tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17310272739068389922024-03-18T14:26:18.654-04:00Paul Davis On CrimeNews and commentary on organized crime, street crime, white collar crime, cyber crime, sex crime, crime fiction, crime prevention, espionage and terrorism. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7949125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-39438493210915828622024-03-18T02:35:00.017-04:002024-03-18T03:40:27.603-04:00A Look Back At The Late, Great Short Story Writer Ring Lardner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOisgw6MP59A29lny7tM0TbEzMFIzjFKLtGlvXogaKt_jlhdPoi2VrHbwA0xQ8RpNQOvZkVYzgUcqwoGUAuxI9XSc3WUHtQN-lceBa9VPTURajKdKOtsnTrFYhVcT6rik6JDvwM6yp4-O5si5m-Jn7fGtcceKTPdoAYR7bbgBu9yIfkyDq6-EByPNweI/s1397/RingLardner2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1397" data-original-width="1153" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWOisgw6MP59A29lny7tM0TbEzMFIzjFKLtGlvXogaKt_jlhdPoi2VrHbwA0xQ8RpNQOvZkVYzgUcqwoGUAuxI9XSc3WUHtQN-lceBa9VPTURajKdKOtsnTrFYhVcT6rik6JDvwM6yp4-O5si5m-Jn7fGtcceKTPdoAYR7bbgBu9yIfkyDq6-EByPNweI/w330-h400/RingLardner2.jpg" width="330" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">It has been said that
Ring Lardner is not as well known today as he should be because the late, great
short story writer never wrote a novel. Although both he and O. Henry, another
short story writer who never wrote a novel, are still read and respected today. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Having written 27 short stories for online magazines, I certainly respect and enjoy Lardner’s
work. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As Americanliterature.com
notes, “Ringgold William “Ring” Lardner (1885 – 1933) was an American sports
columnist and satirical short story writer who enjoyed poking fun at revered
institutions such as marriage, theater, and sports. His works were admired by
his contemporaries, renowned authors Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald,
Virginia Wolf and J.D. Salinger.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt;">H. L. Mencken said of Ring Lardner, “I
doubt that anyone who has not given close and deliberate attention to the
American vulgate will ever realize how magnificently Lardner handles it. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt;">“He has had more imitators, I suppose, than any other living
American writer, but has he any actual rivals? They all try to write the speech
of the streets as adeptly and as amusingly as he writes it, and they all fall
short of him… And they are all inferior in observation, in sense of character,
in shrewdness and insight.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 15.0pt; margin: 15pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
late literary critic Edmund Wilson added, “Lardner has marked the distinction
between the baseball player’s and the prize-fighter’s slang, can speak the
language of the Chicago songwriter of ‘Some Like Them Cold,’ who has come to
New York to make his fortune, and has equally at his command the whole
vocabulary of adolescent clichés of the young girl who writes to the
songwriter, and of the quite different set of clichés of the middle-aged man
from New Jersey who goes to Florida for his golden honeymoon. Lardner’s
language is the product of a philologist’s ear and a born writer’s relish for
words.”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 15.0pt; margin: 15pt 0in; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1995EBYKBJMfQzx79HWdNMik6HtR8BGU4dltfwJiGRmZQ9A2SeP7oazj33mKtIHoLc6ydG75LSUJABe-olCaGIS9IJW5dxKG7Oo53w3LndMH1qSABOMHxK2ItYDvk77qMbyn8hdtoXffc5-_sNTpmYFulHSE0Jhyphenhyphencg-XZuo6BTqvAHG9LSFITDw0wsg/s1500/RingLardner.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1152" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1995EBYKBJMfQzx79HWdNMik6HtR8BGU4dltfwJiGRmZQ9A2SeP7oazj33mKtIHoLc6ydG75LSUJABe-olCaGIS9IJW5dxKG7Oo53w3LndMH1qSABOMHxK2ItYDvk77qMbyn8hdtoXffc5-_sNTpmYFulHSE0Jhyphenhyphencg-XZuo6BTqvAHG9LSFITDw0wsg/w308-h400/RingLardner.jpg" width="308" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">His short stories were
published in a popular book in 1921 called </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">The Big Town</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TJ24nlZov85TJZnRgS61nicqZpY9ZGrWCAP-ukYPgoDFAuAxLZESo09WOy2Rf_HmnRoXUZcpp5ch40tHlJ7JXFL4-GCd8sPCRcbcT2_c_TYUkAjLx-ZBDczFdOb9KQV6wqx4mefKHD25riGxUeUl9hddGLYiyBV1mEhUwQ2fR4ZZVGKAqB5Ykf_fRhc/s1252/30915530280.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1252" data-original-width="824" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TJ24nlZov85TJZnRgS61nicqZpY9ZGrWCAP-ukYPgoDFAuAxLZESo09WOy2Rf_HmnRoXUZcpp5ch40tHlJ7JXFL4-GCd8sPCRcbcT2_c_TYUkAjLx-ZBDczFdOb9KQV6wqx4mefKHD25riGxUeUl9hddGLYiyBV1mEhUwQ2fR4ZZVGKAqB5Ykf_fRhc/w264-h400/30915530280.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You can read more about Ring
Lardner and read several of his stories via the below link:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://americanliterature.com/author/ring-lardner">Ring Lardner (americanliterature.com)</a></p><p></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-54428927425198398452024-03-16T23:30:00.028-04:002024-03-17T02:56:30.303-04:00My Crime Fiction: 'Cat Street'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdo6eV5o7BX-pKZIbWpVAj2Qcusvx-GuVZS9RXvvtpyl91kMgPiRsZADn50Ifw3_MNCRgG3E6XKj01swOdoXZ1izYTIcvQ67kpB8poiGp178fuFFggvaZZvXwJ7YkgGQ3jVJFI7zcJwY5ATaGwsn0yfJd2vj7dTTBVOQXiF6H8zDx0u_eUNx2aL5KcpM/s3008/A12.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3008" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdo6eV5o7BX-pKZIbWpVAj2Qcusvx-GuVZS9RXvvtpyl91kMgPiRsZADn50Ifw3_MNCRgG3E6XKj01swOdoXZ1izYTIcvQ67kpB8poiGp178fuFFggvaZZvXwJ7YkgGQ3jVJFI7zcJwY5ATaGwsn0yfJd2vj7dTTBVOQXiF6H8zDx0u_eUNx2aL5KcpM/w400-h266/A12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Below is chapter 6 of
my crime novel </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Olongapo</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">, which I hope to publish this year.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">An earlier version of the story appeared
in the <i>Orchard Press Online Mystery Magazine</i>.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6JYsQnii372edSWK2ilLwr6xU9f2MT2CmrFsbnuW1hQrxc94dhrN5DULgtEjkn-dVojVPJWho1mZZErCjHljyyc04u0c6tU_bvTG2jwpN2azqejCosDXf6v3dlE7V5CM3po3nd5i3BjvSTGUULxpg5akAmed5jfHgM9txlVFCbmmQnrGdnv0cWBceZE/s712/148.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="712" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha6JYsQnii372edSWK2ilLwr6xU9f2MT2CmrFsbnuW1hQrxc94dhrN5DULgtEjkn-dVojVPJWho1mZZErCjHljyyc04u0c6tU_bvTG2jwpN2azqejCosDXf6v3dlE7V5CM3po3nd5i3BjvSTGUULxpg5akAmed5jfHgM9txlVFCbmmQnrGdnv0cWBceZE/w400-h293/148.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"><b>Cat Street</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"><b>By Paul Davis</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">They say that anything
stolen during the night in Hong Kong will be on sale on Cat Street the next
morning.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I heard that saying
many years ago when I visited Hong Kong as a young sailor, and it recently came
back to me while speaking to Salvatore Lorino at the <i>Bomb-Bomb</i> bar &
grill in South Philly.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After much discussion
about Olongapo, Lorino and I spoke of our time in Hong Kong.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lorino looked
about the bar and then leaned forward and spoke in a low voice. Lorino asked me
if I remembered Nichols and Johnson from the Kitty Hawk and I replied that I
remembered Johnson very well. An amiable Northern Californian who grew up on a
ranch, he was the only person I ever met, over the age of ten, who wanted to be
a cowboy. He was murdered in a robbery in Hong Kong. Nichols, I recalled, was a
sad sack who deserted the ship in Hong Kong with his new bar girl bride.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lorino did not
contradict my recollection, but his grin widened above the rim of the glass as
he drank his wine.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“The statue of
limitations is up, so I can talk about what went down,” Lorino told me.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Statute of
limitations, not statue, like the Statue of Liberty,” I said, correcting him.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lorino shrugged.
“What’s the difference?”</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“A second letter t.”</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lorino ignored me and
asked if I wanted to hear his story about a decades-old case of kidnapping,
espionage and murder.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The USS Kitty Hawk
sailed into Hong Kong Harbor in February of 1971. The aircraft carrier had just
completed 70 days on "Yankee Station" in the Gulf of Tonkin in the
South China Sea, performing combat operations off the coast of Vietnam. During
that time the ship’s 80 aircraft dropped a record tonnage of ordnance on North
Vietnamese and Viet Cong supply routes, which were collectively called the
"Ho Chi Minh Trail."</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-size: 14pt;">During that line period on Yankee Station a
Communist Chinese minesweeper came dangerously close to the carrier. The
Chinese warship was adorned with oversized white propaganda banners in Chinese,
so most of the American sailors couldn’t read them, but our captain had an
intelligence officer translate the banners. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-size: 14pt;">The captain announced over the ship’s public
address system, known as the 1MC, that the banners read, “Down with U.S.
Imperialism,” “Down with Nixon” and “Down with U.S. Navy war criminals.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-size: 14pt;">The captain informed us that he had sent the
Chinese a message in response to the banners. “Since you are so down with
everything, up yours!”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">All
of Kitty Hawk’s nearly 5,000 sailors laughed loudly. I’ve always wondered what
the Communist Chinese sailors thought of that.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; font-size: 14pt;">The carrier's crew worked long, hard hours during
flight operations and the radiomen stood eight hours on watch and eight hours
off watch continuously. We lost track of all time until the upcoming visit to
Hong Kong was announced.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
When the carrier dropped anchor in Hong Kong Harbor, a loud cheer rose from the
crew and carried across the water. Heads must have turned towards the roar for
at least ten nautical miles. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sharing the harbor with the Kitty Hawk that day
were freighters, ocean liners, British destroyers, Soviet cruisers, commercial
speed hydrofoils, sampans and junks. The contrast between the splendid modern
ships and the ancient and decrepit fishing boats was striking.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Visible from the
carrier’s flight deck was Victoria City, the capital and business center of
the then-British Crown Colony. Dark clouds circled Hong Kong’s famous peak
mountain. Looking down from the flight deck we saw the approaching Chinese
motor launches, which were called <i>Walla Wallas.</i> The water
taxis lined up along the starboard side of the ship and waited to take the
eager American sailors ashore.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Those of us who were
fortunate enough to have liberty that first day in port were ordered to
assemble in the berthing compartment prior to our departure. A third of the
division would remain aboard the ship in the event of an emergency and the
watch bill would change two days later.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chief Radioman Lionel
Shaw stood across from our three-tier racks. As security officer for the division,
he was tasked with presenting a briefing to the first batch of sailors
preparing to leave the ship for the exotic streets of Hong Kong.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The chief truly loved
the Navy. He left a poor family and a bad neighborhood in Chicago when he
enlisted in the Navy and there was no going back for him. When he entered the
Navy, black sailors like him were restricted to orderly duties and he was
enormously proud of the trust the Navy now bestowed upon him. He held, as did
all of the men assembled before him, a top-secret security clearance.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Shaw was only
5’6" but he appeared to be much larger due to his muscular torso, his
ever-ready fighter’s stance and a great, booming voice. A model sailor, his
khaki uniform and black boots were immaculate.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Most of us were in
civilian clothes, but he advised those of us who wearing uniforms to tear off
the radioman patch adorned on the left arm of our uniforms. The distinctive
patch showed lightning bolts, which was the occupational batch that identified us
as radiomen who handled highly classified war information. Wearing the patch
was bad OPSEC, or operations security.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Listen up,"
Shaw bellowed. "Hong Kong is the Goddamned spy capitol of the world, so
don’t be yakkin’ about your job or what the ship does, or what we’re goin’ to
be doin’ next month.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Remember that
we’re only a few miles from Red China, the ally of our enemy, and ain’t nothing
better them Communists motherfuckers would like, then to haul your drunken,
silly asses over the border."</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He paused for breath,
and perhaps for dramatic effect, and then added, "And if one of them Chinese
bar hogs ask you what you do on the great, big ship, tell ‘em you’re a Goddamn
cook!"</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The people of Hong
Kong were given the impression that American sailors lived really well. On a
ship with nearly 5,000 men, 2,000 of them were cooks.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not known to Shaw or
any of us at the time, another Navy radioman, Warrant Officer John Walker, was
feeding the Soviets a steady diet of vital information on Navy communications.
Communist Chinese intelligence was also in the market for a source of information.
They wanted a U.S. Navy radioman to call their own.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Radioman 3<sup>rd</sup>
Class John Nichols was one of the men assembled before Shaw. He had been in the
Navy for more than three years and this was his second combat deployment aboard
the carrier. Returning to the combat zone was common for carrier sailors during
the 12 years of the Vietnam War. Many of them made two or three 11-month-long
Western Pacific (WESTPAC) combat cruises during their four-year enlistments.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There was an unwritten
but steadfast rule that there were only two ways to get off a carrier during
the Vietnam War. One way was to be discharged from the Navy, and the other way was
to die. Unlike other men who resented not being reassigned to shore duty or a
non-combat ship after their initial combat cruise, Nichols was thrilled. It
meant that he would be seeing Hong Kong again.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Originally from a
small town in Ohio, Nichols joined the Navy after graduating from high school.
An only child, Nichol’s father had deserted the family when he was an infant. He
was raised by an alcoholic and inattentive mother.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He had been a below
average student; a poor athlete and he had few friends. Looking forward to the
great Navy adventures that lay ahead, he was soon disappointed to discover that
he was as unsuccessful with girls in San Diego as he had been in Ohio.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nichols was of average
height, but his poor posture made him appear to be much shorter. With stooped
shoulders, a slight paunch, balding brown hair and nondescript facial features,
Nichols was certainly not a matinee idol. No clotheshorse either; Nichol’s
uniform and civilian attire were always unkempt and unflattering. While looks
aren’t everything, Nichols also lacked what one would call a personality.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nichols’ disappointing
young life changed one night in 1969 while he was on his initial cruise. On
leave for two days in Hong Kong, he met a girl named Nancy Chen in the <i>Wanchai</i> District.
The notorious red-light district was made world famous by Richard Mason's
fictional character Suzy Wong.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Like Suzy Wong, Nancy
Chen was alluring in her black silk <i>Cheongsam</i>, a long slit rising
invitingly up her left leg. Her long straight black hair, sleepy black eyes and
doll-like figure were intoxicating to Nichols. She was the first, and only,
woman that he had sex with.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In her limited
English, she told him that her family had escaped from China and came to Hong
Kong when she was a young girl. As the family had no money, she was forced to
work the bars. Touched by her story and madly in love for the first time,
Nichols spent three months pay romancing her in two days of liberty. As he
prepared to return to the ship, he grew bold and asked her to marry him.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"You crazy!"
was her curt response to his heart-felt proposal. Undeterred, he said he would
come back for her when the ship again visited Hong Kong during the next WESTPAC
cruise.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A little more than one
year later, the <i>Walla Wallas </i>pitched and rolled across the
choppy, blue-gray water as the boats carried the Kitty Hawk sailors ashore.
Nichols’ wedding guests were aboard one of the boats. His wedding guests sat on
his immediate right and left. Nichols had invited the entire radio division to
his wedding, but only Seamen Dennis Johnson and Lorino accepted.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nichols was not
popular with the crew. It was well known that his request to marry a foreign
national was denied by the Navy. She still had family behind the "Bamboo
Curtain" in Communist China and that presented a security risk. Nichols
didn’t care what the Navy ordered; he was getting married. He talked of nothing
else since the beginning of the cruise. His shipmates constantly ridiculed him,
as sailors in close quarters aboard a ship can be crueler than school children.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Johnson was Nichols
only friend and that was due primarily to Johnson being everyone’s friend. A
cheerful 22-year-old, Johnson was a real cowboy who amused everyone with his
tales of growing up on the range in California. He enlisted in the Navy to
avoid being drafted in the Army.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lorino, who often
visited me in our berthing area, accepted Nichols' invitation as he had no
other plans other than developing a local connection to buy some shabu. He
figured that he might meet someone at the wedding who could steer him towards a
shabu connection.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I passed on the wedding
invitation, as I didn’t much care for Nichols, and Mike Hunt invited me to join
him at the Hong Kong Hilton, where he stayed on his previous visit to Hong
Kong. Hunt and I went ashore and checked in at the Hong Kong Hilton. As we had just
come off a long line period on Yankee Station, Hunt and I were flush with cash
from our saved pay.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I also had my
considerable winnings from playing poker. As I had been playing poker since I
was a kid in South Philly, I was a fair poker player. I played poker on the
carrier against a good number of sailors new to the game of chance and skill,
so I usually came away from the card games a winner.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Once we settled in our
luxurious room, I called room service and ordered caviar and a bottle of Dom
Perigon champagne, the favorite drink of my teenage hero, Ian Fleming’s iconic fictional
secret agent James Bond. After I hung up, Hunt picked up the phone and called a
number he had from his last visit to Hong Kong. A half hour later, two young
and pretty Chinese girls showed up at the door.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“If I die tomorrow,” I
announced to everyone in the hotel room as I held up my champagne glass. “I’ll
at least have known what it’s like to be a millionaire.”</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The next morning, we
visited a tailor Hunt knew and I had a black suit made, plus two shirts and two
pairs of slacks. I could not believe how inexpensive the fine tailor-made
clothes were. Mike also had a suit and a shirt made. After our fittings, the tailor
said our clothes would be ready the following day.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We returned to the
hotel, took showers, dressed, and headed out to Aberdeen Harbor where we boarded
the floating Tai Pak restaurant. The famous floating restaurant was featured in
the 1950 films <i>Love is a Many Splendored Thing</i> and <i>The World of Suzie
Wong.</i></span><i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We were served wonderful
dishes of crabmeat with sweet-corn soup, fried prawns, crabmeat <i>Fu-Young</i>,
sweet and sour pork, and fried <i>garoupa. </i>I also eat fried Sole, which was
a favorite dish of James Bond in Ian Fleming’s novels. To my regret, the Sole
was not bone-less. I had to use my knife and fork to separate the small bones
from the fish, but it was delicious.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After eating this
splendid authentic Chinese meal at the Tai Pak, we headed to the <i>Wanchai</i>
bars. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nichols’ wedding was
set to take place above a store in Hong Kong’s commercial section. The happy
couple would spend the night in a hotel. Nichols had been informed of these
arrangements by his bride-to-be in a letter.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nichols, Johnson and
Lorino piled into a taxi at the pier and were driven to Ladder Street. Ladder
Street was not really a street in a traditional sense, but rather a series of
wide steps spread out between rows and rows of shops. At the bottom of Ladder
Street lay <i>Morlo-Gai,</i> or Cat Street. The area was locally
known as the "Thieves Market." </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A "Cat," in Hong Kong parlance, was someone who bought stolen goods from thieves and then sold them at market. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cat Street was a
bustling market where tourists and locals alike were herded through the
ubiquitous shops and wooden street stands. Under colorful Chinese banners and
signs, the merchants screamed out the praises of their wares and haggled over
prices with their customers. Trinkets and inexpensive products, mostly
manufactured in the People’s Republic of China, were laid across counters and
tables. Pickpockets, beggars, prostitutes and lunatics fought openly over
territory.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Passing through the
crowd, store touts and street urchins frequently accosted the three sailors,
but they brushed them off in good humor. Nichols paid a small boy to take them
to the address written in his letter. They were led up a set of back stairs and
into a room where the Americans faced the waiting bride and her Chinese
"family."</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Music from the
American band <i>Chicago</i> blasted from an elaborate stereo system.
A ten-foot wooden bar, amply stocked with bottles of liquor, stretched across
the room. Three round tables were set up to create a small dance floor. On the
tables were various dishes of Chinese food. Two young women huddled with Nancy
Chen and giggled. Three Chinese men stood in the center in the room.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The sailors stood in
the doorway, momentarily overcome by the sights, sounds and smells of the
scene. Nancy Chen walked towards Nichols and embraced him. He began to cry, and
she laughed at him, making a comment in Chinese to her girlfriends that made
them laugh. One of the men announced in English that he was Jimmy Lung and that
he was the bride’s brother. He introduced the women as Lucy and Wendy.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The two lean and gaunt
men in white shirts and dark slacks were introduced as the Woo brothers,
cousins to the bride. They were also serving as the bartender and waiter for
the affair. Lung was as thin as a child’s crayoned stickman. His hair was a
dark mop and sunglasses hung precariously on his skeletal face. He wore an open
collared silk shirt under his expensive suit and his silver snakeskin cowboy
boots drew Johnson’s envy.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When Nichols stopped
crying, they all took seats at the tables and began to eat and drink. The women
danced seductively with Johnson and Lorino. During the festivity, Nichols put
his arm around his future brother-in-law and asked him why he and Nancy had
different last names. "Chinese custom," Lung replied bluntly. Nichols
did not question the dubious explanation.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The party ended
abruptly when Lung leaped up and screamed "No one move!"<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Swiftly extracting a
foot-long knife from his left sleeve, Lung placed it roughly under Nichols’
chin. The waiter also drew a long knife and the bartender vaulted over the bar
holding a long-barreled revolver. The three women huddled into a corner.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"We are moving
this party across the <i>Sham Chum</i>," Lung announced. The
Americans sailors didn’t know that this was the name of the river that
separated Hong Kong from Red China, but they got the idea when Lung added,
"My friends on the other side want to talk to you about your little
American Navy secrets."</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Johnson sat still and
cursed to himself softly. Lorino casually crossed his legs and took a long draw
from his cigarette, trying to look as cool as a South Philly gangster ought to
under these extreme and unusual circumstances. Nichols was frozen and bug-eyed
in Lung’s grip.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To Lorino, who had
personal experience in the field of armed robbery, Lung made two critical
mistakes. The first mistake was that he took time to brag to his captive
audience. Lung told them proudly that he was a member of a local Triad, one of
the secret criminal societies in Hong Kong. He explained that in addition to
routine criminal pursuits, he also gathered information that his girls
extracted from American servicemen and passed it on to the Red Chinese. The pay
for the information was generous, considering that he was dealing with
communists.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In Lorino’s mind, Lung's
second mistake was that he took his eyes off Lorino for just a second when he
turned his head towards a crash. Johnson caused the noise when he jumped up
from his chair and tackled the Woo brothers. All three men slammed into the
bar, causing it to split down the middle as if hit by a giant karate chop.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">At that moment, Lorino
leaped up from his chair, hit Lung with a solid overhand right, and without
losing momentum, bolted through the door. Lung collapsed from the blow and
dropped to the floor with Nichols still in his grip.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Like the thief that he
was, Lorino jumped down the stairs, ran out into the street and quickly waded
through the crowd for several blocks. He later stopped at a bar, had a drink,
and bought shabu from a waiter. He hooked up with a bar girl and spent the
night with her. He didn’t give the fate of Nichols and Johnson a moments’ thought.
