News and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism.
As scammers
increasingly use pressure tactics and artificial intelligence to defraud
Americans out of their hard-earned money, the FBI is reminding everyone to
protect themselves and their families from fraud this holiday season.
"If you
feel pressured to act fast, pay money, or turn over personal information—take a
beat. Stop and assess if what you're being told is real. Talk to your families.
Protect each other from scams," said FBI Director Kash Patel.
"Scammers are banking on the fact that you'll feel too embarrassed to come
forward and report the crime to the FBI. Don't let them win."
The FBI
specifically encourages Americans to talk to their loved ones about not sharing
sensitive information with people they have met only online or over the phone.
They also should not send money, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or other assets.
Cyber-enabled
fraud dominates the scam landscape, accelerated by artificial intelligence
(AI). In the first seven months of 2025, AI accounted for more than 9,000
complaints to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and those AI
complaints spanned all types of scams. Fraudsters use technology to create fake
social media profiles, voice clones, identification documents, and videos with
believable depictions of public figures or even loved ones. Fraudulent or
suspicious activity can be reported to the FBI at ic3.gov.
Tipsters should include information such as:
identifying
information about the person or company which contacted them
methods of
communication used, to include websites, emails, and phone numbers
financial
transaction information, such as the date, type of payment, amount,
account numbers involved, the name and address of the receiving financial
institution, and receiving cryptocurrency addresses
description of the
interaction with the fraudster
The IC3 received
535,314 complaints reporting $13.7 billion in losses last year, an average loss
of $25,700 per victim. Between 2020 and 2024, a total of $50.5 billion in
losses were reported to IC3. People over 60 suffered the most losses and
submitted the most complaints. Victims over 60 who need assistance filing an
IC3 complaint can contact the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline, 1-833-FRAUD-11
(833-372-8311). Learn more about scam prevention at fbi.gov/takeabeat.
As the Christmas season is once again upon us,
I’d like to once again share my short story, A Christmas Crime Story.
The short story originally appeared in TheOrchard
Press Online Mystery Magazine in 2003.
A Christmas Crime
Story
By Paul Davis
To get in the true spirit of the Christmas holiday, some people
go to church, some people go to the homes of family and friends, and some
people go out and shop.
Me? I go to cop bars.
Cops are great storytellers. Perhaps it’s because they observe a segment of
life that’s dramatic, tragic and funny. Perhaps it’s also because they spend so
much time cruising on patrol that they’ve had the time to develop and hone
their story-telling skills.
As a writer, I’ve talked to cops in station houses, in patrol cars, on the
street and in bars. I’ve listened to their concerns, prideful boasts and
sorrowful confessions. I’ve accompanied cops on patrol and witnessed them
handle insane, intoxicated and incongruous citizens. I’ve observed how they
console crime victims and their families. I’ve seen how they cope with the
aftermath of criminal violence and man’s inhumanity to man. And I’ve come to
appreciate their black humor, which like military humor, is a necessary safety
valve to get them through the bad times.
I especially like to frequent cop bars during the holiday season and listen to
cops at their very best. Some cops gather at bars after work to relax, drink
and tell their stories. At this time of year, they are in very good spirits, a
bit happier, a bit giddier and a bit more talkative.
Cops are generally in good spirits despite the fact that the holiday season is
a busy one for them. It’s a sad commentary, but the holiday season is a peak
time for crime.
Criminals certainly love the holiday season, but not for spiritual or
sentimental reasons. It’s simply a time of grand opportunity. And criminals
certainly don’t take a Christmas vacation. As joyous and hopeful people go out
to worship, shop, dine and visit family and friends, criminal predators go out
and pickpocket, shoplift, mug, steal and burglarize.
My recent columns in the local newspaper covered the annual Christmas crime
spree and over the years I’ve reported on and chronicled a good number of
crime stories during the holidays. I recall covering the story of a do-gooder
delivering toys to needy families who was viciously assaulted and robbed.
Another story concerned two kids playing with their Christmas gift, a paint
ball gun, when an irate neighbor came out and shot them with a real gun.
One year while out on patrol with the cops, I came upon a young couple who had
started out drinking and getting high for the holidays and ended up with one
murdering the other. I once covered a story about a man with a car full of
gifts who ran into a store for a pack of cigarettes. He came out to no car, no
gifts and no Merry Christmas for him that year.
I’ve covered an assortment of other stories about armed robberies, thefts, purse
snatchings and other crimes during the holidays as well.
Despite the crime and tragedies I’ve seen, I still love the Christmas season. I
love the lights and decorations, the hustle and bustle and all of the
trimmings. I love Christmas music and often sing along, although admittedly
off-key.
