NEWARK, N.J. – Alexander Varice, 27, of South Orange, New Jersey, was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to defraud two banks out of more than $250,000 using stolen credit cards and blank checks, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.

Varice’s conspirators, Allen Varice, 25, of East Orange; Dashawn Duncan, 27, of South Orange; Nasheed Jackson, 24, of Newark; Qshaun Brown-Guinyard, 27, Newark; and Tamir Duval, 22, of Newark; previously pleaded guilty by video before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton to Informations charging each with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.  Judge Wigenton imposed the sentence on Varice today via video conference. Duncan, Jackson, Brown-Guinyard, Allen Varice have been sentenced by Judge Wigenton. Duval is scheduled to be sentenced in December of this year.  

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

From in and about August 2018 through in or about January 2020, Varice and his coconspirators engaged in a scheme to use stolen credit cards and/or checks to fraudulently make purchases and withdraw money from two banks, leaving the banks to bear the losses of the scheme.

The credit cards and blank checks were stolen from various New Jersey-based United States Postal Service facilities, and never reached their intended recipients. After obtaining the stolen credit cards, Varice and his coconspirators used them to make unauthorized purchases at various retail stores and/or to withdraw cash from automated teller machines (“ATMs”) in New Jersey and elsewhere.  With respect to the stolen blank checks, Varice and the coconspirators altered the date, payee, and amount of the stolen checks prior to deposit.  Varice and his coconspirators then fraudulently withdrew money at various ATMs from third-party account holders’ accounts.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Wigenton sentenced Varice to three years of supervised release.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, in Newark, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero, Newark Division, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Blake Coppotelli of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

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ATLANTA – Deuntrae Meshari Colley, Antonio Cooper, also known as “Antoine Cooper,” Dexter Hancock, Daeqwan Ray Jackson, also known as “Daequan Ray Jackson,” Donald Johnson, and Drashawn Mitchell, all convicted felons, have been charged with federal offenses, including possessing a firearm while being a convicted felon. These arrests resulted from coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies as part of an operation under the Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN) Program.  This operation, named “Operation Phoenix Summer Surge,” focused on the arrest and prosecution of individuals who illegally used or possessed firearms in violation of federal law and are responsible for driving violence in the City of Atlanta.   

“Federal law enforcement is building on strong partnerships with state and local law enforcement to focus on those individuals who are the drivers of violent crime in the City of Atlanta,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. “Through this district’s PSN program, and in collaboration with the Office of the Fulton County District Attorney, these partnerships helped to ensure that the individuals federally charged as part of this operation will remain in custody pending trial and be prevented from continuing to pose a danger to members of our community.”

“These convictions are an excellent example of how cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement partners can make our community safer by bringing dangerous offenders to justice.  We are cooperating closely with the Acting U.S. Attorney, ATF and other federal partners to make sure felons who break the law by possessing a firearm receive a substantial prison sentence,” said Fulton County District Attorney Fani T. Willis.

“Operation Phoenix Summer Surge is the continuation of a sustained, systematic, and coordinated law enforcement initiative begun in August 2020 to fight violent crime in the City of Atlanta,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI is committed to working together with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Fulton County District Attorney and all of our federal, state and local partners to make these arrests because the threats we face are too diverse, too dangerous, and too all-encompassing for any of us to tackle alone.”

“ATF and our outstanding local, state and federal law enforcement partners have ensured the law-abiding citizens of this community are safer as a result of Operation Phoenix Summer Surge,” said Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Atlanta Field Division Special Agent in Charge Ben Gibbons.  “The law enforcement community has reduced a dangerous and pervasive threat to the local community of Atlanta by arresting these individuals.” 

“Getting criminals off of our streets is a priority for the Atlanta Police Department.  Our work with Operation Phoenix has proven time and time again that our partnerships are effective and making a difference,” said APD Chief Rodney Bryant. “Just knowing that these repeat offenders will be hold accountable for their actions, sends a strong message that we will find you and we will not tolerate criminal activity in our city.”

According to Acting U.S. Attorney Erskine, the charges and other information presented and alleged in court:

All of these defendants have been federally detained pending trial. Members of the public are reminded that the indictments only contain charges.  The defendants are presumed innocent of the charges and it will be the Government’s burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This operation was part of the district’s PSN program and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.

Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most serious violent crime problems in the community and to develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As a part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders, and supports and fosters partnerships between law enforcement and schools, the faith community, local community leaders, and locally-based prevention and reentry programs – all to prevent and deter future criminal conduct and to achieve sustainable reductions in crime.

These cases are being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Atlanta Police Department, and Georgia State Patrol.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Natasha Cooper, Stephanie Gabay-Smith, Lauren Macon, Amy Palumbo, Erin Sanders, and Erin Spritzer are prosecuting these cases.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at [email protected] or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.

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Spokane – Joseph H. Harrington, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Rodolfo Ramirez, Jr., age 36, of Moses Lake, Washington, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty on June 30, 2021, to Felon in Possession of a Firearm. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Ramirez to an 84-month term of imprisonment, to be followed by a 3-year term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison. Judge Rice also imposed a 24-month term of imprisonment, to run consecutive to the sentence imposed in the firearm case, after finding that Ramirez violated court supervision stemming from a previous conviction for felon in possession of a firearm.

According to information disclosed during court proceedings, on December 21, 2019, law enforcement officers in Moses Lake, Washington responded to a report of a drive-by shooting. At the scene, officers were notified that an individual, subsequently identified as Ramirez, fled the scene after discharging multiple rounds of ammunition at another person. One of the rounds Ramirez discharged pierced the wall of a residence and entered a bedroom where a child was sleeping. When arrested, Ramirez admitted discharging his firearm at the person.

Acting United States Attorney Harrington said, “The actions of Ramirez placed the victim and innocent by-standers in grave danger. The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington is dedicated to seeking lengthy prison sentences for anyone involved in acts of violence. I commend the law enforcement officers with Moses Lake Police Department, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives who investigated this case.”

This case was prosecuted under the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is a federal, state, and local law enforcement collaboration to identify, investigate, and prosecute individuals responsible for violent crimes in our neighborhoods. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement to specifically identify the criminals responsible for violent crime in the Eastern District of Washington and pursue criminal prosecution.

This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Moses Lake Police Department, and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. This case was prosecuted by James A. Goeke and Patrick J. Cashman, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of Washington.