Lorino returned to the ship the following day and kept his mouth shut.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I recall that next day
on the Kitty Hawk vividly. Nichols was reported to be UA, unauthorized absence,
which surprised no one. The news that Johnson was murdered in a robbery was a
surprise and the story quickly spread throughout the ship. There was much talk
of "dungaree liberty," a time-honored naval tradition in which
sailors donned working uniforms, armed themselves with knives, pipes and clubs
and went ashore to wreak havoc on an offending liberty town.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The captain wisely
canceled all water taxis. A British police inspector came aboard and addressed
the crew over the ship’s 1MC.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"I wish to inform
you that your Seaman Dennis Johnson was found murdered last night on Cat
Street," the inspector said in an accent most of the sailors found
familiar from old British movies.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"A known
criminal, one Jimmy Lung, was apprehended and I assure you he will be
prosecuted to the full extent of the law."</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After hearing the
British police officer, the crew’s anger was quelled. Johnson was given a
memorial service and the carrier returned to Yankee Station and the war.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">After 30 days, Nichols
was later declared to be AWOL, absent without leave, and he was officially
proclaimed to be a deserter. The paperwork was processed, and Nichols was
forgotten.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I don’t recall the
British police officer mentioning Nichols when he addressed the Kitty Hawk
sailors, but after listening to Lorino's story, my guess was Nichols was abducted
and taken to Red China, where the Chinese drained him of his classified
information and then shot him. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">© 2024 By Paul Davis </span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0G8PXO-6a8OU4zTzL7RVGrbV0RKFFLD8Bz42f9y4L-vi_ePEnCq7aXkWjVkClrfUOnmiweC3E2Ws6fGT7smLJyQ98Kd1SboAOH8mJ6MbEUsFNXcCRntLXj95d4HdWhn0O6AHgLbZo_XsRnhoGa2AMzZlyjPsVUGr7nJ_zDIPd1eFyI9LtqoSp9U83Co/s762/!!!!Phl2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="762" data-original-width="550" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL0G8PXO-6a8OU4zTzL7RVGrbV0RKFFLD8Bz42f9y4L-vi_ePEnCq7aXkWjVkClrfUOnmiweC3E2Ws6fGT7smLJyQ98Kd1SboAOH8mJ6MbEUsFNXcCRntLXj95d4HdWhn0O6AHgLbZo_XsRnhoGa2AMzZlyjPsVUGr7nJ_zDIPd1eFyI9LtqoSp9U83Co/w289-h400/!!!!Phl2.jpg" width="289" /></a></b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Note</b>: You can read the other <i>Olongapo</i> chapters I've posted here via the below links:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><a href="http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2023/11/chapter-one-butterfly.html">Paul Davis On Crime: Chapter One: Butterfly</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><a href="http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2023/03/my-crime-fiction-salvatore-lorino.html">Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Salvatore Lorino'</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><a href="http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2023/08/my-crime-fiction-old-huk.html">Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: The Old Huk</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><a href="http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2023/07/join-navy-and-see-olongapo.html">Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: Join The Navy And See Olongapo</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><a href="http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2023/06/my-crime-fiction-boots-on-ground.html">Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'Boots On The Ground'</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><a href="http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2024/02/my-crime-fiction-30-day-detail.html">Paul Davis On Crime: My Crime Fiction: 'The 30-Day Detail'</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-86267761308232725372024-03-15T09:54:00.003-04:002024-03-15T09:54:46.493-04:00U.S. Attorney’s Office And FBI Seeking To Identify Potential Victims In Connection With Online Child Exploitation Case<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikIXPBEd-cFT3ksgFxI8h2LeaYhgcqeE1IgYq8nvhFtThFTJO0QdDZtusrB4kWKYnY9elYbIYfcDRDVG59PVXcHl8k1omwac-b3b5EsLb1Xh_BNH31-JryqCEkY79V4NeAslUj4eioPeWQsAzqHLMh2zXlmrFgJolFmSgJ19dIDsUS_DBVvRHE3MCDPY/s414/romero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="414" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikIXPBEd-cFT3ksgFxI8h2LeaYhgcqeE1IgYq8nvhFtThFTJO0QdDZtusrB4kWKYnY9elYbIYfcDRDVG59PVXcHl8k1omwac-b3b5EsLb1Xh_BNH31-JryqCEkY79V4NeAslUj4eioPeWQsAzqHLMh2zXlmrFgJolFmSgJ19dIDsUS_DBVvRHE3MCDPY/w290-h400/romero.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia released the below
information:</span></p><p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">PHILADELPHIA - United States<b style="box-sizing: inherit;"> </b>Attorney
Jacqueline C. Romero (seen in the above photo) and FBI Philadelphia Special
Agent in Charge Wayne A. Jacobs announced that their offices are seeking
to identify potential victims of an online child exploitation scheme,
which originated in Los Angeles, California, and is believed to have victimized
minor females in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and elsewhere, starting as early
as 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">The defendant
in <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/BurchVictims" style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #0064a8;">this investigation</span></a>, John
Douglas Burch, a resident of the Santa Monica, California area, has been
charged by federal indictment in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with
traveling to engage in illicit sexual conduct and enticement of a minor to
engage in sexually explicit conduct and prostitution., John Douglas Burch,
a resident of the Santa Monica, California area, has been charged by federal
indictment in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania with traveling to engage in
illicit sexual conduct and enticement of a minor to engage in sexually explicit
conduct and prostitution.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Between 2014
and 2024, the defendant was active on numerous online applications, including
KIK, Omegle, Snapchat, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Discord,
Seeking Arrangements, and Fetlife, and may be known by the following usernames:
“<b style="box-sizing: inherit;">Burch</b>”; “<b style="box-sizing: inherit;">Mstr_trainer</b>”;
“<b style="box-sizing: inherit;">Just 9x6.5a</b>”; “<b style="box-sizing: inherit;">Notyourfitguru</b>”;
“<b style="box-sizing: inherit;">@TheBurch9567</b>”; “<b style="box-sizing: inherit;">NOTYOURFITGURU</b>”;
“<b style="box-sizing: inherit;">@food_is_not_enemy</b>”; “<b style="box-sizing: inherit;">@notyourfitguru2</b>”;
“<b style="box-sizing: inherit;">@not_your_fit_guru_original</b>”; “<b style="box-sizing: inherit;">@backup_notyourfitguru</b>”.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you, your
family member, or anyone that you know has had contact with this individual or
any of the usernames above and would like to report a crime, please contact the
FBI via email at <a href="mailto:BurchVictims@fbi.gov" style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #0064a8;">BurchVictims@fbi.gov</span></a> or
complete this <a data-extlink="" href="https://forms.fbi.gov/burchvictims/view" style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0064a8;">online questionnaire</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">An indictment,
information, or criminal complaint is an accusation. A defendant is presumed
innocent unless and until proven guilty.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">For additional
resources and information, please visit: <o:p></o:p></span></p><ul style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: 1rem; margin-top: 0.75rem;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #444444; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; padding-left: 1.5rem; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://ovc.ojp.gov/help-for-victims/overview" style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0064a8;">DOJ
Office for Victims of Crime - Help for Victims</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #444444; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; padding-left: 1.5rem; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><a data-extlink="" href="https://www.nationalsafeplace.org/" style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0064a8;">National Safe Place Network</span></a></span><a data-extlink="" href="https://www.nctsn.org/what-is-child-trauma/about-child-trauma" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 14pt; word-break: break-word;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0064a8;">National Child Traumatic Stress
Network</span></a></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #444444; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; padding-left: 1.5rem; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><a data-extlink="" href="https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/" style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0064a8;">National Suicide Prevention
Lifeline</span></a>|
800-273-8255<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #444444; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; padding-left: 1.5rem; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;"><a data-extlink="" href="https://www.rainn.org/" style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0064a8;">Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN)</span></a></span><a data-extlink="" href="https://www.missingkids.org/HOME" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 14pt; word-break: break-word;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0064a8;">National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children</span></a></li>
</ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #162e51; font-size: 14.0pt;">Contact</span></strong><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="mailto:USAPAE.PressBox@usdoj.gov" style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #0064a8;">USAPAE.PressBox@usdoj.gov</span></a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />
215-861-8300</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-23422759105377904252024-03-13T20:36:00.007-04:002024-03-13T20:55:10.998-04:00A Look Back At James Cagney In 'Mr. Roberts' And 'One, Two, Three'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJc6_P2Tbid21-yFJEHxAshamIy3mmvSyixnRbu3pYUUYoOK45bz5e9k5cVslECdZ_aNYexbDk7i9GW3MpUqvqQJmzZ2pughRnCWT5C-lJMEXjSHZQ7AxWOvdNSICBzyeNqXt0rkBm7OBZ72tw6aaOrhcE7430klK5qVxNlXhTFgSMN2E7k3fqo_RhK9g/s3669/MV5BMTA4NjM2MTY4MjheQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU4MDcxNTk0NzEx._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3489" data-original-width="3669" height="380" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJc6_P2Tbid21-yFJEHxAshamIy3mmvSyixnRbu3pYUUYoOK45bz5e9k5cVslECdZ_aNYexbDk7i9GW3MpUqvqQJmzZ2pughRnCWT5C-lJMEXjSHZQ7AxWOvdNSICBzyeNqXt0rkBm7OBZ72tw6aaOrhcE7430klK5qVxNlXhTFgSMN2E7k3fqo_RhK9g/w400-h380/MV5BMTA4NjM2MTY4MjheQTJeQWpwZ15BbWU4MDcxNTk0NzEx._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">In a previous post, I wrote
about one of my favorite actors, the late, great actor James Cagney, in his gangster roles.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I’d also like to comment on
James Cagney in his later roles in two classic comedies.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">In addition to being fine song
and dance man, and a tough guy mobster, Cagney also had serious comedy chops. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5fcry28toVgyQ0kUzY1sb5fEwzJZ_6pwP7PLcwBArZYovnJWKR1cXppAVq0OOpOpRTx8vnR_vG6oJ6lvr0kQ3XQQDD0e8lAq6fhQuAAOPREh-lsnDLWsxk_NNiDqkHxO40jCqunZgqjKgGFvwbEWnm2VND55koKzPGSPaDdH-eVIpzGjkyYNhVeo-AM/s1920/MV5BYjI4ZTEwYmItMWM5NS00NWVhLWI4N2YtY2EyYWQwNTIxYTc2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MjYzOTIy._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="817" data-original-width="1920" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5fcry28toVgyQ0kUzY1sb5fEwzJZ_6pwP7PLcwBArZYovnJWKR1cXppAVq0OOpOpRTx8vnR_vG6oJ6lvr0kQ3XQQDD0e8lAq6fhQuAAOPREh-lsnDLWsxk_NNiDqkHxO40jCqunZgqjKgGFvwbEWnm2VND55koKzPGSPaDdH-eVIpzGjkyYNhVeo-AM/w400-h170/MV5BYjI4ZTEwYmItMWM5NS00NWVhLWI4N2YtY2EyYWQwNTIxYTc2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTI4MjYzOTIy._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">James Cagney played a strong supporting
role in 1955’s <i>Mr. Roberts</i>.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The film, starring Henry
Fonda and directed by Navy veteran John Ford, was a comedy-drama about an
officer, Mr. Roberts, who wanted off a relatively safe Navy cargo ship
in WWII. He wanted to serve on a warship and engage in active combat in the great war.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">His ambition was thwarted by the
ship’s prick captain, portrayed by Cagney, who wanted Roberts, a fine officer, to stay aboard the cargo ship and help Cagney be promoted.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Cagney was great as the ship's captain,
as were the other supporting actors, such as Jack Lemon, William Powell, Ward
Bond, and even John Wayne’s young son, Patrick Wayne. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As a sailor who served in the
Navy in a later war in Vietnam on an aircraft carrier, I love this film and I’ve
rewatched many times.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You can watch the film via
the below link:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><a href="https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?&q=Mr.+Roberts+full+free+movie&&mid=54ECDF1598169A52A02454ECDF1598169A52A024&&FORM=VRDGAR">Bing Videos</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfadMpe5PNPOg_XCIQsVtbI56GT9VbWAXQpHIUbqoxp2vc7ghlyi3lcEHbIu7HnnDX51uaQqyUROGoZRZHUCuWx-hQgjBBhA3IsK6-uPsiHRPZHxhq09AzhWc070FTMmnPwmMPkXYypyv_u0nnIcPh_L_xcOO1BXfLowS51VaMR1qwpSdRlJuX3zd62A/s1023/MV5BMTcxOTA3NzEwMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjQ5MDQ2NA@@._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1023" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitfadMpe5PNPOg_XCIQsVtbI56GT9VbWAXQpHIUbqoxp2vc7ghlyi3lcEHbIu7HnnDX51uaQqyUROGoZRZHUCuWx-hQgjBBhA3IsK6-uPsiHRPZHxhq09AzhWc070FTMmnPwmMPkXYypyv_u0nnIcPh_L_xcOO1BXfLowS51VaMR1qwpSdRlJuX3zd62A/w400-h281/MV5BMTcxOTA3NzEwMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjQ5MDQ2NA@@._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">Another fine comedy James Cagney
appeared in was 1961’s </span><i style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">One, Two Three</i><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">. This lessor known Cagney film was
directed by Billy Wilder and stars Cagney as the Coca Cola executive in West
Germany during the height of the Cold War.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Cagney is terrific as a
madcap, excitable boss in the film. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The ending is great, but I won’t disclose
it here.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSRZU0PnXoKQDGAxa5LhhwdlGU3V5KJeyewoqU-_HiHBWEMsRJIfHvkhnoFji3lPTL9qkvyRiyLWPrDg7VX4WZPmdHvpEJJCaML2-6yOUoTwI8Q_d25xPwmGfVRl3yONe0LphodW0Kq7OEbYehGUOgjp0s-9qJFWw0mKeB0bFBs-42cWJJduF1Eu1ysw/s530/MV5BNzY1M2JlM2EtYjY5Zi00NTdkLTg3MjktODlkZjE5YjFlNTg5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTcyNzc3MzUz._V1_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="530" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvSRZU0PnXoKQDGAxa5LhhwdlGU3V5KJeyewoqU-_HiHBWEMsRJIfHvkhnoFji3lPTL9qkvyRiyLWPrDg7VX4WZPmdHvpEJJCaML2-6yOUoTwI8Q_d25xPwmGfVRl3yONe0LphodW0Kq7OEbYehGUOgjp0s-9qJFWw0mKeB0bFBs-42cWJJduF1Eu1ysw/w400-h258/MV5BNzY1M2JlM2EtYjY5Zi00NTdkLTg3MjktODlkZjE5YjFlNTg5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTcyNzc3MzUz._V1_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">You can watch the film via the
below link: </span><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?&q=James+Cagney+One%2c+Two+Three&&mid=5C776C76826EAEEA96975C776C76826EAEEA9697&&FORM=VRDGAR">Bing Videos</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_73lkL0uTdViPlCNitTL7gEWTcAvHIJAWh6B9g316Ir3bb5v6U0IdIl2x24F0FXDJ2l7x5Aq2OrOaGQR-lYA1FDfNdeNqI-mlz-mEb_aTVNY1CUFay4Dppd___KnqvKh2BI-BSfpMRNg5bmSgzUPAgeGPdFvCJDpqaFXkpdr3Z8XQaXb8GEEIh2Mu11M/s612/gettyimages-517216580-612x612.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_73lkL0uTdViPlCNitTL7gEWTcAvHIJAWh6B9g316Ir3bb5v6U0IdIl2x24F0FXDJ2l7x5Aq2OrOaGQR-lYA1FDfNdeNqI-mlz-mEb_aTVNY1CUFay4Dppd___KnqvKh2BI-BSfpMRNg5bmSgzUPAgeGPdFvCJDpqaFXkpdr3Z8XQaXb8GEEIh2Mu11M/w326-h400/gettyimages-517216580-612x612.jpg" width="326" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">And you read my previous
post on James Cagney as a mobster via the blow link:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2024/03/a-look-back-at-james-cagneys-roaring.html">Paul Davis On Crime: A Look Back At James Cagney's 'The Roaring Twenties'</a></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-79461517184864046542024-03-13T09:10:00.002-04:002024-03-13T09:10:23.944-04:00Former Navy Civilian Employee And Former Executive Indicted In Bribery Scheme Involving Over $100 Million In Government Contracts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KC7EPSdqc26-7jprQfOhPdWK60UEuU-iADGfkQAR-bSlm_vUf8kUakhcfhmUstFancLBBEdfT8DqWfW8Y9reVB7KNHp2bku8HlO9gIhrHIFGezPYMH-pLFB5e2rwgIFKZMlmW_JQFQOYukbeG1FjdeLmM-hRd0NbNMZs6P33O5BXorGveGXSyrC4FVE/s320/!!!!!!!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KC7EPSdqc26-7jprQfOhPdWK60UEuU-iADGfkQAR-bSlm_vUf8kUakhcfhmUstFancLBBEdfT8DqWfW8Y9reVB7KNHp2bku8HlO9gIhrHIFGezPYMH-pLFB5e2rwgIFKZMlmW_JQFQOYukbeG1FjdeLmM-hRd0NbNMZs6P33O5BXorGveGXSyrC4FVE/w400-h300/!!!!!!!.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">The U.S.
Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California, released the below
information on March 7</span><sup style="background-color: white; color: #444444;">th:</sup></p><p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">SAN
DIEGO – A former civilian employee of San Diego-based Naval Information Warfare
Center and a former executive with a South Carolina defense contractor were
charged in an indictment unsealed today with participating in a bribery scheme
to trade expensive meals, jobs and a ticket to a premiere sporting event for
help obtaining more than $100 million in government contracts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">According to
the indictment, James Soriano, of Las Vegas, Nevada, worked for the Naval
Information Warfare Center, which provided contract administration services for
the Navy. From 2006 to 2019, Soriano was an engineer, project leader and
certified “Contracting Officer Representative” with technological expertise to
help manage Department of Defense contracts. Soriano was supposed to act as
liaison between the government and the contractor, including keeping contractor
bid, proposal and selection information confidential, and protecting the
integrity of the acquisition process by maintaining fairness in the
government’s treatment of all bidders.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">According to
the indictment, Soriano instead used his considerable influence to steer
lucrative contracts to Russell Thurston of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, who
was an executive vice president of a company vying for defense contracts with
locations in Arlington, Virginia, and Charleston, South Carolina. The company
provided technical and consulting services in the information technology field.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">The indictment
said Thurston, and others working under him, gave Soriano various things of
value including jobs for a family member and friends, free meals at various
restaurants, as well as a ticket to the 2018 MLB All Star Game held at
Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. One of the friends who was given a job at
Soriano’s request gave Soriano half her salary every month—approximately $2,000
per month—in cash. The indictment indicates the friend was not actually
performing the duties for which she was being paid.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">In return,
Soriano took official action to benefit the company, including allowing
Thurston and other employees to draft procurement documents for various
contracting efforts, even where the company was competing for the contract
against other bidders. As a result of Soriano’s efforts, the company won a task
order with a more than $300 million ceiling. Soriano then approved numerous
projects on this task order, ultimately causing the government to obligate more
than $100 million to the company. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">To conceal
their activities, Thurston, Soriano, and other employees at the company would
intentionally delete document properties on procurement documents drafted
by employees. Soriano also failed to disclose the gifts on his yearly
required OGE Form 450. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><i><span style="color: #162e51; font-size: 14.0pt;">“This
indictment reveals callous greed at the cost of taxpayer dollars,” said U.S.
Attorney Tara McGrath. “This office will vigorously investigate and prosecute
fraud that threatens public trust in our institutions.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">“The
indictment of James Soriano and Russell Thurston should be a deterrent for
individuals and companies contemplating or attempting to misuse positions of
public trust in order to enrich themselves financially or ensure future
lucrative contracts,” said Bryan D. Denny, Special Agent-in-Charge for the
Department of Defense Office of Inspector General, Defense Criminal
Investigative Service, Western Field Office. “The alleged actions subvert
the integrity of the government’s acquisition process, waste taxpayers’ money,
and ultimately degrade the readiness of America’s warfighters.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">“The DoD
contracting process ensures our taxpayer dollars are spent appropriately to
equip our warfighters with the tools necessary to fight and win in an
ever-increasingly complex environment. Attempts to undermine that process
ultimately put our warfighters at risk,” said Special Agent in Charge Tyler
Hatcher, IRS Criminal Investigation. “This most recent indictment against Mr.
Soriano and Mr. Thurston is demonstrative of IRS Criminal Investigation’s
relentless commitment to supporting national security through partnering on
corruption investigations while continuing to pursue those who intentionally
evade paying their fair share in taxes, whether their income is legally or
illegally obtained.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Using a
position of public trust as a means to fraudulently grant access to federal
programs for personal gain will not be tolerated,” said SBA OIG’s Western
Region Special Agent in Charge Weston King. “Our Office will remain relentless
in the pursuit of fraudsters who seek to exploit SBA’s vital economic programs.
I want to thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for
their dedication and commitment to seeing justice served.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Soriano is
also charged with three counts of filing false tax returns as result of failing
to declare the cash that he was receiving from his friend as income.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><u style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">DEFENDANTS</span></u></b><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">
Case Number 24cr0341-TWR</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">James
Soriano
Age:
63
Las Vegas,
NV<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Russell
Thurston
Age: 51
Mt.
Pleasant, SC<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><u style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">SUMMARY OF CHARGES</span></u></b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Conspiracy to
Commit Bribery - Title 18, U.S.C., Section 371<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Maximum
penalty: Five years in prison; $250,000 fine<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Bribery –
Title 18, U.S.C., Section 201<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Maximum
penalty: Fifteen years in prison; $250,000 fine for an individual or $500,000
for an organization, or three times the monetary equivalent of the thing of
value, whichever is greater.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Fraud and
False Statement in Tax Return – Title 26, U.S.C., Section 7206(1)<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Maximum
penalty: Three years in prison; $100,000 fine<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><u style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">INVESTIGATING AGENCIES</span></u></b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Defense
Criminal Investigative Service<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Naval Criminal
Investigative Service<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Small Business
Administration – Office of Inspector General<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">IRS Criminal
Investigation<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Department of
Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">*The charges
and allegations contained in an indictment or complaint are merely accusations,
and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">If you have
information regarding fraud, waste, or abuse relating to Department of Defense
personnel or operations, please contact the DoD Hotline at 800-424-9098.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-29016563549075016322024-03-11T09:02:00.014-04:002024-03-11T09:58:54.376-04:00The Kensington Initiative: A Veteran Narcotics Officer On Combating The Kensington Open-Air Drug Market.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2C13t4UIDdvDMhmwL88EYxOZkRigSDbwrxNfHV0fy_AeBSNTJlur5JVVr9TYekb9S0Ksvn9SQ0Ty8PVzpUk7ZsVF_x3Dr8P4gWGe5REA4JcQREWQZaFSrPfj-L5YqJQpSfrBOHjbzpCrBgSAtMJd8tuW-XYZKRvuSMPFUFbWhO1HLouoFSCQw51NFORk/s1128/kensington.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="1128" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2C13t4UIDdvDMhmwL88EYxOZkRigSDbwrxNfHV0fy_AeBSNTJlur5JVVr9TYekb9S0Ksvn9SQ0Ty8PVzpUk7ZsVF_x3Dr8P4gWGe5REA4JcQREWQZaFSrPfj-L5YqJQpSfrBOHjbzpCrBgSAtMJd8tuW-XYZKRvuSMPFUFbWhO1HLouoFSCQw51NFORk/w400-h234/kensington.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt;">Broad
& Liberty ran my piece on the Philadelphia Police Department’s Kensington
Initiative, and a veteran narcotics officer on combating Kensington’s open-air
drug markets.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You
can read the piece via the below link or the below text:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><a href="https://broadandliberty.com/2024/03/11/paul-davis-the-kensington-initiative/" style="background-color: transparent;">Paul Davis: The Kensington Initiative (broadandliberty.com)</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGC3Qw7uPFGk-Ba9YQT_hQPcpVpVkq1XUk483JR0XI2B6-ARt5xf4iUiQu0rK3wQ9l29IDcHi6v-nYGO7WUG7VXJKX-Zir_pt_fdW9UKXSU1gi8zyat7aoo-_CFRIBwyXcqbycZ9IkwNvGwcRyg0e4ZTBuybn-vOhxntWv5IrTYo2HjcmwWMpV7-Fo60/s400/Cherelle-Parker-headshot-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGC3Qw7uPFGk-Ba9YQT_hQPcpVpVkq1XUk483JR0XI2B6-ARt5xf4iUiQu0rK3wQ9l29IDcHi6v-nYGO7WUG7VXJKX-Zir_pt_fdW9UKXSU1gi8zyat7aoo-_CFRIBwyXcqbycZ9IkwNvGwcRyg0e4ZTBuybn-vOhxntWv5IrTYo2HjcmwWMpV7-Fo60/w400-h400/Cherelle-Parker-headshot-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Back
on January 11th, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker and Police Commissioner
Kevin J. Bethel announced their plans to combat public safety in the city,
especially in the Kensington area, where open air drug markets and scenes of
pathetic drug addicts often make national news.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Earlier
this week, I had the privilege of meeting with community members from
Kensington to listen to their hopes and aspirations for their neighborhood,”
said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “Today, I’m proud to return and stand
with Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel as he administers the oath to Pedro
Rosario, whose unmatched qualifications and 29 years of service make him the
best candidate to lead our efforts in Kensington. We celebrate his becoming the
first Latino Deputy Police Commissioner in Philadelphia Police history – over
225 years.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kX9zpIu_BBOU_D8nUTmcx9EEiBt-SHIrrHfzTvZw67aqvQgzyNSGvuDXgpTemHcplxyay-njipv3YeIkRpwL4mCLHd0_wW3ANcnq8jwGNTjmhI2Y8a4DYesQggcv8BiPjEKuFcf6LwefbY2usPsqZLwYAOyF1LTMJPQSbEa5x-UAMJ73-TtD5XT9gtc/s1000/kevin-bethel.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kX9zpIu_BBOU_D8nUTmcx9EEiBt-SHIrrHfzTvZw67aqvQgzyNSGvuDXgpTemHcplxyay-njipv3YeIkRpwL4mCLHd0_wW3ANcnq8jwGNTjmhI2Y8a4DYesQggcv8BiPjEKuFcf6LwefbY2usPsqZLwYAOyF1LTMJPQSbEa5x-UAMJ73-TtD5XT9gtc/w320-h400/kevin-bethel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Police
Commissioner Bethel added, “For too long, Kensington has borne the scars of
drugs and blight. It’s our charge to turn the tide, and to lead this effort,
I’m excited to announce the creation of a new position within the department:
Deputy Commissioner of the Kensington Initiative. For this role, I have
determined that there’s no better person to lead the charge than Captain Pedro
Rosario. With 29 years of dedicated experience in the PPD – most of which was
spent serving in various roles in East Division – Pedro embodies the grit and
dedication this mission demands. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“And
in a historic first for our department, Deputy Commissioner Rosario’s
appointment marks a long-overdue milestone on our path to inclusivity. As the
first Latino Deputy Commissioner in PPD’s 225-year history, his leadership
reflects the diversity of the communities we serve, sending a powerful message
of representation both within and beyond the badge.”<br />
<br />
On her first day in office, Mayor Parker issued Executive Order 1-24,
declaring a “Public Safety Emergency” in Philadelphia. The Executive Order
directs “the police commissioner, with support from the managing director and
other city officials, to develop a comprehensive strategy, using every
available resource, to combat and prevent violent crime, including to attack
open-air drug markets in neighborhoods like Kensington.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
reached out to a veteran Philadelphia Police narcotic officer who works in the
East Division, and I asked him about the Kensington Initiative<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
narcotics officer welcomed the news as he explained that the officers were
shorthanded because no one wants the job of working Kensington. He also
welcomed the new leadership.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Bethal
is good,” the officer said. “I knew him back in the day when he was a cop.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
mentioned that I had gone on a ride along with a detective through Kensington a
while back. The poverty, the filth, and the desperate drug addicts on the
streets reminded me of some third-world countries I visited while serving in
the U.S. Navy <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“The
area of Kensington and Allegheny has gone through the roof. It’s gotten worse
in the last couple of years,” the narcotics officer said. “There are people
laying on the curbs, laying in the street, and they are doing the “dead man,”
with their bodies standing up. It is unbelievable that they don’t fall
down.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
narcotics officer said there is heroin cut with fentanyl being sold and they
are now encountering pure fentanyl. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“We’re
hitting houses now where there are five guys sitting around a table where they
are bagging. Nobody has a mask on, and they got pure fentanyl sitting on the
table. When we come in the door, it looks like the room is full of clouds
because there is so much fentanyl flying in the air,” the officer said. “Some
who died bagging it. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
officer spoke of the scene where one sees a corner where they ran out of drugs
and the drug dealers are waiting for a drop-off. One will also see people
walking around like zombies.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
noted that it looked like a scene from “The Walking Dead.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Then
all of a sudden, the drop-off will happen, and a guy will swing by and then
that corner opens. It’s almost like a store, and you’ll see fifty people just
coming to that corner like wildfire.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
asked the narcotics officer who were the drug dealers. Is it organized crime or
local drug gangs?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“You
have local gangs, like the Dominicans. They come into the country, and we lock
them up and they’ll be sent back, and then they’ll be here again tomorrow. They
are pretty smart. There are also Mexicans and Puerto Rican gangs. Everybody has
their own little gig.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
narcotics officer explained that a typical gang leader lives up in the
Northeast, where he’s got a nice house. He has guys who work for him, and they
are picking up the drugs and supplying Kensington and Allegheny and G Street
and Westmoreland. He has five corners that he is supplying, while there is
another gang leader who is supplying four corners like C and Allegheny. They
can be on the opposite corner of the other gang.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
asked the officer if these gangs war with each other.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Yeah,
sometimes. If they step on each other’s foot, you’ll have these shootings here
and there. Most of the street drug dealers are young whippersnappers out on the
corners. They can make from $200 to $500 a day slinging drugs. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“In
their thinking, why should they get a job? They’ll get pinched once in a while,
they’ll go to court, the judge will say, yeah whatever, OK you got fined and
probation, and then the next day they are on the corner making another $500.