This particular year, even more than others in the past, I was in very good
spirits, having recently recovered from severe spine and nerve damage that
crippled me and caused God-awful pain. I spent several months in the
hospital and convalescing at home. I’ve suffered with a bad back for many
years, dating back to my years as an amateur boxer and playing other
sports, and as a young sailor working on a U.S. Navy tugboat and
an aircraft carrier. The build-up of damage to my poor back finally took its
toll and crippled me.
The doctors at the hospital ruled that I was not a surgical candidate,
determining that any operation would be too risky. As I was deathly afraid
of surgery, this diagnosis suited me fine. So they loaded me up with
wonder drugs and placed me in physical therapy. The physical therapists,
trained by Saddam Hussein’s secret police, I suspect, got me to my feet and ran
me through a series of painful but ultimately beneficial exercises.
When I initially collapsed during the summer in my bedroom, I thought the
searing pain in my groin and back was akin to being shot with a high-powered
rifle. My wife called 911 and the Philadelphia Fire Department’s Rescue
Paramedics rushed me to the hospital. Despite being in great pain, I managed to
joke with the attending doctors and nurses that first night in the hospital.
This is the most painful day of my life, I told them - and I’ve been to
Vietnam.
And I’m married.
And I have a teenage daughter.
I got a few laughs, which helped to lighten my pain, as I am a ham to the
end. In addition to the fine medical professionals who cared for me, it was my
wonderful wife and family - who were often the brunt of my jokes and asides –
who helped me get through the worst time of my adult life.
Within the period of five months, I went from being bed-ridden in great pain,
to twirling around the hospital halls in a wheelchair, to walking a few painful
steps with a walker, to finally walking into a cop’s bar aided by a cane this
fine Christmas season.
I’d recovered sufficiently enough to go out and stop by Johnny Drum’s Bar
& Grill, a great little cop’s bar in South Philly. I had a lot to be
thankful for this year and I visited Johnny’s place expecting to run into some
lively characters that felt likewise.
I was somewhat disappointed to first encounter Sgt. John Snyder at the bar.
Snyder was known as one mean cop. He was of average height, a bit stocky and
had a large, pan-shaped head topped with thinning dark hair. He was an unhappy,
gruff and miserable man. A cop once made the comment that Snyder
"barked" rather than spoke.
I recall previous Christmas seasons when Snyder would be at the end of the bar
by himself, miserly nursing his drink. In addition to being foul-tempered, Snyder
was a notorious cheapskate.
"Merry Christmas, Ebenezer," I’d greet him in jest during those
holiday visits. "Bah, humbug," he’d respond, playing along
begrudgingly with my take on Charles Dickens’ classic holiday story, A
Christmas Carol. I joked around, but in truth he was truly as mean-spirited
as Dickens’s Ebenezer Scrooge.
Sgt. Snyder was widely known as "The Cop Who Busted Santa Claus." As
the often-told story goes, Snyder pulled over a man dressed as Santa
on Christmas Eve a few years back. Observing that the red-suited,
false-bearded man was slightly inebriated, Snyder promptly placed him under
arrest.
He slapped the handcuffs on the man and then had had his car towed. The tow
truck took the car, despite the jolly old soul’s somewhat slurred pleas that
his car – a modern-day sleigh - was full of toys destined for children at an
orphanage. A crowd had gathered on the street and booed the police officer’s
actions. He cursed them and threatened to lock them all up.
"And a Merry, Merry Christmas to you as well," one bystander
sarcastically remarked.
More holiday-spirited police officials quickly released the man dressed as
Santa. The man, outraged by his treatment, promptly called a TV station and
told his story. The mayor, the police commissioner and other police brass were
not happy with the lead news story run on Christmas Day. The national press
picked up the story and this did not help Philadelphia’s image. "The Cop
Who Busted Santa Claus" complemented an earlier story of Philadelphia
sport fans pelting Santa with snowballs at a ball field.
A cop once told me that Snyder had him out walking on South Street on a very
cold and windy Christmas Eve night. Snyder sternly ordered the beat cop not to
hang out in a store, sucking up heat, coffee and merriment. Of course, the
cop quickly escaped the bitter wind and cold and stepped into a shoe store for
hot chocolate and conversation with the store owner and customers.
When the cop looked out through the store window and saw Snyder’s car roll down
South Street, he stepped out and stood in front of the store, shivering.
"Have you been hiding in a store?" Sgt. Snyder barked. "No,
of course not" the cop told him. "Although it is really cold out
here, Sarge."
Snyder placed his bare hand on the cop’s badge and found the metal to be nearly
as warm as the hot chocolate in the beat cop’s stomach.
The chastened police officer told every cop, everybody, the story. "Do you
believe it? The SOB chewed me out on Christmas Eve!"
There were also tales of Snyder locking up kids whose only crime was being
merry. Sgt. Snyder was a one-man crime-fighting machine during the holiday
season, targeting not thieves and crooks, but rather the people whose only
crime was to be too joyous.