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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Johnathan Shane Blakeley, 27, of Vallejo, pleaded guilty today to unlawfully possessing a firearm after being convicted of a felony crime, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Sept. 20, 2019, law enforcement officers attempted to stop Blakeley for a traffic violation, but Blakeley refused to yield and led police on a high-speed chase through Vallejo. Blakeley crashed his car on Interstate 80 and got out of his car and ran through several lanes of traffic. He tried to get into the passenger seat of a car that stopped. After police apprehended Blakeley, they found a Glock 9 mm pistol with a high-capacity magazine in his car. Blakeley cannot lawfully possess firearms or ammunition because he has previously been convicted of three felony offenses. When the current offense took place, Blakeley was on federal probation. He had just been released from federal prison less than 30 days prior, after having served a 30-month sentence for possessing a firearm as a felon. During his guilty plea, Blakeley also admitted that he violated the terms of his federal supervision by committing this new offense while on supervised release for his previous federal offense.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Vallejo Police Department, with assistance from the FBI’s Solano County Violent Crimes Task Force and the Solano County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adrian T. Kinsella is prosecuting the case.

Blakeley is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 11, 2022, by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez. Blakeley faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

 

 

 

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MINNEAPOLIS – A recently unsealed federal indictment charges a Minneapolis man with sex trafficking a minor, announced Acting United States Attorney W. Anders Folk.

According to court documents, between August 12, 2020, and August 14, 2020, Charles William Dexter III, 40, knowingly recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, provided, and advertised a minor victim to engage in a commercial sex act, knowing that the victim had not attained the age of 18 years.

Dexter is a fugitive. The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to Dexter’s location and arrests. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips online at tips.fbi.gov.

This case is the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, FBI, and the Bloomington Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Manda M. Sertich and Chelsea A. Walcker are prosecuting the case.

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NEWARK, N.J. – An Essex County, New Jersey, man today admitted that he conspired to fraudulently obtain more than $700,000, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced. 

Jefferson Robert, 31, of Newark, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Julien X. Neals to an information charging him with conspiring to commit wire fraud.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) was signed into law. The CARES Act created a new temporary federal program unemployment insurance program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which provides unemployment insurance benefits (UIB) for individuals who are not eligible for other types of unemployment (e.g., self-employed, independent contractors, gig economy workers). The CARES Act also created a new temporary federal program that provides an additional $600 weekly benefit to those eligible for PUA and regular UIB. The Washington State Employment Security Department (ESD) administers and manages the regular unemployment and PUA programs in the State of Washington.

Robert opened bank accounts with a fraudulent passport in another individual’s name. He and his conspirators then caused an application to be made to ESD for UIB in the name of Victim 1. In response, ESD caused UIB to be deposited into one of the fraudulent bank accounts. Robert and his conspirators: partook in business email scams, including causing a victim to transfer approximately $28,000 into one of the bank accounts; partook in romance scams, including causing a victim to make five deposits into one of the bank accounts totaling approximately $19,000; and fraudulently obtained money from the IRS by causing the IRS to transfer payments in four victims’ names into one of the bank accounts. Once the fraudulently obtained money was in the bank accounts, Roberts moved the money, including through the purchase of money orders. Robert and his conspirators caused more than $700,000 in losses.

The charge of conspiring to commit wire fraud is punishable by a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of the greater of $250,000, twice the gross profits to Robert or twice the gross loss suffered by the victims, whichever is greatest. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 15, 2022.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Raimundo Marrero in Newark; special agents of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Mellone in New York; and special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge George M. Crouch Jr. in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Kogan of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Cybercrime Unit in Newark. 

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Parkersburg man pleaded guilty today to a federal gun charge.  Codi Lee Douglas, 26, pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

According to statements made in court, Douglas admitted possessing an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle that law enforcement officers found in his vehicle during a traffic stop on January 27, 2021 in Parkersburg.  Douglas is not legally permitted to possess firearms due to a 2016 conviction for malicious assault in Wood County Circuit Court.  The malicious assault conviction was the result of Douglas shooting another man in the face in September 2015.    

Douglas faces up to 10 years in prison when sentenced on January 5, 2022.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Parkersburg Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearm and Explosives (ATF).

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber presided over the hearing.  Assistant United States Attorney Jeremy B. Wolfe is handling the prosecution.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:21-cr-00113.

 

 

 

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FRESNO, Calif. — On Monday, Oct. 4, U.S. District Judge Dale A. Drozd sentenced Doroteo Gonzales Jr., 26, of Turlock, to two years and six months in prison for being a felon in possession of a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, on Feb. 23, 2021, Gonzales was arrested in Modesto after a firearm was located under his clothes during a parole search. Gonzales was previously convicted of several felonies and was on parole for robbery at the time of his arrest.

This case was the product of an investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Modesto Police Department, the Turlock Police Department, and the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Schuh prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

 

 

 

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – United States Attorney Duane A. Evans, announced that HAROLD SAINTES, JR. age 52, of Franklin, Louisiana pled guilty as charged to a one count Bill of Information for Theft of Mail, before United States District Court Judge Jay C. Zainey today.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the U.S Postal Inspection Service, Office of Inspector General in investigating this matter. Assistant United States Attorney Julia K. Evans is in charge of the prosecution.

 

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The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Vermont stated that on October 4, 2021, Jeremy Digby, 41, of South Royalton was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss to 19 months’ imprisonment and three years of supervised release, which will follow the term of imprisonment. Digby also agreed to forfeit the firearms recovered from his residence. Digby had previously pled guilty to being a user in possession of firearms, which carried a maximum sentence of up to 10 years imprisonment.  

According to court records, before Digby’s arrest in October 2020, law enforcement had received regular complaints from citizens about Digby’s drug use and about gunshots coming from the area of Digby’s residence. On October 2, 2020, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Digby’s residence in South Royalton. During the search, law enforcement recovered evidence of drug use and 43 firearms, including a high-powered weapon. On October 12, 2020, law enforcement went back to Digby’s residence to arrest him on the federal indictment. At that time, investigators recovered two additional firearms. In a post-arrest statement, Digby told law enforcement that for the past couple of years, he had regularly used and sold methamphetamine. 

This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. https://www.justice.gov/psn

This matter was investigated by the Southern Vermont Drug Task Force and ATF.  This case was prosecuted on behalf of the government by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wendy L. Fuller. Digby was represented by Assistant Federal Public Defender Steven Barth.

