Wander Junior Vargas Canela, aka Wallis Torres, an inmate who escaped the Massachusetts Department of Correction and fled to Switzerland, has been turned over to United States authorities following his arrest in Switzerland.
Special agents from the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force escorted Canela from Switzerland to Logan International Airport. The FBI worked with the Massachusetts Department of Correction’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit (FAU) to locate Canela and bring him back to Massachusetts.
An arrest warrant had been issued for Canela, under his assumed identity of Wallis Torres, out of West Roxbury District Court on September 17, 2008, the day after he escaped from the Boston Pre-Release Correctional Center. He was serving a four- to seven-year sentence for possession of a Class B substance with intent to distribute.
Investigators developed information which indicated Canela had fled the United States and was traveling within Europe, specifically in the areas of Spain and Switzerland. They also learned that Canela was using an assumed name, Wallis Torres, while in Massachusetts.
On December 13, 2013, a federal arrest warrant was issued out of the United States District Court in Massachusetts for Canela on a charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution which holds a maximum imprisonment of five years.
FBI Boston and members of FAU developed several leads in Spain, the Dominican Republic, and Switzerland relative to the activities of Canela. With the assistance of the FBI’s legal attaché offices in these respective countries, it was determined that he was residing in Switzerland.
On April 15, 2014, Canela was arrested by the Canton Aargau Police (Switzerland) for possession of cocaine and was held in Swiss custody on a provisional arrest warrant generated by FBI Boston/FAU seeking extradition back to Massachusetts.
Upon arrival, Canela will return to the custody of the Massachusetts Department of Correction where he will serve the remainder of his outstanding sentence; four years and four months. He will also face additional charges relating to his escape and unlawful flight.
“This is a great example of multiple government agencies and nations working together to bring fugitives like Canela back to the United States to face justice,” said Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “I want to thank the government of Switzerland for its excellent cooperation, as well as the Massachusetts Department of Correction’s Fugitive Apprehension Unit, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Department of Justice, the Massachusetts State Police, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office and the Essex County District Attorney’s Office.”
Massachusetts Department of Correction Commissioner Carol Higgins O’Brien added, “We extremely pleased with the law enforcement and interagency partnerships that allowed this fugitive to be returned to Massachusetts to serve out the remainder of his sentence.”
Canela, aka Torres, 29, had been a fugitive for six years.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Friday, February 13, 2015
Boston Mob Wives Reality Show Casting Call
Are you a woman with a personality that pops and a connection to Boston’s criminal underworld?
Boston Mob Wives, a new reality show in production, could be your big break. The first casting call is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. on Sunday, February 22 at the Four Points Sheraton in Revere.
Henry “Nacho” Laun, Jenna DeRose, and Timothy Baker are looking to cast the new Boston-based reality show. Laun is a former member of Mark Wahlberg’s original real-life entourage. He has had bit parts in numerous Wahlberg films, including The Departed, The Fighter, Ted, and Ted 2. He plays himself on Wahlburgers.
DeRose is a mom of two who lives in Revere. Her husband, Timothy Baker, is also involved in the project.
The original Mob Wives series first aired on VH1 in 2011, but DeRose wasn’t a fan of the original. “I was disgusted. They don’t act classy. The women I know from Boston who have ties to the mob act way classier than that,” she said.
So, what does it take to become a cast member of Boston Mob Wives? You don’t need to have a current connection to organized crime in Boston, nor do you need to be a wife, DeRose told Boston.com.
“If their personality pops and they have mob ties from the past—their grandfather or great uncle—that works,” she said. “I don’t want anyone to think it’s about the mob that’s going on now. It’s about peoples stories from the past.”
DeRose said the people she grew up with who were involved in organized crime were “good guys just trying to make a living.”
“When you say ‘mafia’ to me I think of guys trying to protect their city,” DeRose said. “If they left the mafia alone, Boston would be a safer city.”
DeRose made several claims to her mob pedigree. “Whitey [Bulger] actually taught me how to ride a bike. I grew up around this,” she said.
Bulger was convicted in November 2013 for multiple murders, drug trafficking, racketeering and other charges.
DeRose also told Boston.com she’s the niece of Bernard “Bennie” Zinna, was involved in organized crime.
Zinna was charged in the 1966 gangland murder of boxer Rocco DiSeglio, but was later acquitted. In 1969, he died after being shot multiple times in his Cadillac. His body was found in Revere, just two miles from where the casting call is set to take place.
Would the producers be open to casting someone who is married to an individual who is currently active in organized crime? The answer is yes, according to DeRose, who explained that if the “wife” was discussing a “current situation,” producers would have to shield the identity of the “husband.”
“His name would have to be Joe Black or something.”
Presumably Bitey Wulger could also work.
Thanks to Hilary Sargent.
Boston Mob Wives, a new reality show in production, could be your big break. The first casting call is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. on Sunday, February 22 at the Four Points Sheraton in Revere.
Henry “Nacho” Laun, Jenna DeRose, and Timothy Baker are looking to cast the new Boston-based reality show. Laun is a former member of Mark Wahlberg’s original real-life entourage. He has had bit parts in numerous Wahlberg films, including The Departed, The Fighter, Ted, and Ted 2. He plays himself on Wahlburgers.
DeRose is a mom of two who lives in Revere. Her husband, Timothy Baker, is also involved in the project.
The original Mob Wives series first aired on VH1 in 2011, but DeRose wasn’t a fan of the original. “I was disgusted. They don’t act classy. The women I know from Boston who have ties to the mob act way classier than that,” she said.
So, what does it take to become a cast member of Boston Mob Wives? You don’t need to have a current connection to organized crime in Boston, nor do you need to be a wife, DeRose told Boston.com.
“If their personality pops and they have mob ties from the past—their grandfather or great uncle—that works,” she said. “I don’t want anyone to think it’s about the mob that’s going on now. It’s about peoples stories from the past.”
DeRose said the people she grew up with who were involved in organized crime were “good guys just trying to make a living.”
“When you say ‘mafia’ to me I think of guys trying to protect their city,” DeRose said. “If they left the mafia alone, Boston would be a safer city.”
DeRose made several claims to her mob pedigree. “Whitey [Bulger] actually taught me how to ride a bike. I grew up around this,” she said.
Bulger was convicted in November 2013 for multiple murders, drug trafficking, racketeering and other charges.
DeRose also told Boston.com she’s the niece of Bernard “Bennie” Zinna, was involved in organized crime.
Zinna was charged in the 1966 gangland murder of boxer Rocco DiSeglio, but was later acquitted. In 1969, he died after being shot multiple times in his Cadillac. His body was found in Revere, just two miles from where the casting call is set to take place.
Would the producers be open to casting someone who is married to an individual who is currently active in organized crime? The answer is yes, according to DeRose, who explained that if the “wife” was discussing a “current situation,” producers would have to shield the identity of the “husband.”
“His name would have to be Joe Black or something.”
Presumably Bitey Wulger could also work.
Thanks to Hilary Sargent.
Catholic Priest Pleads Guilty to Passing Messages for Convicted Mob Hit Man Frank Calabrese Sr.
In a case that reads like a movie script, a Catholic priest on Wednesday pleaded guilty to trying to help a convicted mob hitman recover a purported Stradivarius violin hidden in the wall of a house.
Eugene Klein, who had been a federal prison chaplain, admitted to conspiring in 2011 to defraud the United States by passing messages from mobster Frank Calabrese to an unnamed associate on how to get the violin out of Calabrese`s Wisconsin home.
If found and authenticated as made by 18th-century instrument maker Antonio Stradivari, such a violin would have been worth millions of dollars. Calabrese had also claimed the violin had once been owned by pianist Liberace, according to local media accounts.
Calabrese, also known as "Frankie Breeze," was serving a life sentence at the federal prison in Springfield, Missouri, in connection with more than a dozen gangland slayings.
Federal authorities were selling his property to compensate the families of victims, and he wanted the violin recovered before the house was sold, court documents said.
Klein, 66, had been permitted to meet with Calabrese regularly to provide religious ministries, like giving communion. He knew that he was not supposed to pass messages to and from Calabrese, prosecutors said. But Klein agreed to be a messenger, the plea agreement said. The communications included a letter concealed in religious reading materials and passed to Klein through a slot in the door of Calabrese`s prison cell, the plea agreement said.
The letter had instructions on how to find the violin, and how to get into the home. Klein didn`t turn over the letter but admitted to telling the unnamed person what it said.
Federal authorities had found paperwork about a 1764 violin in another of Calabrese`s homes. A certificate describing the violin bore an emblem with the word "Stradivari," but it said the violin was made by Giuseppe Antonio Artalli, court documents said.
No violin was found.
Thomas Durkin, Klein`s attorney, questioned whether the violin ever even existed, and he compared the hunt for it to "looking for a unicorn," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Durkin was not immediately available for comment.
Klein, of Springfield, Missouri, faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on June 23.
Calabrese died in prison in 2012.
Eugene Klein, who had been a federal prison chaplain, admitted to conspiring in 2011 to defraud the United States by passing messages from mobster Frank Calabrese to an unnamed associate on how to get the violin out of Calabrese`s Wisconsin home.
If found and authenticated as made by 18th-century instrument maker Antonio Stradivari, such a violin would have been worth millions of dollars. Calabrese had also claimed the violin had once been owned by pianist Liberace, according to local media accounts.
Calabrese, also known as "Frankie Breeze," was serving a life sentence at the federal prison in Springfield, Missouri, in connection with more than a dozen gangland slayings.
Federal authorities were selling his property to compensate the families of victims, and he wanted the violin recovered before the house was sold, court documents said.
Klein, 66, had been permitted to meet with Calabrese regularly to provide religious ministries, like giving communion. He knew that he was not supposed to pass messages to and from Calabrese, prosecutors said. But Klein agreed to be a messenger, the plea agreement said. The communications included a letter concealed in religious reading materials and passed to Klein through a slot in the door of Calabrese`s prison cell, the plea agreement said.
The letter had instructions on how to find the violin, and how to get into the home. Klein didn`t turn over the letter but admitted to telling the unnamed person what it said.
Federal authorities had found paperwork about a 1764 violin in another of Calabrese`s homes. A certificate describing the violin bore an emblem with the word "Stradivari," but it said the violin was made by Giuseppe Antonio Artalli, court documents said.
No violin was found.
Thomas Durkin, Klein`s attorney, questioned whether the violin ever even existed, and he compared the hunt for it to "looking for a unicorn," according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Durkin was not immediately available for comment.
Klein, of Springfield, Missouri, faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on June 23.
Calabrese died in prison in 2012.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
CBS Newsman Bob Simon's Forty Days
In Forty Days, the late celebrated CBS newsman
, Bob Simon, recalls the trauma of the forty days he spent in an Iraqi prison during the Persian Gulf War and reveals how he relied on the memories of his life and family to pull him through.Will @MSNBC Suspend @TheRevAl Over Purported Lies Related to Work as a FBI Mafia Informant?
With its swift and severe punishment of Brian Williams, NBCUniversal declared yesterday that it will not stand for on-air talent lying to viewers.
Now that the media conglomerate has delineated that bright line, when does the Rev. Al Sharpton’s suspension without pay begin?
In the wake of last year’s lengthy TSG report about Sharpton’s secret work as a paid FBI Mafia informant, the MSNBC host sought to blunt the story’s disclosures with a series of lies told at a pair of press conferences, on his nightly “Politics Nation” program, and in a report on Williams’s own NBC Nightly News (which was rebroadcast on NBC's Today show).
Sharpton, 60, cast himself as a victim who first ran into the FBI’s warm embrace when a scary gangster purportedly threatened his life. He was “an American citizen with every right to call law enforcement” for protection, Sharpton told his MSNBC audience. His sole motivation was to “try to protect myself and others.”
He needed the FBI’s help, Sharpton claimed, because his relentless advocacy on behalf of African-American concert promoters had angered wiseguys with hooks in the music business. “I did the right thing working with the authorities,” Sharpton assured viewers. As for being branded an informant, that was a label for others to worry about. “I didn’t consider myself, quote, an informant. Wasn’t told I was that,” said Sharpton.
These claims, broadcast by NBCUniversal, were demonstrably false.
Sharpton was, again, lying about when, how, and why he became a government informant. This historical rewrite was intended to cast his cooperation in the most favorable--even heroic--light possible. The true story, however, was grimier and far less commendable.
Sharpton was once an organized crime associate who got caught up in an FBI sting and immediately agreed to join Team America to stay out of prison. The street-smart preacher’s decision to become an informant was borne out of fear and a desire for self preservation, a calculus not unique when someone is cornered by men with badges.
Now, if NBCUniversal cared to examine the televised claims Sharpton has made about his work as an informant, the company’s newly formed internal affairs division could review hundreds of pages of FBI documents chronicling Sharpton’s work as “CI-7,” short for confidential informant #7, and they could track down members of the FBI-NYPD organized crime task force for which Sharpton surreptitiously recorded his meetings with gangsters. And company brass would certainly want to review the first story to expose Sharpton as a snitch, a January 1998 Newsday piece authored by a Murderers Row of reporters: Bob Drury, Robert Kessler, Mike McAlary, and Richard Esposito. If that last guy’s name rings a bell, well, it is probably because Esposito--now senior executive producer of NBC's investigative unit--is heading the network’s review of Williams’s Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina claims.
Could there be a better man to head the Sharpton Task Force? Luckily, Esposito’s memories of Sharpton’s FBI activities remain clear, as evidenced by a article (“Rev. Al Sharpton and Me”) he wrote for the NBC News web site the day after TSG published its Sharpton story last April.
As detailed by TSG and Esposito and his Newsday colleaugues, Sharpton agreed to become an informant after he was secretly videotaped discussing a possible cocaine deal with an undercover FBI agent.
Sharpton was “flipped” on a Thursday afternoon in June 1983 when he showed up at a Manhattan apartment expecting to meet with a former South American druglord seeking to launder money through boxing promotions (like those handled by Sharpton pal Don King). The role of "druglord" was played by undercover FBI Agent Victor Quintana.
After Sharpton entered the apartment, FBI Agents Joseph Spinelli and Kenneth Mikionis emerged from the bedroom. They then played Sharpton a videotape of a prior meeting with Quintana during which cocaine was a topic of conversation. While the agents were unsure whether Sharpton had said enough to warrant a criminal prosecution, the civil rights activist had no doubt he was in trouble. Sharpton agreed on the spot to begin working as an informant.
The following day, at Spinelli’s direction, Sharpton recorded the first of several conversations with King, a major FBI target. Sharpton, of course, has repeatedly lied when asked whether he made such consensual recordings for his FBI handlers.
Over the next several years, Sharpton worked with FBI agents and NYPD detectives as they put together criminal cases against leaders of the Genovese organized crime family. For example, he used a briefcase outfitted with a hidden recording device to tape ten meetings with a Gambino crime family figure named Joseph Buonanno.
In sealed court filings, federal investigators lauded “CI-7” as a reliable, productive, and accurate source of information about mobsters. The FBI noted that its informant gathered information about La Cosa Nostra matters through his contact with members of four of New York’s five mob families and via “conversations with LCN members from other parts of the United States.”
About nine months into his work as an informant
, Sharpton was purportedly threatened by Salvatore Pisello, a mob associate affiliated with MCA Records in Los Angeles. Pisello, Sharpton claimed in his autobiography, Go and Tell Pharaoh, was angry that the activist was agitating to have African-American promoters included in the “Victory Tour” starring Michael Jackson and his brothers. Presumably, such involvement by these promoters would have cut into Pisello’s piece of the lucrative tour.
The reported threat, however, amounted to nothing but talk. Sharpton, however, has cast the incident--for which he is the sole witness--as the motivation for him approaching FBI agents for some federal succor.
While Sharpton’s sleight of hand when it comes to matters temporal and factual is well established, he chose to boldly use the airwaves of NBCUniversal--his employer--to broadcast lies about his tawdry past.
Unlike Williams, however, viewers should not expect an apology--even a mangled one at that--from Sharpton.
Thanks to TSG.
Now that the media conglomerate has delineated that bright line, when does the Rev. Al Sharpton’s suspension without pay begin?
In the wake of last year’s lengthy TSG report about Sharpton’s secret work as a paid FBI Mafia informant, the MSNBC host sought to blunt the story’s disclosures with a series of lies told at a pair of press conferences, on his nightly “Politics Nation” program, and in a report on Williams’s own NBC Nightly News (which was rebroadcast on NBC's Today show).
Sharpton, 60, cast himself as a victim who first ran into the FBI’s warm embrace when a scary gangster purportedly threatened his life. He was “an American citizen with every right to call law enforcement” for protection, Sharpton told his MSNBC audience. His sole motivation was to “try to protect myself and others.”