To his credit, he still talked to me despite the two negative
stories I wrote about him in the past. One of my columns covered
"The Cop Who Busted Santa Claus" and I wrote another that dealt with
Snyder’s arrest of a honeymooning couple who were visiting the Italian Market.
Their crime? The happy couple, who were married on Christmas Eve, asked the
good sergeant to pose with them for a photo. He didn’t like their attitude and
placed them under arrest for disorderly conduct.
But this year, as I approached him at the bar, I saw that Snyder was clearly a
changed man. Over a few drinks, he told me why.
A day earlier the gruff sergeant responded to the call of a residential
burglary. The victim told the responding officers that among the
stolen valuables were his military awards and other mementos of the Iraq
War. He told Snyder that he had just returned from Iraq as a
medically discharged soldier due to combat wounds.
"Who’d steal this stuff?" he asked Snyder. "Who would steal
children’s toys at Christmas?"
The burglars stole the gift-wrapped presents from under the Christmas tree. The
young former soldier was saddened by the loss of his gifts to his wife and
children. He said he was not insured, and he could not afford to buy new gifts.
Snyder, the well-known mean, jaded and cynical cop, was truly touched by this
young veteran who had just returned from war.
Snyder felt empathy for someone for the first time in many years. He thought
back to his own return from Vietnam so many years before. He recalled how he
then yearned to become a cop. He also yearned to marry his high school
sweetheart and to have kids with her. He accomplished all that he set out to
do, and now, in the midst of a crime scene, he wondered why it had all soured
for him.
He marriage suffered from his penny-pinching, his chronic petty complaints, and
his foul temper. His wife finally drew up the courage to throw him out of the
house one night after he came home drunk, mean and violent. He would never hit
her or the kids, he assured me, but he often gave the inanimate objects in the
house a real good beating.
The kids, grown now and on their own, rarely spoke to him. He thought of them
as he watched the veteran’s children. The sight of these kids, sitting close
together on the couch, perhaps wondering if the crooks would come back, if
Santa were coming now, or whether Jesus still loved them, broke Snyder’s
heart.
Snyder made the rounds of the local veteran’s organizations the next day and
told the story of the veteran who had been victimized. He collected a good bit
of money from the veterans, from his fellow police officers and he personally
donated a large sum himself. Having secured the list of stolen items from South
Detectives, he ventured to the stores and purchased nearly all of the stolen
items.
He also called his wife, sweet-talked her, told her he was a changed man and
asked her to accompany him when, like Santa Claus, he would deliver the
replacement gifts to the veteran and his family.
He was truly beaming as he told me this Christmas crime story. I had never seen
him smile before.
He told me how the veteran’s kids were so happy they cried. The veteran
was embarrassed, but thankful. Snyder explained that his fellow veterans
and the local cops wanted to help him and his family.
By helping the veteran, Snyder recalled the true meaning of Christmas. He felt
the joy of giving and of goodness and loving - even in a cruel and sometimes
evil world.
"I have to run," he said, finishing up his story and beer, "I’m
celebrating Christmas with my wife, my kids and all of my grandkids."
Before he left, Snyder, to everyone’s astonishment but mine, bought a
round for the house.
In November of 1970 I was one
of many young sailors who “manned the rails” on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk as
we passed the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. (See the above photo).
We manned the rails in dress white
uniforms on the edge of the ship as a salute to honor the
sunken battleship USS Arizona and the sailors and Marines who died during the
Imperial Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, “A date,” noted
then-President Franklin Roosevelt, “which will live in infamy.”
The Kitty Hawk made a port of
call at Pearl Harbor just prior to our heading to Subic Bay in the Philippines
and then onto “Yankee Station” in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of North
Vietnam during the final years of the Vietnam War.
Like many old surviving
sailors today, I again salute the servicemen who died on December 7, 1941, and I’d like to remind younger readers to never forget the Pearl Harbor attack which drew America into World War II.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration is
intensifying its fight against the deadly threat of synthetic opioids with the
launch of Fentanyl Free America, a comprehensive enforcement
initiative and public awareness campaign aimed at reducing both the supply and
demand for fentanyl. This effort underscores DEA's unwavering commitment to
protecting American lives and communities from the devastating impacts of
fentanyl, which claimed nearly 50,000 lives last year according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Through
intensified enforcement operations and heightened intelligence, DEA is applying
unprecedented pressure on the global fentanyl supply chain, forcing
narco-terrorists, like the Sinaloa Cartel and CJNG Cartel, to change their
business practices. This has led to encouraging signs of progress. DEA
laboratory testing indicates 29% of fentanyl pills analyzed during fiscal year
(FY) 2025 contained a potentially lethal dose, a significant drop from 76% of
pills tested just two years prior in FY 2023. Additionally, fentanyl powder
purity decreased to 10.3%, down from 19.5% during the same time
period. These reductions in potency and purity correlate with a decline in
synthetic opioid deaths to levels not seen since April 2020.
Aside from
producing less potent fentanyl, the cartels have increasingly diversified their
operations in an attempt to minimize their risks and maximize profits, an
evolution driven by opportunity and greed.
As of December
1, 2025, DEA has seized more than 45 million fentanyl pills, and more than
9,000 pounds of fentanyl powder, removing an estimated 347 million potentially
deadly doses of fentanyl from our communities. DEA intelligence indicates a
shift in cartel operations, with increased trafficking of fentanyl powder and
domestic production of fentanyl pills. The seizure of more than two dozen pill
press machines in October further highlights this trend.
"Fentanyl
Free America represents DEA’s unwavering commitment to save American lives and
end the fentanyl crisis, we are making significant progress in this fight, and
we must continue to intensify efforts to disrupt the fentanyl supply and reduce
demand,” said DEA Administrator Terrance Cole. “DEA is striking harder and
evolving faster to dismantle the foreign terrorists fueling this crisis, while
empowering all our partners to join the fight to prevent fentanyl-related
tragedies. Together, we can achieve a fentanyl free America and create a safer
future for generations to come.”
DEA remains at
the forefront of the fight to disrupt trafficking networks and strengthen the
government’s response to this epidemic. Fentanyl Free America represents
DEA’s heightened focus on enforcement, education, public awareness, and
strategic partnerships. The goal of the campaign is clear: eliminate the
fentanyl supply fueling the nation’s deadliest drug crisis. Since 2021,
synthetic opioids have claimed nearly 325,000 American lives.
The Fentanyl
Free America campaign also emphasizes the importance of public
engagement. DEA encourages everyone from community leaders, clergy, educators,
parents, physicians, pharmacists, and law enforcement to take an active role in
raising awareness by protecting others through education; preventing fentanyl
poisonings by understanding the dangers; and supporting those impacted. Free
resources including posters, radio advertising, billboards, and social media
resources are available at dea.gov/fentanylfree.
DEA’s efforts
are part of a larger whole-of-government strategy to dismantle transnational
criminal organizations and protect U.S. communities from fentanyl.
Philly Daily, where my Crime Beat column appears each week,
reports that the Chamber Orchestra of Europe will perform at the Marian
Anderson Hall at the Kimmel Center on Wednesday, December 10th at
7:30 PM.
“The Chamber Orchestra of
Europe, one of the world’s most acclaimed chamber ensembles, join forces with
Philadelphia Orchestra Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nezet-Seguin for an
unforgettable performance,” the event planners noted. “Experience this dynamic
partnership live in Philadelphia for the first time as they present an
all-Brahms program full of passion and virtuosity.”
You can read the rest of the
piece via the link below:
Like
a good many people I purchase a lot of items online and the items are then
delivered to my home by either commercial shipping companies or the U.S. Postal
Service.
Online
purchases being mailed greatly increase during the Holiday season, so many
people are receiving emails stating that they are from the U.S. Postal
Service.
The
Postal Service warns that these emails are fake.
The
U.S. Postal Service (USPS) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) note
that they are well aware of the circulation of fake emails/email scams claiming
to be from the Postal Service officials, including the Postmaster
General.
“Please
know USPS officials would never reach out directly to consumers and ask for
money or Personal Identifying Information (PII),” the USPS explained.
The
Postal Service offers information and tips on how to avoid becoming a victim of
fake emails and other kinds of consumer fraud.
“If you ever receive an
email about a package delivery or unpaid online postage charges, be careful,”
the Postal Service advised. “Some postal customers are receiving bogus emails
featuring the subject line, “Delivery Failure Notification.” These emails
appear to be from the U.S. Postal Serviceand include language
regarding an unsuccessful attempt to deliver a package.
“The
email will prompt you to confirm your personal delivery information by clicking
a button or downloading an attachment, that, when opened, can activate a virus
and steal information—such as your usernames, passwords, and financial account
information. The Postal Inspection Service is working hard to stop these emails
and protect your information.”
(Below is a sample of a fake Postal Service email):
If you receive an email about a package delivery failure, the
Postal Service suggests you forward the email to spam@uspis.gov, and then
delete the email. One should also report non-USPS spam emails to the Federal
Trade Commission at www.ftc.gov.
The Postal Service also warns
of identity fraud “phishing.”
Did you receive a luring email
from the Postal Service about a package delivery? Does it contain a link to
click? Don't take the bait! It's a phishing attempt to steal your personal
information.
Did you
receive an urgent email that requires action? Think before you click! Don't put
your personal information at risk. It's probably a phishing attempt.Did you receive an email
from the Postal Service about an attempted or intercepted package delivery?
Don’t click on the link! Bogus emails about delivery failures trick customers
into clicking links that contain viruses.
The
Postal Service also warns that one should not give out personal information via
email. The Postal Service states that they do not notify customers of package
delivery attempts or request personal information via email.