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URBANA, Ill. –Jeffery T. Henson, 43, of Danville, Illinois, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering in United States District Court in Urbana, Illinois, on October 4, 2021. Sentencing for Henson has been scheduled on February 7, 2022, at the U.S. Courthouse in Urbana.

According to court documents, in 2016, Henson pretended to be an online job recruiter to obtain the personal identifying information of a job seeker. He then used the stolen personal information to obtain a job in that person’s name as the Director of Accounting at a Schaumburg, Illinois, consulting firm, thereby preventing the firm from learning of Henson’s prior convictions for theft. Once employed, Henson set up fraudulent companies with names similar to legitimate vendors of the consulting firm and used his position to forge company checks and direct them to his fraudulently created companies. Henson defrauded the firm of at least $1,868,765 before he fled the Chicago area and moved to Danville in 2018.

According to court documents, in 2018, Henson then stole the identity of an individual in Indiana with whom he made podcasts. Henson used the stolen identity to open up a fraudulent bank account and to obtain a job in that person’s name as the Comptroller of Watchfire Signs, LLC, in Danville. As the Comptroller, Henson defrauded Watchfire by causing Watchfire’s legitimate payments for tax liabilities to be routed to the fraudulent bank account Henson had opened with the stolen identity. Henson also laundered some of the fraud money by purchasing a $50,000 cashier’s check, which he used to buy a Mercedes-Benz for over $100,000. Watchfire discovered Henson’s scheme in November of 2019, when the victim of Henson’s identity theft contacted Watchfire after discovering that Henson was using his identity. By then, however, Henson had defrauded Watchfire of approximately $330,000.

Authorities arrested Henson on November 25, 2019, at a bank in Indianapolis, Indiana, when he attempted to access the fraudulent account he had set up. At the time, he was in possession of numerous stolen identity documents. Henson has remained in the custody of the United States Marshals Service since that time. At sentencing, Henson faces statutory penalties of up to twenty years of imprisonment for wire fraud; ten years of imprisonment for money laundering; and two years of imprisonment, consecutive to any other sentence, for aggravated identity theft.

The case investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Springfield Division, and Danville Police Department. Supervisory Assistant United States Attorney Eugene L. Miller is representing the government in the prosecution.

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COVID-19 Pandemic Fraud

Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Margaret Garnett, the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Investigation (“DOI”), and Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent-in-Charge of the New York Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General (“DOL-OIG”), announced charges against CHANETTE LEWIS, TATIANA BENJAMIN, TATIANA DANIEL, and HEAVEN WEST for participating in a scheme that defrauded New York City’s COVID-19 Hotel Room Isolation Program of more than $400,000.  LEWIS was also charged with a second COVID‑19 scheme involving unemployment benefits fraud.  LEWIS and DANIEL were arrested today in New York and will be presented before Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker in Manhattan federal court.  WEST was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, and will be presented before Magistrate Judge Catherine M. Salinas in the Northern District of Georgia.  BENJAMIN remains at large.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, New York City designed a program to provide hotel rooms, free of cost, for qualifying individuals who could not safely self-isolate in their own homes, such as healthcare workers and individuals infected with COVID-19.  As alleged, the defendants abused this program by falsely claiming to be healthcare workers and by selling hotel rooms to non-qualifying individuals.  When, as alleged here, people illicitly exploit a public health crisis for private gain, they will find themselves facing criminal charges.”

DOI Commissioner Margaret Garnett said: “During the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic, while this City grappled with soaring transmission and death rates, these defendants exploited the very City-run program meant to provide respite and isolation to healthcare workers and City residents desperately trying to find space to quarantine and stem the spread of the virus, according to the charges. These defendants shamelessly posted their illegal conduct on social media and sold personal identification information of medical professionals to further their scheme, which siphoned more than $400,000 in hotel rooms paid for by the City and federal governments, according to the criminal complaint. DOI issued recommendations to the City Emergency Management to strengthen controls over this program, which has since ended, and thanks the agency for reporting this matter to DOI. I want to also thank our federal law enforcement partners at the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Labor for working in partnership with us to uncover these charged COVID-19-related crimes and holding those involved accountable.”

DOL-OIG Special Agent-in-Charge Jonathan Mellone said: “The Unemployment Insurance Program exists to provide needed assistance to qualified individuals who are unemployed due to no fault of their own.  Fraud against the Unemployment Insurance Program distracts state workforce agencies from ensuring benefits go to individuals who are eligible to receive them.  The Office of Inspector General will continue to work closely with our many law enforcement partners, to investigate those who exploit the Unemployment Insurance Program.”

According to the allegations contained in the Complaint:[1]

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City created the COVID-19 Hotel Room Isolation Program (the “Program”).  Funded by New York City and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Program provided free hotel rooms for qualifying individuals throughout New York City.  The Program was open to: (1) healthcare workers who needed to isolate because of exposure to COVID-19; (2) patients who had tested positive for COVID-19; (3) individuals who believed, based on their symptoms, that they were infected with COVID-19; and (4) individuals who lived with someone who had COVID-19.  As stated on the City’s website describing the Program, such individuals “may qualify to self-isolate in a hotel, free of charge, for up to 14 days if you do not have a safe place to self-isolate.”  Those who wished to book a hotel room through the Program could either call a phone number or use an online hotel booking platform. 

The four defendants defrauded the Program in at least two respects.  First, they secured free Program hotel rooms for themselves by falsely claiming to be healthcare workers.  Second, they sold fraudulently obtained hotel rooms – including rooms located in Manhattan and the Bronx – to customers who were ineligible for the Program.  In total, the defendants collectively diverted more than 2,700 nights’ worth of hotel rooms through this scheme.  The defendants charged varying amounts depending on the duration of the customers’ hotel stay (e.g., $150 for one week, or $300 for two weeks).  Customers paid the defendants in cash and using electronic payment services.  The federal government and New York City paid more than approximately $400,000 for the hotel rooms that were fraudulently diverted as a result of the defendants’ scheme.

LEWIS worked at a call center (“Call Center-1”) that handled phone calls and certain reservations for the Program for several months in 2020.  LEWIS was hired specifically for the Program, and as a result of her employment, she had access to legitimate healthcare workers’ identifying information.  LEWIS abused her position, including by misappropriating healthcare workers’ identifying information, revealing the Program’s inner workings to co-conspirators, and making unauthorized sales of Program hotel rooms to ineligible individuals.  For instance, LEWIS sold BENJAMIN, for $800, personal identifying information of at least five healthcare professionals, as well as certain “codes” to use when booking hotel reservations through the Program, such as the employee ID number and license number.  LEWIS admitted, in Facebook messages, that she had stolen doctors’ identifying information in furtherance of the scheme, writing: “I work for 311 oem that how I got doctors licenses and stuff . . . I work in the part that I collect they information and I do and approval the booking . . . I take doctors and stuff certificate numbers and stuff.”  LEWIS also advertised to potential customers that, when hotels asked for a healthcare worker’s identification, LEWIS would supply a purported paystub and a letter asserting that the individual was (purportedly) a healthcare worker. 

All four defendants used Facebook to advertise the sale of fraudulently obtained Program hotel rooms; communicate with co-conspirators; and communicate directly with customers.  LEWIS worked directly with BENJAMIN and DANIEL, while WEST worked with, among others, DANIEL.  The defendants made various incriminating statements via Facebook, including the following statements: (1) LEWIS told one hotel customer, “I’m booking it as u a health care worker”; (2) BENJAMIN told a Facebook user, “Friend at 311 gave me the juice for the hotel so I been booking ppl rooms”; (3) DANIEL told LEWIS, “We gotta relocate that bitch they keep asking for employee ID”; and (4) when asked whether she had “rooms” available, WEST replied, “Nah I dead don’t bro / All essential hotels are clipped” and added: “They finding out we was scamming the system lol.”  All four defendants were paid by, among other means, Cash App, and their Cash App accounts revealed payments where the memo line said, for instance, “1 month telly”, “Hotel Manhattan 2 week extension for Kenny []”, “for the 2 week room”, “ayo telly”, “2 week stay in Manhattan”, “the room”, and “hotel for july 4-6”.

LEWIS is also charged with a second COVID-19 scheme involving unemployment benefits fraud.  LEWIS fraudulently obtained more than $45,000 in unemployment benefits by claiming falsely that she had not been employed since February 2020 due to a lack of work because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  In fact, LEWIS was employed for at least some of that period at Call Center-1, and LEWIS’s employment there ceased not because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but because LEWIS stopped showing up to work.

*                *                *

The Complaint contains five counts.  A chart containing the names, ages, residences, charges for each defendant, and maximum penalties, is set forth below.  The statutory maximum sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge.

Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding efforts of agents, investigators, and analysts from DOI, DOL-OIG, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.  Ms. Strauss also thanked the New York/New Jersey High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Intelligence Analysts for their support and assistance in this investigation.  She also expressed gratitude to the New York City Police Department, the New York State Department of Labor, and the DOL-OIG Atlanta Regional Office for their assistance.  She added that the investigation is continuing. 

This matter is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit.  Assistant United States Attorney Michael D. Neff is in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 

This Office was one of the districts affected by the SolarWinds intrusion.

Please click here for further information.

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Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg broke his silence on Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen late Tuesday, rebutting several of her allegations in a Facebook post.

“At the most basic level, I think most of us just don’t recognize the false picture of the company that is being painted,” Zuckerberg wrote in a letter to Facebook employees posted to his account. “Many of the claims don’t make any sense.”

Haugen, a former Facebook product manager, had leaked internal company documents to The Wall Street Journal published in mid-September that detailed controversial aspects of Facebook’s business practices, including its research into the harms of Instagram, as well as its knowledge of how its engagement algorithms boost incendiary content.

In whistleblower complaints filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in testimony before a Senate Commerce subcommittee Tuesday, Haugen alleged that Facebook willfully ignored the harms of its own products and prioritized profit of user safety, also claiming the company’s lack of aggressive content moderation contributed to real-world violence.

Zuckerberg addressed several of Haugen’s arguments, characterizing them as “illogical.”

“If we wanted to ignore research, why would we create an industry-leading research program to understand these important issues in the first place?” Zuckerberg wrote. “If we didn’t care about fighting harmful content, then why would we employ so many more people dedicated to this than any other company in our space — even ones larger than us?”

Haugen had argued in her testimony that Facebook was incentivized to promote misinformation and harmful or divisive content as it attracted the most engagement. Zuckerberg argued this was not an accurate characterization of Facebook’s business model.

“The argument that we deliberately push content that makes people angry for profit is deeply illogical,” Zuckerberg wrote. “We make money from ads, and advertisers consistently tell us they don’t want their ads next to harmful or angry content.”

Zuckerberg also addressed the most controversial aspect of Haugen’s revelations, that Facebook’s subsidiary Instagram was harmful to teen users by promoting images with unrealistic bodies or content incentivizing eating disorders.

“As we wrote in our Newsroom post explaining this: ‘The research actually demonstrated that many teens we heard from feel that using Instagram helps them when they are struggling with the kinds of hard moments and issues teenagers have always faced,’” Zuckerberg wrote. “In fact, in 11 of 12 areas on the slide referenced by the Journal — including serious areas like loneliness, anxiety, sadness and eating issues — more teenage girls who said they struggled with that issue also said Instagram made those difficult times better rather than worse.”

Zuckerberg did agree with Haugen that some form of Congressional action was needed to address social media companies, pointing to his history of calling for stricter internet regulations.

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TRENTON, NJ – The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) commends the federal government for its total forgiveness of FEMA Community Disaster Loans (CDL) awarded to local governments and boards of education in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. Additionally, the Department thanks all the people who persistently worked for CDL relief, including State staff, local government representatives and stakeholders, and the New Jersey Congressional delegation.

As a result of the CDL loan cancellation, a total of $25.9 million in loan principal and interest that was held by 19 local government entities in New Jersey is now completely forgiven.

“We are pleased to see the federal government step up and do the right thing in cancelling the outstanding balance on these loans held by municipalities and school districts devastated by Sandy,” said Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver, who serves as DCA Commissioner. “The loan forgiveness will most certainly ease the financial burden of these communities and, by extension, their local property taxpayers at a time when governments at all levels continue to address the COVID-19 pandemic.”  

The Division of Local Government Services within DCA helped administer the CDL program in New Jersey. Community Disaster Loans are provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to local governmental entities like municipalities and school boards that have experienced a significant loss in revenue due to a major disaster and, therefore, require financial assistance to maintain essential government functions. Local governments may draw down on the loans as needed to maintain solvency while cushioning taxpayers from property tax or utility rate increases. 