It’s like a regular job.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
noted that drug dealers are like cockroaches: they scamper from the light, but
then they return. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
spoke with the narcotics officer about the mayor and the police commissioner
who are going to try to do something about the problem in Kensington. I asked
him if District Attorney Krasner will work with the new drug enforcement
initiative and prosecute the drug dealers that the cops arrest. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“That’s
going to be the problem. You are going to have to get them good for the DA to
do something.” The officer said. “I don’t think the DA prosecutes anyone
properly — other than cops.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
narcotics officer said that Krasner will slap the drug dealers on the wrist and
say let’s give them another chance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“If
the DA and courts don’t start banging these guys with stiff sentences, it’s
never going to change in Kensington and other parts of the city.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 0.25in;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Paul
Davis, a Philadelphia writer and frequent contributor to </span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Broad
+ Liberty<i>, also contributes to </i>Counterterrorism<i> magazine
and writes the “On Crime” column for the </i>Washington Times<i>. He
can be reached at pauldavisoncrime.com.</i> </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-19442506098393942762024-03-10T13:24:00.007-04:002024-03-11T08:56:52.017-04:00A Look Back At The Great South Philly Bars and Clubs From The 1970s<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGQuyXpR2XEwg8SINQpI2hT5r9Z9j5j4n_s8wvjaVKiLUBESlQGOPoRJnPzQVMAdF_x_kX9h_y2wmahqYrSq0dh-BdiAtpLDTMGfKNxx1_lMHjygOtCko33-feoQH9pepMVnxxw6JTP2wSK7Cv1UNHYys7W2iUVMIecp_CS0PbB5VdHZqMx3wWZ5X7Dc/s1276/!!4a1b2h5p5a0c.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1276" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGQuyXpR2XEwg8SINQpI2hT5r9Z9j5j4n_s8wvjaVKiLUBESlQGOPoRJnPzQVMAdF_x_kX9h_y2wmahqYrSq0dh-BdiAtpLDTMGfKNxx1_lMHjygOtCko33-feoQH9pepMVnxxw6JTP2wSK7Cv1UNHYys7W2iUVMIecp_CS0PbB5VdHZqMx3wWZ5X7Dc/w400-h283/!!4a1b2h5p5a0c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;">My
social life in the 1970s was spent mostly in some great South Philadelphia bars
and clubs.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;">After
hanging on the corner of 13th & Oregon Ave and JT's luncheonette in South
Philly in the late 1960s as a teenager, my crowd moved one block north to the
great <i>Lamplighter</i> bar on 13th & Shunk in the early 1970s. I was a regular
there after I got out of the Navy. I became good friends with Gene, the co-owner.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;">When
the<i> Lamplighter</i> closed, we moved to the <i>Sportsman</i> on Broad and Oregon Ave. When the
<i>Sportsman</i> closed after a fire, we drank and danced at <i>Angelo’s,</i> a corner bar on 9<sup>th</sup>
and Federal.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;">When
<i>Angelo’s</i> closed at 2 am, we went on to the after-hours clubs like the <i>Roman
Gardens,</i> the <i>OBL and La Dolce Vita </i>on South Street<i>.</i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;">I
later spent a lot of time at the <i>Loft</i> on 20th & Oregon Ave, which was
across the street from the Defense Department compound known as the <i>Quartermaster</i>, where I worked for many years. I went there for
lunch most days and I spent my weekends there drinking, dancing and flirting
with beautiful girls. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;">One
beautiful girl who worked at the Quartermaster and spent time with me at the
Loft, later became my wife. And we are still together after all these years.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;">I
loved the <i>Loft </i>and had a great time there until it closed.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;">I had a fine time in my 20s drinking and dancing at the great South Philly bars and clubs.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;">Note</span></b><span style="background: white; color: #050505; font-size: 14pt;">: The above photo is of me at the Loft in the late 1970s.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-4882666553113436872024-03-10T00:41:00.009-05:002024-03-10T00:52:33.440-05:00My Q&A With Former Border Patrol Special Agent Vincent Vargas <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkgx8EEvOFvm9CNYXmg5HQu1K65WcqFU4Y5jP1knWySiQ37INx46NTOzDts9FQlM3r_qC2Kef9cXo4lw2zLH14-WnZtpHktZ3EwOfhxPXjLw9_8di7v-mXSc3HujdJxXbfP4ka-7V1OMorE0YtZd7H7C1zQMk2wLcBPAEkjPHcewIxSloh4Rne-iNrXY/s1077/VinceVargas1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="916" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDkgx8EEvOFvm9CNYXmg5HQu1K65WcqFU4Y5jP1knWySiQ37INx46NTOzDts9FQlM3r_qC2Kef9cXo4lw2zLH14-WnZtpHktZ3EwOfhxPXjLw9_8di7v-mXSc3HujdJxXbfP4ka-7V1OMorE0YtZd7H7C1zQMk2wLcBPAEkjPHcewIxSloh4Rne-iNrXY/w340-h400/VinceVargas1.jpg" width="340" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><i style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Counterterrorism</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">
magazine published my Q&A with former Border Patrol Special Agent and the author of <i>Borderline: Defending the Home Front, </i>Vincent Vargas<i>.</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOxcZC7cd_KPTwAPSyWH2C11JAPjUFXyPn7k6JicKSLMpe8pXb9kvjjiOaufZdnZ9Sx9ptpCgNTecYwE-vZDj97qwQUKQS8-5huJaHTprROi09Fui7OvUeTDX67dGhS4PvpZidLy2Pv2O4CE7h0qCOaI0JVWsGBIOx84zZzJjMBp2JTqDK106kZLji6w/s1670/Borderline.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1670" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisOxcZC7cd_KPTwAPSyWH2C11JAPjUFXyPn7k6JicKSLMpe8pXb9kvjjiOaufZdnZ9Sx9ptpCgNTecYwE-vZDj97qwQUKQS8-5huJaHTprROi09Fui7OvUeTDX67dGhS4PvpZidLy2Pv2O4CE7h0qCOaI0JVWsGBIOx84zZzJjMBp2JTqDK106kZLji6w/w259-h400/Borderline.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>You
can read the interview via the below pages or the below text:</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8b7dizzgItrZlDMjf9xS2QYGRxB7Lyobfq5utl4m4wr9mgZjbZby-ZC0BmPkCh_B37KmatdQAmY8BQ3G5_xrrD3CgS8Je19eG2AzWKSLMMcUyQ3ruA67NlllM3hjaCOl28aygipjKNYvYUzMTm2XXloJPs3GVkM-lkTprT_dd4jmEQXaFJgTX2juIG4/s1089/Vargas1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1089" data-original-width="842" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8b7dizzgItrZlDMjf9xS2QYGRxB7Lyobfq5utl4m4wr9mgZjbZby-ZC0BmPkCh_B37KmatdQAmY8BQ3G5_xrrD3CgS8Je19eG2AzWKSLMMcUyQ3ruA67NlllM3hjaCOl28aygipjKNYvYUzMTm2XXloJPs3GVkM-lkTprT_dd4jmEQXaFJgTX2juIG4/w309-h400/Vargas1.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXBiireCj_-TF6z6j8lWwxuVcgcBnGuoPzC7UHCfz8WtnS5fpahXk2c1qpxqhwtjAHYQ1CSLEQi2XZMNL2sjAD0WF-rcT5YhvxNMpThOqN_vbp0RF_Ij73YYDfuJM-kzTVFfPDMXOpsw4Knu0RfmKJfkOwbZSQW84zeoTVSdagwKDjqupo_1riv76LDc/s1111/Vargas2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="859" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaXBiireCj_-TF6z6j8lWwxuVcgcBnGuoPzC7UHCfz8WtnS5fpahXk2c1qpxqhwtjAHYQ1CSLEQi2XZMNL2sjAD0WF-rcT5YhvxNMpThOqN_vbp0RF_Ij73YYDfuJM-kzTVFfPDMXOpsw4Knu0RfmKJfkOwbZSQW84zeoTVSdagwKDjqupo_1riv76LDc/w309-h400/Vargas2.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2J-GsT3Tol3vrx_zjQYHUFKJUBzpYqy0xMN8z76X2x8FibJ6IkpQs3DljrgwNXw1KlnifANosuT0fnXev7Wundi1pYHby6kvjEGT5gZpV4eZBj9ig4CUZiGkSTNC_spBYJe3Kqw88s0tFdlDNxgjSOR3poD4YEWge-bX8qQBOlNz7A_jC9N_Ku5wnRAI/s1111/Vargas3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="859" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2J-GsT3Tol3vrx_zjQYHUFKJUBzpYqy0xMN8z76X2x8FibJ6IkpQs3DljrgwNXw1KlnifANosuT0fnXev7Wundi1pYHby6kvjEGT5gZpV4eZBj9ig4CUZiGkSTNC_spBYJe3Kqw88s0tFdlDNxgjSOR3poD4YEWge-bX8qQBOlNz7A_jC9N_Ku5wnRAI/w309-h400/Vargas3.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4BlC39W90ATlgueYj-9xLWT2Lng8tEaCmojUVwDgi5_k1BvuMOqxxbbT030PAeU5fUeQJ0PZf8S0Zxvih3TxToRWSEgVNwOn9ZiyH_Pl5JKv8jYdLHtO-h_I3VR8UXbNF2KxSe7FrORLe6cOZvK-_WUIZMFKnNZzC_aCnFffYR6HVzkJKPbvSzKkCAg/s700/VinceVargas5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="700" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs4BlC39W90ATlgueYj-9xLWT2Lng8tEaCmojUVwDgi5_k1BvuMOqxxbbT030PAeU5fUeQJ0PZf8S0Zxvih3TxToRWSEgVNwOn9ZiyH_Pl5JKv8jYdLHtO-h_I3VR8UXbNF2KxSe7FrORLe6cOZvK-_WUIZMFKnNZzC_aCnFffYR6HVzkJKPbvSzKkCAg/w400-h363/VinceVargas5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vincent
“Rocco” Vargas was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles,
California. After several years of college baseball, Vincent Vargas enlisted in
the US Army and went on to serve three combat deployments with the 2nd
Battalion of the elite 75th Ranger Regiment. </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 14pt;">After 4 years of active-duty service, he
joined the U.S. Army Reserves and serves as a drill instructor.</span></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: white; font-size: 14pt;">In 2009 he became a
Federal Agent with the Border Patrol and was a Medic with the Border Patrol’s Special
Operations Group.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vincent
is currently an entrepreneur, actor, writer, author and producer. Previous film
credits include Lucy Shimmers and the Prince of Peace (2020-Actor and
Co-Executive Producer), Not a War Story (2017-Self and Executive Producer), and
Dads in Parks (2016-Self and Writer).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; vertical-align: baseline;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvc54-Lzk8SKm2_QYDFmxsOYsO5RPeKzFb3tyIW7ZOGZyy8NQr5oRlEXfaZpMnxQUm-OdmXgf_ITupFWtVmwuyOhdkZiP8oRG2X0MJczBWNvIOPsjXcD8r4MEKDIrL7L-TP7MNB4yZoMPVLv2EmIBINZQq4gnoUmKoNiUdSJkiYwhaNoyeZBXpesWxi9Q/s1242/VinceVargasMayansTV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="1242" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvc54-Lzk8SKm2_QYDFmxsOYsO5RPeKzFb3tyIW7ZOGZyy8NQr5oRlEXfaZpMnxQUm-OdmXgf_ITupFWtVmwuyOhdkZiP8oRG2X0MJczBWNvIOPsjXcD8r4MEKDIrL7L-TP7MNB4yZoMPVLv2EmIBINZQq4gnoUmKoNiUdSJkiYwhaNoyeZBXpesWxi9Q/w400-h269/VinceVargasMayansTV.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Most
recently, Vincent was a writer on season 5 and played ‘Gilly’ on the #1 cable
television series “Mayans MC” for FX.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He
is also a motivational speaker and focuses on veteran advocacy, leadership, military
transition and motivating youth.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He is married with eight children
and resides in Salt Lake City, Utah.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vincent Vargas is also the
author of “Borderline: Defending The
Home Front.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He was interviewed by Paul
Davis.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: I read your book, and
I enjoyed it. How would you describe “Borderline” And why did you write the
book?</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: “Borderline” is a
hard look at the Border Patrol agent career field through the eyes of someone
who lived it. The book was written to educate the average person of what the
job entailed daily. Most don’t really know what the job does besides what they
see in snippets of information on the Internet or read in the media, which are
not always factual. So I thought I would be the best advocate for the Border
Patrol and tell the story from my eyes.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As my career is now over, I
can highlight and educate people on what the job actually is. I wrote it
because I saw what is happening in the media. I saw the so-called whipping.
That incident was very aggravating to me to see all the way up the chain of command
was really bashing the Border Patrol for doing their job, their almost
impossible, complex job. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: I see your point, but
some elements of the media, such as Fox News and the Washington Times, did
defend the agents, explaining that the agents were using the horse’s reins to
control the large animal, and not using whips on the illegal aliens.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Why did you become a Border
Patrol Agent after serving as a Ranger in the U.S. Army, and what years did you
serve?</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: I served in the Border Patrol from 2009 to
2015. I joined because I wanted to serve my country on our own soil. I was
formerly active-duty military with Special Operations, and I was doing “Kill or
Capture” missions against terrorist organizations overseas. I saw there was a
bigger mission happening with homeland security in our own country. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: You fought in Iraq and
Afghanistan. How did your military combat experience differ from your
experiences as an agent on the Southern Border? </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: The difference
between military and law enforcement are the rules of engagement. In the
military we have an almost one-track mind. We get intel on the target, and we
do what we have to do to take them out. In the Border Patrol it is very
complex.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I do carry a gun on my hip,
but at the same time I’m also on a humanitarian mission. I’m also there as a
medic and a crisis response person, so we wear many hats in the Border Patrol.
It differs extremely from the military in that you have to be a little more
intelligent in how you approach the clear field and how you approach every mission.
There are so many different facets, so I believe it is a little more
challenging with the duality of the mission of immigration and homeland security,
bur also in the complexity of what is happening on the border, from tracking
drug smuggling to your basic humanitarian mission.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: On the border you have
illegal immigrants crossing, and you have cartel drug smugglers and human
traffickers, and even terrorists. How does a Border Patrol agent deal with
those kinds of issues on a daily basis, both physically and emotionally?</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: The emotional side of
it is starting to hit a little more now, because the outside sources like to
portray the Border Patrol negativity. A career field that I believe is doing a noteworthy
job is being demonized.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: Are you in contact
with current Border Patrol agents? And if so, what do they say about how the
job has changed since you left?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: I am. They feel
alone. They feel like they don’t have a voice. That’s the reason I wrote this
book, hoping I’d be a voice for them. I don’t think the average person in
America can differentiate between the Border Patrol and Customs and ICE. It is
frustrating for them to be demonized. The majority of Americans support the
military, right?</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: Not in my day.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: I hear you. Right
now, I think the job of the Border Patrol is just as important as the
military.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: What do you think of
the current Homeland Security policies?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: I understand the
humanitarian push for people seeking asylum, but it almost seems everyone is
seeking asylum which almost means it is a loophole in our system. I think a lot
of people in the nation have become frustrated with it.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: Do you think the
border crisis will be an issue in the upcoming presidential election? Do you
think it will be one of the top five issues?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: Absolutely. I think
it will be one of the top two.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: The idea that
thousands of migrants are allowed into the country while waiting years for an
asylum hearing, which chances are they won’t show up for, is ludicrous to
me.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: It’s called an NTA.
Notice To Appear. We’ve seen some dated back close to ten years. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: There is no incentive
for these people to show up for the hearing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: Yeah, it’s kind of a
loophole in the system that people are taking advantage of. It’s a problem.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: In your book, you show
great empathy for those crossing the border, which I admire. I’m a military
hawk and a law-and-order guy, but other than the drug smugglers, the human
traffickers and other criminals and terrorists, the average people trying to
enter the country are trying for a better life for themselves and their family.
They are wrong to enter illegally, but one can understand why they are trying
to. How would you describe the typical illegal immigrant?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: They are a good
majority who are coming here and really wanting to work. It is the only means
they know of to earn really good money for some kind of labor work that the
average American does not want to do. Yeah, I’m kind of empathic. We are a
country of immigrants, but in saying that, there is a significant uptick in
terrorist-potential threats and crime issues. We have to have a solid
immigration policy and on top of that we also must have a good homeland
security policy that protects us.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: We also don’t have the
money for the social services for all these illegal immigrants.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: That’s correct. We
are a country of dignity. There are some people who think we should be closed
off to everyone, but that is not realistic. There is a middle ground.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: How does training for
a Border Patrol special agent differ from say an FBI special agent?</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: We are the
direct-action force on the border. So we focus a lot on learning the border
culture. We are field agents more than anything. We track people from the dirt,
we walk miles and miles in the brush and the desert, so we are trained to be
good outdoor agents. Boots on the ground, doing the job.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: I guess being a former
Army Ranger helps.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Absolutely. I changed uniforms but I was doing
a similar mission.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: How would you describe
the Border Patrol’s special operations groups, BORSTAR, t</span><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14pt;">he Border Patrol Search, Trauma,
and Rescue Unit, and BORTAC, the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC)?
I understand from your book, you were BORSTAR, but you were also assigned to
BORTAC.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: Hands down, the best
kept secret Homeland Security has is the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, BORTAC.
It is one of the best tactical units in our arsenal. And our BORSTAR team is
one of the best you could ever come by. You don’t find many medics who are
highly trained in many different facets of rescue. They are also trained in
using their rifles as well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: What was the highlight
of your career?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: The highlight of my
career was rescuing and safeguarding lives and taking bad people off the
streets. The hardest times are the many dead bodies we came across on the
border that have passed due to circumstances because they were manipulated in
crossing the border illegally by trafficking organizations. This will forever
be a toll on my soul.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: You resigned from the
Border Patrol to become an actor, writer and producer. Why the career change?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Vargas: I want to leave a
footprint from my life experiences that hopefully show a different point of
view from a different lens. So being able to be an artist and using my words in
a way that I believe is for good and not evil, is really the mission. It also
keeps me home a little more often with the kids. I felt like I had to hang up
the cleats, if you will, being “runnin’ and gunnin’” all these years, and try
to be a better father for my kids.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">IACSP: Thank you for your
service and thank you for talking to us.</span></p><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnJ2SmMhcw1gGgajPy6wqb38Epf8DSupg6Q7tHxRIuNPCqglCXDRiv1sv7ChZE__kAyA5ji80oj86mk3D-WCSVh7auEdrAUMP_jkZa3FfvC6W1OPwiYdz6PhqsKtfiAyHX9fys5soF19r2qR9rO-bn06zvkmb79ElwyHp0FvWhP3NscL0Ey4hFWTS0PU/s1106/VinceVargas3.jpg" style="font-size: 14pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1106" data-original-width="764" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMnJ2SmMhcw1gGgajPy6wqb38Epf8DSupg6Q7tHxRIuNPCqglCXDRiv1sv7ChZE__kAyA5ji80oj86mk3D-WCSVh7auEdrAUMP_jkZa3FfvC6W1OPwiYdz6PhqsKtfiAyHX9fys5soF19r2qR9rO-bn06zvkmb79ElwyHp0FvWhP3NscL0Ey4hFWTS0PU/w276-h400/VinceVargas3.jpg" width="276" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-6238919696325581672024-03-09T22:46:00.000-05:002024-03-09T22:46:03.527-05:00My Teenage Safe Place <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDVAAmSrLSTVAAtgbXmGgMaa3QtDME50dNfWQvuNd0xaDFUqySHTRG047yzuBhvOq-gB_gBKsZAZN763E0SMX68wHzYD_sZCqB8mZhlRixxDw-9y1tgXK_nOKEWCtspb3rPd5ACGghUpOTrK-ddGSmF1pBj1xl1ZO38frjSCy6Hg7KDb1dk_iqpDlHWw/s1005/430123871_7331430786892590_5198587520124949273_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDVAAmSrLSTVAAtgbXmGgMaa3QtDME50dNfWQvuNd0xaDFUqySHTRG047yzuBhvOq-gB_gBKsZAZN763E0SMX68wHzYD_sZCqB8mZhlRixxDw-9y1tgXK_nOKEWCtspb3rPd5ACGghUpOTrK-ddGSmF1pBj1xl1ZO38frjSCy6Hg7KDb1dk_iqpDlHWw/w286-h400/430123871_7331430786892590_5198587520124949273_n.jpg" width="286" /></a></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-84665063258665923632024-03-09T13:57:00.005-05:002024-03-09T13:57:44.980-05:00A Look Back At Mickey Spillane, The King Of Pulp <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcq2PpLcO5geBz4HypMVYUiazCjropXtKziYH0V_yWF82ML1NAvusZA2tTkh_1v1OpTMHRN-iGwqHENZZfDwOIZ9A5co55ZemNmx99_-QgJ_LkNcPBNY_w63JRvl1QpBEIjD1L75rb06EpRlyQ_U0ZcJ-VDb68Vwn-AfgnjQJelE6zfN1UC03n-jErmVU/s338/mickey%20spillane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="250" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcq2PpLcO5geBz4HypMVYUiazCjropXtKziYH0V_yWF82ML1NAvusZA2tTkh_1v1OpTMHRN-iGwqHENZZfDwOIZ9A5co55ZemNmx99_-QgJ_LkNcPBNY_w63JRvl1QpBEIjD1L75rb06EpRlyQ_U0ZcJ-VDb68Vwn-AfgnjQJelE6zfN1UC03n-jErmVU/w296-h400/mickey%20spillane.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Today is crime writer Mickey Spillane's
birthday. He was born on March 9, 1918, and he died on July 17, 2006. He
was 88.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDd4z26IPxcKbmpmCHKz_cXYDzhq4IB8ob8CLUMKPwvKxnw8Z7b4hq9b5ZVqLIsrA9_4_3vRiXnVKwUXxl7YGCGbjgYo1TjgWSJccDGvOzDVu4JZyopo_c8hYgwDnPczREuwlT9u7QGUPEBj1AtEWXPGL-RSEfOd4ttyeYWLkcjcAraBMU2puV9nmSkoI/s668/Barker_Spillane_I_the_Jury_(v_small,_poor).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="668" data-original-width="414" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDd4z26IPxcKbmpmCHKz_cXYDzhq4IB8ob8CLUMKPwvKxnw8Z7b4hq9b5ZVqLIsrA9_4_3vRiXnVKwUXxl7YGCGbjgYo1TjgWSJccDGvOzDVu4JZyopo_c8hYgwDnPczREuwlT9u7QGUPEBj1AtEWXPGL-RSEfOd4ttyeYWLkcjcAraBMU2puV9nmSkoI/w248-h400/Barker_Spillane_I_the_Jury_(v_small,_poor).jpg" width="248" /></a></div><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<span style="background: white;">Mickey Spillane's <i>I, the Jury </i>was
one of the first crime thrillers I read as a boy, and I thought it was
terrific.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">The novel was tough, violent and sexy.
I loved the book's wild ending. I thought it was a cool book.</span></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<span style="background: white;">I went on to read better crime novels and
thrillers, like the works of Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, Ian Fleming,
Eric Ambler and others, but I remember fondly Spillane's <i>I,
the Jury</i> like one remembers his first girlfriend.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">I love Spillane's "fuck you"
attitude regarding critics. Despite the terrible reviews he received during his
life, he sold millions of copies of his books. He wrote unabashedly for money,
and he said his books were the chewing gum of American literature.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">He was unabashedly conservative
and unpretentious. He called his readers "customers"
and said he was a writer not an author. He later became as famous for his
TV beer commercials as he was for his crime novels.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNJnVndttU4PiHhj6Q_mwcy5u1qZdNzGKrU5KOYs-5nCGAHDlJ05c6TP8_9ckp1SDTyyhwxlIzmuOxepy5G7CLAdTj4PgF3buJjS5xdC6ww9eGBO6LhvXzzHCVCE0mQdvEpEnL-9KWDs0ncdnTtPAQZEnxl0lj2ofQ0a11ARbluHIYJ_cek0NXUjB9Qg/s400/w400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNJnVndttU4PiHhj6Q_mwcy5u1qZdNzGKrU5KOYs-5nCGAHDlJ05c6TP8_9ckp1SDTyyhwxlIzmuOxepy5G7CLAdTj4PgF3buJjS5xdC6ww9eGBO6LhvXzzHCVCE0mQdvEpEnL-9KWDs0ncdnTtPAQZEnxl0lj2ofQ0a11ARbluHIYJ_cek0NXUjB9Qg/w268-h400/w400.jpg" width="268" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;">Last year Max Collins and James L. Traylor wrote a fine
biography of the late writer, called Spillane: The King of Pulp Fiction.”</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14.0pt;">The biography covers Spillane’s fascinating life, from his
upbringing and service as a pilot in World War II to his progression from comic
book writer to best-selling crime novelist. </span></p><p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14.0pt;">I wrote two <i>On Crime</i> columns for the <i>Washington Times</i> on the biography. </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gbZRWAjiMa-V7lp3Z0kt6k1Sr-MziydA9K8qbI-o1DSEQfCXaJNpW85TyI0tjzk8LEQkhcmLl_SGaw_wtafQjZXCl9UldF0oiUxrkRXZnR-ZUyGT3xA8kHjvoDfBTX4qZQfWW-Gv2Dkce63pWhBqFY_lWdLt_EGSPTN3WqFeUq3dF0Eh85LPsaaoPvo/s5019/Spillane%20in%20Manhattan%201961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5019" data-original-width="3916" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2gbZRWAjiMa-V7lp3Z0kt6k1Sr-MziydA9K8qbI-o1DSEQfCXaJNpW85TyI0tjzk8LEQkhcmLl_SGaw_wtafQjZXCl9UldF0oiUxrkRXZnR-ZUyGT3xA8kHjvoDfBTX4qZQfWW-Gv2Dkce63pWhBqFY_lWdLt_EGSPTN3WqFeUq3dF0Eh85LPsaaoPvo/w313-h400/Spillane%20in%20Manhattan%201961.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">You can read my <i>Washington Times On Crime</i> columns on
the Mickey Spillane biography via the below links:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2023/03/my-washington-times-on-crime-column-on.html">Paul Davis On Crime: My Washington Times 'On Crime' Column on 'Spillane: The King Of Pulp Fiction'</a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2023/03/a-look-back-at-mickey-spillane-my.html">Paul Davis On Crime: A Look Back At Mickey Spillane: My Washington Times On Crime Column, Part Two, On 'Spillane: King Of Pulp Fiction'</a> </p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-16086371502613906802024-03-07T03:02:00.010-05:002024-03-07T03:04:43.827-05:00My Counterterrorism Magazine Piece On How The FBI Caught The Traitorous Cuban Spies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRzHBTmGvS25y8ChTmAf48OHqb19Z2goIPmydSvOKSBvVs1ueRD_691InhgsbU7RZjH5yu9684NctzZigTHJ9F_2MXLKpWW-6-An1VnIheK-wOb2wLCwKqjKdDsgdBXKu896juz3AFmx8z6-IWeUFqToxpnlHSkjNmpvN2GVbNV5zn5JFmxyoOaO_uL8/s1440/SuspectedCubanSpyVictorRoca.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="1440" height="294" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRzHBTmGvS25y8ChTmAf48OHqb19Z2goIPmydSvOKSBvVs1ueRD_691InhgsbU7RZjH5yu9684NctzZigTHJ9F_2MXLKpWW-6-An1VnIheK-wOb2wLCwKqjKdDsgdBXKu896juz3AFmx8z6-IWeUFqToxpnlHSkjNmpvN2GVbNV5zn5JFmxyoOaO_uL8/w400-h294/SuspectedCubanSpyVictorRoca.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><i style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Counterterrorism</span></i><span style="font-size: 14pt; text-align: justify;"> magazine ran my
piece on how the FBI caught the traitorous Cuban spies.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You can read the
piece via the below pages or the below text:</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QWDKINHrDDfmbNQsriR5A8FlPIvDZLeS034IubVKDP27fOARkXIiYV9aDg__bZG7O5qKU5IavHS0evxNcBC_Gl1KAHE1pQtp5MOWjwrnOdrqjhRP4Bfi0eC9Ijv-QG565FW9n50QbQi-CEj11gYO7m9uFM6d5Z3ql2LWo6RyFMGiaIj5pjUaqCk1JFw/s1111/FBICubanSpies1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="859" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QWDKINHrDDfmbNQsriR5A8FlPIvDZLeS034IubVKDP27fOARkXIiYV9aDg__bZG7O5qKU5IavHS0evxNcBC_Gl1KAHE1pQtp5MOWjwrnOdrqjhRP4Bfi0eC9Ijv-QG565FW9n50QbQi-CEj11gYO7m9uFM6d5Z3ql2LWo6RyFMGiaIj5pjUaqCk1JFw/w309-h400/FBICubanSpies1.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLWpFeCOX_yZLifY0VxYQPU42HLKXLJnnSa8pjHwlE6PMRv8QU_nh1B-RMRUazBVi1SwJQdwLobvPE4WBpF3SbnIohQiBnh7VQT5uKHSF0yyqLwYMFF0u9sWNXHC79SQsnRENkkwtpx8WCEMjnVwzhtRCTwK2-O7GwfwddbiWaYfTZc-zZkRUe2Z86B0/s1111/FBICubanSpies2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="859" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYLWpFeCOX_yZLifY0VxYQPU42HLKXLJnnSa8pjHwlE6PMRv8QU_nh1B-RMRUazBVi1SwJQdwLobvPE4WBpF3SbnIohQiBnh7VQT5uKHSF0yyqLwYMFF0u9sWNXHC79SQsnRENkkwtpx8WCEMjnVwzhtRCTwK2-O7GwfwddbiWaYfTZc-zZkRUe2Z86B0/w309-h400/FBICubanSpies2.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77jAQWCFPUWFMLar5sGNVCH5hUyCBpUfwDHjAfl4cOI88piWCtdSgjphHkzMrYLHQYrIDJJAsoflCQhhA3pTlDVQxfRwHaRW7gyIg58Y9lBEJ4ZHcIBkvSITuel1Qkcu_paLSo1Y1ohWye_a0uHjmh_aJBXvJ5opB4gDQNdI1l4bmdm7Vr7sd4GrkpC0/s1111/FBICubanSpies3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="859" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj77jAQWCFPUWFMLar5sGNVCH5hUyCBpUfwDHjAfl4cOI88piWCtdSgjphHkzMrYLHQYrIDJJAsoflCQhhA3pTlDVQxfRwHaRW7gyIg58Y9lBEJ4ZHcIBkvSITuel1Qkcu_paLSo1Y1ohWye_a0uHjmh_aJBXvJ5opB4gDQNdI1l4bmdm7Vr7sd4GrkpC0/w309-h400/FBICubanSpies3.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbe2u4woLQUEtTzPky1T-nKYKHoRpbjfn7HqcYqQOSwZkFbYn60jczixWFRWTsXN0d0-M8KRIYSRWjf21nvgdCBbYgkJVYm8rJahWcuk9DdYuUzjHyi3aCFVFcc8FJm_pCwJuzeRhoLzjFH9pZVBMo7IbpAt46-a1pvnoV-K1Hh4fEgLy7hFGOWbNeERE/s1089/FBICubanSpies4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1089" data-original-width="842" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbe2u4woLQUEtTzPky1T-nKYKHoRpbjfn7HqcYqQOSwZkFbYn60jczixWFRWTsXN0d0-M8KRIYSRWjf21nvgdCBbYgkJVYm8rJahWcuk9DdYuUzjHyi3aCFVFcc8FJm_pCwJuzeRhoLzjFH9pZVBMo7IbpAt46-a1pvnoV-K1Hh4fEgLy7hFGOWbNeERE/w309-h400/FBICubanSpies4.jpg" width="309" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtF5zYGLKfi6nmWY8gE1bNo-YxeP2QM0AU52dkMUXxlxxjYjA-j9zZRu1bsohdFOQ8gNC0HzUcDo0ZeSmkqKSpVNTterwiDBIWZekVyzT4vLTa79P8309po5Pp8nb8Zt4bGkpqN_j8bh29cwcpSSUKEGIaMKrf1D-P8U5WH4qfYXEVWwJ6K83Z3rHTSFI/s598/Ana+Montes+and+George+Tenet.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="598" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtF5zYGLKfi6nmWY8gE1bNo-YxeP2QM0AU52dkMUXxlxxjYjA-j9zZRu1bsohdFOQ8gNC0HzUcDo0ZeSmkqKSpVNTterwiDBIWZekVyzT4vLTa79P8309po5Pp8nb8Zt4bGkpqN_j8bh29cwcpSSUKEGIaMKrf1D-P8U5WH4qfYXEVWwJ6K83Z3rHTSFI/w400-h314/Ana+Montes+and+George+Tenet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">How the FBI Caught the Traitorous Cuban
Spies </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">By Paul Davis</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When one thinks of the threat of spies in the
United States, one usually thinks of the Soviet KGB and Communist China’s MSS.
But as many CIA officers and FBI special agents are quick to note, Communist
Cuba’s <span style="background: white;">Intelligence Directorate </span>(DI) is a
formidable foe and a true threat to American national security.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="background: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 14pt;">The </span><span style="background: white; color: black; font-size: 14pt;">Directorate General of
Intelligence (DGI) was established </span><span style="background: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 14pt;">in 1961 when Fidel Castro took over of the
Caribbean Island. Tutored by the Soviet KGB, the DGI became responsible for
intelligence, counterintelligence, and disinformation both inside Cuba and
abroad. The name of Cuban intelligence was changed to the DI in 1989.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsGGZHWS0B_yE1i7atIZRjTTO_0USQrqQs8snSZ7M19tXw6BwCKE-iAiVh9vunIRQF2Dt17lHl1tL0CMtIXR-jch24RFamqr5EvLDU-9XO2wSy3vY1JKBDxDgGI3YOPfm6CnFuABTZj0_sdsDViys5zehwZiAG08WTgBzWFJ3ae0VkYb4SbqbKeq7zIk/s378/RochaSpy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="302" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpsGGZHWS0B_yE1i7atIZRjTTO_0USQrqQs8snSZ7M19tXw6BwCKE-iAiVh9vunIRQF2Dt17lHl1tL0CMtIXR-jch24RFamqr5EvLDU-9XO2wSy3vY1JKBDxDgGI3YOPfm6CnFuABTZj0_sdsDViys5zehwZiAG08WTgBzWFJ3ae0VkYb4SbqbKeq7zIk/w320-h400/RochaSpy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">On December 4,
2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida, in Miami announced
that they had charged Victor Manuel Rocha (seen in the above photo), 73, of Miami, Florida, with
committing multiple federal crimes by secretly acting for decades as an agent
of the government of Communist Cuba.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 6.0pt; margin: 6pt 0in 12pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Like Kendall Myers, a former State Department official, who along
with his wife Gwendolyn, was convicted of spying for Cuba in 2010, and Ana
Montes (seen in the above photo receiving an award from then-CIA Director George Tenet), a former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) analyst who was convicted of
spying for Cuba in 2002, Rocha stands accused of being run successfully as a
spy for many years by Cuba intelligence.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Rocha, a former
U.S. Department of State employee, served on the National Security Council from
1994 to 1995 and ultimately as the U.S. Ambassador to Bolivia from 2000 to 2002.
</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“This action
exposes one of the highest-reaching and longest-lasting infiltrations of the
United States government by a foreign agent,” Attorney General Merrick B.
Garland said. “We allege that for over 40 years, Victor Manuel Rocha served as
an agent of the Cuban government and sought out and obtained positions within
the United States government that would provide him with access to non-public
information and the ability to affect U.S. foreign policy. Those who have the
privilege of serving in the government of the United States are given an
enormous amount of trust by the public we serve. To betray that trust by
falsely pledging loyalty to the United States while serving a foreign power is
a crime that will be met with the full force of the Justice Department.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Also weighing in
was FBI Director Christophr Wray, who stated, “Like all federal officials, U.S.
diplomats swear an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United
States. Acting as an agent for Cuba – a hostile foreign power – is a blatant
violation of that oath and betrays the trust of the American people.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">According to the federal
criminal complaint, beginning approximately in 1981, and continuing to the
present, Rocha, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Colombia, secretly
supported the Republic of Cuba and its clandestine intelligence-gathering
mission against the United States by serving as a covert agent of Cuba’s DGI.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Rocha obtained
employment in the U.S. Department of State between 1981 and 2002, in positions
that provided him access to nonpublic information, including classified
information, and the ability to affect U.S. foreign policy. After his State
Department employment ended, Rocha engaged in other acts intended to support
Cuba’s intelligence services. From around 2006 until 2012, Rocha was an advisor
to the Commander of the U.S. Southern Command, a joint command of the United
States military whose area of responsibility includes Cuba.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The complaint further
alleges that Rocha kept his status as a Cuban agent secret in order to protect
himself and others and to allow himself the opportunity to engage in additional
clandestine activity. Rocha provided false and misleading information to the
United States to maintain his secret mission; traveled outside the United
States to meet with Cuban intelligence operatives; and made false and
misleading statements to obtain travel documents.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Rocha began his
State Department career in 1981, rising through the ranks to serve in a variety
of roles, including being the First Secretary at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico
City, Mexico, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic, the Director of Inter-American Affairs on the U.S. National
Security Council, with special responsibility for, among other things, Cuba, the
Deputy Principal Officer at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, Cuba, the
Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he served as the Ambassador to Bolivia at the
U.S. Embassy in La Paz, Bolivia.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">The Justice
Department alleges that, in a series of meetings during 2022 and 2023 with an FBI
undercover agent posing as a Cuban intelligence officer, Rocha made repeated
statements admitting his “decades” of work for Cuba, spanning “40 years.” </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">When the
undercover agent told Rocha he was “a covert representative here in Miami”
whose mission was “to contact you, introduce myself as your new contact, and
establish a new communication plan,” Rocha answered “Yes,” and proceeded to
engage in a lengthy conversation during which he described and celebrated his
activity as a Cuban intelligence agent. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Throughout the
meetings, Rocha behaved as a Cuban agent, consistently referring to the United
States as “the enemy,” and using the term “we” to describe himself and Cuba.
Rocha additionally praised Fidel Castro as the “Comandante,” and referred to
his contacts in Cuban intelligence as his “Compañeros” (comrades) and to the
Cuban intelligence services as the <i>Dirección</i>.” Rocha described his work
as a Cuban agent as “a grand slam.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Rocha is charged
with conspiring to act as an agent of a foreign government without prior
notification to the Attorney General; acting as an agent of a foreign
government without prior notification to the Attorney General; and with using a
passport obtained by false statement. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAG9EnOW6iZQtHXLg3JHHcuNSw1kJnSvnXjrQSQcEWvcZWUmQZEztY6_QYk2K47buPozDxQ0l3YGzM3a6hhNu7Gb6eDSMLpj98XJkfo2K8Yc_okup4ubLWWyuI5gS1eSvfqXdq657K9mdCqDRoJkcNxToXCODXbTx0HKhgd5TmUWrZeYBsi7QPzlfoZQ/s1011/Former%20CIAOfficerRicPrado.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="808" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcAG9EnOW6iZQtHXLg3JHHcuNSw1kJnSvnXjrQSQcEWvcZWUmQZEztY6_QYk2K47buPozDxQ0l3YGzM3a6hhNu7Gb6eDSMLpj98XJkfo2K8Yc_okup4ubLWWyuI5gS1eSvfqXdq657K9mdCqDRoJkcNxToXCODXbTx0HKhgd5TmUWrZeYBsi7QPzlfoZQ/w320-h400/Former%20CIAOfficerRicPrado.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in; text-align: left;">Cuban American Enrique “Ric” Prado (seen in the above photo), a retired CIA official
and the author of “</span><span class="a-size-extra-large" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Black
Ops: The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior,” </span></span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in; text-align: left;">spoke of the arrest of Rocha and Ana Montes, who was
recently released from prison after serving 20 years for spying for Cuba.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> </span></p>
<h1 style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-color-alt: windowtext; padding: 0in;">“We should enforce harder measures on those who betray our
government’s trust.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></span></h1>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">When asked if Rocha appears to be a
different sort of spy than Montes, he replied, “The cases are similar and the
damage to our security is immeasurable. My colleagues opine that Rocha did more
damage than Montes based on his greater access as an ambassador.’ </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Prado believes Rocha and Montes should
rot in jail.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Prado, who stated that he fought
communism as a CIA officer in five different incarnations, especially his three
years working in the Contra camps and helping to “dethrone” the Soviet and
Cuban-back Sandinista regime, said the DGI did a good job running these two for
as long as they did.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">“Remember, however, Cuban intelligence has
only one enemy, the US of A. Unlike western intelligence services, who have to
deal with all the “isms,” such as communism, terrorism, anarchism, and
radicalism, Cuban intelligence is omni-focused on the U.S.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPVpTnM2TAjbx2N5TEWJgM0QDNCX47dLNoDG0Ect7wtQxpCzNvGznJFyECRmx33-jOHpCRaqe7EvJuSN9Kn-wpnFMxeP4KIeZJxxs0FYK4-VXqNQ6BH-58xltG4o4Tj6M9luIobV4TBKslvNpwRycEE_-DlTnynmrhRQlI3hrFXHEk99RVPWXOZdUBw9Y/s1025/ConvictedCubanSpyAnaBelenMontes.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="750" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPVpTnM2TAjbx2N5TEWJgM0QDNCX47dLNoDG0Ect7wtQxpCzNvGznJFyECRmx33-jOHpCRaqe7EvJuSN9Kn-wpnFMxeP4KIeZJxxs0FYK4-VXqNQ6BH-58xltG4o4Tj6M9luIobV4TBKslvNpwRycEE_-DlTnynmrhRQlI3hrFXHEk99RVPWXOZdUBw9Y/w293-h400/ConvictedCubanSpyAnaBelenMontes.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Cuban DI ran Ana
Montes (seen in the above mugshot) as a spy for 17 years. At the Defense Intelligence Agency, Ana Montes
was the go-to expert on Cuba. Her colleagues called her the “Queen of Cuba,”
but they were unaware that she was also spying for the communist nation.</span><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Montes is the daughter
of a former U.S. Army colonel, sister of an FBI translator, sister of an FBI
agent, and briefly the girlfriend of a defense analyst for the Southern
Command, but she chose to betray her country.</span><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She led a double life,
working as a senior analyst for the DIA and as a spy for Cuban intelligence.
According to the FBI, h</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">er downfall began in 1996, when an astute DIA
colleague named Scott W. Carmichal - acting on a gut feeling - reported to a
security official that he felt Montes might be under the influence of Cuban
intelligence. The official interviewed her, but she admitted nothing.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Four
years later, Carmichael learned that the FBI was working to uncover an
unidentified Cuban agent operating in Washington. He contacted the Bureau with
his suspicions. After a careful review of the facts, the FBI opened an
investigation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Through
physical and electronic surveillance and covert searches, some of which remains
classified, the FBI was able to build a case against Montes. Agents also wanted
to identify her Cuban handler and they were waiting for a face-to-face meeting
between the two of them, putting off her arrest. But as Montes was about to be
assigned work related to U.S. war plans after 9/11, she was finally arrested.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9FRJaBpowFoc7NPKJtTwonMLSL4SlAI-WbjTefTxYyUSTtu6n2huBBYtOWztzw0DE-ArTWMl7Zj4hVEao92Ewl1Q_4Be907gEGRA2LI7HW7cGx_FNbkKE3lZgWWhhwXOS2RsGWwd567oLxjXxV9DhLcFeSI9lIpAhUB4CpLlXJ5OIgmBE6OQ673oyC8/s960/FormerFBIAgentPeterLapp.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9FRJaBpowFoc7NPKJtTwonMLSL4SlAI-WbjTefTxYyUSTtu6n2huBBYtOWztzw0DE-ArTWMl7Zj4hVEao92Ewl1Q_4Be907gEGRA2LI7HW7cGx_FNbkKE3lZgWWhhwXOS2RsGWwd567oLxjXxV9DhLcFeSI9lIpAhUB4CpLlXJ5OIgmBE6OQ673oyC8/w400-h400/FormerFBIAgentPeterLapp.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><h1 style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Peter Lapp (seen in the above photo) was the FBI’s co-case agent, along with FBI
agent Steve McCoy, of the espionage investigation of Ana Montes, who was
arrested ten days after 9/11. Lapp, now retired from the FBI after serving
22-years, wrote about Montes in his book, “</span><span class="a-size-extra-large"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal;">Queen of Cuba: An FBI Agent's Insider Account of the Spy
Who Evaded Detection for 17 Years.”</span></span> </h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He was asked about the Rocha
case. “I’m not surprised at his arrest, because the Cubans for decades have
targeted the State Department for agents and sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kendall Myers (seen in the below mugshot) is a good example of a
successful Cuban intelligence operation against the State Department.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9kmOJcY4pxooZ6JsYO_tEW4H68OIU4T5bo9UUnflj1yILhYdJAzUYHg8-M0MrStTm9GakaxDUaybBbjDSOU7GHca5xlTEZJmfPQOlhLUCK_s5ZS659VlZkMyGyrby7hwISC2m3UEHjyHs58RyVmZ3QKLI-v2iHOPjjvPo1lbJ9mXwPp-c7V3MQiAgJk/s1160/ConvictedCubanSpyWalterKMyersFBIMugshot.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1160" data-original-width="734" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9kmOJcY4pxooZ6JsYO_tEW4H68OIU4T5bo9UUnflj1yILhYdJAzUYHg8-M0MrStTm9GakaxDUaybBbjDSOU7GHca5xlTEZJmfPQOlhLUCK_s5ZS659VlZkMyGyrby7hwISC2m3UEHjyHs58RyVmZ3QKLI-v2iHOPjjvPo1lbJ9mXwPp-c7V3MQiAgJk/w253-h400/ConvictedCubanSpyWalterKMyersFBIMugshot.png" width="253" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Rocha had access to
classified information in his career at various points. But Ana Montes would
sit down every day and log onto a top-secret computer system. There were times
in his career, such as when he worked at the White House National Security Council,
he would do those kind of things. But he’s at a higher level. He’s in the
diplomatic corps, he’s in positions where he’s not just looking at
intelligence. He’s interacting and trying to execute the policy of the
president at that point in time.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Lapp said he saw Rocha as
being more beneficial to the Cubans than Montes from a policy influence
perspective, with the ability to shape or influence U.S. policy.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“But day in and day out,
Montes clearly had a lot more hands-on access to top secret classified
information that the Cubans would have benefited from. The Cubans got value out
of both of them in different ways.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Rocha was arrested after an
FBI sting. Lapp was asked to explain in general terms how FBI
counterintelligence stings work.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“The mannerisms of the sting
operation against Wendall Myers were almost a carbon copy of the Rocha sting.
Clearly, Myers had not been in touch with the Cubans for a while and he didn’t
have an active DGI handler,” Lapp explained. “The FBI used an individual who
walked like a duck and talked like a duck. He didn’t know the secret handshake,
but he handed Myers a Cuban cigar and said happy birthday on behalf of your
former friends. And that started a new relationship that was orchestrated by
the FBI.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Myers completely implicated
himself in passing national defense information. He sat down with the
undercover FBI agent in multiple meetings and almost did a recounting of a lot
of the classified information that he had passed over the years, which was his
downfall. It was very stupid of Myers to do that. The undercover did a great
job of eliciting more information out of him that really made the case. So he,
so to speak, hung himself. He’s spending a lifetime in prison because of what
he told that undercover.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Lapp said that he was very
involved with the Kendall Myers undercover operation. Lapp was the first FBI
agent that Myers had encountered.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“So fast forward to Rocha.