Poor
grammar indicates a fraudulent email, the Postal Service notes. Poor grammar
and spelling errors are a good indication that the email is fake. Also be aware
that if the email requests “immediate action,” it may be a scam.
The
Postal Service also warns of phone calls or voicemail messages from an
unfamiliar number claiming to need to verify sensitive personal information. If
you receive a call or voicemail, don’t respond. Delete the voicemail. This type
of scam is called “vishing.”
“Vishing,
short for voice phishing, is an identity fraud scam utilizing a phone call or
voicemail,” the Postal Service explained. “Scammers will call or leave a
voicemail and impersonate someone they are not, and attempt to elicit sensitive
information, like login credentials, personal identifying information, credit
card numbers or other banking details. These impostors may pretend to be Postal
Inspectors, or other persons in USPS and USPIS positions of authority. They may
attempt to coerce you with threats of arrest or some other punishment.”
If
you ever receive a phone call or voicemail from an individual claiming to be a
Postal Inspector or other law enforcement official- alleging there is an active
warrant out for your arrest, the Postal Service warns you to be careful.
“These
individuals impersonate law enforcement, or other positions of authority, and
will manufacture a threatening situation and sense of urgency in an attempt to
coerce you into sending them money and/or providing your personal information
to steal your identity. They may claim you are the suspect of a criminal
investigation or currently have an outstanding warrant for your
arrest. The impostor’s phone number may be blocked or spoofed/fake, displaying
a number other than the actual number used by the impostor. “The imposter may
even spoof/fake a legitimate number of the person or entity he/she is
impersonating. Postal Inspectors will never demand money from you or threaten
you with arrest for failing to provide personal information over the phone,
text, or email. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is working hard to stop these
impostors.”
The Postal Service and the
Postal Inspection Service know that the recent occurrences of mail customers
receiving calls from individuals impersonating Postal Service and Postal
Inspections Service personnel,
“Please
know that Postal Service and Postal Inspection Service inspectors would never
reach out directly to consumers and demand money or personal information.”
The Postal Service offers the
information below to protect you from this imposter scam.
“If you receive a communication
from someone impersonating a Postal Inspector, please send an email to the
USPIS Cyber Crime Unit at ISCCU@usps.gov. Please include your name and
contact information, the name and any contact information used by the imposter,
and a summary of the phone call or copy of the actual communication with the
imposter.”
For
most of us the holiday season is a time for religious reflection, joy, the
exchange of gifts, fellowship, and love of family and friends. The holiday
season is also prime time for crooks, scammers, and con artists. So be on guard
when receiving emails that look fake.
Delete the emails. Never open
the emails and never respond to the emails. Don’t respond by threatening to
expose them to law enforcement or scold them for being awful human beings. If
you do open the email, don’t call any phone numbers the email asks you to.
Even Santa relies on the Postal Service (his sleigh can only hold
so much), so as you receive your online purchases and gifts through the mail,
be aware that there are Grinch crooks trying to scam via email.
You can read my other Philly Daily Crime Beat columns via
the link below:
The
U.S. Justice Department released the below information:
Mohammad
Dawood Alokozay, 30, a citizen of Afghanistan residing in Fort Worth, Texas,
has been federally charged for threatening to build a bomb, conduct a suicide
attack, and kill Americans and others, in a video shared on TikTok, X, and
Facebook.
“This Afghan national came into America during the Biden
administration and as alleged, explicitly stated that he came here in order to
kill American citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “The public safety
threat created by the Biden administration’s vetting breakdown cannot be
overstated – the Department of Justice will continue working with our federal
and state partners to protect the American people from the prior
administration’s dangerous incompetence.”
“We have zero tolerance for violence and threats of violence to
kill American citizens and others like those allegedly made by this
individual,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of
Texas. “I applaud the rapid response of our federal and local law
enforcement partners in identifying and apprehending him. Those individuals who
jeopardize the public safety and security of North Texas residents will be
swiftly brought to justice.”
“This arrest demonstrates that the FBI remains steadfast in our
mission to defend the homeland and protect the American people. Thanks to
public reports of a threatening online video, the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task
Force apprehended this individual before he could commit an act of violence. We
continue to ask that if you see something, say something,” said Special Agent
in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock of the FBI's Dallas Field Office.
“Our commitment to keep America safe is unwavering. Online
threats made by those hiding behind a screen will not be dismissed or taken
lightly,” said Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard of Homeland Security
Investigations (HSI). “We will use every resource available to make sure these
perpetrators are found, arrested, and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the
law.”
Alokozay is charged with transmitting a threatening
communication in interstate commerce related to threats he made on a Nov. 23
video call, which was recorded and posted to multiple social media accounts,
including TikTok, X, and Facebook. According to the complaint, the video shows
Alokozay angrily gesturing and speaking Dari, a language commonly spoken in
Afghanistan, while interacting with at least two other males on a video call. A
screenshot of a social media post that shared Alokozay’s Nov. 23 statements is
below:
As alleged, Alokozay threatened to conduct a suicide attack on
the other participants on the call, as well as “infidels” and Americans.
He claimed he would build a bomb in his vehicle and talked about a particular
yellow cooking oil container favored by the Taliban in building improvised
explosive devices (IEDs) in Afghanistan. Alozokay stated the Taliban were
dear to him and that he came to the United States to kill those on the
call. He also claimed he wanted to conduct a suicide attack on
Americans. According to the complaint, Alokozay stated he was not afraid
of deportation or getting killed.
Alokozay is currently in custody pending an initial appearance
before a U.S. magistrate judge and further court proceedings. If convicted,
Alokozay faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI's Dallas Field Office
through the Fort Worth Resident Agency and the Department of Homeland Security,
with the assistance of the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Fort Worth
Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Vincent Mazzurco for the Northern
District of Texas is prosecuting the case.
A complaint is merely an allegation. All
defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt
in a court of law.
Note; Above is one social media post containing Alokzay’s video
from the criminal complaint.
Philly Daily, where my Crime Beat column appears each week,
reports that on Thursday, December 4, 2025, comedian Rachel Fogletto will
perform at the Punch Line Philly Comedy Club in Philadelphia.
Counterterrorism magazine’s
website posted my latest Threatcon column.
You can read the column below:
Threatcon Column
Afghan National
Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
for Plotting Election
Day Terror
By Paul Davis
A reader emailed me a while back and criticized me for “creating
alarm about Islamic terrorism when in fact domestic terrorism by white,
right-wing criminals was the true threat to America.”
I replied that yes, domestic terrorism by home-grown criminals
is certainly a concern, and I’ve addressed that concern here and elsewhere. But
I also stated that radical Islamic terrorism remains a serious threat to our
country.
A case in point is Abdullah Haji Zada, 19, who on November 20th
was sentenced to serve the statutory maximum of 15 years in federal prison for
knowingly receiving, attempting to receive, and conspiring to receive a firearm
and ammunition to be used to commit a federal crime of terrorism.
According to court documents, Zada, a native and citizen of
Afghanistan and U.S. lawful permanent resident, and a co-conspirator received
two AK-47-style rifles and 500 rounds of ammunition, knowing that the firearms
and ammunition would be used in connection with a terrorist attack on Election
Day in November 2024, on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham
(ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. Zada was arrested with his
co-conspirator, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, 28, also a citizen of Afghanistan, in
October 2024.
"Zada was welcomed into the United States and provided with
all the opportunities available to residents of our Nation, yet he chose to
embrace terrorism and plot an ISIS-inspired attack on Election Day,” said John
A. Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, announced the
sentence.
“Today’s sentence, and
Zada’s eventual removal from the United States, reflect the seriousness of his
betrayal and our commitment to using every tool at our disposal to detect and
disrupt such plots.”
Donald Holstead, the Assistant Director of the FBI’s
Counterterrorism Division, added, “With today’s sentencing, Zada will pay the
price for participating in a plot last year to conduct an ISIS-inspired
Election Day terrorist attack,
“Detecting and preventing
acts of terrorism against the American people is an essential part of the FBI’s
mission. We will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to
protect our communities.”
Doug Goodwater, the FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge,
also weighed in, “By hatching a violent plot against the United States on
behalf of ISIS, the defendant and his co-conspirator shamefully turned their
backs on the country that provided them safety and refuge,
“I’m extremely proud of the swift and coordinated action taken
by the Oklahoma City Joint Terrorism Task Force as soon as this disturbing plan
was uncovered. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will never relent in
our fight against terrorism, and in protecting the American people from those
who wish them harm.”
According to the Justice Department, Zada, who was 17 at the
time of his arrest, entered his guilty plea as an adult on April 17, 2025. As
part of the plea agreement, Zada stipulated to the entry of a judicial order of
removal from the United States to Afghanistan following his term of incarceration.
Zada acknowledged that the order of removal would terminate his lawful
permanent resident status. Zada also waived his right to appeal the conviction
except in limited circumstances or seek any form of appeal or relief from his
removal and deportation, including but not limited to, seeking asylum.
The Justice Department noted that Zada’s co-conspirator,
Tawhedi, pleaded guilty on June 13, 2025, to two terrorism-related offenses:
conspiring and attempting to provide material support and resources to ISIS, a
designated terrorist organization, and receiving, attempting to receive, and
conspiring to receive firearms and ammunition in furtherance of a federal crime
of terrorism. At sentencing, Tawhedi faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years
in prison for the material support charge and up to 15 years in prison for the
firearms charge. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
Upon completion of any sentence, Zada and Tawhedi will be
permanently removed from the United States and barred from reentry under
stipulated judicial orders of removal to Afghanistan.
Foreign radical Islamic
terrorists and domestic terrorists are both bad guys, and we need to be
security-conscious about both groups.
