Month: November 2024

Posted on

Defense News: US Navy and Royal Brunei Armed Forces Commence CARAT Brunei 2024

Source: United States Navy

CARAT Brunei 2024 is a bilateral exercise designed to promote regional security, cooperation, maintain and strengthen maritime partnerships, and enhance interoperability between the two nations.

“The U.S.-Brunei partnership has never been stronger than it is today,” said Rear Adm. Katie Sheldon, Vice Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet. “We are proud of our longstanding relationship with the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and look forward to work side-by-side across a broad spectrum of naval competencies during this week’s CARAT exercise.”

This year marks the 30th anniversary of CARAT Brunei, in which participants will focus on a wide-range of training ashore and at sea, including maritime domain awareness, anti-surface warfare, maritime interdiction operations, helicopter interoperability, underwater demolition, and force protection.

During the shore phase, Marine Rotational Force – Southeast Asia (MRF-SEA) will conduct expert exchanges with the RBAF, covering force protection topics including Marine Corps Martial Arts, non-lethal riot control, and military operations in urban terrain (MOUT), enhancing the combined force’s collective skills and increasing interoperability. The at-sea phase will take place in the South China Sea, in which ships and aircraft from both partner militaries will work together through numerous advanced training events. These events aim to enhance the collective interoperability and proficiency between U.S. and Brunei forces while cultivating strong relationships as partners.

“CARAT has become a vital platform for enhancing interoperability and enforcing the bond between Brunei Darussalam and the United States. Our nations recognize that today’s security environment requires collaboration, mutual respect and resilience,” said the Chief of Staff, Joint Force Headquarters Royal Brunei Armed Forces. “Through this exercise we are building more than just capabilities. We are building trust, understanding and shared purpose.”

Despite variation between exercises, a common theme across the CARAT exercise series is the development of cooperative maritime security capabilities in support of peace and stability in maritime regions throughout South and Southeast Asia. CARAT exercises highlight the United States’ commitment to the region and to a free and open Indo-Pacific.

Participating U.S. assets include staff from U.S. 7th Fleet, Commander, Task Force (CTF) 72, CTF 73, CTF 74, CTF 75, and CTF 76, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 7, MRF-SEA, Naval Special Warfare, the U.S. 7th Fleet Band, and the U.S. Embassy Brunei.

The Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Omaha (LCS 12) with an embarked MH-60R Sea Hawk from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 35 will take part in the exercise while on rotational deployment to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations.

MRF-SEA, the U.S. Marine Corps’ newest rotational force, is derived from elements of I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) executing a U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific operational model that involves training events and exchanges with partner military subject matter experts, promotes security goals with allies and partner nations, and ensures a persistent I MEF presence west of the International Date Line.

As the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed DESRON in Southeast Asia, DESRON 7 serves as the primary tactical and operational commander of littoral combat ships rotationally deployed to the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, functioning as Expeditionary Strike Group 7’s Sea Combat Commander and building partnerships through training, exercises and military-to military engagements.

U.S. 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.

Posted on

Defense News: USS GEORGE H.W. BUSH COMPLETES 11-MONTH MAINTENANCE PERIOD AND SEA TRIALS ON-TIME

Source: United States Navy

“On-time completion of our PIA, and subsequent sea trials, is a product of both the Avenger’s rock-solid teamwork with Norfolk Naval Shipyard and the tireless dedication of our Sailors,” said Capt. Robert Bibeau, Bush’s commanding officer. “Through full ownership of the work package, complete integrity every step of the way with our successes and challenges, and forward-leaning deck plate leadership on both the ship and at the shipyard, we were able to get the ship back in action and return lethality to the Fleet.”
George H.W. Bush’s maintenance period at Norfolk Naval Shipyard focused on modernization efforts, structural repair, and preservation work. Warfighting sensor and system upgrades were installed increasing the warfighting capability of the ship, and multiple areas received preservation to include tanks, voids, weapons elevators, areas of the flight deck and hangar bay, the main mast and exterior of the ship, as well as general repairs to the hull, and mechanical and electrical infrastructure.
Additionally, there were many Quality of Service improvements made during modernization that improve life for the Sailors living onboard. In addition to upgrading crew living spaces, combination ovens in the ship’s galley, modular refrigeration equipment, Wi-Fi capability and a computer network upgrade were installed.
“The Avenger and NNSY team applied the true spirit of ‘Get Real, Get Better’ by embracing the red and owning, communicating, and aggressively attacking challenges on a daily basis to ensure that we got back out to sea more capable, more adaptable, and more lethal than ever before,” said Bibeau.
Following the ship’s departure from Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Bush completed sea trials. Sea Trials is a comprehensive assessment to ensure that the ship’s systems and equipment are sufficiently working after a maintenance availability period. This period of time allowed the crew to practice damage control, deck seamanship, and flight deck operations, simulating real scenarios that Sailors encounter at sea during future operations.
Bush is in the basic phase of the Optimized Fleet Response Plan following sea trials.
For media queries, please contact Lt. Cmdr. Madie Hansen, USS George H.W. Bush Public Affairs Officer, at pao@cvn77.navy.mil.

Posted on

Computer Programmer Convicted for Helping Run One of the Biggest Illegal Television Show Streaming Services in the United States

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

After a two-week trial, a federal jury in Las Vegas yesterday convicted a Cuban citizen and U.S. permanent resident for helping operate an illegal streaming service with one of the largest quantities of infringing works. The defendant, who was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement, is the eighth and final defendant to be convicted in the case.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Yoany Vaillant, 43, worked as a computer programmer for Jetflicks, an online, subscription-based service headquartered in Las Vegas that permitted users to stream and, at times, download copyrighted television episodes without the permission of relevant copyright owners. At one point, Jetflicks claimed to have 183,285 different television episodes, far more than Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, or any other licensed streaming service. At Jetflicks, Vaillant worked directly with Kristopher Dallmann and Jared Jaurequi, who were convicted of criminal copyright offenses by a different jury earlier this year.

