to have those contacts, so they can feed information to us and we can feed information to them.”

FRCE is North Carolina’s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.