The CDL forgiveness was included in legislation passed by both houses of Congress that President Biden signed into law on September 30 to prevent a federal government shutdown. 

“The Governor and I thank all those who made this loan forgiveness possible. We appreciate the considerable – and determined – effort over several years that went into securing this relief,” Lt. Governor Oliver said.  

The local governments benefitting from the CDL loan cancellation include Atlantic Highlands Borough, Avon-by-the Sea Borough, Beach Haven Borough, Berkeley Township, Central Regional Board of Education, Highlands Borough, Keansburg Borough, Little Egg Harbor Township, Manasquan Board of Education, Manasquan Borough, Ocean Gate Board of Education, Point Pleasant Borough, Point Pleasant Beach Borough, Seaside Park Board of Education, Stafford Township, Toms River Township, Tuckerton Borough School District, Union Beach Borough, and Ventnor City.

DCA offers a wide range of programs and services, including local government management and finance, affordable housing production, fire safety, building safety, community planning and development, and disaster recovery and mitigation.

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Legal gambling in the U.S. has surged since 2020, with revenue and profits shattering previous records with more states pushing for legalization.

In Q2 of 2021, revenue from commercial gambling exceeded $13.6 billion, crushing 2019’s Q3 record by 22.5%, according to data from the American Gaming Association (AGA). Q2 2021 revenue increased almost 500% compared to the second-quarter of 2020.

The AGA expects 2021 to be the highest-grossing year in the industry’s history, with a record 45.2 million Americans saying they plan to gamble on the 2021 National Football League (NFL) season.

Betting is fully legalized in 27 states, with five more that have authorized gambling but have yet to launch the sector, according to the AGA. The Supreme Court overturned the Profession and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) by ruling on behalf of New Jersey over the NCAA in 2018.

Congress passed the PASPA act in 1992, outlawing sports gambling in all but four states. New Jersey challenged the law in 2012 arguing that PASPA violated the 10th amendment.

The NCAA and other professional sports leagues sued New Jersey under PASPA in 2012. New Jersey argued that PASPA violated the tenth amendment but the ruling was upheld until 2018 when the Supreme Court ultimately ruled in New Jersey’s favor.

The AGA recently released a report highlighting the industry’s positive outlook for 2021 and 2022, with half of the industry CEOs, who are members of the AGA, expecting better business results than previous years. The industry trend would be driven by increases in new hiring, overall wage growth and capital investments.

The spike in revenue and growing legal trends in the U.S. has raised arguments and concerns around the legalization of an addictive activity that targets the lower class as a regressive tax, multiple experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

John Norton, a spokesperson for the National Council on Problem Gambling, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that roughly 2% of the U.S. population suffers from a form of sports gambling addiction, and the number will likely grow as more states introduce gambling legislation.

“We have seen a spike in warnings signs. NCPG’s 2nd National Survey on Gambling Attitudes and Gambling Experiences found a rise in problematic play since 2018, especially among young online sports bettors,” Norton told the DNCF.

“Risk factors for gambling problems doubled between 2021 and our National helpline area up by roughly 20%,” Norton added.

“All forms of gambling, including state lotteries, constitute regressive taxation,” Marc Edelman, a law professor at the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College.

Conrad Wiacek, head of sports analysis at the consulting firm Global Data, told the DCNF that he doesn’t believe the regression tax theory because “some of the highest spenders in terms of gambling tend to be rich athletes.”

“Gambling companies don’t care if you are an addict or get into debt and certainly have no incentive of stopping you trying to ‘win back’ your debt,” Wiacek explained, discussing the biggest threat gambling companies pose.

Legalized sports betting does bring many benefits, including state tax revenue and additional revenue streams and partnerships for teams and leagues, Wiacek told the DCNF.

“For states themselves, it’s a no-brainer. It’s an income driver with so much revenue,” Wiacek told the DCNF. “For teams and leagues, it opens up a sponsorship avenue that they didn’t have before, which is being seen in the U.S. with companies like Ceasars and William Hill.”

The AGA reported $6.7 billion paid in gaming taxes to state and local governments in 2020, down 34% from 2019.  The sharp drop was due to the pandemic and COVID-19 restrictions.

Legal sports gambling also protects the integrity of the sport, John Wolohan, professor of sports law at Syracuse University, told the DCNF.

“Legal sports gambling brings everything above board. Now, if you were looking at the integrity of the game, you can follow where the money was going,” Wolohan told the DCNF. “The casinos can look at where every specific bet goes and recognize if there are unusual trends in bets placed.”

Edelman agreed that legal gambling doesn’t jeopardize the integrity of sports or athletes simply because these professionals have such high salaries.

“If you look at what the minimum salaries are in the four main pro sports leagues today, it would be very unusual for an athlete to throw the game in exchange for money from a gambler and put at risk their current salary,” Edelman told the DCNF.

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Former Education Secretary Bill Bennett launched a learning program Monday for students and parents to fight politicization in the classroom.

In partnership with the Today Foundation, Bennett launched “The Story of America” curriculum based on his history series, “America: The Last Best Hope,” according to the press release. The program will be released in fall of 2022 in both English and Spanish and meets U.S. history standards.

“It’s a very ambitious and large project,” Bennett told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “It’s not just a teachers guide. It’s for students, and it’s for use in the classroom and we hope to change the direction of things with this project in this country.”

“It’s more an affirmation than a negation,” Bennett said regarding the project. “Certainly I’m critical of 1619 and of Critical Race Theory, and of other things that have cropped up in the classroom, but the real point is to provide all students with a solid background in American history and literacy.”

WATCH:

The online learning tool for middle and high school students will address declining American history and literacy standards through a “fair, unbiased, curriculum,” the press release said. Performance among U.S. students in American history and reading comprehension has dropped in recent years, according to data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Bennett highlighted the need to “get the story right” and tell the truth about the things America has done right and wrong to combat “anti-America ideology” and “politicization in the classroom.”

“If you look at the projects of the left through the last 100 or 200 years, it starts by trying to erase the memory of a people, erase their memory, erase their statues, erase their monuments, erase what happened before, and replace it with new monuments, new heroes, new stories,” Bennett told the DCNF. “The left always does that, that’s what they did in the Soviet Union, that’s what they did in China and that’s what some would do here.”

Critical race theory (CRT) holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet it teaches people to view every social interaction and person in terms of race. Its adherents pursue “antiracism” through the end of merit, objective truth and the adoption of race-based policies.

