Source: United States Navy
Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro posthumously promoted Cmdr. William “Willie” C. McCool to the rank of Captain, Oct. 7, 2023. Secretary Del Toro announced the promotion during halftime at the Navy-North Texas football game at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
Source: United States Department of Justice News
WASHINGTON – An indictment was unsealed today charging Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) employee Tyrone Hunter, 52, of Seat Pleasant, Maryland, with two counts of extortion under color of official right and two counts of bribery concerning federal programs. Hunter, whose job duties included responsibility for the disposal of WMATA surplus property, allegedly demanded and accepted cash payments from a WMATA surplus customer in exchange for giving that customer favorable treatment in two surplus property sales.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, Special Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs, of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal and Cyber Division, and WMATA Inspector General Rene Febles. Hunter made an initial appearance today in the District of Columbia before U.S. Magistrate Judge Moxilla A. Upadhyaya.
According to the indictment, WMATA permits customers to conduct vehicle inspections free of charge but does not allow test drives. All WMATA surplus property sales are “as is” with no refunds. Hunter, an Investment Recovery Administrator for WMATA’s Office of Property Reutilization and Disposition Services, demanded that a WMATA customer pay him in exchange for the opportunity to fully inspect and test drive WMATA paratransit vans – which were offered for sale as surplus property – before bidding on them.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
This case is being investigated by FBI’s Washington Field Office and the WMATA Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by the Fraud, Public Corruption, and Civil Rights Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Source: United States Department of Justice News
WASHINGTON – Raekwon Sutton, 26, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty, on October 3, 2023, of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime of violence, one count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a previously convicted person, and three counts of felony threats, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
The charges stem from a March 19, 2022 shooting in Southeast Washington. The verdict was returned by a jury sitting in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Sentencing is scheduled for December 1, 2023.
According to the government’s evidence, Sutton went to his ex-girlfriend’s apartment armed with a handgun. In a fit of rage, he fired ten rounds at the front door of the apartment while two family members were inside. A few hours before the shooting, Sutton sent multiple text messages and voice messages threatening to shoot at the apartment. Shortly after the shooting, Sutton sent additional messages threatening to return to the apartment and fire additional shots.
In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Acting Chief Pamela A. Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department, commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also expressed appreciation for the assistance provided by the U.S. Marshals Service. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Yasmin Emrani and Brian Yang, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
Source: United States Navy
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Navy Victims’ Legal Counsel Program (VLCP) founding during a ceremony aboard the Washington Navy Yard on Sept. 29. VLCP – which provides legal services to survivors of sexual offenses or domestic violence – was first established during the summer of 2013.
Source: United States Navy
Last month, naval forces in the Middle East region successfully integrated unmanned platforms with traditionally crewed ships and aircraft to conduct enhanced maritime security operations in the waters surrounding the Arabian Peninsula.
Seven task forces falling under U.S. 5th Fleet integrated 12 different unmanned platforms with manned ships for “manned-unmanned teaming” operations, tracking Iranian Navy and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) ships and small boats over several days during routine patrols in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
This operation bolstered presence in and around a critical chokepoint that in recent months has seen Iran unlawfully seize internationally flagged merchant ships.
Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were involved in the operation.
“We have been operating UAVs and UUVs in the region for years,” said Capt. Joe Baggett, Director of Maritime Operations for U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet. “Adding our new USVs, and then integrating all of these platforms into fleet operations, is how we expect to fly and sail well into the future.”
Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, ships and aircraft from Task Force 51/5 (Amphibious/Marine), Task Force 52 (Mine Countermeasures), Task Force 53 (Logistics), Task Force 55 (Surface Warfare), Task Force 56 (Expeditionary), Task Force 57 (Patrol/Reconnaissance) and Task Force 59 (Unmanned/Artificial Intelligence) conducted the operations.
“The integration of new, multidomain unmanned platforms into routine fleet operations provides more ‘eyes on the water,’ enhancing maritime domain awareness and increasing deterrence in the region,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet.
Cooper added that collectively, these platforms support the safe navigation and free flow of commerce through vital regional chokepoints, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz.
“This enhanced maritime security serves as a deterrent against malign activity and strengthens regional stability, which is good for everybody,” he said.
U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet’s area of operations encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. This expanse, comprising 21 nations, includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb.