Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Statement On Arrests Of Alleged Leaders Of The Sinaloa Cartel Ismael Zambada Garcia (El Mayo) And Joaquin Guzman Lopez

The Justice Department issued the following statement from Attorney General Merrick B. Garland on the arrests of alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael Zambada Garcia (El Mayo) and Joaquin Guzman Lopez:

“The Justice Department has taken into custody two additional alleged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, one of the most violent and powerful drug trafficking organizations in the world. Ismael Zambada Garcia, or “El Mayo,” cofounder of the Cartel, and Joaquin Guzman Lopez, a son of its other cofounder, were arrested today in El Paso, Texas. 

Both men are facing multiple charges in the United States for leading the Cartel’s criminal operations, including its deadly fentanyl manufacturing and trafficking networks. 

El Mayo and Guzman Lopez join a growing list of Sinaloa Cartel leaders and associates who the Justice Department is holding accountable in the United States. That includes the Cartel’s other cofounder, Joaquin Guzman Loera, or “El Chapo”; another of El Chapo’s sons and an alleged Cartel leader, Ovidio Guzman Lopez; and the Cartel’s alleged lead sicario, Néstor Isidro Pérez Salas, or “El Nini.”

Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, and the Justice Department will not rest until every single cartel leader, member, and associate responsible for poisoning our communities is held accountable.”

A Little Humor: Good To Be Old At This Time

 

Meet The FBI Cyber Action Team: Rapid Response Fly Team Can Deploy Across The Globe Within Hours To Respond To Major Cyber Threats

The FBI released a piece on their cyber action team.

Across the globe, malicious cyber activity threatens public safety and national and economic security. Criminals target organizations such as schools, hospitals, power and utility companies, and other critical infrastructure entities that serve communities.

As the lead federal agency for investigating cyberattacks and intrusions, the FBI developed a specialty group—the Cyber Action Team, or CAT—that can deploy across the globe within hours to respond to major cyber threats and attacks against these critical services.

Composed of about 65 members, CAT is an investigative rapid response fly team that leverages special agents, computer scientists, intelligence analysts, and information technology specialists from across FBI field offices and Headquarters.

"We respond onsite to victims who may include national government entities, private companies, or even sometimes foreign partner networks that have been compromised by an adversary," said Scott Ledford, head of the Cyber Action Team and the Advanced Digital Forensics Team. "Our job is to help conduct the investigation—we collect digital evidence and locate, identify, and reverse engineer malware. We also help the victim understand when they were compromised and how, writing a timeline and a narrative of that intrusion with the ultimate goal of identifying who is responsible, attributing that attack."

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

Meet the Cyber Action Team — FBI 

‘Goldfinger’: 60 Years, 60 Facts About The Third James Bond Movie:

Ed Gross at Woman’s World offers a piece on the classic James Bond film Goldfinger starring Sean Connery (seen in the above photo) as Bond: 

Sixty-two years after the James Bond film series began, it’s still going strong, with 25 films under its belt and a 26th eventually going into development. Of them all, Goldfinger, currently celebrating its 60th anniversary, remains one of the most popular. 

For many people, agent 007 has always been a part of pop culture in much the same way that The Beatles are, but there was indeed a time when both were exploding for the first time, the world swept up simultaneously in Bondmania and Beatlemania. And unless you were there, you simply have no idea how big it really was or how insane the fervor.

Released in 1964, Goldfinger was the third entry in the James Bond film series and — along with 1962’s Dr. No and 1963’s From Russia with Love — propelled actor Sean Connery into a superstardom that never faded, even when he left 007 behind after six films.

The plot of the film has James Bond going off to investigate what seems to be gold smuggling by magnate Auric Goldfinger, but what’s uncovered is a plan to radiate the gold in Fort Knox so that the value of his personal holdings will see tremendous growth. And while this sounds like a fairly grounded plot line, the film introduces a great many elements that would come to define the 007 film series for decades to come.

So join us for this unique celebration of Goldfinger — 60 years, 60 facts!

You can read the rest of the piece and watch video clips via the below link:

Goldfinger 60 Years 60 Facts About the third James Bond Film | Woman's World (womansworld.com)

You can also read my Crime Beat column on Ian Fleming's Goldfinger novel and the film Goldfinger via the below link:

Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Beat Column: A Look Back At The Classic James Bond Film 'Goldfinger'

Paramount Plus' New Series Mafia Spies: A Look Back At The CIA And Organized Crime's Attempted Assassination Of Fidel Castro

I’ve watched the first couple of episodes of Paramount Plus’ new streaming series, Mafia Spies. 

The docudrama series covers the CIA and Cosa Nostra’s attempts to assassinate Cuban Communist Dictator Fidel Castro. Based on Thomas Maier's book, the look back at the nexus of gangsters, entertainers, politicians and CIA officers who conspired and failed to assassinate Castro is most interesting.

With talking head commentators and acting reenactments, the series is well done. 

I have a few complaints though. Most of the commentators are anti-CIA in general and although Cuban president Batista is called an evil dictator, murderer and torturer often, no such terms are leveled at Fidel Castro, even though Castro was a far more evil dictator and put many more people to death than Batista.

I covered the book in my Washington Times On Crime column. 

You can read the column via the below link:

Paul Davis On Crime: My Washington Times Review of 'Mafia Spies: The Inside Story Of The CIA, Gangsters, JFK, And Castro' 

Former Government Official Arrested For Acting As Unregistered Agent Of South Korean Government

 The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:

Sue Mi Terry, (seen in the above photo in a red dress), 54, of New York, New York, was arrested yesterday and presented on criminal charges related to offenses under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

According to court documents, after leaving U.S. government service and for more than a decade, Terry worked as an agent of the government of the Republic of Korea (ROK), commonly known as South Korea, without registering as a foreign agent with the Attorney General, as required by law. As covertly directed by ROK government officials, Terry publicly advocated ROK policy positions, disclosed non-public U.S. government information to ROK intelligence officers and enabled ROK officials to gain access to U.S. government officials. In exchange for these actions, ROK intelligence officers provided Terry with luxury goods, expensive dinners and more than $37,000 in funding for a public policy program focusing on Korean affairs that Terry controlled.

From in or about 2001 to in or about 2011, Terry served in a series of positions in the U.S. government, including as an analyst on East Asian issues for the Central Intelligence Agency, as the Director for Korea, Japan and Oceanic Affairs for the White House National Security Council and as the Deputy National Intelligence Officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council. Since leaving government service in or about 2011, Terry has worked at academic institutions and think tanks in New York City and Washington, D.C. Terry has made media appearances, published articles and hosted conferences as a policy expert specializing in, among other things, South Korea, North Korea and various regional issues impacting Asia. Terry has also testified before Congress on at least three occasions regarding the U.S. government’s policy toward Korea.

As she admitted in a voluntary interview with the FBI in 2023, Terry served as a valuable “source” of information for the ROK National Intelligence Service (ROK NIS), the primary intelligence agency for the ROK. For example, in or about June 2022, Terry participated in a private, off-the-record group meeting with a U.S. Secretary level official regarding the U.S. Government’s policy toward North Korea. Immediately after the meeting, Terry’s primary ROK NIS point of contact, or handler, picked up Terry in a car with ROK Embassy diplomatic plates. While in the car, Terry passed her handler detailed handwritten notes of her meeting, which were written on the letterhead of a think tank where Terry had recently worked. Terry’s handler then photographed the notes while still sitting in the car with Terry.

Weeks later, at the request of her ROK NIS handler, Terry hosted a happy hour for Congressional staff. Although the happy hour was ostensibly on behalf of the think tank where Terry worked, the ROK NIS paid for it with Terry’s knowledge. Terry’s handler attended the event and posed as a diplomat, mingling with Congressional staff without disclosing that he was, in fact, an ROK intelligence officer. 

ROK government rewarded Terry for her services. For example, Terry’s ROK NIS handlers gifted her a $2,950 Bottega Veneta handbag and a $3,450 Louis Vuitton handbag, both of which Terry selected during shopping trips with her handlers. One of Terry’s ROK NIS handlers also gifted her a $2,845 Dolce & Gabbana coat. In addition to luxury goods, Terry’s ROK NIS handlers provided her expensive meals, including at Michelin-starred restaurants. Terry’s ROK NIS handlers also deposited approximately $37,000 into an unrestricted “gift” account that Terry controlled at the think tank where she worked. In addition, ROK government officials paid Terry to write articles in both the U.S. and Korean press conveying positions and phrases dictated by the ROK government.

Terry is charged with one count of conspiracy to violate FARA and one count of failure to register under FARA. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. If convicted, a federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York and Executive Assistant Director Robert R. Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch made the announcement. 

The FBI’s Counterintelligence Division and New York Field Office are investigating the case with assistance from the FBI Washington Field Office.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle A. Wirshba, Alexander Li and Sam Adelsberg for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Christopher M. Rigali of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Statement From U.S. Secret Service Director On Trump Assassination Atempt

Having performed security work for the U.S. Navy and Defense Department for many years, and having covered crime, espionage and terrorism as a writer for many years, I have some questions for the U.S. Secret Service regarding the attempted assassination of former President Trump. 

The Secret Service director’s statement about the roof on which the would-be assassin fired his rifle being sloped, and therefore unsafe for Secret Service special agents to have been positioned there, is one troubling comment.

 

Still, I’d like to reserve judgment until the investigation of the incident is complete, and so should all Americans. 

Below is a statement from U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle (seen in the above photo):

 

I would like to start by extending my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Corey Comperatore, who was killed during the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday, as well as those who were injured during this senseless act of violence.

Secret Service personnel on the ground moved quickly during the incident, with our counter sniper team neutralizing the shooter and our agents implementing protective measures to ensure the safety of former president Donald Trump. 

Since the shooting, I have been in constant contact with Secret Service personnel in Pennsylvania who worked to maintain the integrity of the crime scene until the FBI assumed its role as the lead investigating agency into the assassination attempt. I have also been coordinating with the protective detail for former President Trump and have briefed President Biden on the details of the incident.  

The Secret Service is working with all involved Federal, state and local agencies to understand what happened, how it happened, and how we can prevent an incident like this from ever taking place again. We understand the importance of the independent review announced by President Biden yesterday and will participate fully. We will also work with the appropriate Congressional committees on any oversight action.

The incident in Pennsylvania has understandably led to questions about potential updates or changes to the security for the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The U.S. Secret Service, in conjunction with our Federal, state and local law enforcement and public safety partners, designs operational security plans for National Special Security Events (NSSE) to be dynamic in order to respond to a kinetic security environment and the most up-to-date intelligence from our partners.

I am confident in the security plan our Secret Service RNC coordinator and our partners have put in place, which we have reviewed and strengthened in the wake of Saturday’s shooting. The security plans for National Special Security Events are designed to be flexible. As the conventions progress, and in accordance with the direction of the President, the Secret Service will continuously adapt our operations as necessary in order to ensure the highest level of safety and security for convention attendees, volunteers and the City of Milwaukee. In addition to the additional security enhancements, we provided former President Trump's detail in June, we have also implemented changes to his security detail since Saturday to ensure his continued protection for the convention and the remainder of the campaign. 

The Secret Service is tasked with the tremendous responsibility of protecting the current and former leaders of our democracy. It is a responsibility that I take incredibly seriously, and I am committed to fulfilling that mission.