Parents opposed to controversial issues such as CRT, mask mandates and vaccines requirements have led the charge in challenging policies at public schools across the country.

Around 165 local and national groups have formed across the U.S. to challenge CRT, the Daily Caller reported in June. Late-January polling indicated 58% of Americans who have an understanding of CRT aren’t in favor of it.

Another poll showed a split along party lines regarding CRT that found that 86% of registered Democrats have a “favorable” or “somewhat favorable” opinion of CRT in contrast to just 6% of Republicans and 20% of Independents.

The National Education Association (NEA) stated they are opposed to bans on CRT and The New York Times’ 1619 Project, according to New Business Item 39, which outlines plans to “publicize” CRT and conduct an in-depth study that “critiques” topics like “cisheteropatriarchy” and capitalism.”

“This is obnoxious behavior on the part of the teachers’ unions,” Bennett said on Fox News in July. “They are going to get challenged on free speech issues and so on. Nevertheless, this fight is worth it. This is a fight about our children and our future.”

“A truthful understanding of our nation’s history, devoid of political activism” is essential to giving the next generation of Americans the opportunity “to take part in the America Dream,” the Today Foundation Founder Richard Collins said.

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Border Patrol officials made nearly 9,700 criminal arrests from October 2020 through August 2021, according to Customs and Border Protection data.

Of the nearly 9,728 arrests, 325 individuals were associated with gang organizations, according to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Over 100 of those arrested with connections to gangs were affiliated with MS-13, and border officials arrested at least nine individuals associated with the group in August, according to CBP.

Four MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, gang members were apprehended on Aug. 26 in the Rio Grande Valley sector of southern Texas, according to CBP. The gang members were encountered traveling with groups of other migrants who illegally entered the U.S., one of the migrants affiliated with MS-13 was convicted of aggravated homicide in El Salvador and sent to prison in 2017.

Border officials in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley apprehended more than 140 individuals associated with 10 different gangs during as of Aug. 23. Other arrests included a migrant who was convicted of sexual crimes against a minor and another individual who was previously convicted as a sex offender.

Border officials in the Rio Grande Valley sector apprehended a Mexican man who was found to be a member of the Partido Revolucionario prison gang with several previous removals from the U.S., CBP announced on Aug. 23. The same week, officials apprehended a Honduran 18th Street gang member and two Salvadoran MS-13 members, one of whom was convicted for sexual battery in Georgia.

Border officials determine whether a migrant is a member of a gang or criminal organization during processing procedures, a CBP spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Tuesday. Migrants found to be affiliated with gangs aren’t necessarily separated from other migrants in custody unless there’s a safety concern.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken was questioned as to how the Biden administration could call the withdrawal from Afghanistan a success while sitting for an interview on Tuesday during his visit to Paris.

“This withdrawal took place in chaos. We all remember the images of thousands of Afghans trying to get on planes to escape the Taliban,” France 2 TV journalist Anne-Sophie Lapix said, according to a State Department readout of the interview.

“And yet President Biden spoke of success, of an extraordinary operation. Is there a misunderstanding?” she asked, appearing baffled.

Blinken responded that the U.S. mission in Afghanistan to “bring justice to those who attacked us and ensure that this could not happen to us again,” had been accomplished years ago.

“Mission accomplished?” Lapix asked. “But the Taliban have regained power. You left your weapons. We saw the Taliban dressed as GIs from head to toe, and we heard American veterans screaming in anger.”

The Taliban took over Afghanistan in the span of 11 days, creating widespread chaos as the U.S. attempted to get all Americans and Afghan allies out of the country by the Aug. 31 withdrawal date, which it ultimately failed to do. Over half of all interpreters and Afghans who applied for special immigrant visas were reportedly left behind.

She also pressed Blinken on Australia backing out of a diesel submarine deal it had with France to enter a trilateral deal with the U.S. and United Kingdom. The French government reacted angrily, recalling its ambassadors from the U.S. and Australia.

French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian criticized the behavior of the Biden administration and said it reminded him “a lot of what Mr. Trump used to do.” When asked about those comments, Blinken said he spent time with Drian, who he called a friend, and acknowledged the U.S. could have done better “in terms of communication.”

“But above all, we sometimes tend to take for granted a relationship as important and deep as the one between France and the United States,” Blinken added.

“And we expected better, especially with the change of administration, and especially with you,” Lapix said. “You speak French. You are a Francophile. We expected a better dialogue.”

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Thomas Catenacci on October 5, 2021

Roughly 14% of the coral reefs across the world have been lost in the last decade due to rising ocean temperatures, according to a major report produced by several governments and the United Nations (UN).

Earth’s coral reefs are under “relentless stress” due to climate change and local pressures like overfishing and declining water quality, according to the Status of Coral Reefs of the World: 2020 report released Tuesday. The analysis, which is the largest coral reef study ever, was conducted by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and Australian government with support from the UN, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and hundreds of other organizations.

“This study is the most detailed analysis to date on the state of the world’s coral reefs, and the news is mixed,” Australian Institute of Marine Science CEO Paul Hardisty said. “There are clearly unsettling trends toward coral loss, and we can expect these to continue as warming persists. Despite this, some reefs have shown a remarkable ability to bounce back, which offers hope for the future recovery of degraded reefs.”

Between 2009 and 2018, about 14% of the world’s coral was killed, the analysis estimated.

Coral bleaching – or the phenomenon of reefs losing their color after algae key to their survival is killed – caused by rising sea surface temperatures was the main cause of coral loss, according to the study. A single “coral bleaching event” in 1998 killed 8% of coral worldwide, equivalent to nearly 2,510 square miles.

“Sharp declines in coral cover corresponded with rapid increases in sea surface temperatures, indicating their vulnerability to spikes, which is a phenomenon that is likely to happen more frequently as the planet continues to warm,” the report concluded.

While the report showed a large portion of reefs have been decimated, it added that they can recover if “immediate steps are taken to stabilize emissions to curb future warming.”

In addition, the report’s analysis of the East Asian Seas, which is home to 30% of the world’s coral reef population, found that there was more coral in the region in 2019 than in 1983. The region, which has also been affected by coral bleaching, represented an anomaly since all other regions experienced a net loss in that same period.

“People around the world depend on healthy coral reefs and the services they provide for food, income, recreation, and protection from storms,” Jennifer Koss, director of the NOAA’s Coral Reef Conservation Program, said in a statement Tuesday. “It is possible to turn the tide on the losses we are seeing, but doing so relies on us as a global community making more environmentally conscious decisions in our everyday lives.”