He needed the FBI’s help, Sharpton claimed, because his relentless advocacy on behalf of African-American concert promoters had angered wiseguys with hooks in the music business. “I did the right thing working with the authorities,” Sharpton assured viewers. As for being branded an informant, that was a label for others to worry about. “I didn’t consider myself, quote, an informant. Wasn’t told I was that,” said Sharpton.
These claims, broadcast by NBCUniversal, were demonstrably false.
Sharpton was, again, lying about when, how, and why he became a government informant. This historical rewrite was intended to cast his cooperation in the most favorable--even heroic--light possible. The true story, however, was grimier and far less commendable.
Sharpton was once an organized crime associate who got caught up in an FBI sting and immediately agreed to join Team America to stay out of prison. The street-smart preacher’s decision to become an informant was borne out of fear and a desire for self preservation, a calculus not unique when someone is cornered by men with badges.
Now, if NBCUniversal cared to examine the televised claims Sharpton has made about his work as an informant, the company’s newly formed internal affairs division could review hundreds of pages of FBI documents chronicling Sharpton’s work as “CI-7,” short for confidential informant #7, and they could track down members of the FBI-NYPD organized crime task force for which Sharpton surreptitiously recorded his meetings with gangsters. And company brass would certainly want to review the first story to expose Sharpton as a snitch, a January 1998 Newsday piece authored by a Murderers Row of reporters: Bob Drury, Robert Kessler, Mike McAlary, and Richard Esposito. If that last guy’s name rings a bell, well, it is probably because Esposito--now senior executive producer of NBC's investigative unit--is heading the network’s review of Williams’s Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina claims.
Could there be a better man to head the Sharpton Task Force? Luckily, Esposito’s memories of Sharpton’s FBI activities remain clear, as evidenced by a article (“Rev. Al Sharpton and Me”) he wrote for the NBC News web site the day after TSG published its Sharpton story last April.
As detailed by TSG and Esposito and his Newsday colleaugues, Sharpton agreed to become an informant after he was secretly videotaped discussing a possible cocaine deal with an undercover FBI agent.
Sharpton was “flipped” on a Thursday afternoon in June 1983 when he showed up at a Manhattan apartment expecting to meet with a former South American druglord seeking to launder money through boxing promotions (like those handled by Sharpton pal Don King). The role of "druglord" was played by undercover FBI Agent Victor Quintana.
After Sharpton entered the apartment, FBI Agents Joseph Spinelli and Kenneth Mikionis emerged from the bedroom. They then played Sharpton a videotape of a prior meeting with Quintana during which cocaine was a topic of conversation. While the agents were unsure whether Sharpton had said enough to warrant a criminal prosecution, the civil rights activist had no doubt he was in trouble. Sharpton agreed on the spot to begin working as an informant.
The following day, at Spinelli’s direction, Sharpton recorded the first of several conversations with King, a major FBI target. Sharpton, of course, has repeatedly lied when asked whether he made such consensual recordings for his FBI handlers.
Over the next several years, Sharpton worked with FBI agents and NYPD detectives as they put together criminal cases against leaders of the Genovese organized crime family. For example, he used a briefcase outfitted with a hidden recording device to tape ten meetings with a Gambino crime family figure named Joseph Buonanno.
In sealed court filings, federal investigators lauded “CI-7” as a reliable, productive, and accurate source of information about mobsters. The FBI noted that its informant gathered information about La Cosa Nostra matters through his contact with members of four of New York’s five mob families and via “conversations with LCN members from other parts of the United States.”
About nine months into his work as an informant
, Sharpton was purportedly threatened by Salvatore Pisello, a mob associate affiliated with MCA Records in Los Angeles. Pisello, Sharpton claimed in his autobiography, Go and Tell Pharaoh, was angry that the activist was agitating to have African-American promoters included in the “Victory Tour” starring Michael Jackson and his brothers. Presumably, such involvement by these promoters would have cut into Pisello’s piece of the lucrative tour.The reported threat, however, amounted to nothing but talk. Sharpton, however, has cast the incident--for which he is the sole witness--as the motivation for him approaching FBI agents for some federal succor.
While Sharpton’s sleight of hand when it comes to matters temporal and factual is well established, he chose to boldly use the airwaves of NBCUniversal--his employer--to broadcast lies about his tawdry past.
Unlike Williams, however, viewers should not expect an apology--even a mangled one at that--from Sharpton.
Thanks to TSG.
Radio Talk Show Host Attorney Sentenced to 70 Months for Stealing $2.34 Million in Clients’ Funds
A suburban real estate attorney and radio talk show host was sentenced today to 70 months’ imprisonment for stealing approximately $2.34 million from her clients. The defendant, KATHLEEN NIEW, 59, of Burr Ridge, was also ordered to pay restitution of $2.34 million to the victims of her fraud and forfeit assets related to the crime. “The sentence must promote respect for the law . . . something has to be done when a case like this comes up.” U.S. District Court Judge Harry Leinenweber said in imposing the sentence. Judge Leinenweber also ordered three years of supervised release, and Niew is to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons on April 14, 2015.
Niew operated Niew Legal Partners, LLC, in Oak Brook. She was charged with 10 counts of wire fraud by a federal grand jury in August 2013 and pled in June 2014 to all counts of the indictment. She was disbarred in 2013.
According to court records, the victims, a husband and wife, who were Niew’s clients, transferred approximately $2.34 million into Niew’s attorney escrow account to be used for closings on commercial real estate transactions. Niew used the funds for her own benefit, contrary to the false representations she made to the couple. Without the victims’ knowledge, Niew used their funds to finance the purchases of various gold mining operations and not to purchase any commercial property for the victims as originally intended. Further, as part of the fraud scheme, Niew arranged to receive a 20 percent finder’s fee for herself from mining operation investments in exchange for providing approximately $1.5 million in funds that belonged to her clients.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Leinenweber also found Niew responsible for defrauding another client out of $500,000. Niew falsely told that victim that she needed to borrow $500,000 to help buy assets in her upcoming divorce proceeding. Niew, however, was not divorcing her husband, and she sent the victim’s funds to one of the same investment operations where she had sent previous victims’ money.
“Niew blatantly stole $2.8 million of her clients’ money, and then lied to cover up the scam. When confronted and caught, Niew undertook acts that can only be described as shocking for an attorney licensed by the bar—creating false cover-up documents, lying to her clients, and lying under oath (once again) to the ARDC,” argued Assistant United States Attorney Sunil Harjani in the government’s sentencing memorandum.
Niew operated Niew Legal Partners, LLC, in Oak Brook. She was charged with 10 counts of wire fraud by a federal grand jury in August 2013 and pled in June 2014 to all counts of the indictment. She was disbarred in 2013.
According to court records, the victims, a husband and wife, who were Niew’s clients, transferred approximately $2.34 million into Niew’s attorney escrow account to be used for closings on commercial real estate transactions. Niew used the funds for her own benefit, contrary to the false representations she made to the couple. Without the victims’ knowledge, Niew used their funds to finance the purchases of various gold mining operations and not to purchase any commercial property for the victims as originally intended. Further, as part of the fraud scheme, Niew arranged to receive a 20 percent finder’s fee for herself from mining operation investments in exchange for providing approximately $1.5 million in funds that belonged to her clients.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Leinenweber also found Niew responsible for defrauding another client out of $500,000. Niew falsely told that victim that she needed to borrow $500,000 to help buy assets in her upcoming divorce proceeding. Niew, however, was not divorcing her husband, and she sent the victim’s funds to one of the same investment operations where she had sent previous victims’ money.
“Niew blatantly stole $2.8 million of her clients’ money, and then lied to cover up the scam. When confronted and caught, Niew undertook acts that can only be described as shocking for an attorney licensed by the bar—creating false cover-up documents, lying to her clients, and lying under oath (once again) to the ARDC,” argued Assistant United States Attorney Sunil Harjani in the government’s sentencing memorandum.
Monday, February 09, 2015
Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable, and What We Can Do About It
From one of the world's leading authorities on global security
, Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It, takes readers deep into the digital underground to illuminate the alarming ways criminals, corporations, and even countries are using new and emerging technologies against you and how this makes everyone more vulnerable than you ever thought possible.
Technological advances have benefited our world in immeasurable ways, but there is an ominous flip side. Criminals are often the earliest, and most innovative, adopters of technology, and modern times have led to modern crimes. Today's criminals are stealing identities, draining online bank accounts, and erasing computer servers. It's disturbingly easy to activate baby monitors to spy on families, to hack pacemakers to deliver a lethal jolt of electricity, and to analyze a person's social media activity to determine the best time for a home invasion.
Meanwhile, 3D printers produce AK-47s, terrorists can download the recipe for the Ebola virus, and drug cartels are building drones. This is just the beginning of a tsunami of technological threats. In Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It, Marc Goodman rips opens his database of hundreds of real cases to give readers front-row access to these impending perils. Reading like a sci-fi thriller, but based in startling fact, Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It, raises tough questions about the expanding role of technology in our lives. The book is a call to action for better security measures worldwide, but most importantly it will empower readers to protect themselves against looming technological threats before it's too late.
, Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It, takes readers deep into the digital underground to illuminate the alarming ways criminals, corporations, and even countries are using new and emerging technologies against you and how this makes everyone more vulnerable than you ever thought possible.Technological advances have benefited our world in immeasurable ways, but there is an ominous flip side. Criminals are often the earliest, and most innovative, adopters of technology, and modern times have led to modern crimes. Today's criminals are stealing identities, draining online bank accounts, and erasing computer servers. It's disturbingly easy to activate baby monitors to spy on families, to hack pacemakers to deliver a lethal jolt of electricity, and to analyze a person's social media activity to determine the best time for a home invasion.
Meanwhile, 3D printers produce AK-47s, terrorists can download the recipe for the Ebola virus, and drug cartels are building drones. This is just the beginning of a tsunami of technological threats. In Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It, Marc Goodman rips opens his database of hundreds of real cases to give readers front-row access to these impending perils. Reading like a sci-fi thriller, but based in startling fact, Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It, raises tough questions about the expanding role of technology in our lives. The book is a call to action for better security measures worldwide, but most importantly it will empower readers to protect themselves against looming technological threats before it's too late.
Sunday, February 08, 2015
17 Yr Old Charged with Attempted Murder of a Police Officer After Firing Shot at State Trooper
Illinois State Police (ISP) officials are investigating a shooting that occurred near the Shell gas station located at 55th and Wells, next to the Dan Ryan Expressway at 8:55 p.m., Saturday, February, 7, 2015.
An ISP trooper identified an occupied stolen vehicle at the Shell gas station through a license plate check. The trooper initiated a traffic stop in the parking lot of the Shell gas station. The trooper attempted to make contact with the sole occupant, the front seat passenger, a 17 year old male juvenile. The suspect passenger exited the stolen vehicle and fled the scene on foot. The trooper chased the suspect in a foot pursuit for approximately 1000ft north on Wells, during which time the suspect fired a single shot at the trooper. The trooper returned fire once. The suspect fell to the ground and was taken into custody by the trooper. The suspect's gun was recovered. No injuries were reported as a result of the gun fire.
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office was contacted and approved charges of Attempted Murder of a Police Officer, Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Criminal Trespass to a Vehicle and Aggravated Assault. The suspect was transported to Cook County Juvenile Detention and will appear for a bond hearing on Monday, February 9, 2015.
The identity of the driver of the stolen vehicle is still pending investigation.
An ISP trooper identified an occupied stolen vehicle at the Shell gas station through a license plate check. The trooper initiated a traffic stop in the parking lot of the Shell gas station. The trooper attempted to make contact with the sole occupant, the front seat passenger, a 17 year old male juvenile. The suspect passenger exited the stolen vehicle and fled the scene on foot. The trooper chased the suspect in a foot pursuit for approximately 1000ft north on Wells, during which time the suspect fired a single shot at the trooper. The trooper returned fire once. The suspect fell to the ground and was taken into custody by the trooper. The suspect's gun was recovered. No injuries were reported as a result of the gun fire.
The Cook County State's Attorney's Office was contacted and approved charges of Attempted Murder of a Police Officer, Aggravated Discharge of a Firearm, Aggravated Unlawful Use of a Weapon, Criminal Trespass to a Vehicle and Aggravated Assault. The suspect was transported to Cook County Juvenile Detention and will appear for a bond hearing on Monday, February 9, 2015.
The identity of the driver of the stolen vehicle is still pending investigation.
Alleged Black P Stones Gang Leaders Taken Down #OperationTangledWeb
A joint investigation by law enforcement officials helped take down a North Side drug operation that crossed into Evanston and Skokie and netted about $2.5 million over the course of the investigation, police said.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Tangled Web, targeted Black P Stones gang leaders on the North Side and focused on drug trafficking that involved gang members in Chicago and the northern suburbs of Evanston and Skokie, police said.
Law enforcement officials used court-ordered wiretaps that ultimately revealed the multimillion-dollar operation. The wiretaps focused on the dealings of Black P Stones leaders Craig "Chop" Johnson and Henry "Mix" Wiggins, who ran the operation, police said.
Their operation was found to also supply gangs outside of the Black P Stone Nation that deal drugs on the North Side.
At least 22 people were charged with calculated criminal drug conspiracy, including Melvin Foote, an original ranking member of the Black P Stones, police said.
Officials seized eight vehicles, about $58,000 in cash, 377 grams of crack cocaine and a 9 mm gun during a search warrant.
Wiggins also was charged with possession of a defaced firearm in addition to the conspiracy charge, which carries up to a 30-year prison sentence if convicted.
The Chicago Police Department's Bureau of Organized Crime, the Chicago Police Gang Investigation Unit and the FBI Joint Task Force on Gangs were a part of the sting.
Thanks to Deanese Williams-Harris.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Tangled Web, targeted Black P Stones gang leaders on the North Side and focused on drug trafficking that involved gang members in Chicago and the northern suburbs of Evanston and Skokie, police said.
Law enforcement officials used court-ordered wiretaps that ultimately revealed the multimillion-dollar operation. The wiretaps focused on the dealings of Black P Stones leaders Craig "Chop" Johnson and Henry "Mix" Wiggins, who ran the operation, police said.
Their operation was found to also supply gangs outside of the Black P Stone Nation that deal drugs on the North Side.
At least 22 people were charged with calculated criminal drug conspiracy, including Melvin Foote, an original ranking member of the Black P Stones, police said.
Officials seized eight vehicles, about $58,000 in cash, 377 grams of crack cocaine and a 9 mm gun during a search warrant.
Wiggins also was charged with possession of a defaced firearm in addition to the conspiracy charge, which carries up to a 30-year prison sentence if convicted.
The Chicago Police Department's Bureau of Organized Crime, the Chicago Police Gang Investigation Unit and the FBI Joint Task Force on Gangs were a part of the sting.
Thanks to Deanese Williams-Harris.
Thursday, February 05, 2015
DEA Contemplated Using License Plate Readers to Track Gun Show Attendees
Recent revelations about a proposed federal law enforcement program might have some friends and families drawing lots to decide who drives to the next gun show.
Criminals rarely obtain guns from gun shows. A Department of Justice survey of state and federal inmates, found that only 0.7 percent of those polled had acquired a firearm that they possessed at the time of their offense from a gun show. Unfortunately, this didn’t stop at least one federal official from suggesting that the sophisticated tools of the modern surveillance state be turned on unsuspecting gun show attendees.
Documents obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the American Civil Liberties Union reveal that, in 2009, the Drug Enforcement Administration contemplated using License Plate Readers (LPRs) to track vehicle traffic from gun shows. A highly redacted email from an unknown DEA official suggests the program was past infancy, and stated, “DEA Phoenix Division Office is working closely with ATF on attacking the guns going to [redacted] and the guns shows to include programs/operation with LPRs at the gun shows.”
ACLU correctly points out the danger of such technology in an article on their website, explaining, “An automatic license plate reader cannot distinguish between people transporting illegal guns and those transporting legal guns, or no guns at all; it only documents the presence of any car driving to the event. Mere attendance at a gun show, it appeared, would have been enough to have one's presence noted in a DEA database.”
The proposed program is even more disturbing when placed into the larger context of the Justice Department’s ongoing general license plate tracking program. A January 26 article from the Wall Street Journal explains the broad contours of DOJ LPR surveillance. The piece states, “The Justice Department has been building a national database to track in real time the movement of vehicles around the U.S., a secret domestic intelligence-gathering program that scans and stores hundreds of millions of records about motorists.” The authors go on to explain the wide availability of the collected data, writing, “Many state and local law-enforcement agencies are accessing the database for a variety of investigations… putting a wealth of information in the hands of local officials who can track vehicles in real time on major roadways.” They further note that this national database “allows any police agency that participates to quickly search records of many states for information about a vehicle.”