Rocha makes admissions to a guy who walks like a duck and talks like a duck, to
validate the fact that he had been doing this for years. But what he didn’t do
was cross that line,” Lapp said. “He didn’t give the undercover an accounting
of classified information he passed, so the Bureau didn’t have the espionage
charge, because Rocha didn’t help them like Kendall Myers did. The FBI had
enough to charge him with being an unregistered agent, which is a crime, but it
is a much lesser charge than espionage.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Pound for pound, Cuban
intelligence is one of the best in the world. They only have about 1,500 or
2,000 people worldwide but look what they have been able to accomplish against
the United States intelligence community, which includes the FBI. They kicked
our asses for years,” Lapp said.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“They have the ability to
find individuals who aren’t motivated by greed, unlike slimeballs spies like
Hanssen and Ames. The spies the Russians find are only motivated by money and they
have other psychological issues.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Lapp noted that the Cubans
barter their gained intelligence with the Russians and other likeminded people
and governments.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">When asked about Ana Montes,
Lapp said, “I had three different sets of interactions with her. There was the
day of her arrest, when Steve McCoy and I arrested her, and I put the handcuffs
on her. I was with her for the seven months we debriefed her. We would sit with
her for hours and hours and debrief what she did and how she did it. I later
visited her in prison in 2004. It was a brief 30-minute meeting, just her and
I.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Ana Montes was very
intelligent, intellectually arrogant, and she had a degree of hypocrisy to her.
And she is unfortunately free right now.”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Montes is believed to have
passed along intelligence that was responsible directly for the death of a
Green Beret in Latin America When asked if he felt she was responsible for the
Green Beret death, Lapp replied yes, but he could not prove it.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.6pt;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rocha recently changed his initial not guilty plea in
a court in Miami. He admitted to being a longtime spy for Cuba. Rocha will be
sentenced at a hearing on 12 April.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">After the arrest
of Rocha, FBI Director Christopher Wray stated, “The FBI will continue to
rigorously defend against foreign governments targeting America, and we will
find and hold accountable anyone who violates their oath to the United States,
no matter how long it takes.” </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt; mso-color-alt: windowtext;">Paul Davis, a long-time contributor to The Journal, also writes the
IACSP’s online “Threatcon” column. </span></i></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-70015422954681105352024-03-06T04:50:00.011-05:002024-03-06T06:20:43.215-05:00A Look Back At James Cagney's 'The Roaring Twenties'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GU-mkcdRgJWxnM278v_1MrEZtU6o1UNEUw968AD5lFLa9RgHo-sl-4L4b3pu2iXf3zDGWM8_LQBATW8q8yVhsTS0EEuXhHiRryFj95j8ichewpV293f6jWs7lnqmWk2KIdMbr7eBwVK3gTXiI1yAimbpjZG4k9e-BNNb-98wAhc-ggF3evg4S5oJAaM/s612/gettyimages-517216580-612x612.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6GU-mkcdRgJWxnM278v_1MrEZtU6o1UNEUw968AD5lFLa9RgHo-sl-4L4b3pu2iXf3zDGWM8_LQBATW8q8yVhsTS0EEuXhHiRryFj95j8ichewpV293f6jWs7lnqmWk2KIdMbr7eBwVK3gTXiI1yAimbpjZG4k9e-BNNb-98wAhc-ggF3evg4S5oJAaM/w326-h400/gettyimages-517216580-612x612.jpg" width="326" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Long before Robert De Niro, Joe
Pesci and Al Pacino portrayed American mobsters in films, the late, great James Cagney appeared as a gangster in several classic American crime films.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">James Cagney is one of my
favorite actors.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I recently rewatched James Cagney in 1939’s <i>The Roaring Twenties</i>.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Directed by Raoul Walsh, Cagney
and two friends, Humphrey Bogart and Jeffrey Lynn, return home after serving together
in the U.S. Army in WWI.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Cagney and Bogart go into the
bootlegging business during Prohibition, and Lynn, a lawyer, works for the two
gangsters.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Cagney, a dancer and a former
amateur boxer, was very good as the tough guy Irish hoodlum. I love the way he
threw a realistic punch upwards at taller and bigger men. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He had a great face, voice and swagger. Although a short man,
Cagney had a powerful screen presence.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Bogart is also very good as a truly bad guy in the film.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">James Cagney was one of
Warner Brothers’ movie stars during their Gold Age of crime films, along
with Bogart, Edward G. Robinson and George Raft.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Cagney’s breakout gangster
film was 1930’s <i>The Public Enemy</i>, in which he famously squashed a grapefruit
into a girl’s face.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Cagney’s last portrayal of a
gangster was in Raoul Walsh’s 1949’s <i>White Heat</i>, where the older, heavier
Cagney dies shouting, “Top of the world, Ma!”</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbwd0kB_JP0jBvbx47DRSDwvNfqpMKpn-5-XTvyMGVwk2NzHPCqU6NLc92x9njXIu-XS2b5tHLTUTHo6bXGGqNo5e0_QdpsFlyB4sJZr8VGe06xH2Cc2SWuEbdnGvxHiEHle5kGv_nHpGZZdQxJXrfK1PFG5e_EQzElhn-f3AfexYDxCqjGv0Ml1mc5A/s1016/Humphrey_Bogart_James_Cagney_Jeffrey_Lynn_in_The_Roaring_Twenties_trailer.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1016" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEbwd0kB_JP0jBvbx47DRSDwvNfqpMKpn-5-XTvyMGVwk2NzHPCqU6NLc92x9njXIu-XS2b5tHLTUTHo6bXGGqNo5e0_QdpsFlyB4sJZr8VGe06xH2Cc2SWuEbdnGvxHiEHle5kGv_nHpGZZdQxJXrfK1PFG5e_EQzElhn-f3AfexYDxCqjGv0Ml1mc5A/w400-h303/Humphrey_Bogart_James_Cagney_Jeffrey_Lynn_in_The_Roaring_Twenties_trailer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You can watch </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">The Roaring
Twenties</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> via the below link: </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?&q=james+cagney+the+roaring+twenties+full+movie&&mid=109A7BFB4D886BC5A09F109A7BFB4D886BC5A09F&&FORM=VRDGAR">Bing Videos</a><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEdp8iVO9qFKIgqPE-5PgNo0Tok83uNwDTrhwZIjuRKdvoKsOmVrXI0cHrmJHxEy4Zlh-u2SBpNWk_CC1Ss4jh5IB-IfBPJu2y-nZsWBmF9PtA33lzDqy1NlbJjdWWG6XT4Hx6vBV56BAgNjotJNSoA7AZpjbHfDa4cBeinhllNRFkeN40jFNninh1Eg/s643/james-cagney-as-the-yankee-doodle-dandy.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="643" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEdp8iVO9qFKIgqPE-5PgNo0Tok83uNwDTrhwZIjuRKdvoKsOmVrXI0cHrmJHxEy4Zlh-u2SBpNWk_CC1Ss4jh5IB-IfBPJu2y-nZsWBmF9PtA33lzDqy1NlbJjdWWG6XT4Hx6vBV56BAgNjotJNSoA7AZpjbHfDa4cBeinhllNRFkeN40jFNninh1Eg/w400-h299/james-cagney-as-the-yankee-doodle-dandy.png" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #202122; font-size: 14pt;">Cagney
also starred as song & dance man George M. Cohan in 1942’s <i>Yankee Doodle
Dandy.</i> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You can also read a biography
of Jimmy Cagney via the below link:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.music.tdabio.45/">James Cagney [biography]:Biography Description: Performing Arts Encyclopedia, Library of Congress (loc.gov)</a> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-89937004231925171932024-03-06T03:14:00.001-05:002024-03-06T03:14:21.147-05:00Air National Guardsman Agrees To Plead Guilty To Unlawfully Disclosing Classified National Defense Information<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyc0-lFE6X50p1FqxyVNm1EB01r9boSKrJ4Wu0ZD8BwutWcVRHjYdRXgG97Yu2EOnO9s5r_ng6qV4Ha4-wELqHh3IsvnVrKyx4gtw9DY2za3aMeNsWX4U12tRTBbXVy4k4NHyD0s3zCnI2bONEYtmbw7_u9VXux1o1zokJcpANiN7cc4jdk8lsO9nDGew/s1024/NYPICHPDPICT000009574324-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1024" height="369" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyc0-lFE6X50p1FqxyVNm1EB01r9boSKrJ4Wu0ZD8BwutWcVRHjYdRXgG97Yu2EOnO9s5r_ng6qV4Ha4-wELqHh3IsvnVrKyx4gtw9DY2za3aMeNsWX4U12tRTBbXVy4k4NHyD0s3zCnI2bONEYtmbw7_u9VXux1o1zokJcpANiN7cc4jdk8lsO9nDGew/w400-h369/NYPICHPDPICT000009574324-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">The
U.S. Justice Department released the below information:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jack
Douglas Teixeira, 22, of North Dighton, Massachusetts, a member of the U.S. Air
National Guard (USANG) stationed in Massachusetts, has agreed to plead guilty
to retaining and transmitting classified National Defense Information on a
social media platform beginning in or around 2022 and continuing until his
arrest in April 2023.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Teixeira has agreed to plead guilty to six counts of willful
retention and transmission of classified information relating to the national
defense (National Defense Information).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“By knowingly and improperly posting classified national defense
information on a social media platform, Mr. Teixeira callously disregarded the
national security of the United States and betrayed the trust of the American
people he swore to protect,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen
of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “With today’s plea, the
Department of Justice holds Mr. Teixeira accountable for his actions and makes
clear the gravity of the responsibility to protect classified information and
our national security.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Mr. Teixeira exploited his Top-Secret security clearance to
share our nation’s secrets on a social media platform. He violated his oath to
preserve, protect and defend and, in doing so, he undermined our national
security and risked the safety of Americans serving overseas and our allies,”
said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy for the District of Massachusetts.
“Every instance of mishandling classified information weakens our defense and
compromises our ability to thwart potential threats. We cannot afford to
underestimate the gravity of this conduct; it has far-reaching consequences
that transcend individual interests.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Today, Jack Teixeira admitted he retained and disclosed
classified national security information, actions that benefit our nation’s
adversaries and harm U.S. security,” said Executive Assistant Director Larissa
L. Knapp of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “Individuals granted security
clearances are entrusted with protecting our nation’s most sensitive secrets,
and Teixeira knowingly betrayed that trust and put the country at risk.
The FBI will continue to work with our partners to hold accountable anyone who
would endanger our national security interests.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Teixeira was arrested in April 2023 and charged by criminal
complaint with retention and transmission of national defense information and
unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or materials. He was
subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston in June 2023. He has
remained detained in federal custody since his arrest.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">According to the charging documents, Teixeira enlisted in the
USANG in September 2019 and has held a Top-Secret security clearance since
2021. It is alleged that, beginning in or around January 2022, Teixeira
unlawfully retained and transmitted National Defense Information classified as
“TOP SECRET” or “SECRET” and/or Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI), onto
a social media platform to persons not authorized to receive such information.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Teixeira allegedly accessed classified documents containing
National Defense Information from a classified workstation at the Otis USANG
Base and transcribed and transmitted the information in written paragraphs to
other users on the social media platform. Teixeira also allegedly posted images
of classified documents to the social media platform, which bore standard
classification markings – including “SECRET,” “TOP SECRET” and SCI designations
– indicating that they contained highly classified U.S. government information.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The charges of unauthorized retention and transmission of
national defense information each carry a maximum penalty of up to 10 years in
prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. A
federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the
U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The FBI is investigating the case, with valuable assistance
provided by Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Air Force Office of
Special Investigations.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nadine Pellegrini, Jared C. Dolan and
Jason A. Casey for the District of Massachusetts and Trial Attorney Christina
A. Clark of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export
Control Section are prosecuting the case.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-44021188309057500562024-03-04T09:41:00.006-05:002024-03-04T09:43:14.278-05:00Par Funding Principals Charged In A RICO Indictment In Addition To Pending Charges Of Securities Fraud, Extortion, Tax Crimes, Perjury, And Obstruction<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDnB4g9gG601fe0Pi0bksSvzaZlAPYLptKEnaXdu7x4OMOqdOE9pnZOfaKFjmyKXna_G9WEF4r6I33ifBwpHL8Rkt2mRVOlHApE4raTF4dREYZ6WtE6P3jOhsx10Bpa6TpFgz-F-fqvyW-FmmDGbwNOvngMe0Kp1Pl319yXyBMApCzBhHuOeoTBoAOjQ/s783/!!!PhilafederalCourthouse%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="783" data-original-width="652" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJDnB4g9gG601fe0Pi0bksSvzaZlAPYLptKEnaXdu7x4OMOqdOE9pnZOfaKFjmyKXna_G9WEF4r6I33ifBwpHL8Rkt2mRVOlHApE4raTF4dREYZ6WtE6P3jOhsx10Bpa6TpFgz-F-fqvyW-FmmDGbwNOvngMe0Kp1Pl319yXyBMApCzBhHuOeoTBoAOjQ/w333-h400/!!!PhilafederalCourthouse%20(2).jpg" width="333" /></a></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">The
U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia provided the below information on February 27th:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">PHILADELPHIA
– A second superseding indictment was filed yesterday charging a violation of
the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) by three
principals of Complete Business Solutions Group, Inc. d/b/a Par Funding (“Par
Funding”) and also charging various other crimes included in a previous
superseding indictment, including securities fraud, extortionate collection of
credit, tax crimes, perjury, obstruction of justice, witness retaliation, and
witness tampering, announced United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero. These
principals are Joseph LaForte, 52, Joseph Cole Barleta (“Joe Cole”), 39, and
James LaForte, 46.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A separate indictment was filed charging Joseph LaForte, and his
wife, Lisa McElhone, 43, with tax evasion, a conspiracy to avoid paying taxes,
and a scheme to avoid paying approximately $1.6 million in income taxes due to
the State of Pennsylvania by fraudulently claiming that their residence was
Florida, when in fact they resided in Pennsylvania.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">According to the second superseding indictment, codefendants
Joseph LaForte, Joe Cole, and James LaForte, and others, were part of an
association-in-fact RICO enterprise that conspired to commit a number of
predicate crimes, including crimes related to the fleecing of Par Funding’s
many investors and the extortionate collection of credit from Par Funding’s
many merchant-customers. The indictment alleges that when the defendants were
sued civilly by the SEC in July 2020, which resulted in a receivership taking
over control of Par Funding, the enterprise took various illegal steps to
attempt to regain control of Par Funding and to “defeat” the government,
including through acts of obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and
retaliation. The enterprise was structured with Joe LaForte as its leader and
final decisionmaker, and it operated through various family members and close
associates.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
indictment alleges that the principal purposes of the LaForte Enterprise were
as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to generate money for its leadership, members,
and associates through the commission of various criminal acts, such as
securities fraud, wire fraud, the extortionate collection of debt, obstruction
of justice, and retaliation;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to conceal from investors, auditors, the
government, and law enforcement that its members were self-dealing and
enriching themselves to the detriment of Par Funding’s investors;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to conceal Joseph LaForte’s identity, criminal
history, and role as the leader of the enterprise and the functional Chief
Executive Officer of Par Funding from Par Funding’s investors, customers, and
auditors, and from the government and law enforcement, including through
misrepresentations, false statements, and other means;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to use extortionate means, including threats
of violence, to collect money owed to Par Funding by its merchant-customers;<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">5.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to maintain control over Par Funding after Par
Funding was put under the control of a court-appointed receiver, including by
acts of obstruction and retaliation intended to frustrate and interfere with
the receiver’s efforts to control Par Funding; and<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-left: 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">6.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">to protect the enterprise and its members from
detection, apprehension, and prosecution by law enforcement.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is alleged that as part of their fundraising efforts, these
defendants and their conspirators caused false and misleading information to be
conveyed to investors regarding various issues, including:<o:p></o:p></span></p><ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #444444; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Joseph
LaForte’s true name, his role at Par Funding, and his criminal history;<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #444444; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Par
Funding’s underwriting process;<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #444444; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the
diversity of the company’s MCA portfolio;<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #444444; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Par
Funding’s default rate;<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #444444; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Par
Funding’s financial success and profitability;<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #444444; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the
company’s insurance; and<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #444444; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">the
defendants’ self-dealing.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For instance, the indictment alleges that although Joseph
LaForte operated Par Funding and referred to it as his business, he concealed
this ownership and control by using his wife, Lisa McElhone, as his nominee.
Joseph LaForte also used several aliases, such as “Joe Mack,” while working at
the company. It is alleged that Joseph LaForte, Joe Cole, James LaForte, and
their conspirators engaged in this deception to conceal Joseph LaForte’s true
role as the person operating the company and his significant criminal history
from investors.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The indictment also alleges that Joseph LaForte and James
LaForte conspired with an individual named Renato “Gino” Gioe to participate in
the extortionate collection of credit. It is alleged that during the course of
Par Funding’s operations, these individuals made hostile, threatening, and
intimidating communications to Par Funding’s customers in person and over the
telephone in order to collect on delinquent MCAs. For example, the indictment
alleges that Joseph LaForte threatened to “blow up” a delinquent customer’s
home in May 2019 and asked another delinquent customer in August 2019 whether
the customer had heard of “cement shoes.” In addition, the indictment alleges
that in May 2018, James LaForte told one customer that he was a “soldier for
the family” who had torched people’s cars and kicked people’s teeth in.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Furthermore, the indictment alleges that Joseph LaForte
committed a variety of tax crimes. It is alleged that Joseph LaForte committed
tax crimes by failing to report millions of dollars in cash kickbacks that he
personally received from a Par Funding customer, and by regularly paying cash
wages to Par Funding employees but not withholding taxes from these wages or
reporting them to the IRS.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is further alleged that Joseph LaForte and Joe Cole each
committed perjury twice during depositions in federal lawsuits against Par
Funding, making misrepresentations regarding various matters. For instance, the
indictment alleges that Joseph LaForte lied under oath about his knowledge of
his wife’s role at Par Funding, Joe Cole’s role at the company, and the
company’s default rate. The indictment alleges that Joe Cole lied under oath
about who was on Par Funding’s credit committee (which Joseph LaForte ran) and
who ran Par Funding.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Finally, the indictment alleges that Joseph LaForte and James
LaForte engaged in obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and retaliation.
Specifically, it is alleged that in late February 2023, on the streets of
Center City Philadelphia, James LaForte, with the assistance of and in
coordination with Joseph LaForte, physically assaulted counsel for the receiver
for Par Funding in a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission in the Southern District of Florida. Moreover, in connection with
the same lawsuit, the indictment alleges that Joseph LaForte threatened to
cause serious bodily injury to another individual in November 2022. Lastly, it
is alleged that James LaForte made threats of violence to multiple parties in
early 2023, in an effort to interfere with the SEC lawsuit, a federal grand
jury investigation, and an anticipated federal prosecution, as well as to
retaliate against these parties.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If convicted of all counts charged against them, the defendants
are facing decades or more of imprisonment, and they also face full
restitution, a fine, and a period of supervised release and/or probation.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In a separate indictment, it is alleged that Joseph LaForte and
Lisa McElhone committed several tax crimes. For instance, it is alleged that
the married couple defrauded the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania out of more than
approximately $1.6 million of state taxes by falsely claiming to be residents
of Florida, even though they worked, lived, and spent more than 300 days per
year in Pennsylvania. Furthermore, the indictment alleges that Joseph LaForte
and Lisa McElhone worked together to evade the payment of over half a million
dollars of employment taxes that had been imposed on Joseph LaForte in
connection with companies that he had operated in the mid-2000s.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">An indictment charging Complete Business Solutions Group, Inc.,
doing business as Par Funding, with wire fraud, securities fraud, and
conspiracy, was also filed.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, the Federal
Deposit Insurance Corporation-Office of Inspector General, and Pennsylvania
State Police and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys
Patrick J. Murray, Alexandra Lastowski, and Matthew Newcomer. The SEC in
Florida investigated and litigated the civil securities fraud charges, which
formed the basis of a portion of the criminal prosecution.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent
unless and until proven guilty.</span></p><p>
<br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-10574775850354306702024-03-03T16:25:00.011-05:002024-03-03T16:27:54.739-05:00The Real History Behind FX's 'Shogun'<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFOIFE2asjH1Mod4mqSESsdPagpUqTgDUwn8U5GnnjtKFk7LRVoS_dY-ZvU59nckGjA62GK1_V12EdsFWdG_b_Nqa2G-bNgpRi6ES6TM8HL0TP6epY8hbuQEQVLxszjEU9x8k2AcL2T324TsmC7t2tbB1DCSHStamrn1LeF77pY88klktFAUmp4BjovU/s1000/shogun.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFOIFE2asjH1Mod4mqSESsdPagpUqTgDUwn8U5GnnjtKFk7LRVoS_dY-ZvU59nckGjA62GK1_V12EdsFWdG_b_Nqa2G-bNgpRi6ES6TM8HL0TP6epY8hbuQEQVLxszjEU9x8k2AcL2T324TsmC7t2tbB1DCSHStamrn1LeF77pY88klktFAUmp4BjovU/w400-h300/shogun.webp" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Molly Solly at the <i>Smithsonian</i> magazine
offers a piece on the story behind </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Shogun</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>When a powerful Japanese feudal
lord with aspirations of seizing control of the warring nation learned that a
ragged group of European sailors had <a href="https://habri.jp/uk/contents/erasmus_de_liefde.html" style="text-decoration-line: initial; text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">landed</span></a> on
the archipelago’s southern shores in April 1600, he was eager to arrange a
meeting with their leader. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>The outsiders, <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/premium/article/tokugawa-ieyasu-japan-shogun-shogunate" style="text-decoration-line: initial; text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Tokugawa Ieyasu</span></a> believed, could be of
assistance in his grand plan. With the Dutch ship’s captain too ill to move,
the crew sent English navigator <a href="https://www.williamadams.fr/the-life-of-william-adams/" style="text-decoration-line: initial; text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">William
Adams</span></a> in his place.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p style="margin: 2rem auto; word-break: break-word;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Coming before
[Ieyasu], he viewed me well and seemed to be wonderfully favorable,” <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002073112782&seq=31&q1=%22before+the+king%22" style="text-decoration-line: initial; text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">wrote</span></a> Adams in a letter to his wife. “I
showed unto him the name of our country, and that our land long sought out the
East Indies, and desired friendship with all kings and potentates in way of
merchandise, having in our land diverse commodities which these lands had not.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"></span></i></p><p style="margin: 2rem auto; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Impressed by Adams’ diplomatic overtures, Ieyasu ignored the advice of <a href="https://www.jesuits.org/stories/silence-the-true-story-of-the-jesuits-in-japan/" style="text-decoration-line: initial; text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Portuguese Jesuit</span></a> missionaries who urged
him to execute the Protestant interloper. Instead, the warlord took Adams into
his confidence. Over the next several years, as Ieyasu consolidated power under
the newly established <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Tokugawa-period" style="text-decoration-line: initial; text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Tokugawa
shogunate</span></a>, he treated Adams as a trusted adviser, rewarding him with
land, money and other honors.</i></span></p><p style="margin: 2rem auto; word-break: break-word;"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">While Adams’ relationship with
Ieyasu was far from the most consequential in Japan’s history of European
relations, the pair’s novelty and unlikely dynamic had a comparatively outsized
cultural impact. This story of the </span><a href="https://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/2016/05/william-adams-from-gillingham-to-japan.html" style="font-size: 14pt; text-decoration-line: initial; text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">first Englishman</span></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> to visit Japan has
inspired an array of dramatic works, most notably James Clavell’s 1975
best-selling novel, </span><a href="https://amzn.to/48vFe1k" style="font-size: 14pt; text-decoration-line: initial; text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Shogun</span></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, and its 1980 </span><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080274/" style="font-size: 14pt; text-decoration-line: initial; text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">mini-series</span></a><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> adaptation,
which became a nationwide sensation in the United States.</span></i></p><p style="margin: 2rem auto; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Forty-four years
after the “Shogun” mini-series earned NBC its <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1980/09/24/archives/nbc-with-shogun-gets-its-best-ratings.html" style="text-decoration-line: initial; text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">highest Nielsen ratings</span></a> yet, a new version
offers a contemporary twist on the tale. As <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/gina-balian-nick-grad-promoted-fx-entertainment-presidents-1235249300/" style="text-decoration-line: initial; text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Gina Balian</span></a>, co-president of FX Entertainment,
tells <a href="https://variety.com/2024/tv/features/fx-shogun-miniseries-overcame-setbacks-1235898388/" style="text-decoration-line: initial; text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black;">Variety</span></a>, “When you’re taking on an
adaptation of something that’s already been adapted, there has to be a reason
why.” She adds, “We got more comfortable with needing to tell [the story] as
much from the Japanese side, casting Japanese-speaking actors. We evolved as
the project evolved.”</i></span></p><p style="margin: 2rem auto; word-break: break-word;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You can read the rest of the
piece via the below link:</span></p><p><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-history-behind-fxs-shogun-180983848/?utm_source=smithsonian-weekender&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&spMailingID=49508781&spUserID=NzQwNDU4NTg2NjMS1&spJobID=2660116108&spReportId=MjY2MDExNjEwOAS2">The Real History Behind FX's 'Shogun' | History | Smithsonian Magazine</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtQuCJq2DWcForPs_PAfWGe0ajXLHXzNxJqD6m6pVYKsvEyydFqcMFKZ3Uq3oRwFaOXGHH4QgGYoqEQQ1pV5yL7BwF9elGF7B6w9jLI2YXNV8AXXxJ5IVWXdPN4Hehq1UOVKhjWuoL0bIS2MJD_EX0C2RtI8XdzzUN2V-Bj_u42DV02QxjsDqdp-7_cs/s2541/91-2dVmerUL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2541" data-original-width="1653" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFtQuCJq2DWcForPs_PAfWGe0ajXLHXzNxJqD6m6pVYKsvEyydFqcMFKZ3Uq3oRwFaOXGHH4QgGYoqEQQ1pV5yL7BwF9elGF7B6w9jLI2YXNV8AXXxJ5IVWXdPN4Hehq1UOVKhjWuoL0bIS2MJD_EX0C2RtI8XdzzUN2V-Bj_u42DV02QxjsDqdp-7_cs/w260-h400/91-2dVmerUL.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You can also read my previous
post on <i>Shogun</i> via the below link:</span></p><p><a href="http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2024/02/a-look-back-at-james-clavells-shogun.html">Paul Davis On Crime: A Look Back At James Clavell's 'Shogun'</a> </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-32954014260169780292024-03-02T10:26:00.005-05:002024-03-02T16:29:35.597-05:00My Threatcon Column: George Washington: First In War, And First In Espionage <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSC86fGugW_RSEz_TNRSd6AgP7TEp0yLbbb0JHx5q78-lQkpiTrOWHSeHBgwPFissoa6OxjaCL9YUdxFhoKjKhtohQ5HQ51cGpANUL9klMIo8cvkxHYe5iJuvGibknUSOuGN5UT2RTKjefCU5oMJUWO5dsCEUNDq0yKkiTSfHPG_YJ5Qeu5vJgA5sN-SE/s599/140420-D-YA200-002%5B1%5D.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="492" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSC86fGugW_RSEz_TNRSd6AgP7TEp0yLbbb0JHx5q78-lQkpiTrOWHSeHBgwPFissoa6OxjaCL9YUdxFhoKjKhtohQ5HQ51cGpANUL9klMIo8cvkxHYe5iJuvGibknUSOuGN5UT2RTKjefCU5oMJUWO5dsCEUNDq0yKkiTSfHPG_YJ5Qeu5vJgA5sN-SE/w329-h400/140420-D-YA200-002%5B1%5D.JPG" width="329" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">My
latest <i>Threatcon </i>column appears on <i>Counterterrorism</i> magazine’s
website.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">You
can read the column via the below link or the below text:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?nid=494293&mnid=15">IACSP - ThreatCon Articles</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlm_Ourdcozr6G_ykNuoGQDdcQSxLWXkjcDc_aPr6qBHw6PBcR_bRdolpNYtmQFXC0N6MwIM26CdJut3FK5X2cy_B6N4tTvqc0IRwvA-Ms84mMfKbd2EEDYcbrAoXGtJ3BbAFWop2Y3tl7trUaAT30S47DUK6PEvG9X5Y1bH9IiyLndiDpmxzcgmpn9LM/s2110/6264669538_7b0bd60dd1_oa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2110" data-original-width="1294" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlm_Ourdcozr6G_ykNuoGQDdcQSxLWXkjcDc_aPr6qBHw6PBcR_bRdolpNYtmQFXC0N6MwIM26CdJut3FK5X2cy_B6N4tTvqc0IRwvA-Ms84mMfKbd2EEDYcbrAoXGtJ3BbAFWop2Y3tl7trUaAT30S47DUK6PEvG9X5Y1bH9IiyLndiDpmxzcgmpn9LM/w245-h400/6264669538_7b0bd60dd1_oa.jpg" width="245" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Major
General Henry “Light Horse Harry’ Lee wrote in his eulogy of the late George
Washington that the former president and general was “First in war, first in
peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">George
Washington, aka Agent 711, was also first in espionage. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">The
CIA’s public website proclaimed Washington as our first spymaster, noting, “</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Long before General William Donovan
recruited spies to advance the American war efforts during World War II as
Director of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), predecessor to the
CIA, General George Washington mastered the art of intelligence as Commander of
the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War.”</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">The CIA stated that Washington was a skilled manager of
intelligence. He utilized agents behind enemy lines, recruited both Tory and
Patriot sources, interrogated travelers for intelligence information, and
launched scores of agents on both intelligence and counterintelligence
missions.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">“He was adept at deception operations and tradecraft and was a
skilled propagandist. He also practiced sound operational security. Washington
fully understood the value of accurate intelligence, employing many of the same
techniques later used by the OSS and CIA.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">“Were it not for the use of secret writing, concealment devises,
propaganda, and intercepted communications, there may have been a very
different outcome to the War of Independence.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<h1 style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal;">Joesph C. Goulden, a veteran journalist and author of “</span><span class="a-size-extra-large"><span style="color: #0f1111; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal;">The Death Merchant: The Rise and Fall of Edwin P. Wilson,”
and “Korea: The Untold Story of the War,” is an a</span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt; font-weight: normal;">cknowledged authority on intelligence and
espionage. He offered his take on George Washington as spymaster in a
Washington Times piece.</span> </h1><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">
<span style="background: white;">“One of the more telling — and accurate —
statements to emerge from the American Revolution came from a British
intelligence officer, Maj. Gen. George Beckwith: “Washington did not really
outfight the British, he simply outspied us!”</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">The
website “George Washington’s Mount Vernon” noted that when history books praise
the heroes of the American Revolution, they seldom include names like Agent 711
and John Bolton.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">But
perhaps they should. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">“These
men were part of the most famous spy ring of the era, the Culper Ring, and
their identities were kept secret until well after the war ended,” the website
stated. “George Washington – known as Agent 711 in the Culper Spy Ring – is
often heralded as a great “spymaster,” and indeed he was. Under Washington’s
astute watch, several networks of spies operated in both close-knit circles and
far-reaching societies. The undercover agents were merchants, tailors, farmers,
and other extraordinary patriots with ordinary day jobs.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">“Much
as with modern-day operatives, the members of these networks kept at a distance
from one another and maintained secret identities. In some cases, Washington
himself didn’t even know the identities of the men who worked together in
secret to aid the cause of freedom.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">The
website post went on to note that Washington’s army was under-trained,
under-staffed, under-equipped, and under-funded. In order to win, he needed to
out-maneuver and outsmart the British.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">“Washington
recognized the need for an organized approach to espionage. He knew that spying
was a field that was fraught with risk. The stories of men like Nathan Hale,
who was captured and later hanged for crossing into British territory to gather
information, surely weighed heavily on the General’s shoulders.”</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">As
the post noted, Washington knew that a larger population of civilians could be
called upon to help fight the war. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background-color: white; color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;">In an unclassified CIA historical document, George Washington
was called the “First Director of Central Intelligence.” According to the
document, he was a key practitioner of military intelligence during the
Revolutionary War.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;">“General Washington was more deeply involved in intelligence
operations than any American general-in-chief until Dwight Eisenhower during
World War II,” the historical document noted. “His skills in the “black arts”
helped secure key victories, hastened the end of hostilities, and significantly
contributed to the United States’ winning its independence from Great Britain.”</span></p><p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;">Washington recruited and debriefed Tory and Patriot sources,
developed espionage networks, interrogated prisoners and travelers, cleverly
used deception and propaganda, and practiced sound tradecraft.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;">He spent more than 10 percent of his military funds on
intelligence operations. Washington formed an elite detachment dedicated to
tactical reconnaissance that reported directly to him. Washington also oversaw
the Culper Ring in New York City and Long Island. (The Culper Ring was
dramatized in the TV series “Turn.”)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;">The historical document stated that in 1778 Gen. Sir Henry
Clinton occupied the city, while Washington’s forces were scattered around New
York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Washington needed intelligence on Clinton’s
forces and intentions, and he ordered Maj. Benjamin Tallmadge to establish an
espionage net. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;">Tallmadge’s operatives practiced sophisticated tradecraft that
included code names, cover stories, secret writing, encryption and dead drops.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;">“Without General Washington’s intelligence-aided victories on
the battlefield,” the historical document stated. “There would have been no
independence, no United States, no Constitution, and no President Washington.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #3e3e3e; font-size: 14pt;"><i>Paul Davis, a longtime contributor to the Journal, covers crime,
espionage and terrorism in his </i>Threatcon<i> column. </i></span></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-23004300838982254952024-03-01T02:32:00.007-05:002024-03-01T02:34:33.833-05:00Iranian National Charged For Multi-Year Hacking Campaign Targeting U.S. Defense Contractors And Private Sector Companies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DSlzbLjmVIubhce9bQDYpN4wbr-om08IgMXnwQuT_-9OoRZnIMRzOkzmKnaJOIHeCQR36ZPXdcUQVULKWkQLFyj7Sf_vaJ3B9eB8eK94M2Wx_-kdSzoXqYNccPMfOL0OHuzxPgmRyn_oSve9q5bnpt8h4vLkW8CR6O30Qy_ZPm5mCJnRNzeRlmGbpXQ/s320/!!!!!!!.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9DSlzbLjmVIubhce9bQDYpN4wbr-om08IgMXnwQuT_-9OoRZnIMRzOkzmKnaJOIHeCQR36ZPXdcUQVULKWkQLFyj7Sf_vaJ3B9eB8eK94M2Wx_-kdSzoXqYNccPMfOL0OHuzxPgmRyn_oSve9q5bnpt8h4vLkW8CR6O30Qy_ZPm5mCJnRNzeRlmGbpXQ/w400-h300/!!!!!!!.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">The U.S. Justice Department released the below information:</span></p><p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">The Justice Department unsealed an indictment charging an
Iranian national with involvement in a cyber-enabled campaign to compromise
U.S. governmental and private entities, including the U.S. Departments of the
Treasury and State, defense contractors, and two New York-based companies.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">According to
court documents, from at least in or about 2016 through in or about April 2021,
Alireza Shafie Nasab, 39, of Iran, and other co-conspirators were members of a
hacking organization that participated in a coordinated multi-year campaign to
conduct and attempt to conduct computer intrusions. These intrusions targeted
more than a dozen U.S. companies and the U.S. Departments of the Treasury and
State. Nasab remains at large.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">“While
purporting to work as a cybersecurity specialist for Iran-based clients, Mr.
Nasab allegedly participated in a persistent campaign to compromise U.S.
private sector and government computer systems,” said Assistant Attorney
General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security
Division. </span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">“Today’s charges highlight Iran’s corrupt cyber ecosystem, in which
criminals are given free rein to target computer systems abroad and threaten
U.S. sensitive information and critical infrastructure. Our National Security
Cyber Section remains focused on disputing these cross-border hacking schemes
and holding those responsible to account.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">“As alleged,
Alireza Shafie Nasab participated in a cyber campaign using spear phishing and
other hacking techniques to infect more than 200,000 victim devices, many of
which contained sensitive or classified defense information,” said U.S.
Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “Cyber
intrusion schemes such as the one alleged threaten our national security, and
I’m proud of our law enforcement partners and the career prosecutors of this
office for using innovative technologies and investigative measures to disrupt
and track down these cybercriminals.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">“The FBI will
leverage all of its capabilities in combating the threat posed by Iranian
hacker organizations to America’s public and private sectors,” said Assistant
Director Bryan Vorndran of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “The close collaboration
with partners that led to today’s unsealed indictment of Alireza Shafie Nasab
will continue to keep the pressure on cyber adversaries.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">The hacking
group’s private sector victims were primarily cleared defense contractors,
which are companies that support U.S. Department of Defense programs. In
addition, the group targeted a New York-based accounting firm and a New
York-based hospitality company.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">According to the
indictment, in conducting their hacking campaigns, the group used spear
phishing — that is, tricking an email recipient into clicking on a malicious
link — to infect victim computers with malware. In the course of their
campaigns against one victim, the group compromised more than 200,000 victim
employee accounts. At another victim, the conspirators targeted 2,000 employee
accounts. In order to manage their spearphishing campaigns, the group created
and used a particular computer application, which enabled the conspirators to
organize and deploy their spear phishing attacks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">In the course of
these spear phishing attacks, the conspirators compromised an administrator
email account belonging to a defense contractor (Defense Contractor-1). Access
to this administrator account empowered the conspirators to create unauthorized
Defense Contractor-1 accounts, which the conspirators then used to send spear
phishing campaigns to employees of a different defense contractor and a
consulting firm.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">In addition to
spearphishing, the conspirators utilized social engineering, which involved
impersonating others, generally women, in order to obtain the confidence of
victims. These social engineering contacts were another means the conspiracy
used to deploy malware onto victim computers and compromise those devices and
accounts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">Nasab took part
in these schemes. During his participation in the scheme, he was employed by
Mahak Rayan Afraz, an Iran-based company that purported to provide
cybersecurity services, but which was, in fact, a front for the conspirators’
operations. Nasab was responsible for procuring infrastructure used by the
conspiracy. During the course of this conduct, Nasab used the stolen identity
of a real person in order to register a server and email accounts used in the
course of the cyber campaigns.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">Nasab is charged
with one count of conspiracy to commit computer fraud, which carries a maximum
penalty of five years in prison; one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud,
which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; one count of wire fraud,
which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and one count of
aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive term of two
years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence
after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">Concurrent with
the unsealing of the indictment, the U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for
Justice Program is offering a <a data-extlink="" href="https://rewardsforjustice.net/rewards/alireza-shafie-nasab/" style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0064a8;">reward of up to $10 million</span></a> for
information leading to the identification or location of Nasab.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">Anyone with
information on Nasab and his malicious cyberactivity should contact Rewards for
Justice via their Tor-based tips-reporting channel at:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">he5dybnt7sr6cm32xt77pazmtm65flqy6irivtflruqfc5ep7eiodiad.onion
(the Tor browser is required).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">The FBI New York
Field Office and Cyber Division are investigating the case.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">Assistant U.S.
Attorneys Ryan B. Finkel, Dina McLeod and Daniel G. Nessim for the Southern
District of New York’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit are prosecuting the
case, with valuable assistance from Trial Attorney Matthew Chang of the
National Security Division’s National Security Cyber Section.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are
presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of
law.</span></i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-33375683829813167792024-02-29T15:31:00.003-05:002024-02-29T15:31:59.851-05:00How to Spot An Imposter Social Security Social Media Account<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsyz7hhBQzEDr9VvAwQcLz1sXwJsQnq5vCFNabYMa2druwutx4Tb6xwCf_33EK7yE3tDPzJuc-VZ97HEEvK5U-C18q5DTy8BZehI41nNFb9pLOtn439hO9SmFyXlmUCUQDIJcu66byn5ZJlFfwDefpqha0Ylb6UeY_NhLhFzqjjk1sbFvAOVNJJjBtj0/s300/mail.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEsyz7hhBQzEDr9VvAwQcLz1sXwJsQnq5vCFNabYMa2druwutx4Tb6xwCf_33EK7yE3tDPzJuc-VZ97HEEvK5U-C18q5DTy8BZehI41nNFb9pLOtn439hO9SmFyXlmUCUQDIJcu66byn5ZJlFfwDefpqha0Ylb6UeY_NhLhFzqjjk1sbFvAOVNJJjBtj0/w400-h400/mail.png" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-size: 14pt; letter-spacing: 0.15pt;">Dawn Bystry, the Associate Commissioner,
Office of Strategic and Digital Communications at the Social Security
Administration, offers the below crime prevention tips:</span></p><p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #212121; font-size: 14.0pt; letter-spacing: .15pt;">Do you know how to spot fake Social Security social media
accounts? The tips below will help you protect yourself and your family.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.6rem; margin: 0.75rem;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="color: #212121; letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">How fraudsters create
imposter accounts</span></strong><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; letter-spacing: .15pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></h2><p style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.25rem;"><span style="color: #212121; font-size: 14.0pt; letter-spacing: .15pt;">Fraudsters create
imposter social media pages and accounts using Social Security-related images
and jargon, making them appear as if they’re associated with or endorsed by us.
They also create imposter social media pages of Social Security and OIG officials,
such as the Commissioner or the Inspector General.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.6rem; margin: 0.75rem;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="color: #212121; letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Protect your personally
identifiable information</span></strong><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; letter-spacing: .15pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></h2><p style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.25rem;"><span style="color: #212121; font-size: 14.0pt; letter-spacing: .15pt;">We will <em style="box-sizing: border-box;"><b>never </b></em>ask for sensitive
information through social media as these channels are not secure. Sometimes,
users are asked to enter their financial information, Social Security number
(SSN), or other sensitive information. This is a red flag, and often an
indication of a fraudulent account.<o:p></o:p></span></p><h2 style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.6rem; margin: 0.75rem;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="color: #212121; letter-spacing: .15pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">How to spot a fake social
media account</span></strong><span style="color: #212121; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; letter-spacing: .15pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></h2><p style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.25rem;"><span style="color: #212121; font-size: 14.0pt; letter-spacing: .15pt;">Identifying an
imposter account may seem difficult at first, but there are a few things you
can look for right away. You will want to focus on the following:<o:p></o:p></span></p><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.25rem; padding: 1.5rem;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; letter-spacing: .15pt;">How many people follow the imposter page. In most
cases, fake pages have a very low number of followers as compared to
Social Security’s official page.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; letter-spacing: .15pt;">Improper punctuation.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; letter-spacing: .15pt;">Links to pages not on SSA.gov.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; letter-spacing: .15pt;">Advertisements for forms or other Social Security
documents.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #212121; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; letter-spacing: .15pt;">Incorrect social media handle. To view the list of
our official social media channels, we encourage you to visit our <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/socialmedia" style="box-sizing: border-box; touch-action: manipulation;"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Social Media
webpage</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul><p style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.25rem;"><span style="color: #212121; font-size: 14.0pt; letter-spacing: .15pt;">Please report
suspected Social Security imposter scams — and other Social Security fraud — to
the <a href="http://oig.ssa.gov/report" style="box-sizing: border-box; touch-action: manipulation;"><span style="color: #1155cc;">OIG’s website</span></a>.
You can find more information about scams on our webpage, <a href="http://www.ssa.gov/scam" style="box-sizing: border-box; touch-action: manipulation;"><span style="color: #1155cc;">Protect Yourself from Scams</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 1.25rem;"><span style="color: #212121; font-size: 14.0pt; letter-spacing: .15pt;">Please share this
information with your friends, family, and colleagues to help spread awareness
about Social Security imposter scams.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-37104851899069854622024-02-28T10:46:00.052-05:002024-02-29T13:59:26.084-05:00A Look Back At James Clavell's 'Shogun' <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeNHa6inf0yrLzYixhCyl1ft7tfHfgsTbosLA2VpbmKvrehNV7NdXAg1a7z345Ipdkgl79uAgnnlrpZZl6MrBSPii-Kmot_R5EB6DzbsBNkCCh5QT2rFrbabjkDT4GsVlFmnP8lwfjXQry7U8Y3OdI19VIJTly2kHDci8suU7Tlf1rKoYzc-9jgLv0sY/s592/OIP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="474" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLeNHa6inf0yrLzYixhCyl1ft7tfHfgsTbosLA2VpbmKvrehNV7NdXAg1a7z345Ipdkgl79uAgnnlrpZZl6MrBSPii-Kmot_R5EB6DzbsBNkCCh5QT2rFrbabjkDT4GsVlFmnP8lwfjXQry7U8Y3OdI19VIJTly2kHDci8suU7Tlf1rKoYzc-9jgLv0sY/w320-h400/OIP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">I recorded the first two episodes of FX’s </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">Shogun</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">
last night, and I plan to watch them this week.</span></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAMWk6HXS4NIUdj6LPHiXPytKdur8mj2qu6rFf8ay7zv3lPtOWlaYOApIJd7dJ0qKy3N4JT190q2hn0kFt9CBGsdiK2sykFuBAgfTwywN3JXiG7mGy2NHWDcRj8ApWVsQ7C5sFmPr_ZDwy27s9HIjqaTkOQCBBchN4vXGlcYnu4FKYzYEB1r3sfIJTDQ/s989/e67be69033f36e36d4466447699ea309--james-clavell-richard-chamberlain.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="736" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGAMWk6HXS4NIUdj6LPHiXPytKdur8mj2qu6rFf8ay7zv3lPtOWlaYOApIJd7dJ0qKy3N4JT190q2hn0kFt9CBGsdiK2sykFuBAgfTwywN3JXiG7mGy2NHWDcRj8ApWVsQ7C5sFmPr_ZDwy27s9HIjqaTkOQCBBchN4vXGlcYnu4FKYzYEB1r3sfIJTDQ/w298-h400/e67be69033f36e36d4466447699ea309--james-clavell-richard-chamberlain.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">I was a huge fan of the original <i>Shogun</i> miniseries
in 1980, which starred Richard Chamberlain as John Blackthorne, the English sailor
and ship’s pilot who lands in feudal Japan in 1600 and becomes involved in Japanese
internecine warfare. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrC70xALZY-yDU8exY1RUx17F1ertGUjHO3fQXT0Bbc9IfbnosuAn9yWtjCGl-82DALHFC7munroEjhhFHBnubPt3CzETBXUl9gnwX7HmlZalodDsDwky7b93AVdjMydalD3IU08hudKYPEMBsgR6r2WpCCySaOmzGcVu9wW_WexE9coRgGxOIc83TiY/s2541/91-2dVmerUL.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2541" data-original-width="1653" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsrC70xALZY-yDU8exY1RUx17F1ertGUjHO3fQXT0Bbc9IfbnosuAn9yWtjCGl-82DALHFC7munroEjhhFHBnubPt3CzETBXUl9gnwX7HmlZalodDsDwky7b93AVdjMydalD3IU08hudKYPEMBsgR6r2WpCCySaOmzGcVu9wW_WexE9coRgGxOIc83TiY/w260-h400/91-2dVmerUL.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;"><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Previous to watching the 1980 miniseries, I read and enjoyed
James Clavell’s historical novel </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">Shogun</i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">, which the miniseries was based
on.</span></p></span><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVayNiFCE5-2REU2r5zh2Hc863HnOKowqSAKPRAFpBQaKda_LTpE-2WT8O2RX_JtIXkyUl7fPSQlGac5vUxMXQ9Uc9T9KBEGLUg9I6xzac_iPYgAPERaX5ixtTXQzJfPdK5SpNcxfgEoswrrV9jYf092-EN3OS95XS71IsPvkVpLssSxuPYxZ573WAms/s720/ch77c1jJamesClavell.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="473" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWVayNiFCE5-2REU2r5zh2Hc863HnOKowqSAKPRAFpBQaKda_LTpE-2WT8O2RX_JtIXkyUl7fPSQlGac5vUxMXQ9Uc9T9KBEGLUg9I6xzac_iPYgAPERaX5ixtTXQzJfPdK5SpNcxfgEoswrrV9jYf092-EN3OS95XS71IsPvkVpLssSxuPYxZ573WAms/w263-h400/ch77c1jJamesClavell.jpg" width="263" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">Clavell (seen in the above photo), was a British Army officer and prisoner of war in WWII and spent
years in a Japanese prison. Despite his brutal treatment, he was fascinated by the Japanese. His first novel, <i>King
Rat</i> (made into a film starring George Segal), was based on his experiences as
a Japanese prisoner.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">Clavell began to write <i>Shogun</i> after he read about an
English sailor named William Adams who traveled to Japan in 1600 and became an
advisor to a Japanese warlord.<i> Shogun</i> is based loosely on Adams and his
Japanese adventures.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">Clavell, who was a screenwriter and film director as well as an author,
served as an executive producer of the miniseries. He wanted Sean Connery
to portray Blackthorne. He said he wrote the novel with Sean Connery in mind. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">Sean Connery would have been a powerful Blackthorne, and
this would have been one of his finest roles, but sadly Sean Connery was making
a forgettable film and was not available. So Richard Chamberlain was cast, and
he was very good in the role. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtsE7rYacoLxW1GhkTP31NQnf9dmwj58kuGUIoJdhUo1etGb7qILmfbpiBzRV4te2_FAczN7HT8ep0XXnFWxK_bHuMmTfMmYPwS8A9J9ughSNBggoZS33LsgUAwdI1p7wysMC1SS2km06YAu8mWQd5ifsv17LMJ7MUkmaYl6FfzSJqyx5pS7qRXkH8oY/s474/th.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="474" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPtsE7rYacoLxW1GhkTP31NQnf9dmwj58kuGUIoJdhUo1etGb7qILmfbpiBzRV4te2_FAczN7HT8ep0XXnFWxK_bHuMmTfMmYPwS8A9J9ughSNBggoZS33LsgUAwdI1p7wysMC1SS2km06YAu8mWQd5ifsv17LMJ7MUkmaYl6FfzSJqyx5pS7qRXkH8oY/w400-h266/th.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">I’ve never seen Cosmo Jarvis (seen in the above photo) in any films or on TV, so I'm curious to see how his portrayal of Blackthorne
in the new FX miniseries stacks up against Richard Chamberlain. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">I enjoyed the <i>Shogun</i> novel and the 1980 miniseries
as I was and am most interested in Japan. My early interest in Japan came from
stories my late father told me about his time as a U.S. Navy UDT frogman in
WWII when he fought the Japanese on Saipan and other Japanese-held islands. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEnPF0lYuqYbEbuEu5-_O0dfygxLMwcfsFy7aT5g6-6SlcLJ7VhcNzBJmFsE-eR2OhOApWrLeAQ2_FG3GTW27-MtjzqVC7OioBxW67PJvJUUaehLSIuHBYJ6qZN8CZ5uYDmJhJV5LikMa_gLmEzPd7clrmLr8kp3qJY7drSMAMACalG5rj2ilfdyWWjc/s1024/ch82a1a1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="623" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMEnPF0lYuqYbEbuEu5-_O0dfygxLMwcfsFy7aT5g6-6SlcLJ7VhcNzBJmFsE-eR2OhOApWrLeAQ2_FG3GTW27-MtjzqVC7OioBxW67PJvJUUaehLSIuHBYJ6qZN8CZ5uYDmJhJV5LikMa_gLmEzPd7clrmLr8kp3qJY7drSMAMACalG5rj2ilfdyWWjc/w244-h400/ch82a1a1.jpg" width="244" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">My interest in Japan increased in the early 1960s when I read
Ian Fleming’s James Bond thriller <i>You Only Live Twice. </i>The novel took
place in Japan and Fleming offered fascinating background information about modern Japan and
Japanese customs and history. (James Clavell also read and enjoyed Fleming’s <i>You
Only Live Twice, </i>especially Fleming's introduction of Ninjas to Western readers. Clavell used Ninjas in <i>Shogun</i>).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESGf3ylX-fmrBspPxIWxO_6dvHE6Fn70bmMn5xPc6-TKQgIuWBfJkbhPZAhQqKdjvyT4TS3_WJS4o7X0ejPg3tGLef6c29jrtayACS4bXd99spovPWlUmseNygIBPrsOBParAp_wlbYn_2OOKVDFXi312rXyWsoe6C93frKk77FzozRW1-tusEmYruVI/s1196/!!!!Phl1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="836" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgESGf3ylX-fmrBspPxIWxO_6dvHE6Fn70bmMn5xPc6-TKQgIuWBfJkbhPZAhQqKdjvyT4TS3_WJS4o7X0ejPg3tGLef6c29jrtayACS4bXd99spovPWlUmseNygIBPrsOBParAp_wlbYn_2OOKVDFXi312rXyWsoe6C93frKk77FzozRW1-tusEmYruVI/w280-h400/!!!!Phl1a.jpg" width="280" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">And I was thrilled to visit Sasebo and Nagasaki in Japan in
1971 when I was a young sailor serving on an aircraft carrier during the
Vietnam War. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">So based on my interest and experiences in Japan, I eagerly
read <i>Shogun</i> in 1975 and watched the miniseries (before VHS recording tapes and DVR devices
were invented) in 1980.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">James Clavell came under criticism by several historians who
pointed out minor historical errors in his novel <i>Shogun </i>when it was
published, and today the late author is being accused of racism for his stereotypical
depictions of the Japanese. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">Nonsense. </span></span><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><i><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">Shogun</span></i></span><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;"> is a fine
historical adventure novel. </span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">I look forward to watching the new miniseries, and I'll probably reread James Clavell's novel afterwards.</span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCp18ym2PTlsqHwoqyTOm-Cn5I_yh558ySB1Rt9OHg6-YvANqB0cwIokS1ft7zuhGgGid31GS27F-svx0QDS1w0QYS2lu2endK3d3AH4qHxjLE3_qfXRZP0rMUflH2UvodIG1t2hv-VnYSJGzzvfkqfgoJda5nAU0kgcf5UnQGgCsaETdQEz0fwbpLlR0/s640/p01hgh8k.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCp18ym2PTlsqHwoqyTOm-Cn5I_yh558ySB1Rt9OHg6-YvANqB0cwIokS1ft7zuhGgGid31GS27F-svx0QDS1w0QYS2lu2endK3d3AH4qHxjLE3_qfXRZP0rMUflH2UvodIG1t2hv-VnYSJGzzvfkqfgoJda5nAU0kgcf5UnQGgCsaETdQEz0fwbpLlR0/w400-h225/p01hgh8k.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><b><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">Note</span></b></span><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><span style="color: #2b2b2b; font-size: 14pt;">: You
can visit James Clavell’s website via the below link:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 12pt;"><span class="dropcap-element-slot"><a href="https://www.jamesclavell.com/theauthor">About the author — JAMES CLAVELL</a> </span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-36104385467191073392024-02-26T21:01:00.008-05:002024-02-26T21:10:19.411-05:00KGB Punch: With Every Murdered Enemy, Putin’s Grip On His Terrified People Grows Tighter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYJVeFf5ztVmDoHqy8tpm3YF7gppJdhBeH4B_ABDfqaFv1_ZBYfQDc8B5jOoarEtENzfqyN5ZX0CNlNt8KHu5kC8hSzqiplQx0ng2W1JBqqHDsuNNG8y5WPg4AKn5Pdqx18QywJ8FAkYSQ67eiD3CuaA4kGLMqzHOExZWZaN77dBjieOVexQVgfWkq5c/s1280/1e83cf1f3c34fd39038275486092c11d.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYJVeFf5ztVmDoHqy8tpm3YF7gppJdhBeH4B_ABDfqaFv1_ZBYfQDc8B5jOoarEtENzfqyN5ZX0CNlNt8KHu5kC8hSzqiplQx0ng2W1JBqqHDsuNNG8y5WPg4AKn5Pdqx18QywJ8FAkYSQ67eiD3CuaA4kGLMqzHOExZWZaN77dBjieOVexQVgfWkq5c/w400-h225/1e83cf1f3c34fd39038275486092c11d.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Ben Macintyre (seen in the below photo), the author of <i>The Spy and the Traitor: The
Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War, A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and
the Great Betrayal,</i> and other fine books on spies and espionage, wrote
a good column for<i> the London Times </i></span><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">on Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s use of assassination.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLMYQtpfjZ8a2zs0ndV3tXIm5dG-OVOskxHVKx6yWaU1cwvFQwGqYBuqm2Wtntjmvuk8n55L70G8DyGlGcLs8QnyEZkRCGJRzUIZRA2OmZ621o5WsgQ3gW7jEY206t-ysRcpQdudU-HhS2QxDmE36tu1XT60HSj1sqSeoasF8uPF2fSecpPMioRXzPzE/s1225/R.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1225" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihLMYQtpfjZ8a2zs0ndV3tXIm5dG-OVOskxHVKx6yWaU1cwvFQwGqYBuqm2Wtntjmvuk8n55L70G8DyGlGcLs8QnyEZkRCGJRzUIZRA2OmZ621o5WsgQ3gW7jEY206t-ysRcpQdudU-HhS2QxDmE36tu1XT60HSj1sqSeoasF8uPF2fSecpPMioRXzPzE/w400-h261/R.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">The
column also appeared in the <i>Australian</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">In
Russian spy jargon, an assassination hit squad is known as a “Mercader”, after
Ramon Mercader, the Spanish communist agent who buried an ice pick in Leon
Trotsky’s head as he sat in his study in Mexico City. Mercader was declared a
“Hero of the Soviet Union” on his release from prison 20 years later.</span></i></p><p style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Today, Russia’s
“Mercaders” are off the leash across the world: from the “Polar Wolf” gulag in
the Russian Arctic, where the opposition leader <a data-tgev-container="bodylink" data-tgev-label="world" data-tgev-metric="ev" data-tgev-order="c14ebcaa73e66d03625744a315f4f4d0" data-tgev="event119" href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/alexei-navalnys-mother-lyudmila-pressured-into-secret-burial/news-story/c14ebcaa73e66d03625744a315f4f4d0" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="color: #277f9c;">Alexei Navalny </span></a>was murdered last week, to
the underground garage near Benidorm where the bullet-riddled body of the
Russian defector Maxim Kuzminov was found a few days earlier.</span></i></p><p style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">The weapons deployed for
traditional Russian “wet work” (mokroye delo) have changed over time: the ice
pick that killed Trotsky and the poisoned umbrella tip that saw off the
Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov have given way to polonium (Alexander Litvinenko),
novichok nerve agent (Sergei Skripal), the plunge from the balcony that ends
the lives of so many of Vladimir Putin’s critics and enemies, or the
spectacular air explosion that immolated the Wagner mercenary Yevgeny
Prigozhin.</span></i></p><p style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Navalny may have been
killed by the notorious “KGB punch”, a lethal blow to the heart administered to
a person already enfeebled by cold. </span></i></p><p style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">But the idea remains the same: a theatrical symbolic act of state-sponsored homicide, to send a warning to other would-be opponets, cow the Russian populace and stun the world with its brazen brutality, all suffused with just enough mystery for a shrugging Kremlin denial.</span></i></p><p style="background: white;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Stalin saw assassination
as integral to his foreign policy, the external expression of the Great Terror:
dissidents, defectors, spies, ideological heretics, all were potential targets.
In 1942 the military intelligence section of the Red Army established a
specialised unit to liquidate “anti-Soviet elements”.</span></i></p><figure itemprop="image" itemtype="http://schema.org/ImageObject" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<p style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Stalin
named it Smersh, merging the Russian words smert meaning death and shpionam
meaning spies: “death to spies”. As a wartime intelligence officer, Ian Fleming
learnt of Smersh, and incorporated it into his James Bond novels.</span></i></p><p style="background: white;"><i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Putin has gone still
further in performative, staged acts of murder. The killings are now preceded
by a statement of the assassin’s philosophy, the promise of revenge.</span></i></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">You
can read the rest of the column via the below link: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white;"><a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/world/the-times/with-every-murdered-enemy-putins-grip-on-his-terrified-people-grows-tighter/news-story/6bb20e5220c72f150c0f3a609fe74d1f">Putin’s reign of terror: With every murdered enemy, his grip on his brutalised people grows tighter | The Australian</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQhvrls8J9SOdzwemRJS35zXX8SKlsuZQsg6xAwOVcS-0-j99MoykRAB2kMnnIzSwiihyphenhyphenFSpQZkulRXPrWsrifm3pfChS3GbB9wKpS39m_bYUWXU0axjGIIjtNQZ5PCWTxsn7i0lFpi7DFYqaG9aaxzchV-J4iOoYC1guBVcbp8IKDHq8cLvp-H4Jycg/s480/ZNov19th.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="316" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQhvrls8J9SOdzwemRJS35zXX8SKlsuZQsg6xAwOVcS-0-j99MoykRAB2kMnnIzSwiihyphenhyphenFSpQZkulRXPrWsrifm3pfChS3GbB9wKpS39m_bYUWXU0axjGIIjtNQZ5PCWTxsn7i0lFpi7DFYqaG9aaxzchV-J4iOoYC1guBVcbp8IKDHq8cLvp-H4Jycg/w264-h400/ZNov19th.jpg" width="264" /></a></div><p style="background: white;"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">Note</span></b><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">: I quoted Ben Macintyre in my <i>Washington
Times</i> review of <i>From Russia With Blood:</i></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“If the idea of a ruthless spy-killing unit sounds like the
stuff of fiction, that’s because it became precisely that,” Ben Macintyre wrote
in his Times column. “In the James Bond novels, Ian Fleming portrayed Smersh
(director of operations: Rosa Klebb) as a massive counterintelligence network
that more closely resembled the <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/kgb/"><span style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">KGB</span></a>.”</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><br />
Ben Macintyre wrote that the real SMERSH was effective in not only
murdering Soviet traitors (some of whom were undoubtedly innocent, he noted),
but SMERSH also instilled terror among potential enemies and enforced obedience
in Soviet citizens.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">“And now it is back, with a new name and a new remit but
essentially the same purpose: to put the fear of God, and assassination,
into <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/russia/"><span style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Russia</span></a>’s enemies, traitors and deserters,” Mr. Macintyre
wrote. “According to intelligence sources, Unit 29155 is an elite sub-unit of
GRU assassins that operated out of the Haute-Savoie in the French Alps,
conducting a variety of wet jobs across Europe: notably the attempted poisoning
in Salisbury of GRU officer-turned-MI6 spy Sergei Skripal, and the attempt to
kill a Bulgarian arms dealer in 2015.”</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">In Ian Fleming’s classic 1957 thriller "From <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/russia/"><span style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Russia</span></a> With
Love,” James Bond was the target of a SMERSH plot to assassinate him and
discredit British intelligence in a scandal. SMERSH sent out from <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/russia/"><span style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Russia</span></a> a
psychopath assassin named Red Grant to kill Bond. Ian Fleming admitted that his
plots were fantastic, but he also said they often lifted the tip of the veil to
reveal the real world of espionage. </span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Heidi Blake’s “From <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/russia/"><span style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Russia</span></a> With
Blood” (a clever take on Ian Fleming’s “From <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/topics/russia/"><span style="color: black; text-decoration-line: none;">Russia</span></a> With
Love” title), lifts the veil off a series of murders in the United Kingdom and
places blame squarely on Russian leader Vladimir Putin</span></i>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 14pt;">You
can read the rest of the piece via the below link: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white;"><a href="http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2019/12/my-washington-times-review-of-from.html">Paul Davis On Crime: My Washington Times Review Of 'From Russia With Blood: The Kremlin's Ruthless Assassination Program And Vladimir Putin's Secret War On The West'</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAX-8t_HjXH59Ftt4WCA2fR3hajjqruwLxtvNHit7eBhMDX6nPM2WoSE5OKbSXOb7lUUMSbiyN5TiN6ie5VxxTnxaOQySu5YVk_UTMQNsVnlnf89ugnxenBMoruWls2FY6g_xcho69qR4uWvjc9wwTeXgkJbHVMZWL0z5JyUJ2ha4LZQzozwH-3ojCRU/s1399/Fleming_From_Russia_Signet_front.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1399" data-original-width="812" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHAX-8t_HjXH59Ftt4WCA2fR3hajjqruwLxtvNHit7eBhMDX6nPM2WoSE5OKbSXOb7lUUMSbiyN5TiN6ie5VxxTnxaOQySu5YVk_UTMQNsVnlnf89ugnxenBMoruWls2FY6g_xcho69qR4uWvjc9wwTeXgkJbHVMZWL0z5JyUJ2ha4LZQzozwH-3ojCRU/w233-h400/Fleming_From_Russia_Signet_front.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><p style="background: white;"><br /></p></figure>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-54323998669243091372024-02-25T22:11:00.003-05:002024-02-25T22:11:24.852-05:00Three Former Philadelphia Local 98 Employees Sentenced For Illegal Use Of Union Assets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEymzP2j2g5KZs2LNn8WPR8KRZwLxYxU_pHjjhhtHsjDEv9LoZYqkA_XWUosq6TCnv_cMW2Krggf_-AC5W90Z1EbRsUEWSIrfEDXfw2fvbiYFYJVRndpgkLbGNnkjadX7oc_eHlHXPlhqJXfbcY2R71bGv7w7wSvWju0nA6fBi39gdSRg-V8m-xDTKUnk/s320/!!!!!!!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEymzP2j2g5KZs2LNn8WPR8KRZwLxYxU_pHjjhhtHsjDEv9LoZYqkA_XWUosq6TCnv_cMW2Krggf_-AC5W90Z1EbRsUEWSIrfEDXfw2fvbiYFYJVRndpgkLbGNnkjadX7oc_eHlHXPlhqJXfbcY2R71bGv7w7wSvWju0nA6fBi39gdSRg-V8m-xDTKUnk/w400-h300/!!!!!!!.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">The
U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia released the below information:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">PHILADELPHIA
– United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Michael Neill, 57,
Marita Crawford, 54, and Niko Rodriguez, 32, all of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
were sentenced this week by United States District Court Judge Jeffrey Schmehl.
The defendants, all former employees of Local 98 of the International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (“Local 98”), had previously pleaded guilty
to stealing Local 98 funds for their personal use.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Michael Neill</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> had
served as the Training Director of Local 98’s Apprentice Training Fund since
2008. In December 2022, he pleaded guilty to four counts of embezzlement of
labor union assets, one count of theft from a union employee benefit plan, and
one count of making and subscribing to a false federal income tax return. As
part of his guilty plea, Neill admitted having Local 98 and the Apprentice
Training Fund pay for construction and maintenance work at his home, at Doc’s
Union Pub, of which he was a part owner, and other personal properties by
causing the submission of false invoices from May 2013 through December 2015.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Neill was sentenced to 13 months in prison, three years of
supervised release, a fine of $10,000, and a mandatory special assessment of
$600. Neill was ordered to pay restitution of $92,733.67 and to forfeit the sum
of $25,259.29.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Marita Crawford</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> had
served as Local 98’s Political Director since November 2011. In December 2022,
she pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud, which involved using her Local
98 credit card to pay for personal expenses for the benefit of herself and
others, and, for some of the illegal expenditures, submitting false
business-related explanations of the expenses to the union to disguise the
illegal nature of the transactions. Crawford also admitted illegally using
money from a political action committee (PAC) called “New Gen1,” funded
primarily by contributions from Local 98’s committee on political education
(“COPE”) and by the IBEW’s similar fund in Washington, D.C., for personal
purchases for herself and others. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Crawford was sentenced to 15 days in prison followed by three
months of home confinement, three years of supervised release, a fine of $2,000
and a mandatory special assessment of $400. She was ordered to pay restitution
of $11,903 and to forfeit the sum of $2,777.63.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Niko Rodriguez</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> was
employed by Local 98’s Apprentice Training Fund and by Local 98 since 2011,
primarily serving as a driver and personal assistant to Local 98’s Business
Manager, codefendant John Dougherty. In December 2022, he pleaded guilty to six
counts of embezzlement of labor union assets. As part of his guilty plea,
Rodriguez admitted using Local 98 credit cards to purchase personal goods for
himself and Dougherty.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rodriguez was sentenced to three years’ probation, 80 hours of
community service, a fine of $5,000, and a mandatory special assessment of
$600. He was ordered to pay restitution of $13,491 and to forfeit the sum of
$1,079.55.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“In using Local 98 funds to pay for personal expenses, these
defendants broke the law, and they stole from the union’s rank and file,” said
U.S. Attorney Romero. “Every one of those hardworking members needs to be able
to trust that the dues they dutifully pay are in fact being used for the
union’s benefit, as intended. When that doesn’t happen, when money is
unlawfully misdirected, we and our partners won’t hesitate to step in and hold
those responsible to account.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Investigating public corruption is a priority of the FBI and
this includes ensuring the integrity of labor organizations and protecting the
workers who trust them.” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI
Philadelphia. “These individuals betrayed the electrical union’s members, those
who rely on them to work with their best interest in mind, not out of greed.
The FBI and our partners will continue to investigate and hold accountable
those that pocket organizational funds for personal profit.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“IRS-Criminal Investigation is proud to have provided its
financial expertise in this investigation,” said Yury Kruty, Special Agent in
Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation. “We, along with our law enforcement
partners and the Department of Justice, will continue to aggressively
investigate individuals who engage in money laundering, tax fraud, or other
types of white-collar crimes.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Neill’s sentencing sends an important message to all those
entrusted with protecting benefit plan assets. Regardless of title or position,
the U.S. Department of Labor will hold fiduciaries to the highest standards of
accountability to protect the employee benefits of America’s workers,” said
U.S. Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration Regional
Director Cristina O’Brien in Philadelphia.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“Most union officials and employees do their work with great
care, but union employees Michael Neill, Marita Crawford and Niko Rodriguez
betrayed the trust and confidence placed in them by members of IBEW Local 98,”
said U.S. Department of Labor Office of Labor-Management Standards Acting
District Director Nicole Spallino in Philadelphia. “We remain committed to
working with our law enforcement partners to identify criminal violations and
pursue legal action when individuals unlawfully exploit their union positions
at the expense of the union and its members.”<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sentencing hearings for codefendants Brian Fiocca, who pleaded
guilty in December 2022, as well as codefendants Brian Burrows and John
Dougherty, who were convicted at trial in December 2023, are scheduled for
March, April, and May 2024, respectively.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigation, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation, the U.S.
Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, the U.S.
Department of Labor Office of Labor Management Standards, the U.S. Department
of Labor Office of Inspector General, and the Pennsylvania State Police, with
assistance from the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office, and is being
prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Frank Costello, Bea Witzleben,
Richard Barrett, Jason Grenell, and Anthony Carissimi.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-87875037198590451602024-02-23T23:24:00.006-05:002024-02-23T23:26:26.330-05:00Japan-Based U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Charged with Espionage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQWTzZHMjn4Vwwx_Pqbq6g55xUPn49WOGsGMdGzTgbYa-CtTVUrzpxGCecyspoUxYPDS8Q7bHIhzJ1UAS3ownTv3u5-5N0J9CnCU5VzmTfcC3MM2klMmWxITgr_D4nx6Fa-xPm5p52eIGaY2wxFI2Q45ayy6nPpIHpfbQPagOvVie-2jwIfykR7NA4eM/s1191/PEDICINI_BRYCE-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1191" data-original-width="925" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxQWTzZHMjn4Vwwx_Pqbq6g55xUPn49WOGsGMdGzTgbYa-CtTVUrzpxGCecyspoUxYPDS8Q7bHIhzJ1UAS3ownTv3u5-5N0J9CnCU5VzmTfcC3MM2klMmWxITgr_D4nx6Fa-xPm5p52eIGaY2wxFI2Q45ayy6nPpIHpfbQPagOvVie-2jwIfykR7NA4eM/s320/PEDICINI_BRYCE-1.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">Sam LaGrone at
the </span><i style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;">USNI News</i><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"> offers a piece on the Navy chief petty officer charged with espionage.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14pt; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>A sailor
assigned to a guided-missile destroyer based in Japan has been charged with
espionage and communicating defense information to a foreign citizen, <a data-feathr-click-track="true" data-feathr-link-aids="635c396cdefd5a3f7972fc5d" href="https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24436357/ocr_pedicini-charge-sheet-referred-original_redacted.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; outline-offset: -2px; outline: inherit; text-decoration-color: rgb(245, 201, 55); text-decoration-line: initial; transition: color 0.3s linear 0s;"><span style="color: #340003;">according
to the charge sheet obtained by USNI News on Wednesday</span></a><span id="more-108958" style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span>.</i></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>
Chief Petty Officer Fire Controlman Bryce Pedicini </i>(seen in the above photo)<i>,
assigned to the Japan-based destroyer USS <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Higgins </span>(DDG-76),
was set to face a general court-martial this week, Navy officials said.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>“A sailor assigned
to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76) is
suspected of mishandling classified documents and information. The incident
remains under investigation and legal proceedings continue,” reads a statement
from a U.S. Naval Surface Force spokesperson.</i></span></p><p style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>The Navy is
accusing Pedicini of smuggling classified information from secure spaces and
giving them to an employee of an unspecified foreign government between late
November 2022 to February 2023 in Hampton Roads, Va. The type of information
Pedicini is accused of sharing was unclear from the charging documents, which
also allege that he attempted to pass on photos, including those of a computer
screen designated to handle secret information, to a foreign national while in
Yokosuka, Japan.</i></span></p>
<p style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>Based on the
charging documents, Pedicini was arrested shortly after the attempted espionage
incident in Japan. According to the charging documents, Pedicni has been in
pre-trial confinement since May 19, or for more than nine months.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p>
<p style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><i>The charges were
referred for a general court-martial on Jan. 18, with the U.S. Naval Surface
Force as the convening authority. </i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You can read
the rest of the piece via the below link: <o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><a href="https://news.usni.org/2024/02/21/japan-based-chief-petty-officer-charged-with-espionage">Japan-Based Chief Petty Officer Charged with Espionage - USNI News</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGJR2XzS7mi8feOnpm74RA5vnsUo91djf6cD_Y2qd-Kz_YupIy2um4v9HsZZMYtV4U5t-4odV9Rp17jqOssCbr1vn2KpT0UDQY3MY7oovHNTQu_zsHg7vIbr94VZzW2Qnk0i29DKk69yLfKp7XUrztmAfKneMK-tvqMlgDrTC0jAJmtBOpQT8Uyz1BC9I/s1460/USSHiggins.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="973" data-original-width="1460" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGJR2XzS7mi8feOnpm74RA5vnsUo91djf6cD_Y2qd-Kz_YupIy2um4v9HsZZMYtV4U5t-4odV9Rp17jqOssCbr1vn2KpT0UDQY3MY7oovHNTQu_zsHg7vIbr94VZzW2Qnk0i29DKk69yLfKp7XUrztmAfKneMK-tvqMlgDrTC0jAJmtBOpQT8Uyz1BC9I/w400-h266/USSHiggins.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="background: white; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; margin: 0in 0in 15pt;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Note</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">: Above is a U.S. Navy photo of the </span><span style="font-size: 18.6667px;">guided-missile destroyer </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">USS Higgins.</span></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-51209883997705325742024-02-23T13:36:00.016-05:002024-02-23T13:46:15.241-05:00A Little Humor: Enjoying A Cigar Onboard A Navy Tugboat At The U.S. Nuclear Submarine Base At Holy Loch, Scotland <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEK6xMrHfb4FMSpN2h0DMoqbDTAtEGaz6jyJvN6r4NjiXlxWV9FuvYcl3qFdsHMcVOh89wtlFiMtMtaOmyPGfrcKeziaujj0PuyER-exiymL_l3L00BJQeVblEwhG7su7BHAjK9LhvXJIwdNB-lA59KvJ-i-3ftpi8lbytnQ5VXeBIUGb-3ptFbY44Ao/s1088/!!4a1b1a3a1a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="832" data-original-width="1088" height="306" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjEK6xMrHfb4FMSpN2h0DMoqbDTAtEGaz6jyJvN6r4NjiXlxWV9FuvYcl3qFdsHMcVOh89wtlFiMtMtaOmyPGfrcKeziaujj0PuyER-exiymL_l3L00BJQeVblEwhG7su7BHAjK9LhvXJIwdNB-lA59KvJ-i-3ftpi8lbytnQ5VXeBIUGb-3ptFbY44Ao/w400-h306/!!4a1b1a3a1a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: 14pt;">As
I write this in my comfortable book-lined basement office, I’m sitting at my
desk and enjoying a good cup of coffee and a fine cigar. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I’ve
never smoked cigarettes, as I was an amateur boxer in my youth, and we were
told that smoking cigarettes would rob us of our valuable second wind.
