Month: September 2022

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Remarks as Delivered

Thank you for joining us today. We are here to announce the unsealing of an indictment in a case charging eight defendants with human smuggling and conspiracies to commit human smuggling for conduct that placed lives in serious jeopardy. Among those indicted is the alleged leader of this criminal organization, Erminia Serrano Piedra, also known as “Irma.”

Attorney General Garland created Joint Task Force Alpha last year, in consultation with DHS Secretary Mayorkas, to harness the combined forces of DOJ, DHS, and other interagency partners to strengthen efforts to investigate and prosecute the transnational criminal networks responsible for dangerous and prolific human smuggling activities that exploit and victimize migrants. This indictment demonstrates our commitment to holding accountable criminal organizations that prey upon vulnerable people for profit. JTFA personnel work tirelessly to end the scourge of harmful smuggling and trafficking networks.

This indictment is the direct result of Joint Task Force Alpha, led by prosecutors from the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, or HRSP, and Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

Piedra and her co-conspirators allegedly coordinated the transportation and harboring of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border near Laredo, Texas, to Austin, San Antonio, and other points in the interior of the United States.

This organization was motivated by personal greed, and Piedra and her co-conspirators prioritized that greed over the safety of those that they illegally smuggled. As alleged in the indictment, Piedra’s organization transported people in suitcases, repurposed water tanks, and wooden crates on flatbed trucks. They packed people in dangerous, tight spaces, with limited ventilation in high temperatures, risking people’s lives and safety for money.

The sole purpose of this conspiracy was personal profit. It has allegedly generated millions of dollars in illegal proceeds.

To this end, the government is seeking to forfeit these defendants’ ill-gotten gains, which includes noticing the criminal forfeiture of three properties in the Austin area which were purchased with the proceeds of illegal smuggling activity or used to facilitate the organization’s criminal activity.

In addition to the defendants’ individual criminal exposure, we are also seeking money judgments of forfeiture against Piedra and two of her co-conspirators, for a total of more than $2 million.

Earlier today, in the HSI-led coordinated take down in which eight defendants were apprehended, additional evidence showing the scope and expanse of this Human Smuggling Organization’s operations was discovered. For example, Katie Ann Garcia was arrested in Laredo earlier today and during the course of her arrest, 12 migrants, including two minors, were discovered in her residence.

Today is an important step in disrupting and dismantling a human smuggling operation that, as the indictment alleges, is endangering the lives of migrants, and impacting our communities. It also serves as yet another example of the substantial effort undertaken by Joint Task Force Alpha since its inception in June of 2021.

By combining the efforts and resources of numerous Department of Justice prosecutors and law enforcement officials, particularly DHS investigators, from across Texas and the Southeast United States, law enforcement actions like this one highlight the level of collective resolve and commitment we have to combating human smuggling. We are marshalling our resources to vigorously target human smugglers wherever they operate with an unparalleled degree of focus and intensity, and we will hold perpetrators accountable.

So, the message to human smugglers should be crystal clear: You will not be allowed to operate with impunity. U.S. law enforcement will continue to aggressively target you and your illegal operations for disruption and dismantlement.

Now, it is important that I acknowledge and express my deep appreciation to our key partners in law enforcement involved in this case, who have worked tirelessly on this matter in close coordination with JTFA’s DOJ leadership team and prosecutors throughout the investigation.

This investigation has been led by special agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and specifically HSI Laredo, and Customs and Border Protection – U.S. Border Patrol, Laredo Sector, with assistance from multiple HSI offices in Austin, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. Additionally, the coordinated takedown that resulted in arrests across multiple districts earlier today is an excellent example of the collective efforts and skilled coordination across law enforcement agencies and sectors. The U.S. Marshals Service, The Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, DC, Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center as well as CBP’s Office of Air and Marine and DHS Office of Inspector General were all instrumental in ensuring that the investigation to date culminated today in a successful operation.

And now it is my pleasure to turn it over to Jennifer B. Lowery, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

FBI Director Christopher Wray announced today in a video message the results of joint violent crime enforcement efforts throughout the summer, recognizing the essential cooperation of local and state law enforcement agencies around the country.

Between May 1, and Sept. 2, 2022, the FBI and local and state law enforcement partners arrested nearly 6,000 alleged violent criminals and gang members and seized more than 2,700 firearms connected to criminal conduct. Throughout the summer, the FBI and its partners also disrupted nearly 845 and dismantled 105 violent gangs and criminal enterprises and seized large quantities of fentanyl and other deadly narcotics.

“Keeping our communities and our country safe is the Justice Department’s priority, every single day. At the beginning of this year, we further intensified our department-wide efforts to combat violent crime, including by directing all 94 U.S. Attorneys’ offices to develop and implement district-specific violent crime reduction strategies,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Together with our law enforcement partners across the country, we will continue to do everything we can to protect our communities from violent crime.”

“I believe the FBI’s most sacred duty is to ensure people can live free from fear in their own homes and neighborhoods,” said Director Wray. “To that end, we dedicate agents, analysts, and technical resources across the country to work with state and local law enforcement on these operations.” 

These joint violent crime enforcement efforts resulted in FBI operations occurring in many communities across the country, including in New Mexico, California, Texas, Illinois, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., as summarized below:

The FBI Albuquerque Violent Gang Task Force executed 16 federal search warrants targeting violent street and prison gangs. More than a dozen federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and SWAT teams seized more than one million fentanyl pills, 142 pounds of methamphetamine, 37 firearms, nine ballistic vests, two hand grenades, and $1.8 million in cash.

The Los Angeles Metropolitan Task Force on Violent Gangs arrested 28 members and associates of the South Los Angeles-based Eastside Playboys street gang for alleged federal racketeering, firearms, and narcotics charges. The task force seized approximately 47 firearms, almost 200 kilograms of methamphetamine, 27 kilograms of cocaine, more than 13 kilograms of fentanyl, and more than seven kilograms of heroin.