According to a January 27 Wall Street Journal article focusing specifically on the gun show surveillance proposal, DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart told the paper, “The proposal in the email was only a suggestion. It was never authorized by DEA, and the idea under discussion in the email was never launched.” Further, the article stated that DOJ officials were quick to deny any BATFE involvement in the LPR scheme. However, as has been made clear by the events of the last two years, public statements by federal officials regarding the scope of federal surveillance activities should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.
DEA’s proposed indiscriminate gun show surveillance places an unacceptable burden on the privacy of law-abiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights and even smacks of firearm registration. Further, such tactics infringe upon rights protected by the First Amendment. Gun shows are far more than just shopping opportunities for gun buyers. They are also community gatherings that often serve as venues for political expression and organizing. As such, they are subject to the First Amendment’s rights of freedom of association and to peaceably assemble and should be free from government activity that could chill free and open participation.
In recent years, the unfettered growth of the surveillance state has become an increasing threat to the privacy of gun owners, and NRA recognizes this challenge. That’s why in early 2014 NRA filed a friend of the court brief in a case challenging the National Security Agency’s mass surveillance of phone and internet data. The brief contended that the data collection program is unconstitutional on First Amendment freedom of association grounds, and that it violates statutory prohibitions against compiling gun ownership records. Likewise, NRA is investigating the recent DEA revelations and will continue to work in this area to ensure the privacy of all gun owners.
Thanks to the NRA-ILA.
Criminals rarely obtain guns from gun shows. A Department of Justice survey of state and federal inmates, found that only 0.7 percent of those polled had acquired a firearm that they possessed at the time of their offense from a gun show. Unfortunately, this didn’t stop at least one federal official from suggesting that the sophisticated tools of the modern surveillance state be turned on unsuspecting gun show attendees.
Documents obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the American Civil Liberties Union reveal that, in 2009, the Drug Enforcement Administration contemplated using License Plate Readers (LPRs) to track vehicle traffic from gun shows. A highly redacted email from an unknown DEA official suggests the program was past infancy, and stated, “DEA Phoenix Division Office is working closely with ATF on attacking the guns going to [redacted] and the guns shows to include programs/operation with LPRs at the gun shows.”
ACLU correctly points out the danger of such technology in an article on their website, explaining, “An automatic license plate reader cannot distinguish between people transporting illegal guns and those transporting legal guns, or no guns at all; it only documents the presence of any car driving to the event. Mere attendance at a gun show, it appeared, would have been enough to have one's presence noted in a DEA database.”
The proposed program is even more disturbing when placed into the larger context of the Justice Department’s ongoing general license plate tracking program. A January 26 article from the Wall Street Journal explains the broad contours of DOJ LPR surveillance. The piece states, “The Justice Department has been building a national database to track in real time the movement of vehicles around the U.S., a secret domestic intelligence-gathering program that scans and stores hundreds of millions of records about motorists.” The authors go on to explain the wide availability of the collected data, writing, “Many state and local law-enforcement agencies are accessing the database for a variety of investigations… putting a wealth of information in the hands of local officials who can track vehicles in real time on major roadways.” They further note that this national database “allows any police agency that participates to quickly search records of many states for information about a vehicle.”
According to a January 27 Wall Street Journal article focusing specifically on the gun show surveillance proposal, DEA Administrator Michele Leonhart told the paper, “The proposal in the email was only a suggestion. It was never authorized by DEA, and the idea under discussion in the email was never launched.” Further, the article stated that DOJ officials were quick to deny any BATFE involvement in the LPR scheme. However, as has been made clear by the events of the last two years, public statements by federal officials regarding the scope of federal surveillance activities should be viewed with a healthy dose of skepticism.
DEA’s proposed indiscriminate gun show surveillance places an unacceptable burden on the privacy of law-abiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights and even smacks of firearm registration. Further, such tactics infringe upon rights protected by the First Amendment. Gun shows are far more than just shopping opportunities for gun buyers. They are also community gatherings that often serve as venues for political expression and organizing. As such, they are subject to the First Amendment’s rights of freedom of association and to peaceably assemble and should be free from government activity that could chill free and open participation.
In recent years, the unfettered growth of the surveillance state has become an increasing threat to the privacy of gun owners, and NRA recognizes this challenge. That’s why in early 2014 NRA filed a friend of the court brief in a case challenging the National Security Agency’s mass surveillance of phone and internet data. The brief contended that the data collection program is unconstitutional on First Amendment freedom of association grounds, and that it violates statutory prohibitions against compiling gun ownership records. Likewise, NRA is investigating the recent DEA revelations and will continue to work in this area to ensure the privacy of all gun owners.
Thanks to the NRA-ILA.
Monday, February 02, 2015
#MafiaCops Cost City $5,000,000 Settlement
The City of New York on Friday agreed to pay $5 million to the family of a man killed after being mistaken for a mobster with the same name — thanks to information the killers gleaned from two former police detectives later convicted of moonlighting as hit men for the mob.
The city Law Department called Nicholas Guido’s 1986 death tragic in a statement Friday and says settling is in the city’s best interest.
The family’s lawyer did not immediately return a call from the Associated Press.
The 26-year-old Guido was shot outside his mother’s home on 17th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn on Christmas Day 1986, according to a New York Daily News report.
Federal prosecutors said the gunmen had Guido had no ties to organized crime, but happened to share a name with an associate of the Gambino crime family who was part of a team of hit men that tried to kill Lucchese family underboss Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso three years earlier.
Casso who paid two detectives – Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa — to help in eight murders, according to the Daily News report. They were accused of carrying out two of those killings themselves.
Eppolito and Caracappa were both sentenced to life in prison.
Thanks to CBS New York.
The city Law Department called Nicholas Guido’s 1986 death tragic in a statement Friday and says settling is in the city’s best interest.
The family’s lawyer did not immediately return a call from the Associated Press.
The 26-year-old Guido was shot outside his mother’s home on 17th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn on Christmas Day 1986, according to a New York Daily News report.
Federal prosecutors said the gunmen had Guido had no ties to organized crime, but happened to share a name with an associate of the Gambino crime family who was part of a team of hit men that tried to kill Lucchese family underboss Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso three years earlier.
Casso who paid two detectives – Louis Eppolito and Stephen Caracappa — to help in eight murders, according to the Daily News report. They were accused of carrying out two of those killings themselves.
Eppolito and Caracappa were both sentenced to life in prison.
Thanks to CBS New York.
Friday, January 30, 2015
Daniel Spitzer Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Cheating 455 Investors of $105 Million and Causing $34 Million Loss
A northwest suburban man was sentenced for engaging in a lengthy investment fraud scheme in which he and a co-defendant swindled approximately $105 million from 455 investors who invested in funds they purported to operate. The defendant, DANIEL SPITZER, pleaded guilty to 10 counts of mail fraud last July on the day his trial was scheduled to begin in Federal Court. Spitzer misused the money he raised from investors for his own benefit and to make Ponzi-type payments to investors, resulting in a loss of $33.98 million to at least 279 victims, many of them elderly.
Spitzer, 55, of North Barrington and formerly of the U.S. Virgin Islands, caused “very substantial damage,” U.S. District Judge James Zagel said in imposing the sentence today, a day after he ordered Spitzer into federal custody. The judge also ordered restitution of $33.98 million.
Spitzer engaged in an “extended act of greed,” between late 2004 and early 2010, Assistant U.S. Attorney Madeleine Murphy argued at today’s hearing.
According to court records, Spitzer was the principal officer and sole shareholder of Kenzie Financial Management; the sole manager and member of Kenzie Services, LLC; the president of Draseena Funds Group, Corp.; the manager of DN Management Company, LLC; and the manager of Nerium Management Company.
Co-defendant ALFRED GEREBIZZA, 59, formerly of Crystal Lake and Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., was the secretary and a director of Draseena and a sales agent for the Kenzie Funds, who also held himself out as a trader. Gerebizza was convicted at trial last July of 10 counts of mail fraud and six counts of federal income tax fraud. He is in federal custody awaiting sentencing.
Through these entities, Spitzer controlled 12 investment funds collectively known as the “Kenzie Funds.” Spitzer and Gerebizza offered and sold to the public investments in the various Kenzie Funds in the form of membership interests and limited partnerships. Through sales agents and various marketing materials, they informed investors and potential investors that their investments would be used primarily in foreign currency trading, that the Kenzie Funds had never lost money, and that they had achieved profitable historical returns. The defendants had to continually raise funds through the solicitation of new investors in the Kenzie Funds to make payments on investments made by earlier investors, all of which they concealed and intentionally failed to disclose to both new and earlier investors. Although Spitzer and Gerebizza falsely represented to prospective investors and current investors that different Kenzie Funds had different levels of risk and different investment strategies, they commingled the money invested in all 12 Kenzie Funds, then misappropriated a significant portion, and only invested less than one-third of the approximately $105 million raised from investors.
The defendants represented to investors that the Kenzie Funds had rates of returns ranging from 4.52 percent to 13.54 percent over the prior five years, although the bank accounts for the Kenzie Funds reflected that the total net return during that period was less than one percent. As of June 30, 2009, they represented that the Kenzie Funds were worth approximately $250 million when, in fact, the Funds collectively had only approximately $4 million in their bank accounts.
Spitzer, 55, of North Barrington and formerly of the U.S. Virgin Islands, caused “very substantial damage,” U.S. District Judge James Zagel said in imposing the sentence today, a day after he ordered Spitzer into federal custody. The judge also ordered restitution of $33.98 million.
Spitzer engaged in an “extended act of greed,” between late 2004 and early 2010, Assistant U.S. Attorney Madeleine Murphy argued at today’s hearing.
According to court records, Spitzer was the principal officer and sole shareholder of Kenzie Financial Management; the sole manager and member of Kenzie Services, LLC; the president of Draseena Funds Group, Corp.; the manager of DN Management Company, LLC; and the manager of Nerium Management Company.
Co-defendant ALFRED GEREBIZZA, 59, formerly of Crystal Lake and Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., was the secretary and a director of Draseena and a sales agent for the Kenzie Funds, who also held himself out as a trader. Gerebizza was convicted at trial last July of 10 counts of mail fraud and six counts of federal income tax fraud. He is in federal custody awaiting sentencing.
Through these entities, Spitzer controlled 12 investment funds collectively known as the “Kenzie Funds.” Spitzer and Gerebizza offered and sold to the public investments in the various Kenzie Funds in the form of membership interests and limited partnerships. Through sales agents and various marketing materials, they informed investors and potential investors that their investments would be used primarily in foreign currency trading, that the Kenzie Funds had never lost money, and that they had achieved profitable historical returns. The defendants had to continually raise funds through the solicitation of new investors in the Kenzie Funds to make payments on investments made by earlier investors, all of which they concealed and intentionally failed to disclose to both new and earlier investors. Although Spitzer and Gerebizza falsely represented to prospective investors and current investors that different Kenzie Funds had different levels of risk and different investment strategies, they commingled the money invested in all 12 Kenzie Funds, then misappropriated a significant portion, and only invested less than one-third of the approximately $105 million raised from investors.
The defendants represented to investors that the Kenzie Funds had rates of returns ranging from 4.52 percent to 13.54 percent over the prior five years, although the bank accounts for the Kenzie Funds reflected that the total net return during that period was less than one percent. As of June 30, 2009, they represented that the Kenzie Funds were worth approximately $250 million when, in fact, the Funds collectively had only approximately $4 million in their bank accounts.
Distributor for Atlantic City Dirty Block Gang Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison
An Atlantic City, New Jersey, man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for engaging in a conspiracy to distribute heroin with Mykal Derry, a leader of the “Dirty Block” criminal street gang that allegedly used threats, intimidation and violence to maintain control of the illegal drug trade in Atlantic City, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Aree Toulson, a/k/a “Beyah,” a/k/a “Beyeazz,” 26, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas to a superseding information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of public housing, 100 grams or more of heroin. Judge Irenas imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Toulson acted as a distributor on behalf of Mykal Derry, 34, of Atlantic City, helping Dirty Block distribute heroin in and around the public housing apartment complexes of Stanley Holmes, Carver Hall, Schoolhouse, Adams Court and Cedar Court in Atlantic City.
Toulson was arrested on March 26, 2013. He and others travelled with Mykal Derry to a shooting range in Lakewood, New Jersey, on Oct. 18, 2012, where Toulson—a previously convicted felon—used, possessed, and discharged a firearm. According to filed documents, members of the group also participated in a violent altercation with rival drug traffickers at an Atlantic City casino in December 2012.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Irenas sentenced Toulson to serve eight years of supervised release.
Aree Toulson, a/k/a “Beyah,” a/k/a “Beyeazz,” 26, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Joseph E. Irenas to a superseding information charging him with one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute, and to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of public housing, 100 grams or more of heroin. Judge Irenas imposed the sentence today in Camden federal court.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Toulson acted as a distributor on behalf of Mykal Derry, 34, of Atlantic City, helping Dirty Block distribute heroin in and around the public housing apartment complexes of Stanley Holmes, Carver Hall, Schoolhouse, Adams Court and Cedar Court in Atlantic City.
Toulson was arrested on March 26, 2013. He and others travelled with Mykal Derry to a shooting range in Lakewood, New Jersey, on Oct. 18, 2012, where Toulson—a previously convicted felon—used, possessed, and discharged a firearm. According to filed documents, members of the group also participated in a violent altercation with rival drug traffickers at an Atlantic City casino in December 2012.
In addition to the prison term, Judge Irenas sentenced Toulson to serve eight years of supervised release.
Thursday, January 29, 2015
Ghazi Nasr Al-Din added to FBI's Seeking Information – Terrorism List
The FBI is seeking information on the whereabouts of Ghazi Nasr Al-Din, who was added today to the FBI’s Seeking Information – Terrorism list.
He is wanted for questioning regarding his fundraising efforts with Hizballah contributors.
Al-Din is approximately 5’7” tall and weighs about 175 pounds with a medium build. He has black hair, brown eyes, and an olive complexion. Al-Din speaks Arabic and Spanish. He has dual citizenship in Lebanon and Venezuela.
If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate or call the FBI’s toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800- 225-5324) or contact your local FBI office.
He is wanted for questioning regarding his fundraising efforts with Hizballah contributors.
Al-Din is approximately 5’7” tall and weighs about 175 pounds with a medium build. He has black hair, brown eyes, and an olive complexion. Al-Din speaks Arabic and Spanish. He has dual citizenship in Lebanon and Venezuela.
If you have any information concerning this person, please contact your local FBI office or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate or call the FBI’s toll-free tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800- 225-5324) or contact your local FBI office.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Pedro and Margarito Flores Cooperation Against Sinaloa Cartel Yields 14-Year Prison Terms; New Charges Target Cartel Top Echelon
Twin brothers Pedro and Margarito Flores, regarded as Chicago’s most significant drug traffickers who rose from street level dealers to the highest echelons of the Mexico-based Sinaloa Cartel and a rival cartel before they began providing unparalleled cooperation to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), were each sentenced to 14 years in federal prison. The sentencing marked the Flores brothers’ first public court appearance since they entered protective federal custody in 2008. Their August 2012 guilty pleas to a narcotics distribution conspiracy were unsealed in November 2014. Also, federal law enforcement officials announced the unsealing of an expanded eighth superseding indictment in the case in which the Flores brothers and leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel were initially indicted here in 2009. The eighth superseding indictment and three separate new indictments announced today, add significant new defendants, including two alleged cartel money laundering associates who were arrested in the United States and extend the government’s efforts in Chicago and elsewhere to dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel under Joaquin Guzman Loera, 60, also known as “Chapo,” and Ismael Zambada Garcia, 67, aka “Mayo.”
“The persistent determination of DEA special agents and leadership in Chicago, coupled with the efforts of those in DEA offices worldwide, is having a significant impact on the global operations of the Sinaloa Cartel,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Fardon of the Northern District of Illinois. “This case put an end to the Flores brothers’ Chicago hub for transshipment of cartel narcotics nationwide. Our investigation and prosecution of cartel members is continuing,”
“The extraordinary work in this investigation continues,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennis A. Wichern of the Chicago Field Division of the DEA. “Agents, investigators, prosecutors and our worldwide law enforcement partners continue to expand this investigation against members of the Sinaloa Cartel ― working to bring them to justice and in doing so ― helping to make the great city of Chicago a safer place.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to working together with the DEA and the United States Attorney’s Office to fight the war on drugs,” said Special Agent in Charge James C. Lee of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS CI) in Chicago. “IRS CI brings, and will continue to bring, its financial expertise to disrupt and dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel’s drug trafficking organization.”
Flores Brothers Sentencing
In sentencing of the 33-year-old Flores brothers, U.S. District Chief Judge Ruben Castillo said that but for the Flores brothers’ cooperation, he would have imposed a life sentence and noted that because of the peril their ongoing cooperation poses to them and their families, they effectively “are going to leave here with a life sentence.” If the city of Chicago had walls, Judge Castillo said the brothers’ operation “devastated the walls of this city,” adding that their operation “became just a highway of drugs into this city.” But, Judge Castillo added, “it is never too late to cooperate,” which is what earned the Flores brothers a significant discount in their sentences.
Judge Castillo ordered the Flores brothers to forfeit more than $3.66 million that was seized from them and a sport utility vehicle. In addition, more than $400,000 worth of assorted jewelry, several luxury automobiles and smaller amounts of cash and electronics equipment were seized and forfeited in administrative proceedings by the DEA. The brothers left behind millions of dollars in additional assets in Mexico after they began cooperating.
The judge also placed each of the brothers on court supervision for five years when they are released from prison after serving at least 85 percent of their sentences.
Between 2005 and 2008, the Flores brothers and their crew operated a Chicago-based wholesale distribution cell for the Sinaloa Cartel and a rival drug trafficking organization controlled by Arturo Beltran Leyva, receiving on average 1,500 to 2,000 kilograms of cocaine per month. Approximately half of this cocaine was distributed to the Flores’ customers in the Chicago area, while the other half was distributed to customers in Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit, Milwaukee, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Vancouver, among other cities. In total, the brothers admitted to facilitating the transfer of approximately $1.8 billion of drug proceeds from the United States to Mexico, primarily through bulk cash smuggling.
At great personal risk to themselves and their families, the Flores brothers began cooperating with the government in October 2008 and recorded conversations, including two directly with Chapo Guzman. Their cooperation resulted in indictments against leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Beltran Leyva organization, as well as the complete dismantling of the brothers’ own Chicago-based criminal enterprise. In late 2008 alone, their cooperation facilitated approximately a dozen seizures in the Chicago area totaling hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and heroin and more than $15 million in cash, as well as the seizure of more than 1,600 kilograms of cocaine in the Los Angeles area that was bound for Chicago.
Further cooperation by the Flores brothers and members of their dismantled crew resulted in the convictions of more than a dozen of their high-level customers who received on average 50 to 100 kilos of cocaine per month.
“While not as high-profile as the cartel figures, the successful prosecution of these defendants made a very real difference in combating the scourge of drug trafficking that fuels so much violence and the destruction of communities in Chicago,” said the prosecutors in recommending a sentence at or near the low end of the agreed 10- to 16-year sentencing range.
“The Flores brothers (and their families) will live the rest of their lives in danger of being killed in retribution,” prosecutors stated in a sentencing memo. “The barbarism of the cartels is legend, with a special place reserved for those who cooperate.”
In 2009, the brothers’ father was kidnapped and presumed killed when he reentered Mexico despite the U.S. government warning him not to do so.
The Primary ― Eighth Superseding ― Indictment
The eighth superseding indictment unsealed today charges a total of nine defendants, including Chapo Guzman, Mayo Zambada and Guzman’s son, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, 31, aka “Alfredillo” and “Jags,” each of whom was among the initial group of co-defendants in the original indictment in 2009. Zambada and Salazar are fugitives, while Guzman remains in Mexican custody following his arrest last February.
Co-defendant, Jesus Raul Beltran Leon, 31, aka “Trevol” and “Chuy Raul,” was arrested in Mexico this past November and remains in Mexican custody. The remaining co-defendants, all fugitives, Heriberto Zazueta Godoy, 54, aka “Capi Beto,” Victor Manuel Felix Beltran, 27, aka “Lic Vicc,” Hector Miguel Valencia Ortega, 33, aka “Mv,” Jorge Mario Valenzuela Verdugo, 32, aka “Choclos” and Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia, 54, aka “Don Julio” and “Julia.”
This indictment alleges that all nine defendants conspired between May 2005 and December 2014, when the indictment was returned under seal, to import and distribute narcotics and to commit money laundering. They allegedly conspired to smuggle large quantities of cocaine from Central and South America, as well as heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana from Mexico to the United States and through Chicago for distribution nationwide. The indictment seeks forfeiture of $2 billion.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control today announced the designation of Felix Beltran, who is Salazar’s brother-in-law, pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, freezing all of his assets in the U.S. or in the control of U.S. persons and generally prohibiting any U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with him. A second designation was announced today against Alfonso Limon Sanchez, an alleged Sinaloa Cartel associate under federal indictment with Zambada and others in San Diego. Other alleged cartel leaders, including Chicago defendants Guzman, Zambada, Salazar and Godoy, were previously designated drug kingpins.
Charges brought in earlier versions of this primary indictment remain pending against three additional co-defendants: Felipe Cabrera Sarabia, 44, who is in custody in Mexico; German Olivares, age unknown and a fugitive; and Edgar Manuel Valencia Ortega, 27, aka “Fox,” and Hector Miguel Valencia Ortega’s brother, who was arrested last year in the United States and is in federal custody in Chicago. His next court date is Feb. 19, 2015 for a status hearing.
In addition to the Flores brothers, Alfredo Vasquez Hernandez, 59, pleaded guilty and was sentenced last November to 22 years in prison. Two other co-defendants, Mayo Zambada’s son, Vicente Zambada Niebla, 39, and Tomas Arevalo Renteria, 45, have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing in Chicago. Altogether, 18 defendants have been charged in the primary case in Chicago.
Three New Indictments
Those 18 are among a total of 62 defendants, most of whom have been convicted and sentenced, who were indicted in nearly two dozen related cases in Chicago since 2009. Two new defendants, Alvaro Anguiano Hernandez, 38, aka “Panda,” and Jorge Martin Torres, 38, were arrested separately in the U.S. in November and are facing separate indictments here alleging they were high-level money laundering associates of the Sinaloa Cartel and participated in money laundering conspiracies. Anguiano Hernandez’s indictment seeks forfeiture of $950,000.
Torres allegedly conspired to launder in excess of $300,000 of drug proceeds from Mexico to the United States to purchase, refurbish, and transfer from Ohio to Mexico, a 1982 Cessna Turbo 210 to promote the cartel’s alleged narcotics conspiracy. His indictment seeks forfeiture of $1 million.
A third separate indictment announced today charges Venancio Covarrubias, 26, aka “Benny,” of Elgin, who was arrested last October, with being a high-level cartel customer in the Chicago area. In September 2013, law enforcement, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Laredo, Texas, seized 159 kilograms of cocaine that was allegedly destined for a warehouse in Elgin leased by Covarrubias. The cocaine, wrapped in 118 brick-shaped packages, was hidden in a tractor-trailer containing a shipment of fresh tomatoes from a fictitious Mexican business called Tadeo Produce. The charges allege that during the prior year, Covarrubias wire transferred drug proceeds to Tadeo Produce while receiving narcotics disguised as tomato shipments. His indictment seeks forfeiture of $2.89 million.
The money laundering conspiracy charges against Anguiano Hernandez, Torres and Covarrubias carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $500,000 fine, or an alternate fine totaling twice the amount of the funds involved in illegal activity. The narcotics importation and distribution conspiracy charges against Covarrubias and each defendant in the primary indictment carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States sentencing guidelines. The defendants against whom charges are pending are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Total Seizures Since 2008
Overall, the Chicago-based investigation of the Sinaloa Cartel has resulted in seizures of approximately $30.8 million, approximately 11 tons of cocaine, 265 kilograms of methamphetamine and 78 kilograms of heroin. Law Enforcement in Chicago has worked closely with federal agents and prosecutors in San Diego to target the senior leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel. This partnership yielded the prosecutions here as well as 14 indictments announced this month in San Diego against 60 alleged Sinaloa leaders, lieutenants and associates, including Zambada, two of his four sons and another of Guzman’s sons.
“The persistent determination of DEA special agents and leadership in Chicago, coupled with the efforts of those in DEA offices worldwide, is having a significant impact on the global operations of the Sinaloa Cartel,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary T. Fardon of the Northern District of Illinois. “This case put an end to the Flores brothers’ Chicago hub for transshipment of cartel narcotics nationwide. Our investigation and prosecution of cartel members is continuing,”
“The extraordinary work in this investigation continues,” said Special Agent in Charge Dennis A. Wichern of the Chicago Field Division of the DEA. “Agents, investigators, prosecutors and our worldwide law enforcement partners continue to expand this investigation against members of the Sinaloa Cartel ― working to bring them to justice and in doing so ― helping to make the great city of Chicago a safer place.”
“IRS Criminal Investigation is committed to working together with the DEA and the United States Attorney’s Office to fight the war on drugs,” said Special Agent in Charge James C. Lee of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division (IRS CI) in Chicago. “IRS CI brings, and will continue to bring, its financial expertise to disrupt and dismantle the Sinaloa Cartel’s drug trafficking organization.”
Flores Brothers Sentencing
In sentencing of the 33-year-old Flores brothers, U.S. District Chief Judge Ruben Castillo said that but for the Flores brothers’ cooperation, he would have imposed a life sentence and noted that because of the peril their ongoing cooperation poses to them and their families, they effectively “are going to leave here with a life sentence.” If the city of Chicago had walls, Judge Castillo said the brothers’ operation “devastated the walls of this city,” adding that their operation “became just a highway of drugs into this city.” But, Judge Castillo added, “it is never too late to cooperate,” which is what earned the Flores brothers a significant discount in their sentences.
Judge Castillo ordered the Flores brothers to forfeit more than $3.66 million that was seized from them and a sport utility vehicle. In addition, more than $400,000 worth of assorted jewelry, several luxury automobiles and smaller amounts of cash and electronics equipment were seized and forfeited in administrative proceedings by the DEA. The brothers left behind millions of dollars in additional assets in Mexico after they began cooperating.
The judge also placed each of the brothers on court supervision for five years when they are released from prison after serving at least 85 percent of their sentences.
Between 2005 and 2008, the Flores brothers and their crew operated a Chicago-based wholesale distribution cell for the Sinaloa Cartel and a rival drug trafficking organization controlled by Arturo Beltran Leyva, receiving on average 1,500 to 2,000 kilograms of cocaine per month. Approximately half of this cocaine was distributed to the Flores’ customers in the Chicago area, while the other half was distributed to customers in Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit, Milwaukee, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C. and Vancouver, among other cities. In total, the brothers admitted to facilitating the transfer of approximately $1.8 billion of drug proceeds from the United States to Mexico, primarily through bulk cash smuggling.
At great personal risk to themselves and their families, the Flores brothers began cooperating with the government in October 2008 and recorded conversations, including two directly with Chapo Guzman. Their cooperation resulted in indictments against leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel and the Beltran Leyva organization, as well as the complete dismantling of the brothers’ own Chicago-based criminal enterprise. In late 2008 alone, their cooperation facilitated approximately a dozen seizures in the Chicago area totaling hundreds of kilograms of cocaine and heroin and more than $15 million in cash, as well as the seizure of more than 1,600 kilograms of cocaine in the Los Angeles area that was bound for Chicago.
Further cooperation by the Flores brothers and members of their dismantled crew resulted in the convictions of more than a dozen of their high-level customers who received on average 50 to 100 kilos of cocaine per month.
“While not as high-profile as the cartel figures, the successful prosecution of these defendants made a very real difference in combating the scourge of drug trafficking that fuels so much violence and the destruction of communities in Chicago,” said the prosecutors in recommending a sentence at or near the low end of the agreed 10- to 16-year sentencing range.
“The Flores brothers (and their families) will live the rest of their lives in danger of being killed in retribution,” prosecutors stated in a sentencing memo. “The barbarism of the cartels is legend, with a special place reserved for those who cooperate.”
In 2009, the brothers’ father was kidnapped and presumed killed when he reentered Mexico despite the U.S. government warning him not to do so.
The Primary ― Eighth Superseding ― Indictment
The eighth superseding indictment unsealed today charges a total of nine defendants, including Chapo Guzman, Mayo Zambada and Guzman’s son, Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, 31, aka “Alfredillo” and “Jags,” each of whom was among the initial group of co-defendants in the original indictment in 2009. Zambada and Salazar are fugitives, while Guzman remains in Mexican custody following his arrest last February.
Co-defendant, Jesus Raul Beltran Leon, 31, aka “Trevol” and “Chuy Raul,” was arrested in Mexico this past November and remains in Mexican custody. The remaining co-defendants, all fugitives, Heriberto Zazueta Godoy, 54, aka “Capi Beto,” Victor Manuel Felix Beltran, 27, aka “Lic Vicc,” Hector Miguel Valencia Ortega, 33, aka “Mv,” Jorge Mario Valenzuela Verdugo, 32, aka “Choclos” and Guadalupe Fernandez Valencia, 54, aka “Don Julio” and “Julia.”
This indictment alleges that all nine defendants conspired between May 2005 and December 2014, when the indictment was returned under seal, to import and distribute narcotics and to commit money laundering. They allegedly conspired to smuggle large quantities of cocaine from Central and South America, as well as heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana from Mexico to the United States and through Chicago for distribution nationwide. The indictment seeks forfeiture of $2 billion.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control today announced the designation of Felix Beltran, who is Salazar’s brother-in-law, pursuant to the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act, freezing all of his assets in the U.S. or in the control of U.S. persons and generally prohibiting any U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with him. A second designation was announced today against Alfonso Limon Sanchez, an alleged Sinaloa Cartel associate under federal indictment with Zambada and others in San Diego. Other alleged cartel leaders, including Chicago defendants Guzman, Zambada, Salazar and Godoy, were previously designated drug kingpins.
Charges brought in earlier versions of this primary indictment remain pending against three additional co-defendants: Felipe Cabrera Sarabia, 44, who is in custody in Mexico; German Olivares, age unknown and a fugitive; and Edgar Manuel Valencia Ortega, 27, aka “Fox,” and Hector Miguel Valencia Ortega’s brother, who was arrested last year in the United States and is in federal custody in Chicago. His next court date is Feb. 19, 2015 for a status hearing.
In addition to the Flores brothers, Alfredo Vasquez Hernandez, 59, pleaded guilty and was sentenced last November to 22 years in prison. Two other co-defendants, Mayo Zambada’s son, Vicente Zambada Niebla, 39, and Tomas Arevalo Renteria, 45, have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing in Chicago. Altogether, 18 defendants have been charged in the primary case in Chicago.
Three New Indictments
Those 18 are among a total of 62 defendants, most of whom have been convicted and sentenced, who were indicted in nearly two dozen related cases in Chicago since 2009. Two new defendants, Alvaro Anguiano Hernandez, 38, aka “Panda,” and Jorge Martin Torres, 38, were arrested separately in the U.S. in November and are facing separate indictments here alleging they were high-level money laundering associates of the Sinaloa Cartel and participated in money laundering conspiracies. Anguiano Hernandez’s indictment seeks forfeiture of $950,000.
Torres allegedly conspired to launder in excess of $300,000 of drug proceeds from Mexico to the United States to purchase, refurbish, and transfer from Ohio to Mexico, a 1982 Cessna Turbo 210 to promote the cartel’s alleged narcotics conspiracy. His indictment seeks forfeiture of $1 million.
A third separate indictment announced today charges Venancio Covarrubias, 26, aka “Benny,” of Elgin, who was arrested last October, with being a high-level cartel customer in the Chicago area. In September 2013, law enforcement, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Laredo, Texas, seized 159 kilograms of cocaine that was allegedly destined for a warehouse in Elgin leased by Covarrubias. The cocaine, wrapped in 118 brick-shaped packages, was hidden in a tractor-trailer containing a shipment of fresh tomatoes from a fictitious Mexican business called Tadeo Produce. The charges allege that during the prior year, Covarrubias wire transferred drug proceeds to Tadeo Produce while receiving narcotics disguised as tomato shipments. His indictment seeks forfeiture of $2.89 million.
The money laundering conspiracy charges against Anguiano Hernandez, Torres and Covarrubias carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $500,000 fine, or an alternate fine totaling twice the amount of the funds involved in illegal activity. The narcotics importation and distribution conspiracy charges against Covarrubias and each defendant in the primary indictment carry a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to a maximum of life in prison and a $10 million fine. If convicted, the court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory United States sentencing guidelines. The defendants against whom charges are pending are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Total Seizures Since 2008
Overall, the Chicago-based investigation of the Sinaloa Cartel has resulted in seizures of approximately $30.8 million, approximately 11 tons of cocaine, 265 kilograms of methamphetamine and 78 kilograms of heroin. Law Enforcement in Chicago has worked closely with federal agents and prosecutors in San Diego to target the senior leadership of the Sinaloa Cartel. This partnership yielded the prosecutions here as well as 14 indictments announced this month in San Diego against 60 alleged Sinaloa leaders, lieutenants and associates, including Zambada, two of his four sons and another of Guzman’s sons.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Jack Smith, Top Corruption Prosecutor at the Justice Department, is Moving to Nashville
The head of the Justice Department’s public corruption unit, which in recent years prosecuted former Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and former Arizona Rep. Rick Renzi, is transferring out of Washington.
Jack Smith, who became chief of the Public Integrity Section in 2010, is leaving the post for the U.S. attorney’s office in Nashville, where he will be second-in-command, according to lawyers familiar with the move. His last day in the Justice Department’s headquarters is Jan. 29, an agency spokesman said. A permanent successor hasn’t been named. Mr. Smith wasn’t immediately available for comment.
Mr. Smith, a former federal prosecutor in Brooklyn and war crimes prosecutor at The Hague, took over a unit reeling from the implosion of its case against former Sen. Ted Stevens and the death of a well-regarded young prosecutor who worked on the case.
“Jack came in at a troubling time,” said Lanny Breuer, the former head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division who hired Mr. Smith. “I was looking for a real leader, someone who could both inspire the folks at Public Integrity and build up morale.”
“On every front, in my view, Jack knocked it out of the park,” said Mr. Breuer, who is now a partner at Covington & Burling LLP.
Mr. Smith focused on building the unit’s trial skills. The Stevens case revealed inexperience. Evidence the prosecution team failed to turn over to Mr. Stevens’s defense team surfaced after he was found guilty of failing to disclose gifts, leading Attorney General Eric Holder to dismiss the charges.
After handling a few trials a year in the early years of the Obama administration, the Public Integrity Section’s court work began to pick up soon after Mr. Smith’s arrival. The section tried 17 cases in 2011, and 12 the next year.
There were setbacks, including a mistrial in the campaign-finance prosecution of John Edwards. But in 2013, Mr. Renzi was sentenced to three years in prison, after he was found guilty of misusing his office in a fraudulent land deal.
Last year, Public Integrity prosecutors were in the courtroom again for the prosecution of Mr. McDonnell, who was found guilty in September of 11 counts — including conspiracy and fraud from 2011 to 2013 — and sentenced this month to two years in prison.
Jack Smith, who became chief of the Public Integrity Section in 2010, is leaving the post for the U.S. attorney’s office in Nashville, where he will be second-in-command, according to lawyers familiar with the move. His last day in the Justice Department’s headquarters is Jan. 29, an agency spokesman said. A permanent successor hasn’t been named. Mr. Smith wasn’t immediately available for comment.
Mr. Smith, a former federal prosecutor in Brooklyn and war crimes prosecutor at The Hague, took over a unit reeling from the implosion of its case against former Sen. Ted Stevens and the death of a well-regarded young prosecutor who worked on the case.
“Jack came in at a troubling time,” said Lanny Breuer, the former head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division who hired Mr. Smith. “I was looking for a real leader, someone who could both inspire the folks at Public Integrity and build up morale.”
“On every front, in my view, Jack knocked it out of the park,” said Mr. Breuer, who is now a partner at Covington & Burling LLP.
Mr. Smith focused on building the unit’s trial skills. The Stevens case revealed inexperience. Evidence the prosecution team failed to turn over to Mr. Stevens’s defense team surfaced after he was found guilty of failing to disclose gifts, leading Attorney General Eric Holder to dismiss the charges.
After handling a few trials a year in the early years of the Obama administration, the Public Integrity Section’s court work began to pick up soon after Mr. Smith’s arrival. The section tried 17 cases in 2011, and 12 the next year.
There were setbacks, including a mistrial in the campaign-finance prosecution of John Edwards. But in 2013, Mr. Renzi was sentenced to three years in prison, after he was found guilty of misusing his office in a fraudulent land deal.
Last year, Public Integrity prosecutors were in the courtroom again for the prosecution of Mr. McDonnell, who was found guilty in September of 11 counts — including conspiracy and fraud from 2011 to 2013 — and sentenced this month to two years in prison.
Monday, January 26, 2015
Michael Moore Continues to Hate American Heroes
LaRue Tactical, manufacturer of precision rifles, optics mounts, and other rifle accessories, is well-known for their bumper stickers saying, “God Bless Our Troops, Especially Our Snipers.”
That’s because LaRue understands that military snipers place themselves at immense risk to protect the rest of our troops. This has included--during the Global War on Terror--making it dangerous for adversaries to try to hide improvised explosive devices and mines along our troops’ lines of travel when a disciplined, highly-trained man behind a telescopically-equipped rifle is watching.
Many other Americans apparently understand this as well. American Sniper, Clint Eastwood’s new movie about Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (who holds the record for the confirmed number of enemy personnel killed), is setting box office records and has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Unfortunately, some Americans don’t appreciate the sacrifice and service of brave warriors like Chris Kyle. One such person is Michael Moore.
You’ll recall that, in 2002, Moore disparaged America generally and the NRA in particular in his movie, Bowling for Columbine. This week, he demonstrated that NRA members aren't the only armed Americans he despises by marking the release of American Sniper with a tweet suggesting that Kyle and other snipers are “cowards,” adding, “Snipers aren't heroes. And invaders r worse.”
To make sure people knew who he meant by “invaders,” Moore continued, “if you’re on the roof of your home defending it from invaders who've come 7K miles [roughly the distance from the U.S.A. to Afghanistan or Iraq], you are not a sniper, u are brave, u are a neighbor.”
Chief Petty Officer Kyle, who received, among other military awards, two Silver Stars and Five Bronze Stars with “V” for valor, died in 2013. Thus, even if he were inclined to have dignified Moore’s comments with a response, which is doubtful, he is unable to do so. Instead, Kyle is being defended, and Moore is being criticized, by Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Dakota Meyer (USMC), former Army sniper Sgt. Nicholas Irving, Kid Rock, Whoopi Goldberg, Laura Ingraham and many others from varying walks of American life. Sgt. Irving, apparently taking Moore’s “neighbor” comment at face value, even suggested that Moore be airlifted to Afghanistan to see those neighbors for himself.
That’s because LaRue understands that military snipers place themselves at immense risk to protect the rest of our troops. This has included--during the Global War on Terror--making it dangerous for adversaries to try to hide improvised explosive devices and mines along our troops’ lines of travel when a disciplined, highly-trained man behind a telescopically-equipped rifle is watching.
Many other Americans apparently understand this as well. American Sniper, Clint Eastwood’s new movie about Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (who holds the record for the confirmed number of enemy personnel killed), is setting box office records and has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
Unfortunately, some Americans don’t appreciate the sacrifice and service of brave warriors like Chris Kyle. One such person is Michael Moore.
You’ll recall that, in 2002, Moore disparaged America generally and the NRA in particular in his movie, Bowling for Columbine. This week, he demonstrated that NRA members aren't the only armed Americans he despises by marking the release of American Sniper with a tweet suggesting that Kyle and other snipers are “cowards,” adding, “Snipers aren't heroes. And invaders r worse.”
To make sure people knew who he meant by “invaders,” Moore continued, “if you’re on the roof of your home defending it from invaders who've come 7K miles [roughly the distance from the U.S.A. to Afghanistan or Iraq], you are not a sniper, u are brave, u are a neighbor.”
Chief Petty Officer Kyle, who received, among other military awards, two Silver Stars and Five Bronze Stars with “V” for valor, died in 2013. Thus, even if he were inclined to have dignified Moore’s comments with a response, which is doubtful, he is unable to do so. Instead, Kyle is being defended, and Moore is being criticized, by Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Dakota Meyer (USMC), former Army sniper Sgt. Nicholas Irving, Kid Rock, Whoopi Goldberg, Laura Ingraham and many others from varying walks of American life. Sgt. Irving, apparently taking Moore’s “neighbor” comment at face value, even suggested that Moore be airlifted to Afghanistan to see those neighbors for himself.
Richard "Two Gun" Hart - Long lost brother of Al Capone
Few knew that Al Capone
, the most infamous gangster in the world, had a long-lost brother on the opposite side of the law. Born Vincenzo Capone in 1892, he ran away from home as a teenager, joined the circus, then the army, and returned from the Great War a decorated hero. When Prohibition began in 1920, he became a Federal officer and fought crime dressed as a cowboy with two six-shooters on his hips while riding a horse. He was known as Two Gun Hart: Law Man, Cowboy, and Long-Lost Brother of Al Capone, which is the title of the new book by Jeff McArthur and Bandwagon Books.
The book follows Richard’s life all the way from his birth in Italy, to his youth in Brooklyn, his time in a wild-west show and World War I, and then all the way through his storied career as a Prohibition officer, and finally into his reunion with his estranged family, including his infamous criminal brother Al, and finally to his death in the 1950s. Based in the small town of Homer, Nebraska, Hart covered territory from Iowa all the way to Washington State. He worked both with the treasury department and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, becoming one of the most successful law men in the country. The entire time, neither his friends nor even his wife and children knew of his connection to the infamous mob boss in Chicago.
Two Gun Hart also covers the lives of the rest of the Capones, providing an in-depth look into this famous, yet little understood family. Never before seen photographs and details are included that explore their lives in Italy, their moves to New York and Chicago, and what happened to them after Prohibition ended.
Jeff McArthur is the author of The Great Heist, Pro Bono, and the Relic Worlds science fiction series. He lives in southern California where he writes books, designs games, and produces videos for Youtube.
, the most infamous gangster in the world, had a long-lost brother on the opposite side of the law. Born Vincenzo Capone in 1892, he ran away from home as a teenager, joined the circus, then the army, and returned from the Great War a decorated hero. When Prohibition began in 1920, he became a Federal officer and fought crime dressed as a cowboy with two six-shooters on his hips while riding a horse. He was known as Two Gun Hart: Law Man, Cowboy, and Long-Lost Brother of Al Capone, which is the title of the new book by Jeff McArthur and Bandwagon Books.The book follows Richard’s life all the way from his birth in Italy, to his youth in Brooklyn, his time in a wild-west show and World War I, and then all the way through his storied career as a Prohibition officer, and finally into his reunion with his estranged family, including his infamous criminal brother Al, and finally to his death in the 1950s. Based in the small town of Homer, Nebraska, Hart covered territory from Iowa all the way to Washington State. He worked both with the treasury department and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, becoming one of the most successful law men in the country. The entire time, neither his friends nor even his wife and children knew of his connection to the infamous mob boss in Chicago.
Two Gun Hart also covers the lives of the rest of the Capones, providing an in-depth look into this famous, yet little understood family. Never before seen photographs and details are included that explore their lives in Italy, their moves to New York and Chicago, and what happened to them after Prohibition ended.
Jeff McArthur is the author of The Great Heist, Pro Bono, and the Relic Worlds science fiction series. He lives in southern California where he writes books, designs games, and produces videos for Youtube.
Friday, January 23, 2015
Peter Castillo, Top 15 Wanted Fugitive for the Murder of U.S. Army Veteran, Captured in Dominican Republic
U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Top 15 Most Wanted fugitive Peter Castillo, wanted in Massachusetts for the killing of U.S. Army combat veteran Stephen Perez, was captured in the Dominican Republic. USMS Investigative Operations Division-International Investigations Branch (IOD-IIB) and Interpol Washington played a significant role in Castillo’s capture. Without the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice, and without inter-agency communication between Interpol Washington and Interpol Santo Domingo, Dominican authorities would not have taken Castillo into custody. Additionally, USMS/Interpol Washington coordinated the logistics surrounding Castillo’s overseas arrest, with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)-Office of International Affairs (OIA).
Thursday, January 22, 2015
Eliot Ness: The Rise and Fall of an American Hero
Eliot Ness: The Rise and Fall of an American Hero presents the true story of Eliot Ness, the legendary lawman who led the Untouchables, took on Al Capone, and saved a city’s soul
Eliot Ness is famous for leading the Untouchables against the notorious mobster Al Capone
. But it turns out that the legendary Prohibition Bureau squad’s daring raids were only the beginning. Ness’s true legacy reaches far beyond Big
Al and Chicago.
Eliot Ness follows the lawman through his days in Chicago and into his forgotten second act. As the public safety director of Cleveland, he achieved his greatest success: purging the city of corruption so deep that the mob and the police were often one and the same. And it was here, too, that he faced one of his greatest challenges: a brutal, serial killer known as the Torso Murderer, who terrorized the city for years.
Eliot Ness presents the first complete picture of the real Eliot Ness. Both fearless and shockingly shy, he inspired courage and loyalty in men twice his age, forged law-enforcement innovations that are still with us today, and earned acclaim and scandal from both his professional and personal lives. Through it all, he believed unwaveringly in the integrity of law and the basic goodness of his fellow Americans.
Eliot Ness is famous for leading the Untouchables against the notorious mobster Al Capone
. But it turns out that the legendary Prohibition Bureau squad’s daring raids were only the beginning. Ness’s true legacy reaches far beyond BigAl and Chicago.
Eliot Ness follows the lawman through his days in Chicago and into his forgotten second act. As the public safety director of Cleveland, he achieved his greatest success: purging the city of corruption so deep that the mob and the police were often one and the same. And it was here, too, that he faced one of his greatest challenges: a brutal, serial killer known as the Torso Murderer, who terrorized the city for years.
Eliot Ness presents the first complete picture of the real Eliot Ness. Both fearless and shockingly shy, he inspired courage and loyalty in men twice his age, forged law-enforcement innovations that are still with us today, and earned acclaim and scandal from both his professional and personal lives. Through it all, he believed unwaveringly in the integrity of law and the basic goodness of his fellow Americans.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Playboy Bloods Street Gang Leader Sentenced to Prison
A leader of the Las Vegas Playboy Bloods street gang was sentenced to 23 years in prison for engaging in a racketeering conspiracy and possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Daniel G. Bogden of the District of Nevada.
Markette Tillman, 31, of Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty on July 29, 2014, two days into his jury trial, before U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson of the District of Nevada.
According to Tillman’s plea agreement and evidence presented at trial
, the Bloods is a nationally-known criminal street gang whose members engage in drug trafficking and acts of violence. The Playboy Bloods is a local “set” or affiliate of the national Bloods gang with local control and operation within the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Playboy Bloods operate primarily in the Sherman Gardens Annex, a Las Vegas public housing complex commonly called the “Jets.”
Tillman admitted that on Jan. 20, 2004, he aided and abetted the murder of a security guard at the Jets. The guard approached Tillman and several other Playboy Bloods and told them to leave the property. An argument ensued and the guard rode away on his bicycle to get help. One of the Playboy Bloods fired a gun at the guard, hitting him two times and killing him.
Tillman further admitted that he agreed with other members of the Playboy Bloods to manufacture and distribute narcotics, primarily crack cocaine, and to operate drug houses within the Playboy Bloods’ turf. Tillman specifically admitted to distributing in excess of 280 grams of crack cocaine over the course of the racketeering conspiracy.
Tillman was the last of 10 gang members charged in the indictment filed in 2008 to be sentenced. The nine other convicted gang members received the following sentences:
Markette Tillman, 31, of Las Vegas, Nevada, pleaded guilty on July 29, 2014, two days into his jury trial, before U.S. District Judge Kent J. Dawson of the District of Nevada.
According to Tillman’s plea agreement and evidence presented at trial
, the Bloods is a nationally-known criminal street gang whose members engage in drug trafficking and acts of violence. The Playboy Bloods is a local “set” or affiliate of the national Bloods gang with local control and operation within the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Playboy Bloods operate primarily in the Sherman Gardens Annex, a Las Vegas public housing complex commonly called the “Jets.”Tillman admitted that on Jan. 20, 2004, he aided and abetted the murder of a security guard at the Jets. The guard approached Tillman and several other Playboy Bloods and told them to leave the property. An argument ensued and the guard rode away on his bicycle to get help. One of the Playboy Bloods fired a gun at the guard, hitting him two times and killing him.
Tillman further admitted that he agreed with other members of the Playboy Bloods to manufacture and distribute narcotics, primarily crack cocaine, and to operate drug houses within the Playboy Bloods’ turf. Tillman specifically admitted to distributing in excess of 280 grams of crack cocaine over the course of the racketeering conspiracy.
Tillman was the last of 10 gang members charged in the indictment filed in 2008 to be sentenced. The nine other convicted gang members received the following sentences:
- Jacorey Taylor, aka “Mo-B,” 31, was sentenced to life in prison on Oct. 21, 2013, after being convicted by a jury of engaging in a racketeering conspiracy, committing violent crimes in aid of racketeering activity, using a firearm during a crime of violence, engaging in a drug-trafficking conspiracy and possessing crack cocaine with the intent to distribute it.
- Steven Booth, aka “Stevie-P,” 27, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on April 10, 2013, after pleading guilty to engaging in a racketeering conspiracy involving two murders.
- Reginald Dunlap, aka “Bowlie,” 30, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on April 9, 2013, after pleading guilty to engaging in a racketeering conspiracy involving one murder.
- Demichael Burks, aka “Mikey P,” 29, was sentenced to 6 ½ years in prison on Dec. 3, 2010, after pleading guilty to engaging in a racketeering conspiracy.
- Anthony Mabry, aka “Akim Slim,” 43, was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Oct. 20, 2010, after pleading guilty to engaging in a racketeering conspiracy.
- Delvin Ward, aka “D-Luv,” 37, was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Sept. 17, 2010, after pleading guilty to engaging in a racketeering conspiracy.
- Terrence Thomas, aka “Seven,” 40, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on June 16, 2010, after pleading guilty to engaging in a drug-trafficking conspiracy.
- Sebastian Wigg, aka “Rock,” 36, was sentenced to five years in prison on March 29, 2010, after pleading guilty to engaging in a drug-trafficking conspiracy.
- Fred Nix, aka “June P,” 36, was sentenced to five years in prison on March 29, 2010, after pleading guilty to engaging in a drug-trafficking conspiracy.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
New Technology Set to Revolutionize U.S. Shooting Industry at @nssfshotshow
Core technology only previously available to Military, Law Enforcement and Professional Training Organizations is now being made available to consumers in the U.S.
. UTM RBT will announce the introduction of the Civilian Target Ammunition Shooting Kit at SHOT Show in Las Vegas next week and says it will change the face of the shooting industry.
UTM Reality Based Training (UTM RBT) will be unveiling the Civilian Target Ammunition (CTA) Target Shooting Kit and Ammunition for AR-15 Style weapons at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show and Conference at the Sands Expo Center, Las Vegas, NV January 19-23, 2015. UTM RBT will be holding demonstrations of this new product, available to all consumers for the first time ever, which uses core technology previously only available to Military, Law Enforcement and Professional Training Organizations, on Industry Day (19 January, 2015) and will be on display at booth #6503 for the remainder of the expo (20-23 January).
“For nearly a decade, the U.S. Military, Special Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies have been using our products for training, in their operational weapons and we wanted to make this core technology available to all consumers to address many of the issues facing the Firearms and Shooting industries today, such as safety, accurate and reliable alternatives to live fire, ammunition shortages and environmental concerns. Our .223 Civilian Target Ammunition has an outstanding accuracy of a 1.18” group at 32 yards, an unprecedented consistent velocity of 375fps at the muzzle and the cartridge technology has a 99% reliability rating certified by the U.S. Army’s Picatinny Arsenal. There is also no gunpowder in the rounds, as its a patented primer actuated system, which means it’s a lead free, non-toxic, environmentally friendly round that leaves your weapon clean, with virtually no fouling. You can convert your weapon in under 60 seconds with a simple Bolt Carrier Group Exchange and it gives you normal weapon function, recoil and realistic and consistent cyclic rates. So we feel this product is the solution to those issues,” says Tony Lambraia, UTM RBT, USA Chief of Operations.
“Safety lies at the core of all our products and the CTA Target Shooting Kit offers that in spades. Once converted, the weapon will not fire a standard .223/5.56mm round - mitigating accident, injury and potentially catastrophic incidents - making this a perfect tool to train those new to firearms in weapon safety and basics. This kit allows both recreation and professional shooters the ability to improve their accuracy skills, trigger and breath control, sight alignment, clearing malfunctions, magazine reloads and so much more in complete safety. The biggest benefits of the CTA Target Shooting Kit is that you don’t need to go to the range - you can use this virtually anywhere without all the restrictions of live fire and because it’s only 113 db, you don’t need hearing protection - more importantly, you get all the accuracy and realism of live fire without having to use a single round of your live ammunition. It is the safest, most accurate and reliable target ammunition available today. It’s completely revolutionary,” stated Steven Didier, UTM RBT, International Chief of Operations.
. UTM RBT will announce the introduction of the Civilian Target Ammunition Shooting Kit at SHOT Show in Las Vegas next week and says it will change the face of the shooting industry.
UTM Reality Based Training (UTM RBT) will be unveiling the Civilian Target Ammunition (CTA) Target Shooting Kit and Ammunition for AR-15 Style weapons at the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show and Conference at the Sands Expo Center, Las Vegas, NV January 19-23, 2015. UTM RBT will be holding demonstrations of this new product, available to all consumers for the first time ever, which uses core technology previously only available to Military, Law Enforcement and Professional Training Organizations, on Industry Day (19 January, 2015) and will be on display at booth #6503 for the remainder of the expo (20-23 January).
“For nearly a decade, the U.S. Military, Special Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies have been using our products for training, in their operational weapons and we wanted to make this core technology available to all consumers to address many of the issues facing the Firearms and Shooting industries today, such as safety, accurate and reliable alternatives to live fire, ammunition shortages and environmental concerns. Our .223 Civilian Target Ammunition has an outstanding accuracy of a 1.18” group at 32 yards, an unprecedented consistent velocity of 375fps at the muzzle and the cartridge technology has a 99% reliability rating certified by the U.S. Army’s Picatinny Arsenal. There is also no gunpowder in the rounds, as its a patented primer actuated system, which means it’s a lead free, non-toxic, environmentally friendly round that leaves your weapon clean, with virtually no fouling. You can convert your weapon in under 60 seconds with a simple Bolt Carrier Group Exchange and it gives you normal weapon function, recoil and realistic and consistent cyclic rates. So we feel this product is the solution to those issues,” says Tony Lambraia, UTM RBT, USA Chief of Operations.
“Safety lies at the core of all our products and the CTA Target Shooting Kit offers that in spades. Once converted, the weapon will not fire a standard .223/5.56mm round - mitigating accident, injury and potentially catastrophic incidents - making this a perfect tool to train those new to firearms in weapon safety and basics. This kit allows both recreation and professional shooters the ability to improve their accuracy skills, trigger and breath control, sight alignment, clearing malfunctions, magazine reloads and so much more in complete safety. The biggest benefits of the CTA Target Shooting Kit is that you don’t need to go to the range - you can use this virtually anywhere without all the restrictions of live fire and because it’s only 113 db, you don’t need hearing protection - more importantly, you get all the accuracy and realism of live fire without having to use a single round of your live ammunition. It is the safest, most accurate and reliable target ammunition available today. It’s completely revolutionary,” stated Steven Didier, UTM RBT, International Chief of Operations.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
New U.S. Policy with Cuba Could Hurt Russian Crime Syndicates in Caribbean
Following President Barack Obama's recent decision to overhaul U.S. policy toward Cuba, American national security experts see an opportunity to enhance intelligence-gathering, step up the fight against corruption and crime, and improve America's geopolitical standing.
Starting in the mid-20th century, Cold War tensions pitted the United States against its island neighbor just 90 miles south. Now, as the relationship thaws, intelligence experts are eager to explore a corner of the world that has been relatively closed off for over fifty years.
“It may seem old-school in an era of cyber warfare and drones, but the most important intel assets are still human,” said Ken Sofer, the associate director for national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress. “And it'll be easier to collect information when Americans in Cuba are the norm, not the exception.”
Although the U.S. and Cuba have not had diplomatic relations for five decades, the two countries' relationship has not been totally devoid of cooperation. As The Washington Post pointed out on Tuesday, the countries have worked together for years to combat the drug trade in the Caribbean. But now, with the Obama administration's reforms to Cuba policy, experts say those efforts in the drug war could become a foundation for a more collaborative partnership.
Take, for instance, the Russian Organized Crime syndicate, which operates throughout the Caribbean and is comparable to other major organized crime syndicates such as the mafia in the U.S. and in Sicily, the Triads in China and the Yakuza in Japan. According to Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as chief of staff to Colin Powell during his time as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of state, the ROC is involved in everything from the drug trade to human trafficking, contraband, smuggling and money laundering. Cuba, he noted, has worked surprisingly closely with the U.S. in combating the ROC.
"Our best partner in fighting that crime over the past 15 years has been Cuba,” Wilkerson, a retired U.S. Army colonel, told The Huffington Post. But now that U.S.-Cuba relations are improving, he said, the expectation is that the sides will work collaboratively and share intelligence more freely.
Wilkerson noted that Cuba has been more likely to pass information to the United States than the other way around. He now expects that to change.
“[The relationship] was already pretty good," he said. "It was fairly one-sided, though. It was all us and none of them. I think now we will be helping them as much as they help us. That’s the way I read it, anyway ... Any crime that’s fought and taken care of is good, in my view. So, if the Cubans do it on their watch it’s a help to us because invariably that crime would make its way to us, since we’re the bigger, richer target.”
In addition to countering the ROC's influence, better U.S-Cuban relations could help with America's efforts to push back against North Korea's counterfeiting operations and arms smuggling efforts in the Caribbean, which date back years.
Obama's new policy has the potential to help U.S. intelligence cooperation not just with Cuba, but also with the surrounding region. The Cuba embargo has been an impediment to closer operational ties between the U.S. and many countries in Latin America that dislike America's Cuba policy. Improvements to those relationships could yield fruitful intelligence and national security gains as well, said Sofer.
“The policy change on Cuba will hopefully open up new possibilities for U.S. relations throughout the region,” he said. But perhaps the biggest geopolitical boon when it comes to better relations with Cuba will come years down the road. By enhancing its standing in the Caribbean, analysts say, the United States could end up in a much better position to fend off the influence of other world powers -- namely, China.
China, the United States' chief economic rival, has been looking to expand its influence in the Western Hemisphere and has recently spotted an opening to accomplish just that -- an opportunity to join in on the financing of the Mariel port in Cuba, about 25 miles west of Havana. Wilkerson says he isn't necessarily convinced that this will be a major problem, so long as China's involvement remains limited to economic investment. The longer-term concern is that investing in the port could become a vehicle for China's military influence.
“Personally, I would have no problem with the Chinese putting money into it as long as it was development, period,” Wilkerson said. “[As long as China] wasn’t trying to get a place where they could sail their ships and put their soldiers.”
The concept of a communist country using Cuba as an entry point for influence over the West may seem like a relic of the Cold War era. But Wilkerson warned that China might decide it has the right to start sailing its vessels in the Gulf of Mexico in response to the U.S. sailing intelligence vessels in the South China Sea.
Improved relations with Cuba could negate some of this, pulling the island nation closer towards the Western Hemisphere.
As far as Cuba is concerned, with better ties to the United States come better ties with European nations as well. Thus far, companies in France, Germany and England have been hesitant to do business in Cuba out of deference to U.S. trade policy. That, too, may start to change now, aided by Cuba's own need for benefactors -- particularly as two of the island's main allies, Russia and Venezuela, are struggling economically.
But with tangible gains in these areas come risks in others. Conservatives in the United States, for example, have begun worrying that a better U.S.-Cuba relationship will result in the U.S. giving away the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, which has been leased by the U.S. since 1903 and serves as a controversial prison site for many high-value detainees.
A senior Obama administration official told HuffPost, however, that the president's new policy would have no impact on the base.
Thanks to Donte Stallworth.
Starting in the mid-20th century, Cold War tensions pitted the United States against its island neighbor just 90 miles south. Now, as the relationship thaws, intelligence experts are eager to explore a corner of the world that has been relatively closed off for over fifty years.
“It may seem old-school in an era of cyber warfare and drones, but the most important intel assets are still human,” said Ken Sofer, the associate director for national security and international policy at the Center for American Progress. “And it'll be easier to collect information when Americans in Cuba are the norm, not the exception.”
Although the U.S. and Cuba have not had diplomatic relations for five decades, the two countries' relationship has not been totally devoid of cooperation. As The Washington Post pointed out on Tuesday, the countries have worked together for years to combat the drug trade in the Caribbean. But now, with the Obama administration's reforms to Cuba policy, experts say those efforts in the drug war could become a foundation for a more collaborative partnership.
Take, for instance, the Russian Organized Crime syndicate, which operates throughout the Caribbean and is comparable to other major organized crime syndicates such as the mafia in the U.S. and in Sicily, the Triads in China and the Yakuza in Japan. According to Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as chief of staff to Colin Powell during his time as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of state, the ROC is involved in everything from the drug trade to human trafficking, contraband, smuggling and money laundering. Cuba, he noted, has worked surprisingly closely with the U.S. in combating the ROC.
"Our best partner in fighting that crime over the past 15 years has been Cuba,” Wilkerson, a retired U.S. Army colonel, told The Huffington Post. But now that U.S.-Cuba relations are improving, he said, the expectation is that the sides will work collaboratively and share intelligence more freely.
Wilkerson noted that Cuba has been more likely to pass information to the United States than the other way around. He now expects that to change.
“[The relationship] was already pretty good," he said. "It was fairly one-sided, though. It was all us and none of them. I think now we will be helping them as much as they help us. That’s the way I read it, anyway ... Any crime that’s fought and taken care of is good, in my view. So, if the Cubans do it on their watch it’s a help to us because invariably that crime would make its way to us, since we’re the bigger, richer target.”
In addition to countering the ROC's influence, better U.S-Cuban relations could help with America's efforts to push back against North Korea's counterfeiting operations and arms smuggling efforts in the Caribbean, which date back years.
Obama's new policy has the potential to help U.S. intelligence cooperation not just with Cuba, but also with the surrounding region. The Cuba embargo has been an impediment to closer operational ties between the U.S. and many countries in Latin America that dislike America's Cuba policy. Improvements to those relationships could yield fruitful intelligence and national security gains as well, said Sofer.
“The policy change on Cuba will hopefully open up new possibilities for U.S. relations throughout the region,” he said. But perhaps the biggest geopolitical boon when it comes to better relations with Cuba will come years down the road. By enhancing its standing in the Caribbean, analysts say, the United States could end up in a much better position to fend off the influence of other world powers -- namely, China.
China, the United States' chief economic rival, has been looking to expand its influence in the Western Hemisphere and has recently spotted an opening to accomplish just that -- an opportunity to join in on the financing of the Mariel port in Cuba, about 25 miles west of Havana. Wilkerson says he isn't necessarily convinced that this will be a major problem, so long as China's involvement remains limited to economic investment. The longer-term concern is that investing in the port could become a vehicle for China's military influence.
“Personally, I would have no problem with the Chinese putting money into it as long as it was development, period,” Wilkerson said. “[As long as China] wasn’t trying to get a place where they could sail their ships and put their soldiers.”
The concept of a communist country using Cuba as an entry point for influence over the West may seem like a relic of the Cold War era. But Wilkerson warned that China might decide it has the right to start sailing its vessels in the Gulf of Mexico in response to the U.S. sailing intelligence vessels in the South China Sea.
Improved relations with Cuba could negate some of this, pulling the island nation closer towards the Western Hemisphere.
As far as Cuba is concerned, with better ties to the United States come better ties with European nations as well. Thus far, companies in France, Germany and England have been hesitant to do business in Cuba out of deference to U.S. trade policy. That, too, may start to change now, aided by Cuba's own need for benefactors -- particularly as two of the island's main allies, Russia and Venezuela, are struggling economically.
But with tangible gains in these areas come risks in others. Conservatives in the United States, for example, have begun worrying that a better U.S.-Cuba relationship will result in the U.S. giving away the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, which has been leased by the U.S. since 1903 and serves as a controversial prison site for many high-value detainees.
A senior Obama administration official told HuffPost, however, that the president's new policy would have no impact on the base.
Thanks to Donte Stallworth.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
"C-1 and the Chicago Mob" Provides an Insider’s Look at the War on Organized Crime
In 1957, J. Edgar Hoover instituted the Top Hoodlum Program in response to the raid on the New York State Police in Apalachin, NY in 1957. This was a time for unchartered territory in the FBI in the war against organized crime.
Retired FBI Special Agent Vincent L. Inserra was at the forefront of this war, heading Chicago’s organized crime unit known as the C-1 Squad from 1957-1976. As tribute to these agents, “C-1 and the Chicago Mob” shares the resourcefulness, ingenuity and determination these agents displayed during a time when the FBI did not have the necessary tools or legislation to combat organized crime.
“These agents were pioneers
,” Inserra said. “They were required to wage war against one of the most powerfully entrenched organized crime organizations in the country since the days of Al Capone.”
“C-1 and the Chicago Mob” shares the unique challenges confronting these dedicated agents and the incomparable results achieved which resulted in severely disrupting and curtailing the activities of the Chicago mob. It was at a time when the FBI did not have all the tools or legislation necessary to combat organized crime but they accomplished their goals aggressively with whatever means were available.
In addition to Inserra’s insights on the Chicago Mob during this period in history, readers are exposed to one of America’s great-unsolved mysteries from 1966 and to Warren Commission’s findings that determined the killing of President Kennedy was not a conspiracy.
“Many of the C-1 agents have passed away, but their unbelievable accomplishments against the corruptive and destructive forces of the Chicago crime syndicate should never be forgotten, Inserra said. “This book is a tribute to them.” “C-1 and the Chicago Mob” by Vincent L. Inserra
Vincent L. Inserra, a first generation Italian, was born and raised in the Boston area. He served as a Navy Fighter pilot during World War II and achieved the rank of Lieutenant. He graduated from Boston College with a degree in Business Administration. In 1951, he joined the FBI as a Special Agent and served for 25 years. In 1957, he was assigned to Organized Crime matters for 19 years combatting the Chicago Crime Syndicate. He was in charge of the C-1 Organized Crime Squad for a period of 13 years where they compiled an impressive record of convictions against the Chicago mob. He received more than 100 personal letters of commendation from the Director of the FBI for outstanding investigative achievements. Following retirement from the FBI, he became Corporate Security Director for Kemper Insurance in Long Grove, Illinois for 27 years. He has had two profoundly successful careers.
Retired FBI Special Agent Vincent L. Inserra was at the forefront of this war, heading Chicago’s organized crime unit known as the C-1 Squad from 1957-1976. As tribute to these agents, “C-1 and the Chicago Mob” shares the resourcefulness, ingenuity and determination these agents displayed during a time when the FBI did not have the necessary tools or legislation to combat organized crime.
“These agents were pioneers
,” Inserra said. “They were required to wage war against one of the most powerfully entrenched organized crime organizations in the country since the days of Al Capone.”
“C-1 and the Chicago Mob” shares the unique challenges confronting these dedicated agents and the incomparable results achieved which resulted in severely disrupting and curtailing the activities of the Chicago mob. It was at a time when the FBI did not have all the tools or legislation necessary to combat organized crime but they accomplished their goals aggressively with whatever means were available.
In addition to Inserra’s insights on the Chicago Mob during this period in history, readers are exposed to one of America’s great-unsolved mysteries from 1966 and to Warren Commission’s findings that determined the killing of President Kennedy was not a conspiracy.
“Many of the C-1 agents have passed away, but their unbelievable accomplishments against the corruptive and destructive forces of the Chicago crime syndicate should never be forgotten, Inserra said. “This book is a tribute to them.” “C-1 and the Chicago Mob” by Vincent L. Inserra
Vincent L. Inserra, a first generation Italian, was born and raised in the Boston area. He served as a Navy Fighter pilot during World War II and achieved the rank of Lieutenant. He graduated from Boston College with a degree in Business Administration. In 1951, he joined the FBI as a Special Agent and served for 25 years. In 1957, he was assigned to Organized Crime matters for 19 years combatting the Chicago Crime Syndicate. He was in charge of the C-1 Organized Crime Squad for a period of 13 years where they compiled an impressive record of convictions against the Chicago mob. He received more than 100 personal letters of commendation from the Director of the FBI for outstanding investigative achievements. Following retirement from the FBI, he became Corporate Security Director for Kemper Insurance in Long Grove, Illinois for 27 years. He has had two profoundly successful careers.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Mafia Insane Vice Lords Gang Leader Sentenced to 346 Months in Prison
A leader of a street gang that operated on the east side of Detroit was sentenced to 346 months in prison for aiding and abetting an armed robbery of a Little Caesars pizza restaurant, announced Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Barbara L. McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan and Special Agent in Charge Steven Bogdalek of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in Detroit.
Christopher LaJuan Tibbs, 38, of Detroit, was convicted on Aug. 29, 2014, of aiding and abetting an armed robbery after a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Bernard A. Friedman of the Eastern District of Michigan.
The evidence at trial established that Tibbs, also known as “Chief Fatah,” was the leader of the Michigan branch of the Mafia Insane Vice Lords, a violent street gang that operated primarily on the east side of Detroit. The Mafia Insane Vice Lords was a local faction of the national Vice Lord gang that originated in Chicago. The evidence at trial further showed that, during his leadership of the Mafia Insane Vice Lords, Tibbs recruited and used young adults and children to commit crimes for the gang, and ordered the murder of a witness in connection with this case.
The evidence at trial showed that Tibbs helped plan an armed robbery of a Little Caesars restaurant in Redford, Michigan, in September 2013. Tibbs “blessed” it as a mission for the gang, and sent four subordinate members to commit the crime. As part of the planning for the robbery, Tibbs instructed the robbers to disable the cameras and phones in the Little Caesars. Tibbs also told the robbers what to wear, had them diagram the Little Caesars, and instructed them how to use the gun during the robbery. During the robbery, one of the robbers brandished a gun and forced the employees, including a pregnant woman, inside the store, where the robbers tore down the surveillance cameras. At the robbers’ direction, the employees disabled the alarm and opened the safe. Although he was not present for the robbery itself, Tibbs took a majority of the proceeds, some of which were spent on the gang.
Christopher LaJuan Tibbs, 38, of Detroit, was convicted on Aug. 29, 2014, of aiding and abetting an armed robbery after a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Bernard A. Friedman of the Eastern District of Michigan.
The evidence at trial established that Tibbs, also known as “Chief Fatah,” was the leader of the Michigan branch of the Mafia Insane Vice Lords, a violent street gang that operated primarily on the east side of Detroit. The Mafia Insane Vice Lords was a local faction of the national Vice Lord gang that originated in Chicago. The evidence at trial further showed that, during his leadership of the Mafia Insane Vice Lords, Tibbs recruited and used young adults and children to commit crimes for the gang, and ordered the murder of a witness in connection with this case.
The evidence at trial showed that Tibbs helped plan an armed robbery of a Little Caesars restaurant in Redford, Michigan, in September 2013. Tibbs “blessed” it as a mission for the gang, and sent four subordinate members to commit the crime. As part of the planning for the robbery, Tibbs instructed the robbers to disable the cameras and phones in the Little Caesars. Tibbs also told the robbers what to wear, had them diagram the Little Caesars, and instructed them how to use the gun during the robbery. During the robbery, one of the robbers brandished a gun and forced the employees, including a pregnant woman, inside the store, where the robbers tore down the surveillance cameras. At the robbers’ direction, the employees disabled the alarm and opened the safe. Although he was not present for the robbery itself, Tibbs took a majority of the proceeds, some of which were spent on the gang.
Pawn Shop Loan Shark Sentenced for Extortion
A former Palm Beach County resident was sentenced to serve 24 months in prison for charging an undocumented worker an annual interest rate of 180% on a $10,000.00 loan.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Scott Israel, Sheriff, Broward Sheriff’s Office, made the announcement.
The evidence at trial revealed that in September 2009, Francisco Aletto, Sr., 60, worked at a pawn shop in Boca Raton, Florida. An undocumented worker entered the pawn shop to pawn a gold chain for his gas station business located nearby. Instead of accepting the chain as collateral, Aletto loaned the worker $10,000 and charged him $375 interest per week (180% annually). After the worker made several weekly payments, Aletto introduced him to several of Aletto’s friends who subsequently loaned the victim an additional $30,000. After 13 months, the victim paid over $57,000 in interest and lost to Aletto a 2004 Dodge Ram truck on a $3,000 pawn. When the victim was unable to continue to pay the mounting debt, Aletto and his friends threatened to kill him. Based on information received from a confidential source, the FBI located the victim and prevented him from being harmed. Four of Aletto’s accomplices have pled guilty and also have been sentenced for their roles in making and collecting extortionate extensions of credit.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and Scott Israel, Sheriff, Broward Sheriff’s Office, made the announcement.
The evidence at trial revealed that in September 2009, Francisco Aletto, Sr., 60, worked at a pawn shop in Boca Raton, Florida. An undocumented worker entered the pawn shop to pawn a gold chain for his gas station business located nearby. Instead of accepting the chain as collateral, Aletto loaned the worker $10,000 and charged him $375 interest per week (180% annually). After the worker made several weekly payments, Aletto introduced him to several of Aletto’s friends who subsequently loaned the victim an additional $30,000. After 13 months, the victim paid over $57,000 in interest and lost to Aletto a 2004 Dodge Ram truck on a $3,000 pawn. When the victim was unable to continue to pay the mounting debt, Aletto and his friends threatened to kill him. Based on information received from a confidential source, the FBI located the victim and prevented him from being harmed. Four of Aletto’s accomplices have pled guilty and also have been sentenced for their roles in making and collecting extortionate extensions of credit.
Former Judge Pleads Guilty for Accepting Bribe During Campaign to be Elected to the Court of Appeals
A former state circuit judge in Arkansas pleaded guilty for accepting a bribe in exchange for reducing a negligence jury verdict against a Conway, Arkansas, company.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and First Assistant United States Attorney Patrick C. Harris of the Eastern District of Arkansas made the announcement.
Michael A. Maggio, 53, of Conway, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. A sentencing hearing before Chief U.S. District Judge Brian S. Miller of the Eastern District of Arkansas will be scheduled at a later date.
As part of his plea agreement, Maggio admitted that in 2013, he served as an elected circuit judge for the state of Arkansas, Twentieth Judicial District, Second Division, presiding over a civil matter in Faulkner County Circuit Court. The plaintiff in that matter, the estate of a decedent, filed a complaint alleging, among other things, that a company, its owner, and others had neglected and mistreated the decedent leading to the decedent’s death while the decedent was in their care. On May 16, 2013, a jury returned a verdict in the plaintiff’s favor, awarding damages against the sole-remaining defendant, the company, in the amount of $5.2 million. Approximately one month later, the company filed a motion for new trial or to reduce the amount of damages awarded by the jury to the plaintiff.
Maggio further admitted that he formally announced his candidacy for the Arkansas Court of Appeals on June 27, 2013, while the post-trial motions were pending. On July 10, 2013, Maggio entered an order reducing the verdict against the company to $1 million. Prior to that order, a fundraiser for Maggio’s campaign told Maggio that the company’s owner had committed money to support Maggio’s campaign. The fundraiser also communicated with Maggio regarding the pending post-trial motions. On July 9, 2013, the owner donated approximately $24,000 to Maggio’s campaign. As part of his plea, Maggio admitted that his decision to remit the judgment was improperly influenced by the donations that his campaign received from the company’s owner. Maggio further acknowledged that he attempted to delete text messages between the fundraiser and himself after the media became aware of the illicit contributions to his campaign.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and First Assistant United States Attorney Patrick C. Harris of the Eastern District of Arkansas made the announcement.
Michael A. Maggio, 53, of Conway, Arkansas, pleaded guilty to a one-count information charging him with bribery concerning programs receiving federal funds. A sentencing hearing before Chief U.S. District Judge Brian S. Miller of the Eastern District of Arkansas will be scheduled at a later date.
As part of his plea agreement, Maggio admitted that in 2013, he served as an elected circuit judge for the state of Arkansas, Twentieth Judicial District, Second Division, presiding over a civil matter in Faulkner County Circuit Court. The plaintiff in that matter, the estate of a decedent, filed a complaint alleging, among other things, that a company, its owner, and others had neglected and mistreated the decedent leading to the decedent’s death while the decedent was in their care. On May 16, 2013, a jury returned a verdict in the plaintiff’s favor, awarding damages against the sole-remaining defendant, the company, in the amount of $5.2 million. Approximately one month later, the company filed a motion for new trial or to reduce the amount of damages awarded by the jury to the plaintiff.
Maggio further admitted that he formally announced his candidacy for the Arkansas Court of Appeals on June 27, 2013, while the post-trial motions were pending. On July 10, 2013, Maggio entered an order reducing the verdict against the company to $1 million. Prior to that order, a fundraiser for Maggio’s campaign told Maggio that the company’s owner had committed money to support Maggio’s campaign. The fundraiser also communicated with Maggio regarding the pending post-trial motions. On July 9, 2013, the owner donated approximately $24,000 to Maggio’s campaign. As part of his plea, Maggio admitted that his decision to remit the judgment was improperly influenced by the donations that his campaign received from the company’s owner. Maggio further acknowledged that he attempted to delete text messages between the fundraiser and himself after the media became aware of the illicit contributions to his campaign.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Gotti's Rules: The Story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the Demise of the American Mafia
From New York Times bestselling author and “one of the most respected crime reporters in the country”
, comes the inside story of the John Gotti and Gambino families, told through the unique vantage point of notorious mob hit-man John Alite, a close associate of Junior Gotti, who later testified against him.
Anastasia’s new book, Gotti's Rules: The Story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the Demise of the American Mafia, is a very rare glimpse into the Gotti family, from an insider’s perspective through the figure of John Alite, who was Gotti Jr.’s friend and protector. Until now, no one has given up the kind of personal details about the Gottis — including the legendary “Gotti Rules” of leadership — that Anastasia has uncovered here, through his exclusive access to and interviews with mob-enforcer-turned-government-witness Alite
, comes the inside story of the John Gotti and Gambino families, told through the unique vantage point of notorious mob hit-man John Alite, a close associate of Junior Gotti, who later testified against him.Anastasia’s new book, Gotti's Rules: The Story of John Alite, Junior Gotti, and the Demise of the American Mafia, is a very rare glimpse into the Gotti family, from an insider’s perspective through the figure of John Alite, who was Gotti Jr.’s friend and protector. Until now, no one has given up the kind of personal details about the Gottis — including the legendary “Gotti Rules” of leadership — that Anastasia has uncovered here, through his exclusive access to and interviews with mob-enforcer-turned-government-witness Alite
Friday, January 09, 2015
Joseph Caffarello Dies from Shot by Off-duty Police Officer
A clouted Rosemont man who came to local attention when he was photographed sleeping on the job as a tollway supervisor was shot and killed Wednesday in a domestic incident, officials said.
Joseph Caffarello, 31, was shot at noon on Scott Street just south of Granville Avenue, authorities said — the second homicide in less than a week in the normally quiet northwest suburb of just 4,000 residents, the Sun-Times is reporting.
An off-duty Rosemont police officer allegedly shot and killed Caffarello, so Rosemont turned the investigation over to the Illinois State Police, according to a news release from Rosemont police. The police officer, who has been on the job for four years, has been put on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
State police spokeswoman Monique Bond confirmed ISP was investigating but declined to provide details. Rosemont village spokesman Gary Mack said the shooting was a “domestic incident” that occurred in the street.
Caffarello was two years ago photographed on the front page of the Chicago Sun-Times, sleeping on the job while he worked as an Illinois Tollway garage supervisor.
He'd twice previously been fired, only to win his job back, before underlings in 2013 finally secured his dismissal by photographing him asleep in his office. And he wasn't shy about bragging that he had clout that protected him, authorities said at the time. He was also accused of intimidating tollway employees and threatening to bring down the tollway's inspector general.
Caffarello “did threaten to get anyone who was opposing him, including me,” Tollway Inspector General James Wagner said in 2013. “There were reports from the employees that he referred to his clout being able to take care of him.”
Caffarello's attorney disputed the allegations, but Cafarello did have ties to people with mob or political connections, public records show.
Though Caffarello wasn't accused himself of being in the Mob, he once wrote that his uncle — the late mob street tax collector Anthony “Jeep” Daddino — had been like a father to him. Daddino has been described by the Chicago Crime Commission as an Outfit member who was friends with the first mayor of Rosemont, Donald Stephens, and was a village employee. Daddino also worked for the late, feared mob killer Frank “The German” Schweihs, court records show.
When Stephens died in 2007, Daddino was at the funeral and told the Sun-Times he “lost a very good friend.”
The following year, after Daddino died from cancer, Caffarello asked the tollway for bereavement leave — something normally reserved for the deaths of immediate relatives. “I consider my uncle immediate family due to the fact that he raised me from a baby,” Caffarello wrote in a letter to tollway officials. “I do not have a relationship with my father, and my uncle was the closes [sic] thing to a father.”
When he wasn't working at the tollway, Caffarello found work at D & P Construction, which has been tied to the family of reputed Chicago Outfit boss John DiFronzo.
Caffarello also was married to the daughter of the clerk of the village of Rosemont. In 2013, Caffarello became a father.
He said he was “screwed” by the tollway after he was fired the third time. Beyond that, he didn't want to discuss his dismissal with the Sun-Times in 2013, telling a reporter he was about to enjoy a dinner of orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe cooked by his mom, whom he described as “the best.”
Relatives could not be reached Wednesday.
Mack could not provide further details of the shooting.
Cafarello's murder is the second this year in the Northwest suburb, which until Friday had not seen a murder in more than a decade.
On Friday, a 14-year-old Des Plaines student was killed in what police said was a gang-related murder.
Mack said the cases are not related.
Thanks to Fox Chicago.
Joseph Caffarello, 31, was shot at noon on Scott Street just south of Granville Avenue, authorities said — the second homicide in less than a week in the normally quiet northwest suburb of just 4,000 residents, the Sun-Times is reporting.
An off-duty Rosemont police officer allegedly shot and killed Caffarello, so Rosemont turned the investigation over to the Illinois State Police, according to a news release from Rosemont police. The police officer, who has been on the job for four years, has been put on leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
State police spokeswoman Monique Bond confirmed ISP was investigating but declined to provide details. Rosemont village spokesman Gary Mack said the shooting was a “domestic incident” that occurred in the street.
Caffarello was two years ago photographed on the front page of the Chicago Sun-Times, sleeping on the job while he worked as an Illinois Tollway garage supervisor.
He'd twice previously been fired, only to win his job back, before underlings in 2013 finally secured his dismissal by photographing him asleep in his office. And he wasn't shy about bragging that he had clout that protected him, authorities said at the time. He was also accused of intimidating tollway employees and threatening to bring down the tollway's inspector general.
Caffarello “did threaten to get anyone who was opposing him, including me,” Tollway Inspector General James Wagner said in 2013. “There were reports from the employees that he referred to his clout being able to take care of him.”
Caffarello's attorney disputed the allegations, but Cafarello did have ties to people with mob or political connections, public records show.
Though Caffarello wasn't accused himself of being in the Mob, he once wrote that his uncle — the late mob street tax collector Anthony “Jeep” Daddino — had been like a father to him. Daddino has been described by the Chicago Crime Commission as an Outfit member who was friends with the first mayor of Rosemont, Donald Stephens, and was a village employee. Daddino also worked for the late, feared mob killer Frank “The German” Schweihs, court records show.
When Stephens died in 2007, Daddino was at the funeral and told the Sun-Times he “lost a very good friend.”
The following year, after Daddino died from cancer, Caffarello asked the tollway for bereavement leave — something normally reserved for the deaths of immediate relatives. “I consider my uncle immediate family due to the fact that he raised me from a baby,” Caffarello wrote in a letter to tollway officials. “I do not have a relationship with my father, and my uncle was the closes [sic] thing to a father.”
When he wasn't working at the tollway, Caffarello found work at D & P Construction, which has been tied to the family of reputed Chicago Outfit boss John DiFronzo.
Caffarello also was married to the daughter of the clerk of the village of Rosemont. In 2013, Caffarello became a father.
He said he was “screwed” by the tollway after he was fired the third time. Beyond that, he didn't want to discuss his dismissal with the Sun-Times in 2013, telling a reporter he was about to enjoy a dinner of orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe cooked by his mom, whom he described as “the best.”
Relatives could not be reached Wednesday.
Mack could not provide further details of the shooting.
Cafarello's murder is the second this year in the Northwest suburb, which until Friday had not seen a murder in more than a decade.
On Friday, a 14-year-old Des Plaines student was killed in what police said was a gang-related murder.
Mack said the cases are not related.
Thanks to Fox Chicago.
Wednesday, January 07, 2015
Edward Walsh, County Conservative Party Chairman, Charged with Scheme to Defraud Sheriff’s Office
Suffolk County Conservative Party Chairman Edward M. Walsh, Jr. was arrested on charges that he engaged in a scheme to steal wages for regular and overtime hours in connection with his employment with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office (“SCSO”). He was arraigned today before United States Magistrate Judge A. Kathleen Tomlinson at the federal courthouse in Central Islip.
The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and George Venizelos, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI).
As alleged in the criminal complaint, from January 2011 to April 2014, Walsh, a SCSO Correction Officer III Investigator, falsely represented to the SCSO that he had worked certain regular and overtime hours when, in fact, he did not. Contrary to his representations, Walsh was, among other things, playing golf, gambling at Foxwoods Casino, or performing work on behalf of the Suffolk County Conservative Party. In reliance on Walsh’s false representations, the SCSO paid Walsh approximately $80,000 in wages for regular and overtime hours he did not work. To conceal his scheme, Walsh allegedly lied to FBI agents, claiming that he worked flex time or was on the telephone regarding his work at the SCSO even while at the golf course.
“Instead of upholding the law, Edward Walsh abused his position and authority and robbed from taxpayers to fund his personal and political activities,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “We and our partners in the FBI will continue to root out government fraud wherever we find it.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Venizelos stated, “Mr. Walsh shook down county government for hours he never worked. In reality, he was often on the ninth hole practicing his putting, among other things. Mr. Walsh today finds himself in serious trouble with the law for allegedly defrauding Suffolk County.”
The charges were announced by Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and George Venizelos, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI).
As alleged in the criminal complaint, from January 2011 to April 2014, Walsh, a SCSO Correction Officer III Investigator, falsely represented to the SCSO that he had worked certain regular and overtime hours when, in fact, he did not. Contrary to his representations, Walsh was, among other things, playing golf, gambling at Foxwoods Casino, or performing work on behalf of the Suffolk County Conservative Party. In reliance on Walsh’s false representations, the SCSO paid Walsh approximately $80,000 in wages for regular and overtime hours he did not work. To conceal his scheme, Walsh allegedly lied to FBI agents, claiming that he worked flex time or was on the telephone regarding his work at the SCSO even while at the golf course.
“Instead of upholding the law, Edward Walsh abused his position and authority and robbed from taxpayers to fund his personal and political activities,” stated United States Attorney Lynch. “We and our partners in the FBI will continue to root out government fraud wherever we find it.”
FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Venizelos stated, “Mr. Walsh shook down county government for hours he never worked. In reality, he was often on the ninth hole practicing his putting, among other things. Mr. Walsh today finds himself in serious trouble with the law for allegedly defrauding Suffolk County.”
Son of Gulf Cartel boss arrested in ammo-smuggling case
The son of one of the biggest Mexican drug lords to ever face justice in the United States has been arrested for allegedly trying to sneak military-grade ammunition south of the border.
Osiel Cardenas Jr., known as "Mini Osiel," appeared before a federal magistrate in Brownsville this week following his arrest by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
He is charged with attempting to smuggle almost 500 rifle bullets and "tactical weapons gear" in his black 2015 Cadillac Escalade. He was allegedly driving the luxury sport utility vehicle toward an international bridge that spans the Rio Grande and connects Brownsville with the Mexican city of Matamoros when he was stopped by the U.S. officers spot-checking traffic leaving the country, according to an affidavit filed in federal court to support his arrest.
Cardenas, who is a U.S. citizen, admitted that he knew about the bullets and that he was trying to smuggle them into Mexico, contends the federal agent who signed the affidavit.
Most ammunition and firearms are illegal for civilians in Mexico, but they are prized by organized-crime groups there who for years have been battling each other and government security forces. Texas, with its high concentration of gun stores, has been described by U.S. federal authorities as a steady ready source of Mexico's illegal weaponry.
His father, Osiel Cardenas, 47, was convicted in Houston in 2009 on an array of drug trafficking and money laundering charges in connection with being the chief leader of the Gulf Cartel. He is locked up in the so-called Supermax prison in Colorado, which is also home to such inmates as "Unabomber" Theodore "Ted" Kaczynski and Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols.
The younger Cardenas now faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted, but would likely get far less time than that.
His lawyer, who also represented his father, did not respond to a request for comment. His next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, when Magistrate Judge Ignacio Torteya III is to decide if Cardenas should be temporarily released on bail pending trial.
His arrest marks perhaps the first time his name has been made public in connection with an international crime, but he is known by U.S. law enforcement officers to be trying to follow in this father's footsteps, said Mike Vigil, retired chief of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
"He is what is referred to in Mexico as a narco junior," said Vigil, who is the author of "DEAL," a memoir of his 31-year career with the agency. "He has enlisted other narco juniors," as the adult children of drug traffickers are known,"to go along with him, and he loves to emulate his father," Vigil said. "He likes to drive around Matamoros and that area with an entourage like his father used to do."
The younger man's cousin, Rafael Cardenas, 41, was convicted in 2012 in Brownsville for being one of the cartel's new leaders and got 20 years. Osiel Cardenas Jr.'s uncle, Antonio Cardenas, was killed in 2010 a gun battle with the Mexican military.
The ammunition seized Friday in Brownsville is just a drop compared to the 26,157 rounds of ammunition seized last year in South Texas by Customs and Border Protection. "A lot of that is military grade ammunition," Vigil said. "He was certainly not taking that ammunition back to hunt deer or elk, but human beings."
Thanks to Dane Schiller.
Osiel Cardenas Jr., known as "Mini Osiel," appeared before a federal magistrate in Brownsville this week following his arrest by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
He is charged with attempting to smuggle almost 500 rifle bullets and "tactical weapons gear" in his black 2015 Cadillac Escalade. He was allegedly driving the luxury sport utility vehicle toward an international bridge that spans the Rio Grande and connects Brownsville with the Mexican city of Matamoros when he was stopped by the U.S. officers spot-checking traffic leaving the country, according to an affidavit filed in federal court to support his arrest.
Cardenas, who is a U.S. citizen, admitted that he knew about the bullets and that he was trying to smuggle them into Mexico, contends the federal agent who signed the affidavit.
Most ammunition and firearms are illegal for civilians in Mexico, but they are prized by organized-crime groups there who for years have been battling each other and government security forces. Texas, with its high concentration of gun stores, has been described by U.S. federal authorities as a steady ready source of Mexico's illegal weaponry.
His father, Osiel Cardenas, 47, was convicted in Houston in 2009 on an array of drug trafficking and money laundering charges in connection with being the chief leader of the Gulf Cartel. He is locked up in the so-called Supermax prison in Colorado, which is also home to such inmates as "Unabomber" Theodore "Ted" Kaczynski and Oklahoma City bomber Terry Nichols.
The younger Cardenas now faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted, but would likely get far less time than that.
His lawyer, who also represented his father, did not respond to a request for comment. His next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, when Magistrate Judge Ignacio Torteya III is to decide if Cardenas should be temporarily released on bail pending trial.
His arrest marks perhaps the first time his name has been made public in connection with an international crime, but he is known by U.S. law enforcement officers to be trying to follow in this father's footsteps, said Mike Vigil, retired chief of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration.
"He is what is referred to in Mexico as a narco junior," said Vigil, who is the author of "DEAL," a memoir of his 31-year career with the agency. "He has enlisted other narco juniors," as the adult children of drug traffickers are known,"to go along with him, and he loves to emulate his father," Vigil said. "He likes to drive around Matamoros and that area with an entourage like his father used to do."
The younger man's cousin, Rafael Cardenas, 41, was convicted in 2012 in Brownsville for being one of the cartel's new leaders and got 20 years. Osiel Cardenas Jr.'s uncle, Antonio Cardenas, was killed in 2010 a gun battle with the Mexican military.
The ammunition seized Friday in Brownsville is just a drop compared to the 26,157 rounds of ammunition seized last year in South Texas by Customs and Border Protection. "A lot of that is military grade ammunition," Vigil said. "He was certainly not taking that ammunition back to hunt deer or elk, but human beings."
Thanks to Dane Schiller.
Monday, January 05, 2015
Operation Team Player nets more than $25,000 worth of fake goods prior to 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic
The 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic netted a win not only for the Washington Capitals, but also for intellectual property rights (IPR) advocates. Law enforcement seized $25,130 worth of counterfeit National Hockey League (NHL) gear and other merchandise leading up to the New Year’s Day outdoor game that featured the Capitals and Chicago Blackhawks at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The operation was led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department.
The $25,130 value is based on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the 680 items of counterfeit NHL gear and other sportswear seized by law enforcement.
The operation, dubbed Operation Team Player, resulted in seizures of jerseys, hats, t-shirts and posters. Although most of the seized items were fake NHL merchandise, agents also seized other counterfeit items bearing the trademarks of professional sports teams. The seizures were part of a crackdown on IPR violators leading up to the NHL Winter Classic. Operation Team Player is an effort by the HSI-led IPR Center that targets counterfeit sports merchandise from all of the major sports leagues.
“Major sporting events across the country attract counterfeiters who sell unauthorized and poorly made knock-off merchandise for discounted rates,” said Clark E. Settles, special agent in charge of HSI Washington, D.C. “What most people don’t realize is the sale of those counterfeit products costs their fellow Americans jobs and results in a loss of revenue for legitimate American businesses.”
“The NHL very much appreciates HSI's efforts to protect hockey fans from being victimized by counterfeiters and to ensure that legitimate businesses playing by the rules will not be harmed by these illicit activities,” said Tom Prochnow, group vice president, legal and business affairs for the NHL.
As the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, HSI plays a leading role in targeting criminal organizations responsible for producing, smuggling and distributing counterfeit products. HSI focuses not only on keeping counterfeit products off U.S. streets, but also on dismantling the criminal organizations behind this activity.
The HSI-led IPR Center is one of the U.S. government's key weapons in the fight against criminal counterfeiting and piracy. Working in close coordination with the Department of Justice Task Force on Intellectual Property, the IPR Center uses the expertise of its 23 member agencies to share information, develop initiatives, coordinate enforcement actions and conduct investigations related to intellectual property theft. Through this strategic interagency partnership, the IPR Center protects the public's health and safety and the U.S. economy.
The $25,130 value is based on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the 680 items of counterfeit NHL gear and other sportswear seized by law enforcement.
The operation, dubbed Operation Team Player, resulted in seizures of jerseys, hats, t-shirts and posters. Although most of the seized items were fake NHL merchandise, agents also seized other counterfeit items bearing the trademarks of professional sports teams. The seizures were part of a crackdown on IPR violators leading up to the NHL Winter Classic. Operation Team Player is an effort by the HSI-led IPR Center that targets counterfeit sports merchandise from all of the major sports leagues.
“Major sporting events across the country attract counterfeiters who sell unauthorized and poorly made knock-off merchandise for discounted rates,” said Clark E. Settles, special agent in charge of HSI Washington, D.C. “What most people don’t realize is the sale of those counterfeit products costs their fellow Americans jobs and results in a loss of revenue for legitimate American businesses.”
“The NHL very much appreciates HSI's efforts to protect hockey fans from being victimized by counterfeiters and to ensure that legitimate businesses playing by the rules will not be harmed by these illicit activities,” said Tom Prochnow, group vice president, legal and business affairs for the NHL.
As the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, HSI plays a leading role in targeting criminal organizations responsible for producing, smuggling and distributing counterfeit products. HSI focuses not only on keeping counterfeit products off U.S. streets, but also on dismantling the criminal organizations behind this activity.
The HSI-led IPR Center is one of the U.S. government's key weapons in the fight against criminal counterfeiting and piracy. Working in close coordination with the Department of Justice Task Force on Intellectual Property, the IPR Center uses the expertise of its 23 member agencies to share information, develop initiatives, coordinate enforcement actions and conduct investigations related to intellectual property theft. Through this strategic interagency partnership, the IPR Center protects the public's health and safety and the U.S. economy.
Sunday, January 04, 2015
Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean of @UCILAW, Presents "The Case Against the Supreme Court" #SCOTUS
Most Americans share the perception that the Supreme Court is objective
, but Erwin Chemerinsky, one of the country’s leading constitutional lawyers, shows that this is nonsense and always has been. The Court is made up of fallible individuals who base decisions on their own biases. Today, the Roberts Court is promoting a conservative agenda under the guise of following a neutral methodology, but notorious decisions, such as Bush vs. Gore and United Citizens, are hardly recent exceptions. This devastating book details, case by case, how the Court has largely failed throughout American history at its most important tasks and at the most important times.
Only someone of Chemerinsky’s stature and breadth of knowledge could take on this controversial topic. Powerfully arguing for term limits for justices and a reassessment of the institution as a whole, The Case Against the Supreme Court
is a timely and important book that will be widely read and cited for decades to come.
, but Erwin Chemerinsky, one of the country’s leading constitutional lawyers, shows that this is nonsense and always has been. The Court is made up of fallible individuals who base decisions on their own biases. Today, the Roberts Court is promoting a conservative agenda under the guise of following a neutral methodology, but notorious decisions, such as Bush vs. Gore and United Citizens, are hardly recent exceptions. This devastating book details, case by case, how the Court has largely failed throughout American history at its most important tasks and at the most important times.Only someone of Chemerinsky’s stature and breadth of knowledge could take on this controversial topic. Powerfully arguing for term limits for justices and a reassessment of the institution as a whole, The Case Against the Supreme Court
is a timely and important book that will be widely read and cited for decades to come.
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