(Although some professional boxers smoke crack these days). </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">But I’ve enjoyed
cigars for many years, going back to my early 20s. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSI_abGG3aCH-HaG1p2xQzALe9xb_AAE0WEkYBk_nF8PLa1d2p2KnosaJ2xhxKHZ2xBH67X3SeVtdEhxwlQfAEUegNwlxb-B1K6tZ02fjMSGWlgVXzoxL7cLu-JjaRXsT2t4ap6rwe86TNe1zkuwU3cGT6roO1enuUduPS01n2iAAW4coacEPokGzant4/s1360/!!!!PauldavisUSSSaugusYTB780%20(2)%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="1360" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSI_abGG3aCH-HaG1p2xQzALe9xb_AAE0WEkYBk_nF8PLa1d2p2KnosaJ2xhxKHZ2xBH67X3SeVtdEhxwlQfAEUegNwlxb-B1K6tZ02fjMSGWlgVXzoxL7cLu-JjaRXsT2t4ap6rwe86TNe1zkuwU3cGT6roO1enuUduPS01n2iAAW4coacEPokGzant4/w400-h283/!!!!PauldavisUSSSaugusYTB780%20(2)%20(1).jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
recall when I was a young man serving in the U.S. Navy back in 1975 and
stationed on the USS Saugus (YTB-780), a 100-foot-long Navy harbor tugboat
assigned to the U.S. Navy’s "Site One" nuclear submarine base at Holy
Loch, Scotland. </span></p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Having
previously served on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk during the Vietnam
War, I had to adjust from serving on one of the world’s largest warships to one
of the smallest. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Although
I was not thrilled with Scotland’s awful winter weather, especially when the
tugboat was ordered out into the Irish Sea to meet with submarines and we
encountered 50-foot waves and Gale Force winds, I generally liked serving on a
small boat with a small crew. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GczW2JLxkdpH2cFnlSC5BxWIZcVzylmxGSWbvAAnurU0Pw8tlXtHV279rui4f7NK8DoZnNbFSuN2yN2bANNmwmZjgXaFfiJ1mcGX30LG7P2DmjzEWkAkzej9rYbyWQN-HZSGtHsH3kOTUhaQRJRJ-JkuHTCjPgbQnl2qE6Iqn5NAYgVz8d8TA7vtwHk/s1960/!!4a1b1a1a1.tif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1412" data-original-width="1960" height="289" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-GczW2JLxkdpH2cFnlSC5BxWIZcVzylmxGSWbvAAnurU0Pw8tlXtHV279rui4f7NK8DoZnNbFSuN2yN2bANNmwmZjgXaFfiJ1mcGX30LG7P2DmjzEWkAkzej9rYbyWQN-HZSGtHsH3kOTUhaQRJRJ-JkuHTCjPgbQnl2qE6Iqn5NAYgVz8d8TA7vtwHk/w400-h289/!!4a1b1a1a1.tif" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
also recall how I often enjoyed smoking a cigar out on the tugboat’s deck while
gazing out to the sea. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Stationed
on the USS Natick, the other assigned tugboat to Holy Loch, was a big and burly
West Virginia hillbilly named Joe Marks. He was quite a character and we
enjoyed cutting each other up. It became something of a rivalry. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">He
took my sarcastic asides in good humor, and he sometimes gave as good as he
got. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">One
morning he tried to rile the Saugus' chief and get to me.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Most
of the crew were afraid of the Saugus’ chief, an odd, humorless man who rarely
spoke, but when angered he would bark orders with a powerful voice that made
most errant sailors shake. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">With
his aloof and taciturn manner and a deadpan face, he reminded me of the silent
film comic Buster Keaton.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
called him “Chief Cool,” and the nickname stuck. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Marks
saw the chief sitting with us and drinking coffee in the galley that
morning. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Morning,
Chief Cool. How are ya?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
guys in the galley were shocked that Marks would address the feared chief as
“Chief Cool.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
chief ignored him. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Did
you know that Davis started everyone calling you Chief Cool?" <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">There
was dead silence in the galley. Then, quite unexpectedly, the chief looked at
me and smiled. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
don't think anyone had ever seen him smile before. He got up and left the
galley without saying a word. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Everyone
laughed. Apparently, the chief thought the nickname was complimentary. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Marks
was taken aback, but he later tried to get the better of me. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The
weather that day was nice for a change, and I took a break from my supply petty
officer duties and stepped out on the deck and lit a cigar. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Some
of the crew were also on deck smoking cigarettes. Marks came out and saw me
with my cigar and he laughed and pointed at me. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“Don’t
you feel old smoking that cigar?” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“No,”
I replied. “I feel – prosperous.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">This
got a laugh from a couple of guys, and as Marks probably didn’t know what
prosperous meant, he had to come back with a good zinger. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">“It
looks like you’re smoking a big ole dick,” he said with a laugh. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
took a long draw on the cigar and replied, “I would prefer to think of it as a
woman’s elongated nipple.” <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">I
got the bigger laugh.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlB77sm9fsyDzOKx5Cga3eC8J5C7_HTdx33SiiaINxMsuM-L-OXS8Gn0k6iQItXL0Vkm1hJGmfBP9NEU3zKRMz9GrEi4BbF82xkqS1mfedT4XOaJv9ZFU3W7gkPig-M04UTyGtCvSrdcxrcV-sn1CzTYWXeoQ7nV1nFUuryP8Ele13AVk6sERMUPj7NI/s1356/!!!!Phl.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="940" data-original-width="1356" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlB77sm9fsyDzOKx5Cga3eC8J5C7_HTdx33SiiaINxMsuM-L-OXS8Gn0k6iQItXL0Vkm1hJGmfBP9NEU3zKRMz9GrEi4BbF82xkqS1mfedT4XOaJv9ZFU3W7gkPig-M04UTyGtCvSrdcxrcV-sn1CzTYWXeoQ7nV1nFUuryP8Ele13AVk6sERMUPj7NI/w400-h278/!!!!Phl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Note</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">: You can also read my post on Holy Loch via the below
link: </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2010/04/scottish-town-of-dunoon-hopes-to-enlist.html">Paul Davis On Crime: Site One: A Look Back At The American Nuclear Submarine Base At Holy Loch, Scotland</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRHENAhQ4l98vbJcQt0rORSSV89yS3WUnYWYUCvCQ3HA2nsnoEZ4bNDtaV-NqeujyVWrQG_q8mNuFLMrGtn6MZxIEbBCTc2Qg_27Mdk7aUcbq21ed2M7NySLXH-F1rbGMAnbp5xHX77j6cumN34ZfU_6fQxFQcvMrTfzwqBiMkk4e-zcDnsKy1mHtAZc/s1871/!!4a1b2f3k6b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1174" data-original-width="1871" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRHENAhQ4l98vbJcQt0rORSSV89yS3WUnYWYUCvCQ3HA2nsnoEZ4bNDtaV-NqeujyVWrQG_q8mNuFLMrGtn6MZxIEbBCTc2Qg_27Mdk7aUcbq21ed2M7NySLXH-F1rbGMAnbp5xHX77j6cumN34ZfU_6fQxFQcvMrTfzwqBiMkk4e-zcDnsKy1mHtAZc/w400-h251/!!4a1b2f3k6b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiQ-sGuZEIwFpoWddRSg4NI1pmeNCPWgmP7seJPXMVp9YOyOVPizrCbZmDTYqM3ivYK1SZEMrvtv_wc2emw8PaSMoCctect-CvBwDTsbIm4C8M23BQ7wdc4gvRQpGUQAM971OYR-ZI7ue1eKesaBC9R_RQCWWU3iSOoT7U_ZpO49ocvH-2ImPhF8L3pI/s1600/!!4a1b1a4e.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1014" data-original-width="1600" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTiQ-sGuZEIwFpoWddRSg4NI1pmeNCPWgmP7seJPXMVp9YOyOVPizrCbZmDTYqM3ivYK1SZEMrvtv_wc2emw8PaSMoCctect-CvBwDTsbIm4C8M23BQ7wdc4gvRQpGUQAM971OYR-ZI7ue1eKesaBC9R_RQCWWU3iSOoT7U_ZpO49ocvH-2ImPhF8L3pI/w400-h254/!!4a1b1a4e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQA2452bc2qKI5n3gWT1IbgZVY-xXDHeroelCZddrZ1dtuArVmzEYCQIvqhJpY9D3yuYzcincoQLZW1svSR4JRTye5Ie7DEaLsT4qWivlSZ1dHgZPboKcHGz8L3OKrrmthGk3eGionxTJqjuMoYmfU_JcfZPXNij_vJQDaE4zxOc6XfLwRWkBhVWbPYeI/s1759/!!4a1b1a4c1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="1759" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQA2452bc2qKI5n3gWT1IbgZVY-xXDHeroelCZddrZ1dtuArVmzEYCQIvqhJpY9D3yuYzcincoQLZW1svSR4JRTye5Ie7DEaLsT4qWivlSZ1dHgZPboKcHGz8L3OKrrmthGk3eGionxTJqjuMoYmfU_JcfZPXNij_vJQDaE4zxOc6XfLwRWkBhVWbPYeI/w400-h245/!!4a1b1a4c1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJR39K-5WKDMj6t6O83oeqaHPzkICAioaNQ1Ity4_0DZDfAg9brmXKcviQP1SanIOmtU2B27R3fdC7046LUx-pi784_z-5n-SBRtTQpGFJMb0q42Eb6WhtVGqzwt6Qycpv8eKATraPrEwzFdUydhapYxQ17OWsWn-TVSamFkn6NTIhMVJIOTNFfTJ2lKQ/s1947/!!4a1b0a.JPEG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1283" data-original-width="1947" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJR39K-5WKDMj6t6O83oeqaHPzkICAioaNQ1Ity4_0DZDfAg9brmXKcviQP1SanIOmtU2B27R3fdC7046LUx-pi784_z-5n-SBRtTQpGFJMb0q42Eb6WhtVGqzwt6Qycpv8eKATraPrEwzFdUydhapYxQ17OWsWn-TVSamFkn6NTIhMVJIOTNFfTJ2lKQ/w400-h264/!!4a1b0a.JPEG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvg1ybn1aPCl712q-MubRe6OjyPUTvDj4f7PRMHGKab4uZl0X1-dfKIjSUG11bGDAgEM4jqTW-zboLFCX1qvlotupW4S1KpBiQnxXGghq8hw4JoylnL_EeJ6rGrqZGkrv79ctL2W84XbmMk6Iv9TOUyVk6RKI4lUSzViZfq2X5JKTl7BjJaG0HiQTHSNg/s1536/!!4a1b1a3a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1536" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvg1ybn1aPCl712q-MubRe6OjyPUTvDj4f7PRMHGKab4uZl0X1-dfKIjSUG11bGDAgEM4jqTW-zboLFCX1qvlotupW4S1KpBiQnxXGghq8hw4JoylnL_EeJ6rGrqZGkrv79ctL2W84XbmMk6Iv9TOUyVk6RKI4lUSzViZfq2X5JKTl7BjJaG0HiQTHSNg/w400-h269/!!4a1b1a3a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsRArvOWQzaxNms3XOSxZEJsrQWBEybjBCpNS2kW1LCfMJn-f3YPkZEDJ20V4YsPMcs4srf19w4RZJZM05qmCbbkq3CR8aYwmdrB6Bf1Dpyw76YvVVSSEHvI7-aPRrxxj9ZESfjSnSi0ZCN43xuh8aPOzu6PJfThIOZoyQHkhjsA_v3U5MGwSgjIySf8/s960/OffOahu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-10933961268450423342024-02-23T01:21:00.001-05:002024-02-23T01:21:12.376-05:00Twenty-Five Charged In Indictment Targeting Philadelphia Drug Trafficking Organization<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7jqROll9Db3hc167VuCR02E2SnIz9FkxK6Gn298oh0eo14pqy56CDwBHtHY5rqTRsDOvEuO0ioyqA0CeiVPYGFU308z5ahR7WRRNgYtPtqMRhILK0OM4o60_3oZMfRZ_8s9_PLwgR0-be8QlxedvEzsy8Jpg3cpHrExnuqjOC28V0Xju2HkYkF6aB5M/s320/!!!!!!!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz7jqROll9Db3hc167VuCR02E2SnIz9FkxK6Gn298oh0eo14pqy56CDwBHtHY5rqTRsDOvEuO0ioyqA0CeiVPYGFU308z5ahR7WRRNgYtPtqMRhILK0OM4o60_3oZMfRZ_8s9_PLwgR0-be8QlxedvEzsy8Jpg3cpHrExnuqjOC28V0Xju2HkYkF6aB5M/w400-h300/!!!!!!!.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of West Virginia,
released the below information:</span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">On CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA – Twenty-five people have been
charged in a case targeting a Philadelphia-based organization that was
supplying large amounts of methamphetamine, fentanyl, and cocaine to North
Central West Virginia.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">United States
Attorney William Ihlenfeld announced the unsealing of an indictment and the
arrests of individuals in Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey, and West Virginia
on drug trafficking charges. According to court documents, Rodney Johnson, age
46, of Philadelphia, was the leader of a group that was supplying significant
quantities of illicit drugs to Monongalia County. The organization’s members
utilized apartments in Morgantown in which to reside and store their drugs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">“The
indictment and subsequent arrests have led to the dismantling of a
sophisticated operation that was causing large quantities of dangerous drugs to
be distributed in our region,” said U.S. Attorney Ihlenfeld. “The work of our
agents and prosecutors in this matter has made our communities safer and shows
the reach that we have when it comes to the disruption of drug trafficking.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">“I want to
highlight the collective efforts of the FBI and our law enforcement partners to
dismantle a criminal enterprise who was intent on flooding our communities with
this poison,” said FBI Pittsburgh Special Agent in Charge Kevin Rojek. “An
investigation of this size requires partnership and teamwork. The result of
this operation is a testament to the power of partnership and the FBI’s
commitment to curb violence in our communities.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Law
enforcement arrested 22 people in a coordinated effort across the four states.
Investigators are still searching for:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<ul style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-left: 1rem; margin-top: 0.75rem;" type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #444444; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; padding-left: 1.5rem; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Rodney Johnson, age 46, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #444444; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; padding-left: 1.5rem; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Ryan Shaw, age 27, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #444444; margin-bottom: 0.75rem; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; padding-left: 1.5rem; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Rasheab Bradsher, age 47, of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">Assistant U.S.
Attorney Zelda Wesley is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">This case was
investigated by the Mon Metro Drug Task Force, a HIDTA-funded initiative. The
task force consists of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement
Administration; the West Virginia State Police; the Monongalia County Sheriff’s
Office; the Monongalia County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office; the Morgantown
Police Department; the WVU Police Department; the Granville Police Department;
and the Star City Police Department.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">This effort is
part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal
organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led,
intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the
OCDETF Program can be found at <a href="https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF" style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #0064a8;">https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; word-break: break-word;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14.0pt;">An indictment is merely an allegation, and each defendant is
presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of
law.</span></i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1731027273906838992.post-38929718108801979792024-02-22T01:57:00.003-05:002024-02-22T02:16:49.014-05:00Justice Department Announces Nuclear Materials Trafficking Charges Against Japanese Yakuza Leader Takeshi Ebisawa, <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixQa_3DTMwpbz1pQatZuf3vx_KCKNXQAhKIEBpB02Ox7dQT-dRGIibyUtjyyKej1kgnAVtE6oPieLpMFWfpOtrD9k1aavaO-YpSMegiwmbAxjqERwYbRI75rPcC20XLzXQP4e8t_xdLmqdqaIS2B3NkJXpNVFWwY6jhWo8Iyob8pwTjQIkPPeEHPhQ2Q/s3072/Takeshi-Ebisawa2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="2266" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjixQa_3DTMwpbz1pQatZuf3vx_KCKNXQAhKIEBpB02Ox7dQT-dRGIibyUtjyyKej1kgnAVtE6oPieLpMFWfpOtrD9k1aavaO-YpSMegiwmbAxjqERwYbRI75rPcC20XLzXQP4e8t_xdLmqdqaIS2B3NkJXpNVFWwY6jhWo8Iyob8pwTjQIkPPeEHPhQ2Q/w295-h400/Takeshi-Ebisawa2.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><p></p><p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">The U.S. Justice Department released the below information and
photo.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="background: white; margin-top: 0in;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">A superseding indictment was unsealed in Manhattan today
charging a Japanese national with conspiring with a network of associates to
traffic nuclear materials from Burma to other countries.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">According to
court documents, Takeshi Ebisawa, 60, and co-defendant Somphop Singhasiri, 61,
were previously charged in April 2022 with international narcotics trafficking
and firearms offenses, and both have been ordered detained.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">“The defendant
stands accused of conspiring to sell weapons grade nuclear material and lethal
narcotics from Burma, and to purchase military weaponry on behalf of an armed
insurgent group,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the
Justice Department’s National Security Division. “It is chilling to imagine the
consequences had these efforts succeeded and the Justice Department will hold
accountable those who traffic in these materials and threaten U.S. national
security and international stability.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">“As alleged, the
defendant brazenly trafficked material containing uranium and weapons-grade
plutonium from Burma to other countries,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams
for the Southern District of New York. “He did so while believing that the
material was going to be used in the development of a nuclear weapons program,
and while also negotiating for the purchase of deadly weapons. It is impossible
to overstate the seriousness of this conduct. I want to thank the career
prosecutors of my office and our law enforcement partners for ensuring that the
defendant will now face justice in an American
court.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">“As alleged, the
defendants in this case trafficked in drugs, weapons, and nuclear material –
going so far as to offer uranium and weapons-grade plutonium fully expecting
that Iran would use it for nuclear weapons,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of
the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). “This is an extraordinary example of
the depravity of drug traffickers who operate with total disregard for human
life. I commend the men and women of DEA and this prosecution team for their
tireless work to protect us from such evil.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">According to the
allegations contained in the indictment, beginning in early 2020, Ebisawa
informed UC-1 and a DEA confidential source (CS-1) that Ebisawa had access to a
large quantity of nuclear materials that he wanted to sell. Later that year,
Ebisawa sent UC-1 a series of photographs depicting rocky substances with
Geiger counters measuring radiation, as well as pages of what Ebisawa
represented to be lab analyses indicating the presence of thorium and uranium
in the depicted substances. In response to Ebisawa’s repeated inquiries, UC-1
agreed, as part of the DEA’s investigation, to help Ebisawa broker the sale of
his nuclear materials to UC-1’s associate, who was posing as an Iranian general
(the General), for use in a nuclear weapons program. Ebisawa then offered to
supply the General with “plutonium” that would be even “better” and more
“powerful” than uranium for this purpose. </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">During
their discussions regarding Ebisawa’s access to nuclear materials, Ebisawa also
engaged with UC-1 concerning Ebisawa’s desire to purchase military-grade
weapons. To that end, in May 2021, Ebisawa sent UC-1 a list of weapons,
including surface-to-air missiles, that Ebisawa wished to purchase from UC-1 on
behalf of the leader of an ethnic insurgent group in Burma (CC-1).
Together with two other co-conspirators (CC-2 and CC-3), Ebisawa proposed to
UC-1 that CC-1 sell uranium to the General, through Ebisawa, to fund CC-1’s
weapons purchase. On a Feb.4, 2022 videoconference, CC-2 told UC-1 that CC-1
had available more than 2,000 kilograms of Thorium-232 and more than 100
kilograms of uranium in the compound U3O8 — referring to a compound of uranium
commonly found in the uranium concentrate powder known as “yellowcake” — and
that CC-1 could produce as much as five tons of nuclear materials in Burma.
CC-2 also advised that CC-1 had provided samples of the uranium and thorium,
which CC-2 was prepared to show to UC-1’s purported buyers. CC-2 noted that the
samples should be packed “to contain . . . the radiation.” </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">About one week
later, Ebisawa, CC-2 and CC-3 participated in a series of meetings with UC-1
and CS-1 in Southeast Asia to discuss their ongoing weapons, narcotics, and
nuclear materials transactions. During one of these meetings, CC-2 asked UC-1
to meet in CC-2’s hotel room. Inside the room, CC-2 showed UC-1 two
plastic containers, each holding a powdery yellow substance (the Nuclear
Samples), which CC-2 described as “yellowcake.” CC-2 advised that one container
held a sample of uranium in the compound U3O8, and the other container held
Thorium-232. </span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">With
the assistance of Thai authorities, the Nuclear Samples were seized and
subsequently transferred to the custody of U.S. law enforcement authorities. A
U.S. nuclear forensic laboratory examined the Nuclear Samples and determined
that both samples contain detectable quantities of uranium, thorium and
plutonium. In particular, the laboratory determined that the isotope
composition of the plutonium found in the Nuclear Samples is weapons-grade,
meaning that the plutonium, if produced in sufficient quantities, would be
suitable for use in a nuclear weapon. </span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">A table
containing the charges and maximum penalties for Ebisawa and Singhasiri is set
forth below. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by
Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any
sentencing of the defendants will be determined by a judge.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<table border="1" cellpadding="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; border-spacing: 0px; border: 1pt solid white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; mso-border-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-cellspacing: 1.5pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<thead style="box-sizing: inherit;">
<tr style="box-sizing: inherit; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes; mso-yfti-irow: 0;">
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-image: initial; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p align="center" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Count<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-image: initial; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p align="center" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Defendant(s)<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-image: initial; border: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p align="center" style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; text-align: center; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Maximum Penalty<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody><tr style="box-sizing: inherit; mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Count One: conspiracy to commit international
trafficking of nuclear materials<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Ebisawa<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-image: initial; border: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">20 years
in prison<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="background-color: rgba(233, 238, 245, 0.4); box-sizing: inherit; mso-yfti-irow: 2;">
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Count Two: international trafficking of nuclear
materials<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Ebisawa<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-image: initial; border: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">10 years
in prison<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: inherit; mso-yfti-irow: 3;">
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Count Three: narcotics importation conspiracy<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Ebisawa
and Singhasiri<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-image: initial; border: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Life in
prison; mandatory minimum penalty of 10 years in prison<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="background-color: rgba(233, 238, 245, 0.4); box-sizing: inherit; mso-yfti-irow: 4;">
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Count Four: conspiracy to possess firearms,
including machineguns and destructive devices<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Singhasiri<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-image: initial; border: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Life in
prison<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: inherit; mso-yfti-irow: 5;">
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Count Five: conspiracy to acquire, transfer, and
possess surface-to-air missiles.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Ebisawa<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-image: initial; border: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Life in
prison; mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years in prison<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="background-color: rgba(233, 238, 245, 0.4); box-sizing: inherit; mso-yfti-irow: 6;">
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Count Six: narcotics importation conspiracy<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Ebisawa<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-image: initial; border: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Life in
prison; mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="box-sizing: inherit; mso-yfti-irow: 7;">
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Count Seven: conspiracy to possess firearms,
including machine guns and destructive devices<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-bottom: 1pt solid white; border-image: initial; border-left: none; border-right: 1pt solid white; border-top: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Ebisawa<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="background: rgb(233, 238, 245); border-bottom: solid white 1.0pt; border-image: initial; border: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Life in
prison<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr style="background-color: rgba(233, 238, 245, 0.4); box-sizing: inherit; mso-yfti-irow: 8; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="border-image: initial; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Count Eight: money laundering<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-image: initial; border-right: solid white 1.0pt; border: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; mso-border-right-alt: solid white .75pt; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">Ebisawa<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
<td style="border-image: initial; border: none; box-sizing: inherit; font-size: 0.75rem; padding: 11.25pt;">
<p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0in; word-break: break-word;"><b><span style="color: #2e2e2a; font-size: 14pt;">20 years
in prison<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">The DEA Special
Operations Division Bilateral Investigations Unit is investigating the case,
with valuable assistance provided by the DEA Tokyo Country Office, DEA Bangkok
Country Office, DEA Chiang Mai Resident Office, DEA Jakarta Country Office, DEA
Copenhagen Country Office, DEA New York Field Office, DEA New Delhi Country
Office, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the
National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, and law enforcement
partners in Indonesia, Japan and the Kingdom of Thailand.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">Trial Attorney
Dmitry Slavin of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section and
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexander Li, Kaylan E. Lasky and Kevin T. Sullivan
for the Southern District of New York are prosecuting the case.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">This prosecution
is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation.
OCDETF identifies, disrupts and dismantles the highest-level criminal
organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led,
intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the
OCDETF Program can be found at <a href="http://www.justice.gov/OCDETF" style="box-sizing: inherit; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: #0064a8;">www.justice.gov/OCDETF</span></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: white; box-sizing: inherit; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: 1rem; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2; word-break: break-word; word-spacing: 0px;"><i style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are
presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of
law.</span></i><i><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p>
<p style="background: white;"><b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">Note</span></b><span style="color: #444444; font-size: 14pt;">: The above U.S. Justice Department photo shows Takeshi Ebisawa </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14pt;">handling a rocket
launcher at a meeting with undercover agents.</span></p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0