Month: March 2023

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Defense News: USS Makin Island Participates in Cobra Gold 2023

Source: United States Navy

During the exercise, Makin Island, John P. Murtha and 13th MEU, partnered with the Royal Thai, Japanese, Indonesian, Republic of Korea, Singaporean, and Malaysian navies, strengthening these lasting relationships.

“Cobra Gold fosters interoperability and contributes to operational readiness of the Makin Island ARG and all participating nations,” said Captain Tony Chavez, commanding officer of Makin Island. “In its 42nd year, this exercise reinforces the importance of coordination and collaboration in vital areas such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.”

While at sea, Makin Island conducted a casualty evacuation drill (CASEVAC) which consisted of transiting a simulated patient by MH-60S Sea Hawk, assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 21, aboard Makin Island for the ship’s intensive care unit to conduct mock x-rays and surgery. Conducting CASEVAC drills ensures medical personnel are trained to receive casualties, a prominent aspect of Makin Island’s medical readiness mission. The ship also embarked liaison officers from both the Royal Thai navy and Republic of Korea navy and hosted a visit with Thai and Korean leaders which included watching flight operations from the upper weather decks followed by a lunch and a photo opportunity.

Exercise Cobra Gold provides a venue for the United States and allied and partner nations to advance interoperability and increase partner capacity in planning and executing complex and realistic combined multinational force operations.

“It has been seven years since I was last home in Thailand,” said Airman Poomrapee Kijrattanakarn, a Thailand native currently assigned to Makin Island. “I am proud to return home and have people from my home country aboard the Makin Island, and proud that I and my counterparts can share my culture with the crew.”

Cobra Gold is one of the largest multilateral theater security cooperation exercises in the Indo-Pacific and reflects the U.S. commitment to allies and partners, providing a continuous and reliable platform to train, prepare, and enhance regional interoperability.

This year’s exercise consisted of three primary events: a command and control exercise, humanitarian civic assistance projects, and a field training exercise that included a variety of training events to enhance interoperability and strengthen regional relationships. Approximately 20 nations and 6,000 U.S. personnel participated either directly or as observers and approximately.

The Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, comprised of Makin Island and amphibious transport docks John P. Murtha and USS Anchorage (LPD 23), is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations with the embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit to enhance interoperability with Allies and partners and serves as a ready-response force to defend peace and maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

7th Fleet is the U.S. Navy’s largest forward-deployed numbered fleet, and routinely interacts and operates with Allies and partners in preserving a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

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Defense News: 13th MEU Conducts Expeditionary Strike Force Operations in the South China Sea

Source: United States Navy

During ESF operations, we combined the USS Nimitz (CVN 68), Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG 73), USS Chung Hoon (DDG 93), USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108) of Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 9, and the squadrons of embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 with the amphibious capabilities of the USS Makin Island (LHD 8), USS Anchorage (LPD 23), USS John P. Murtha (LPD 26), and embarked 13th MEU. The Nimitz Expeditionary Strike Group conducted simulated maritime domain strikes, integrating Marine F-35B’s with Navy F/A-18’s, an amphibious assault, and integrated ship formations. The mixture of naval combat power and amphibious capabilities demonstrated high-end war fighting capability, maritime superiority and next-level naval integration.

“The Nimitz Expeditionary Strike Force operations reinforce our integrated joint force capabilities,” said Rear Adm. Christopher Sweeney, commander, Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 11. “Combining the capabilities of CSG 11 with the ARG/MEU, we expand the options this blue-green team provides the joint force commander, and increase our ability to create theater-wide effects in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

Combining the separate and complex operations of CSG 11 and the ARG/MEU team starts with integrating daily battle rhythms. A network of liaison personnel, cross-pollinated between the USS Makin Island and the USS Nimitz, further enabled the commander to orchestrate the amphibious upgrades to CSG 11. The distinct heart beats of nine ships become one, as the Expeditionary Strike Group fuses capabilities and synchronizes operations. “This integration demonstrated what it means in the Indo-Pacific theater to combine the fighting power of the ARG and CSG, creating a force that can operate over land and sea,” said Lt. Cmdr. Simone Mims, plans and tactics officer, USS Makin Island. “We can talk about what we think ESF is or looks like, but when we actually operate together, we unlock possibilities that help redefine what it means for US forces to operate from sea.”

The Nimitz ESG executed division tactics, maneuvering ships and aircraft into formation, symbolizing the visceral integration of the Makin Island ARG/13th MEU team and CSG 11. Aircraft from the USS Makin Island and USS Nimitz joined the formation, as a symphony of rotary-wing and jet noise echoed through the South China Sea. Aircraft included P-8A’s and F/A-18’s off the USS Nimitz and MV-22B’s, MH-60’s and F-35B’s off the USS Makin Island.