Paul Davis’ Threatcon
column covers crime, espionage and terrorism.
From 2019 to 2025, I wrote the
On Crime column for the Washington Times.
The newspaper column covered
true crime, crime fiction and thrillers, and offered interviews with the crime
book authors.
The Washington Times
dropped my column and rarely covers books these days, so I’ve continued to
cover crime books and interview authors here on my website.
Philly Daily,
where my Crime Beatcolumn appears each week,
reports that the Walnut Theater for Kids’ production of A
Christmas Carol, based on the famous story by
Charles Dickens and adapted by Bill Van Horn, will run from December 6 to
December 21.
You can read about the production via the link below:
The
U.S. Attorney’s office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania released the
information below on November 26th:
PHILADELPHIA
– United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Rasheen Harvey-Fields,
18, Tavon Fry, 20, and Saair Steele, 21, all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
were charged by superseding indictment with conspiring to commit, and
committing, multiple carjackings, and related firearms offenses.
Harvey-Fields and Fry made their initial appearances in federal
court in Philadelphia this week and Steele made his initial appearance last
week. All three are detained in federal custody.
The superseding indictment alleges that, from approximately June
25, 2025, until at least July 11, 2025, the defendants and others conspired to
steal at gunpoint numerous vehicles, often using the vehicles they carjacked to
commit other crimes, including robbery, aggravated assault, and more
carjackings.
As further alleged, the defendants sometimes used the pretense
of buying or selling marijuana to mislead their victims and facilitate the
carjackings, and other times targeted individuals who were exiting their
vehicles.
The three defendants are charged with conspiring to commit a
total of 11 carjackings, all in Philadelphia, with the alleged participants in
each carjacking noted:
June 25, 2025 – 1400 block of Bouvier Street (Harvey-Fields and
others)
June 28, 2025 – 3100 block of West Arizona Street (Harvey-Fields
and others)
June 29, 2025 – 3100 block of West Arizona Street
(Harvey-Fields, Fry, and others)
July 1, 2025 – 11th and Wallace streets
(Harvey-Fields and others)
July 3, 2025 – 1700 block of North 60th Street
(Harvey-Fields, Steele, and others)
July 3, 2025 – 700 block of South 55th Street
(Harvey-Fields, Steele, and others)
July 3, 2025 – 6000 block of North 5th Street
(Harvey-Fields and others)
July 6, 2025 – 6100 block of West Girard Avenue (Harvey-Fields
and others)
July 6, 2025 – 600 block of West Cumberland Street
(Harvey-Fields, Steele, and others)
July 7, 2025 – 3100 block of West Arizona Street (Harvey-Fields
and others)
July 7, 2025 – 2100 block of Natrona Street (Harvey-Fields and
others)
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum possible sentence of
life imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department
and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and is being
prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorneys Branwen McNabb
O’Donnell and Shannon Zabel.
The charges and allegations contained in the superseding
indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent
unless and until proven guilty in court.
Philly
Daily
ran my Crime Beat column today on a home invader who was sentenced to 22
years in prison. You can read the column via the link below or the text below:
I
recall some years ago speaking to a Philadelphia detective about home
invasions. He was part of a task force that was investigating the home
invasions of several Asians families who owned and operated restaurants, laundromats
and other small businesses in Philadelphia and the suburbs.
A
gang of criminals followed the Asian owners to their homes after they closed
their businesses. As the business owners settled in, the armed robbers broke in
and tied up the family members. The husband and father was beaten until he told
the home invaders where he kept his cash.
“Asian
and other immigrant small businesspeople often don’t trust banks, and they like
to keep their money close at hand,” the detective told me. “So they make an
easy target for home invasions. These brutal armed crooks bust in and threaten
the victims with torture and murder unless they give up their money.
“These
criminal predators watch the businesses, find out where the owners live and
then they strike. I’ve taken statements from the traumatized victims. A lot of
the terrified victims, including children, believe the crooks will come back
and rob them again. We have to take these armed home invaders off the street.”
One
recent armed home invader was taken off the street and sentenced to prison last
week.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania
announced on November 21st that Shaquan Brown, 31, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Cynthia M.
Rufe to 272 months’ incarceration for conspiracy to commit armed home invasion
robberies targeting the businesses and attached residences of their owners, as
well as robbery affecting interstate commerce and attempted robbery affecting
interstate commerce, using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to
a crime of robbery, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
Brown
was charged with these crimes in August 2020, and he was convicted on April 16,
2024.
According
to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, from November 2019 through January 3, 2020,
Brown and three co-conspirators conspired to carry out a series of robberies
that targeted business owners and another individual that they believed would
keep cash in their home. The offenders used zip ties, duct tape, and firearms
to commit these crimes.