Overall, the analysis used data collected over 40 years in 73 countries by more than 300 researchers. Two million individual observations contributed to the report.

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SWEETGRASS, Mont. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced today the expansion of biometric facial comparison technology to the pedestrian border crossings at Sweetgrass and Eastport, Idaho, as part of CBP’s land border innovation efforts.

“I am pleased to announce the deployment of biometric facial comparison technology to these additional border crossings along the Northern Border,” said Seattle Director of Field Operations Brian Humphrey. “This enhanced technology will further secure and streamline travel while providing a safe, touchless identification process for travelers.”

Simplified Arrival is an enhanced international arrival process that uses facial biometrics to automate the manual document checks that are already required for admission into the United States. This process provides travelers with a secure, touchless travel experience while fulfilling a longstanding Congressional mandate to verify the entry and exit of non-U.S. citizens.

The biometric facial comparison process occurs only at a time and place where travelers are already required by law to verify their identity by presenting a travel document. When a traveler arrives at one of the pedestrian lanes or undergoes I-94 processing, he or she will pause for a photo at the primary inspection point. A CBP officer will review and query the travel document, which will retrieve the traveler’s passport or visa photo from government holdings and compare it to the new photo.

This enhanced process using facial biometrics only takes a few seconds and is more than 98 percent accurate. In addition, foreign travelers who have traveled to the United States previously may no longer need to provide fingerprints, as their identity will be confirmed through the touchless facial biometric process.

CBP is committed to its privacy obligations and has taken steps to safeguard the privacy of all travelers. CBP has employed strong technical security safeguards and has limited the amount of personally identifiable information used in the facial biometric process. New photos of U.S. citizens will be deleted within 12 hours. Photos of most foreign nationals will be stored in a secure U.S. Department of Homeland Security database.

U.S. travelers and select foreign nationals who are not required to provide biometrics and wish to opt out of the new facial biometric process may simply notify a CBP officer as they approach the primary inspection point and request a manual inspection. These travelers will be required to present a valid travel document for inspection by a CBP officer and will be processed consistent with long established processes for admission into the United States.

Simplified Arrival pairs one of the industry’s highest ranked facial comparison algorithms (as assessed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology) with trained CBP officers who are skilled at verifying the authenticity of travel documents. If a traveler cannot be matched to a photo on record using the Simplified Arrival process, the traveler will proceed through the traditional inspection process consistent with existing requirements for admission into the United States.

To date, more than 100 million travelers have participated in the biometric facial comparison process at air, land, and seaports of entry. Since September 2018, CBP has leveraged facial biometrics to prevent more than 950 imposters from illegally entering the United States by using genuine travel documents that were issued to other people.

More information about CBP’s efforts to secure and streamline travel through facial biometrics can be found here

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.

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A North Carolina school system was awarded millions of dollars in funding after it implemented rules that limit how teachers discuss American history and racism, The News & Observer reported.

The Johnston County school board adopted a policy Friday that teachers may be disciplined or fined for teaching that American historical figures weren’t heroes, teaching lessons that undermine the Constitution or saying that racism is a permanent fixture in U.S. society, The News & Observer reported. School leaders in Johnston County have said Critical Race Theory (CRT) is not being taught in its schools, but the school board agreed to the policy change Friday in order to obtain the additional funding.

On Monday, the Johnston County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to give the school system $7.9 million in funding, a sum which was in limbo until the school board passed the policy preventing CRT in classrooms, the News & Observer reported. Johnston is North Carolina’s seventh-largest school district, and it serves over 37,000 students.

CRT holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet it teaches people to view every social interaction and person in terms of race. Its adherents pursue “antiracism” through the end of merit, objective truth and the adoption of race-based policies.

“They have met the objectives for which we intended for our students and for the good of our country,” said Commissioner Fred Smith, the News & Observer reported.

Critics have referred to the commissioners’ withholding of money as an “extortion” or a “hostage standoff,” but school board members expressed gratitude for the funding, the News & Observer reported.

“Our students and our staff thank you for what you do,” said Johnston County School Board Chairman Todd Sutton, the News & Observer reported. “We appreciate you all giving us this opportunity to work on this and come back and provide something to you that we can all work with moving forward.”

Parents expressed their opinions during the public comment section of Monday’s meeting. One parent, Rick Mercier, said that the anti-CRT policy “addresses a problem that does not exist.” More, Mercier said the commissioners’ actions “caused Johnston County to once again look like a backward, unwelcoming holdover from a different era,” the News & Observer reported.

Ronald Johnson, a school board member who helped draft the $7.9 million funding policy, said the adopted policy would “provide that balance and fairness” in discussions of difficult topics while making sure to “uphold, defend and promote the foundational documents that have made this country what it is.”

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Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich grilled the Biden administration over the mismanagement of the southern border, according to a letter obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation on Tuesday.

Brnovich asked Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for a list of every official and agent who was “given the options of retirement or reassignment” since President Joe Biden took office, according to the letter. Brnovich was concerned that top DHS officials were forced out of their positions just as border officials encountered a record number of migrants illegally entering the U.S. at the southern border.

“At a time when we need them most, DHS seems to be purging qualified leaders who have attempted to uphold the rule of law,” Brnovich said. “These actions only lead to more chaos and further empower the cartels who now control both sides of the border.”

Brnovich referenced Mayorkas’ comment, “if our borders are the first line of defense, we’re going to lose and this is unsustainable” in relation to former Border Patrol Chief Rodney Scott’s retirement after 30 years with the agency, according to the letter.

“In the midst of this historic surge in migration, our most experienced law enforcement agents should not be held hostage to leadership changes for simply providing the American people with the truth,” Brnovich wrote.

Former Acting Executive Associate Director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Removal Operations Enrique Lucero was reassigned after he reported that new DHS directives to temporarily stop deportations would reduce ICE arrests by around 50%, according to the letter.

Border officials encountered more than 1.3 million migrants at the border between January and August, according to Customs and Border Protection data. However, several migrants attempted to illegally enter the U.S. after having already been expelled by border officials under Title 42, a Trump-era public health order, causing the number of reported encounters to be somewhat overstated.

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Ceremony Held During National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Attorney General Alan Wilson led participants through the 24th annual Silent Witness Domestic Violence ceremony that was held today on the South Carolina State Capitol Complex in Columbia.