“The CSG has much to offer the 13th MEU’s embarked Aviation Command Element, such as air-to-air refueling, airborne command and control, Electromagnetic Attack (EA), and weapons that the F-35B cannot carry,” said Capt. Murphy Mosley, F-35B pilot, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 122, 13th MEU. “Our F-35B’s offer a much more advanced sensor suite and low-observable capability. We offer the ability to fly into a contested environment, one that may not be permissive to 4th Generation aircraft, and create a permissive environment for follow-on tasking.” The combination of these complimentary aircraft provides a strategic advantage when tackling diverse tasks, the ARG/MEU may be called to respond to as the Department of Defense’s premier crisis-response force.  

The unique amphibious capabilities of the Makin Island ARG/13th MEU were employed during the amphibious assault exercise, launching Marine Corps light-armored reconnaissance vehicles (LAV’s) aboard landing craft, air cushion (LCAC’s) from ship to a notional shore. MV-22B Osprey’s flew above the LCAC’s, simulating projecting a company of Marines ashore. The exercise displayed the ship-to-shore capabilities of the ARG/MEU team, highlighting the unique amphibious enhancements the ARG/MEU brings to ESF operations.

An adaptable blue-green team that complements the joint force, amphibious ships and embarked Marines, bring an afloat Marine Air-Ground Task Force anywhere in the world. Throughout ESF operations, we demonstrated the value the ARG/MEU brings to a Carrier Strike Group. “The 13th MEU brings the full capabilities of an afloat Marine Air-Ground Task Force,” said Col. Samuel Meyer, commanding officer, 13th MEU. “Synchronizing all warfighting functions from amphibious ships enables the mobility, sustainability and flexibility to respond to emergent threats and crises anywhere required.”

The ARG/MEU team combined with the expansive capabilities of a CSG deters malign activity, ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific. ESF operations were conducted by the Nimitz CSG, Makin Island ARG and 13th MEU to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to maintaining freedom of the seas and upholding peace and stability in the region.

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D.C. Man Pleads Guilty to Felony Charge In Child Exploitation Case

Source: United States Department of Justice News

            WASHINGTON – Raymond Glover, 42, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty today to one count of receipt of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Matthew Graves and Acting Special Agent in Charge Derek W. Gordon, of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). A sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 21, 2023.

            According to court documents, on or about September 21, 2021, HSI agents searched Glover’s home. During the search, a child pornography video was playing, in plain sight, on Glover’s laptop in the living room via an application that allowed sharing of the video screen. Agents observed adult men, on another screen, who appeared to be watching the video via the sharing application. Glover stated that some of the child pornography videos posted in the application chat groups depicted children as young as 5 or 6 years of age. Glover stated individuals also posted links to cloud storage sites which allowed him to gain access to child pornography. During the search warrant execution, agents seized 13 electronic devices, to include two phones, the laptop, and a number of others. Glover’s devices contained over 60 videos and 60 images that meet the federal definition of child pornography. These videos and images were downloaded between the dates of September 27, 2019 and September 21, 2021.

            The charge of receiving child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison with a maximum possible sentence of 20 years in prison, plus mandatory restitution, a period of supervised release, and a possible fine. The court will determine the appropriate sentence after considering the relevant factors including the advisory Sentencing Guidelines.

            This case is being investigated by the Washington, D.C. office of Homeland Security Investigations.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Larson and Jocelyn Bond with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia with assistance provided by the paralegal Alexis Spencer-Anderson.

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Former Kentucky Federal Prison Lieutenant Convicted of Covering Up the Assaults of Two Federal Inmates by Corrections Officers

Source: United States Department of Justice News

After a six-day trial, a federal jury convicted former Bureau of Prisons Lieutenant Kevin Pearce, 38, on two counts of obstruction for writing false reports about the assaults of two federal inmates by corrections officers under Pearce’s command. The defendant is a former supervisor at U.S. Penitentiary Big Sandy in Inez, Kentucky. Two former officers, Samuel Patrick and Clinton Pauley previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the two assaults and testified for the government at trial.

The evidence at trial established that the defendant was the supervising lieutenant responding to an incident at Big Sandy in which his co-defendants, former officers Patrick and Pauley, assaulted an inmate by pepper spraying him in the face and kicking him in the head. Witnesses, including those who assaulted the inmates, testified that the inmate was not a threat and was compliant, and was assaulted for walking too slowly to his cell, rather than for any legitimate penological purpose. The defendant attempted to cover up the assault by writing a false report which untruthfully described the inmate as violent and omitted that the inmate had been kicked in the head while he was prone and unresisting. 