“Brown
researched his victims and their businesses, using a GPS tracking device to
learn where the victims lived. The defendant and his co-conspirators targeted
victims they believed kept cash in their homes, including business owners who
were Asian and other business owners who dealt in cash,” the prosecutors stated.
“On
the night of December 31, 2019, Brown and two co-conspirators accosted the
owner of a nail salon in Delaware County, Pa., as the owner returned to the
business. The offenders forced the victim inside, and repeatedly demanded
money, placing zip ties on the owner’s wrists, covering his mouth with duct
tape, and striking his face with their fists and a gun. The men took cash from
the business, then forced the owner to his residence, where they encountered
his wife, their children, and their nanny.
“The
men zip-tied the wife and all of their children, then continued to beat and
injure the owner, and demand money. They ransacked the residence while making
statements such as “we have been watching you for weeks.””
The U.S.
Attorney’s Office also stated that on the morning of January 3, 2020, Brown and
another individual attempted to break into a residence in Chester County, Pa. The
defendant had planned to commit an armed home invasion robbery of the
homeowner, who was a business owner, and his family, to steal the owner’s
business proceeds. While attempting to enter the victim’s home, the home
security alarm system went off, and the police responded within minutes. Brown led
the police on a foot chase through the woods and into a creek, where he was
arrested. The police recovered duct tape, zip ties, and a firearm from Brown’s backpack.
“What
Shaquan Brown and his crew put their victims through was utterly horrifying,”
said U.S. Attorney David Metcalf. “No one should have to endure a violent
ambush in their home or business, be brutally beaten, and see their family
traumatized. Today’s sentence ensures that Brown’s home invasion days are over.
We will not permit criminals who’d rather take money than make it to terrorize
innocent people and whole communities.”
Eric
DeGree, the Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Philadelphia Field Division,
added “Shaquan Brown violently terrorized his victims in their business and in
the sanctity of their home. He is now going to federal prison where he will no
longer endanger his neighborhood. ATF Philadelphia Field Division has a long
history of partnership with the Philadelphia Police Department and U.S.
Attorney’s Office, and we will continue to work tirelessly together to ensure
justice for the victims and to make our communities safer.”
Note: In the above photo Shaquan
Brown drops his pistol outside a home he attempted to rob. The photo released by the Department of Justice.
Paul Davis’s Crime Beat column appears here weekly. He is also a frequent contributor to Broad + Liberty and Counterterrorism magazine. He can be reached at pauldavisoncrime.com.
Philly Daily, where my Crime
Beat column appears, reports that on November 24th, the City of
Philadelphia released details for the2025 6abc Dunkin’
Thanksgiving Day Parade, scheduled to take place on Thursday, November 27 from
8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
“The oldest Thanksgiving Day Parade will kick
off the holiday season as it marches through Center City and up the Ben
Franklin Parkway to the Philadelphia Art Museum. The event is free and open to
the public, featuring performances and activities for the entire family. The
parade will be broadcast live on 6abc, beginning with a pre-show at 8:30 a.m.
followed by the parade broadcast at 9:00 a.m,” the City of Philadelphia stated.
You can read the rest of the piece via the link
below:
Paul Davis is a writer who covers crime. He has written extensively about organized crime, cybercrime, street crime, white collar crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. His 'Crime Beat' column appears weekly at Philly Daily and Broad and Liberty. He is also a longtime contributor to Counterterrorism magazine and writes their online 'Threatcon' column. Paul Davis' crime fiction appears in American Crime Magazine. His work has also appeared in the Washington Examiner, the Washington Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Weekly and other publications. As a writer, he has attended police academy training, gone out on patrol with police officers, accompanied detectives as they worked cases, accompanied narcotics officers on drug raids, observed criminal court proceedings, visited jails and prisons, and covered street riots, mob wars and murder investigations. He has interviewed police commissioners and chiefs, FBI, DEA, HSI and other federal special agents, prosecutors, judges, public officials, WWII UDT frogmen, Navy SEALs, Army Delta operators, Israeli commandos, military intelligence officers, Scotland Yard detectives, CIA officers, former KGB officers, film and TV actors, writers and producers, journalists, novelists and true crime authors, gamblers, outlaw bikers, and Cosa Nostra organized crime bosses. Paul Davis has been a student of crime since he was a 12-year-old aspiring writer growing up in South Philadelphia. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy when he was 17 in 1970. He served aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam War and he later served two years aboard the Navy harbor tugboat U.S.S. Saugus at the U.S. floating nuclear submarine base at Holy Loch, Scotland. He went on to do security work as a Defense Department civilian while working part-time as a freelance writer. From 1991 to 2005 he was a producer and on-air host of "Inside Government," a public affairs interview radio program that aired Sundays on WPEN AM and WMGK FM in the Philadelphia area. You can read Paul Davis' crime columns, crime fiction, book reviews and news and feature articles on this website. You can read his full bio by clicking on the above photo. And you can contact Paul Davis at pauldavisoncrime@aol.com