During the solemn ceremony, Attorney General Wilson called the names of 24 women and 15 men from across the state who lost their lives as the result of domestic violence in the previous year.

Family members carried a life-sized silhouette representing victims to the State House steps as a bell was rung for each victim. An additional 40th silhouette represented the potential unknown victims.

“This is a sad and solemn occasion to commemorate the lives that were lost in the past year to

domestic violence,” said Wilson.

“We must keep in mind that domestic violence affects people from all walks of life and we must work hard to break the cycle of abuse by understanding how violence impacts our community individually and collectively across the lifespan.”

The Honorable Alan Wilson, First Lady Peggy McMaster, Representative Ivory Thigpen, religious leaders and other community members made special remarks to highlight the problem of violence against women.

A statistical breakdown for each county is available at http://www.scag.gov/criminal-domestic-violence-in-south-carolina.

 

2021 SILENT WITNESS VICTIMS

Thembi Chalmers

43 years old

Aiken County

Jacquline Stevens

29 years old

Aiken County

Breanna Fludd

29 years old

Calhoun County

Shanta Singleton

37 years old

Calhoun County

Christopher Brown

32 years old

Charleston County

Pamela Coleman

58 years old

Charleston County

Olivia Goff

35 years old

Charleston County

Jennifer Grant

36 years old

Charleston County

Audrey Heyward

55 years old

Charleston County

Alicia Campos Garcia

37 years old

Cherokee County

Kodie Patrick

24 years old

Darlington County

Henry Williamson

50 years old

Dillon County

Christopher Curbeam

49 years old

Fairfield County

Melissa McClain

43 years old

Fairfield County

Jonathan Heiden

30 years old

Florence County

Antwanaza Cason

20 years old

Greenville County

Twana McDaniel

42 years old

Greenville County

Desmond Parks

29 years old

Greenville County

Kamesha Craig

21 years old

Greenwood County

John Logan

25 years old

Greenwood County

Timothy Bellamy

22 years old

Horry County

Brian Brady

47 years old

Horry County

Naomi Jean Morris

84 years old

Horry County

Gregory Rice

46 years old

Horry County

Lisa McCartha

46 years old

Lexington County

Walter Payne, Jr.

69 years old

Lexington County

Patricia Smerdell

53 years old

Lexington County

Maisha Burch

45 years old

Marion County

Kent Marcengill

52 years old

Oconee County

Heather Brown

28 years old

Orangeburg County

John Hubbard

33 years old

Orangeburg County

David Jones

34 years old

Orangeburg County

Kiara Richbow

28 years old

Richland County

Kornell Willis

29 years old

Richland County

Jasper Brian

62 years old

Spartanburg County

Ebony Canty

35 years old

Sumter County

Sharekia Johnson

42 years old

York County

Miranda Sturgill-Nivens

29 years old

York County

Julie Taylor

48 years old

York County

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LAREDO, Texas—U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations (OFO) officers seized narcotics in two enforcement actions that totaled over $1,100,000 in street value.

“Throughout the pandemic, the dedicated employees of CBP have continued to fulfill the agency’s border security role,” said Port Director Alberto Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “Enforcement operations such as these protect the American people, safeguard our borders, and advance our national security priorities.”

The first enforcement action occurred on Sept. 23, 2021 at the World Trade Bridge, after CBP officers encountered a commercial truck manifesting tortilla pressing machines arriving from Mexico. The 2021 Chevy Silverado and trailer were referred for a canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection, resulting in the discovery of seven packages containing 14.63 pounds of alleged methamphetamine within the commodity. The narcotics have an estimated street value of $292,770.

The second enforcement action occurred on Sept. 30, 2021 at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge, after a CBP officer referred a 2015 Ford Transit 350 arriving from Mexico for a secondary inspection. Following a canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection, CBP officers discovered a total of 35 packages containing 87.73 pounds of alleged cocaine and five packages containing 12.25 pounds of alleged fentanyl within the vehicle. The narcotics combined have an estimated street value of $812,370.

The narcotics in both seizures combined have an estimated street value of $1,105,140

CBP seized the narcotics, trailer, and the vehicle in connection with the alleged smuggling attempts. The cases were turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Laredo Field Office on Twitter at @DFOLaredo and on Instagram at @dfolaredo and also U.S. Customs and Border Protection at @CBPSouthTexas for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.

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BROWNSVILLE, Texas — U.S. Customs and Border Protection is announcing plans to relocate the Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) enrollment center to the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport on Oct. 11, 2021.

“We remain committed to securing our nation’s borders while facilitating legitimate travel and trade and TTPs such as Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI) and Global Entry allow expedited clearance through a dedicated lane for pre-approved, low-risk travelers upon arrival in the United States,” said Port Director Tater Ortiz, Port of Brownsville.

Beginning Oct. 11, conditionally approved Global Entry applicants will be able to complete in-person interviews at the new TTP enrollment center in the Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport. These applicants must schedule enrollment center interviews in advance by logging into their account on the TTP website. Interview availability will vary by location.

The SENTRI and Global Entry Enrollment Center at the Brownsville/South Padre Island Airport will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, but only to those who are able to travel without restriction and who have a scheduled appointment. 

Due to the temporary restrictions on non-essential travel at U.S. land borders, SENTRI and FAST-South enrollments on the southern border may be limited. CBP reminds all travelers that crossing a U.S. land border for the purpose of visiting a TTP enrollment center is non-essential travel.

The recently introduced measures at enrollment centers to promote social distancing and protect the health and safety of travelers will remain in effect. CBP personnel at enrollment centers are required to wear agency-approved masks when interacting with the public. All applicants and visitors at enrollment centers are required to wear face masks consistent with CDC recommendations and state and local mandates.

In addition to the new face mask requirements, applicants who visit enrollment centers may continue to observe:

CBP will continue to require that all TTP applicants submit fingerprints during their interview to complete the enrollment process.

Trusted Traveler Programs support CBP’s mission of securing U.S. borders while facilitating lawful travel and trade. These innovative programs allow more than 9 million pre-approved, low-risk travelers to bypass traditional CBP inspection lines and receive expedited processing when entering the United States.

For more information about CBP, please click on the attached link.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Laredo Field Office on Twitter at @DFOLaredo and on Instagram at @dfolaredo and also U.S. Customs and Border Protection at @CBPSouthTexas for breaking news, current events, human interest stories and photos.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.

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