The evidence further established that, one month later, the defendant again covered up an unrelated assault also initiated by officers Patrick and Pauley. The victim of that assault was taken to the defendant’s office in order to request protection from other inmates. When the victim, who is white, revealed that he used to affiliate with Black gangs, the defendant’s fellow officers repeatedly struck him in the head and body while one of the officers referred to him as a “race traitor.” The defendant wrote a false report about the assault in which he claimed that the inmate agreed to go to his housing unit “without incident,” and, as the cover-up expanded, he supervised efforts to discredit the inmate by recruiting another officer who was not present to write a report which falsely corroborated the agreed-upon cover story.

“This defendant abused the trust given to him as a federal correctional officer and supervisor when he attempted to cover up the assaults of two inmates in his custody,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will vigorously prosecute correctional officers who abuse inmates, and this mission includes the prosecution of supervisory officials who enable civil rights violations by protecting abusive officers. We are committed to using our civil rights laws to ensure that the rights of all people, including those detained inside jails and prisons, are fully protected.”

“The defendant betrayed the public trust placed in him, abused his authority, enabled the violation of other’s rights, and did a grave disservice to all law enforcement,” said U.S. Attorney Carlton S. Shier IV for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “Instead of enforcing the law and protecting those in his care, he chose to cover up disgraceful abuses and to discredit those who faithfully discharge their public service. His conviction is the next step in the process of restoring the public’s trust.”

“Pearce lied in an attempt to cover up an egregious assault of an inmate by his fellow officers,” said Special Agent in Charge William J. Hannah of the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General (DOJ-OIG) Chicago Field Office. “This verdict sends a message that there is no room in the federal corrections system for civil rights violations nor any corrupt attempt to conceal such acts. Today, Pearce will be held accountable. I would like to thank the jury for their time, attention and careful consideration in this case.”

“While serving their sentence, inmates are entitled to equal protections under the law,” said Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen of the FBI Louisville Field Office. “When a few correctional officers choose to violate those protections, either by physical abuse or by orchestrating a cover-up, the integrity of all officers is questioned. The FBI stands ready to bare all of its resources in order to bring to justice law enforcement officials who take advantage of their position of power.”

The maximum penalties for the false report offenses are 20 years of imprisonment. The sentencing is scheduled for July 5. 

Assistant Attorney General Clarke, U.S. Attorney Shier, Special Agent in Charge Hannah and Special Agent in Charge Cohen made the announcement. 

DOJ-OIG and the FBI the investigated the case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zachary Dembo for the Eastern District of Kentucky and Trial Attorney Thomas Johnson of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section are prosecuting the case. 

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Justice Department Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Michigan Rental Property Owner

Source: United States Department of Justice News

The Justice Department announced today that it has filed a sexual harassment lawsuit under the Fair Housing Act against the owner and manager of rental properties in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. 

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, alleges that Mohamad Hussein, who owns or manages over two dozen rental properties in Dearborn Heights, has subjected actual and prospective female tenants to sexual harassment on multiple occasions since at least 2017. The complaint alleges that Hussein made unwelcome sexual comments and advances, and offered actual and prospective female tenants housing-related benefits in exchange for engaging in sex acts with him or sending him sexually explicit images. According to the complaint, many of these instances took place in the spring of 2020, during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it was difficult to secure housing in Michigan. The complaint also alleges that Hussein sent sexually explicit images of himself to prospective female tenants.

“No one should be denied the right to housing because they refuse to submit to a landlord’s sexual demands,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department is committed to vigorously enforcing the Fair Housing Act and seeking justice for those sexually harassed by landlords and other housing providers.”

“Every resident of our district should be able to find and secure housing without facing discrimination,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison for the Eastern District of Michigan. “Any feeling of safety and security is ripped away when individuals face sexual harassment in their own home. Our Civil Rights Unit works closely with the Civil Rights Division to hold those who violate the Fair Housing Act accountable.”    

Today’s lawsuit seeks monetary damages to compensate persons harmed by the alleged harassment, civil penalties to vindicate the public interest and a court order barring future discrimination. The complaint contains allegations of unlawful conduct; the allegations must be proven in federal court.

The Justice Department launched its Sexual Harassment in Housing Initiative in October 2017. The initiative, which is led by the Civil Rights Division, in coordination with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices across the country, seeks to address and raise awareness about sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers or other people who have control over housing. Since launching the Initiative, the department has filed 29 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 race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability and familial status. More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt.

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 Mohamad Hussein, or who have other information that may be relevant to this case, can contact the Housing Discrimination tip line at 1-833-591-0291, select a language, and select option number 2, then option number 6 to leave a message. Individuals may also contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Michigan at 313-226-9151, or by email at usamie.civilrights@usdoj.gov. Individuals may also 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.