According to his resume, Vaillant had 15 years of computer programming experience when he started at Jetflicks and knew 27 computer languages. During the four-and-a-half months that Vaillant worked at Jetflicks he made significant contributions to the operation of the service, including fixing issues affecting the automated downloading, processing, syncing, uploading, and streaming of Jetflicks’ inventory of infringing television episodes.

Evidence at trial showed that Vaillant and his co-conspirators scoured the internet to find infringing television programs from pirate sites around the world — including some of the biggest sites specializing in infringing content such as The Pirate Bay, RARBG, altHUB, and Nzbplanet — using automated software and computer scripts that ran nonstop. Vaillant and his co-conspirators reproduced hundreds of thousands of copyrighted television episodes without authorization and streamed the infringing programs to tens of thousands of paid subscribers located throughout the United States, often providing episodes to subscribers the day after the shows originally aired on television. The vast scale of Jetflicks’ piracy affected every significant copyright owner of a television program in the United States and resulted in millions of dollars of losses to the U.S. television show and streaming industries.

Vaillant was one of eight defendants indicted in the Eastern District of Virginia in 2019 for running Jetflicks. In that case, Vaillant’s co-defendant Darryl Polo, a computer programmer, pleaded guilty to four criminal copyright counts and one money laundering count, which related to Jetflicks as well as another illegal streaming site he operated. Co-defendant Luis Villarino, also a computer programmer, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement at Jetflicks. The court sentenced Polo to four years and nine months in prison and Villarino to one year and one day in prison.

In February 2022, the court transferred the case to the District of Nevada for trial. The court in the District of Nevada subsequently severed Vaillant’s case from the other remaining five defendants — Dallmann, Jaurequi, Douglas Courson, Felipe Garcia, and Peter Huber — and those defendants were tried in Las Vegas last June. Dallmann ran the Jetflicks operation with assistance from Jaurequi and Courson; Garcia was in charge of customer support and helped obtain television show content; and Huber provided computer programming services. A jury found all five defendants guilty of conspiracy to commit criminal copyright infringement, and Dallmann was also found guilty of three additional counts of criminal copyright infringement and two counts of money laundering by concealment. This was the largest internet piracy case by volume of infringed works — and first illegal streaming case — ever to go to trial.

The court will sentence Dallmann, Courson, Garcia, Jaurequi, Huber, and Vaillant on Feb. 3 and 4, 2025. The court will determine any sentences after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada; and Assistant Director in Charge David Sundberg of the FBI Washington Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI Washington Field Office investigated the case, with assistance from the FBI Las Vegas Field Office.

Senior Counsel Matthew A. Lamberti, Trial Attorney Michael Christin, and Acting Deputy Chief Christopher S. Merriam of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Oliva for the District of Nevada are prosecuting the case.

Posted on

New York Man Pleads Guilty to Employment Tax Crimes

Source: United States Department of Justice

A New York man pleaded guilty to employment tax crimes for not collecting and paying over employment taxes from the wages of his company’s employees.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Victor Aguayo, of Nassau County, was owner and president of Mabel Interior Design Inc., an interior painting business in Westbury, New York. Aguayo was responsible for withholding Social Security, Medicare and federal income taxes from his employees’ wages, reporting those wages and withholdings to the IRS quarterly and paying those withheld taxes to the IRS quarterly as well.

Instead, Aguayo paid his employees approximately $3.6 million in cash wages but did not withhold or pay taxes from those wages. In addition, he caused false quarterly tax returns to be filed that did not report those cash wages. As a result, Aguayo caused a tax loss to the IRS of $545,743.

Aguayo is scheduled to be sentenced on April 21, 2025. He faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. He also faces a period of supervised release, restitution and monetary penalties. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division made the announcement.

IRS Criminal Investigation is investigating the case.

Assistant Chief Sarah Ranney and Trial Attorney Joseph D. G. Castro of the Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

Posted on

International Fugitive Home Health Care Owner Sentenced for Fraudulently Billing Medicare

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Michigan home health care company owner was sentenced yesterday to three years and five months in prison for his role in a health care fraud conspiracy that resulted in almost $7.9 million in false and fraudulent claims for home health care services paid by Medicare Part A.

According to court documents, Muhammad Zafar, 53, of Wayne County, owned and operated a home health care business in Michigan. Together with three doctors and two other home health care company owners, Zafar offered kickbacks, bribes, and other inducements to beneficiary recruiters in exchange for Medicare beneficiary information. Zafar and his co-conspirators used this information to bill Medicare for services that were medically unnecessary and not provided. Zafar pleaded guilty to submitting approximately $393,500 in claims to Medicare from his home health care company for services that were medically unnecessary, ineligible for Medicare reimbursement, and not provided as represented.

On the same day that Zafar appeared in court for his initial appearance on June 17, 2015, he violated his court-issued bond, crossed the international border into Canada, and shortly thereafter flew to Pakistan. Zafar remained an international fugitive for approximately seven and a half years before returning to the United States to face the charges against him.

On May 29, Zafar pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Special Agent in Charge Mario Pinto of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the FBI Detroit Field Office made the announcement.

HHS-OIG and the FBI Detroit Field Office investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Jeffrey A. Crapko of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.