In Houston, 10 MS-13 gang members were federally indicted for racketeering conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to murder in aid of racketeering, related firearms charges, and obstruction of justice. The seven murders alleged in the indictment were especially brutal, using mutilation and dismemberment with machetes, and included the killing of a juvenile female and a police informant.

As part of FBI Sacramento’s efforts in a multi-agency coordinated operation targeting the South Lake Tahoe area, seven defendants were charged with conspiracy to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine and heroin. Separately, four subjects were indicted for trafficking methamphetamine and firearms, including an AR-15-style rifle, a shotgun, and several handguns, some of which were “ghost” guns, lacking serial numbers.

In Chicago, three individuals were charged for two separate violent carjackings. In both instances, the defendants allegedly brandished a semiautomatic handgun, and in one, the defendants also allegedly used a semiautomatic rifle. Another defendant was charged in a separate carjacking in downtown Chicago, which also included the use of a firearm.

Out of FBI San Antonio’s Waco Resident Agency, a federal grand jury indicted 27 defendants for their involvement in a Texas-based drug trafficking organization operating a methamphetamine distribution ring, leading to numerous arrests.

A federal investigation into a Hawaiian criminal enterprise resulted in three subjects being arrested for their alleged participation in drug trafficking of methamphetamine and cocaine, operating an illegal gambling business, as well as firearms possession. The criminal enterprise operated throughout the Hawaiian Islands.

Forty-one violent gang members from Puerto Rico were arrested on drug trafficking and firearms charges. The criminal organization allegedly distributed heroin, cocaine, marijuana, Oxycodone, Xanax, and other drugs throughout Puerto Rico.

The FBI Washington Field Office’s Cross Border Safe Streets Task Force, recovered eight firearms and significant quantities of Fentanyl and crack cocaine stemming from searches related to their investigation. Ten defendants were arrested for allegedly conspiring to distribute Fentanyl and cocaine throughout the D.C. area.

Twenty-five people were arrested in Pennsylvania for allegedly running a drug trafficking ring. The subjects allegedly engaged in a widespread drug distribution conspiracy that crossed state lines into Florida, Puerto Rico, and Arizona.

Similar to the those listed here, the FBI and our law enforcement partners conducted numerous operations in many other cities across the nation, including Cleveland, Buffalo, New Haven, Charlotte, Springfield, and more, and will continue these efforts against violent crime to help keep our communities safe for everyone.

Learn more about the FBI’s work in investigating violent crime at fbi.gov/violentcrime. Report tips to tips.fbi.gov; you can remain anonymous, or call 1-800-CALL FBI (800-225-5324).

Source: United States Department of Justice News

In a meeting with media representatives, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland reaffirmed today the Justice Department’s commitment to a free and independent press and provided an update on efforts to further ensure journalists acting within the scope of news gathering are protected from compelled disclosure of information revealing their sources.

In July 2021, the Attorney General announced a new policy that restricts the use of compulsory process to obtain information from, or records of, members of the news media acting within the scope of newsgathering activities. To help ensure the durability of the policy changes, he asked Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco to undertake a process to codify the policy change reflected in the July 2021 announcement into Department regulations and to otherwise update those regulations. Today, Department officials provided an update on that review, noting that the forthcoming revised regulations are intended to further strengthen protections to news media outlets and journalists while providing clear guidelines for Justice Department investigators and prosecutors. The Department expects to finalize and post the regulations online this fall.

In addition to the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, other Department attendees included: Matthew Klapper, Chief of Staff to the Attorney General; Marshall Miller, Principal Deputy Attorney General; Anthony Coley, Director, Office of Public Affairs and Senior Advisor to the Attorney General; Dena Iverson, Principal Deputy Director, Office of Public Affairs; Julie Dickerson, Counsel to the Attorney General; David Newman, Associate Deputy Attorney General; and Margot Benedict, Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General.

News media representative attendees included: Bruce Brown, Executive Director, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press; Steve Adler, Chair, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press; Nancy Barnes, Senior Vice President of News and Editorial Director, NPR; Sally Buzbee, Executive Editor, Washington Post; Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, Executive Vice President, Newsgathering CBS; Jason Conti, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer, Dow Jones; Sam Feist, Washington bureau chief, CNN; Dana Green, Senior Counsel, New York Times; Karen Kaiser, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary, Associated Press; Jane Mayer, Staff Writer and Chief Washington Correspondent, New Yorker; Jim McLaughlin, Deputy General Counsel, Washington Post; Ken Strickland, Vice President and Washington Bureau Chief, NBC; Susan Page, Washington Bureau Chief, USA Today; and David Vigilante, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, CNN.

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division participated in a trilateral meeting today with enforcers from Mexico’s Federal Economic Competition Commission, Canada’s Competition Bureau, and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. The meeting took place at FTC headquarters in Washington, D.C. and included roundtable discussions on current enforcement priorities and the current legal environment in each jurisdiction. Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter led a conversation on merger enforcement, focusing on the digital economy and forthcoming revisions to the U.S. merger guidelines.

“Canada and Mexico are important partners for the United States in upholding antitrust laws and protecting North American workers and consumers,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “As antitrust enforcement increasingly spans international borders, building a unified response is vital to meeting today’s market realities. Cooperation among neighboring agencies is a crucial step in this process.”    

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan moderated a discussion of recent developments in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

“Working closely with our North American neighbors is key for promoting fair, open, and competitive markets,” Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan said. “Deepening collaboration and cooperation lets us strengthen our respective approaches to enforcement and better protect our citizens.”

This year’s meetings mark the first joint in-person gathering between the four agencies since 2019, after a pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic.