United States Attorney William M. McSwain Announces Preparations To Preserve The Integrity Of The 2020 General Election In The Eastern District Of Pennsylvania

 The U.S. Attorney’s Office Eastern District of Pennsylvania released the below: 

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney William M. McSwain (seen in the above photo) announced that Assistant United States Attorney Richard P. Barrett will lead the efforts of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the general election on November 3, 2020. AUSA Barrett has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of complaints of election fraud and any other voting rights concerns in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington. 

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring ballot fraud and discrimination at the polls and combating these violations whenever and wherever they occur. The Department’s long-standing Election Day Program furthers these goals, and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the integrity of the election process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible ballot fraud and voting rights violations while the polls are open through Election Day. 

Federal law protects against such crimes as intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their direction. Further, federal law protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice (where voters need assistance because of disability or illiteracy). 

“Every citizen must be able to vote without interference or discrimination and to have that vote counted without it being impacted by fraud,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. The Department of Justice will act promptly and aggressively to protect the integrity of the election process, but it is imperative that anyone with specific information about voter interference or election fraud report it immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Civil Rights Division.” 

Voting is the cornerstone of American democracy. The federal government must ensure that those who are entitled to the franchise exercise it if they choose, and that those who seek to corrupt it are brought to justice. U.S. Attorney McSwain stated that AUSA Barrett will be on duty in this District while the polls are open in order to respond to complaints of election fraud or voting rights concerns during the voting period that ends on November 3, 2020, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities. AUSA Barrett can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: (215) 861-8420 and (215) 861-8200. 

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on Election Day. The local FBI field office can be reached by the public at (215) 418-4000. 

Finally, complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can also be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/.

Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities. State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.

My Washington Times 'On Crime' Column: Made Men: The Story Of Goodfellas'

 The Washington Times ran my On Crime column about Glenn Kenny's (seen in the bottom photo) Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas. 

Martin Scorsese’s film “Goodfellas” is a violent, dramatic and humorous true story of organized crime, greed and treachery. 

The film is based on Nicholas Pileggi’s true crime book “Wiseguy,” the story of Henry Hill’s sordid and colorful life of crime as an associate of the Lucchese crime family. Mr. Scorsese read the book, and he and Mr. Pileggi wrote the screenplay. Thirty years later, “Goodfellas” is considered a classic and remains popular with viewers. 

Glenn Kenny, a film critic and journalist, offers a look back at the making of the film in “Made Men: The Story of Goodfellas” (Hanover Square Press). 

I reached out to Mr. Kenny and asked him why he wrote the book. 

“It’s a movie to which I have a long and deep personal and professional connection,” Mr. Kenny replied. “As I recount early in the book, I first met Martin Scorsese in 1989 when he was editing the film. I was on an assignment to work on an essay with him, about film preservation. And when I went to his office, he was buried in his work on it and full of enthusiasm. He felt the movie was going to be something special, so I was particularly eager to see it. When I did, a little less than a year later, I knew he was right. And as I watched it become a cultural phenomenon, and re-screened it many times, I knew there was a book in the subject. And to do it for the film’s 30th anniversary seemed exactly right.” 

Mr. Kenny said he believes Mr. Scorsese is one of our greatest living directors. 

“He is one of the few who combines a space-age level of technical expertise with a profound appreciation and understanding of humanity — particularly its darker sides.” 

... “ ‘Goodfellas’ is about disorder, anarchy. It’s about guys on the lower end of the mob hierarchy who do whatever they want whenever they want to, as long as the boss gets his cut, or isn’t looking their way. It’s about the thrill of stealing when you need money. As Henry says at the end of the movie “everything was for the taking.” It’s a movie about living in that world, the highs of it and the ultimate low of it.”

You can read the rest of the column below or via the below link: 

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/oct/21/portraying-made-men-and-the-making-of-goodfellas/ 

My Threatcon Column: The Cop Is A Spy: NYPD Officer Charged With Being A Communist Chinese Illegal Agent

 Counterterrorism magazine's website posted my Threatcon Column today. 

You can read the column below or via the below link: 

 https://www.iacsp.com/threatcon.php?nid=281292&mnid=2 

The Cop is a Spy: NYPD Officer Charged With Being a Communist Chinese Illegal Agent

By Paul Davis

By all accounts, Baimadajie Angwang (seen in the above NYPD photo) was a dedicated public servant. The 33-year-old ethnic Tibetan and U.S. naturalized citizen not only served as a New York City police officer, he also served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve. He was also, the U.S. Justice Department claims, a spy for Communist China.

On September 21st, the Justice Department announced that Angwang was charged with reporting to officials of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) the activities of Chinese citizens and served as a talent spotter for Chinese intelligence among the Tibetan community. He was also charged with wire fraud, making false statements, and obstructing an official proceeding. Angwang held a “SECRET”-level security clearance with the U.S. Army.

“State and local officials should be aware that they are not immune to the threat of Chinese espionage,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers at the press conference. “According to the allegations, the Chinese government recruited and directed a U.S. citizen and member of our nation’s largest law enforcement department to further its intelligence gathering and repression of Chinese abroad. Our police departments provide for our public safety andare oftenthe first line of defense against the national security threats our country faces. We will continue to work with our state and local partners to protect our nation’s great police departments.”

According to the Justice Department, Angwang worked in the NYPD’s community affairs unit where he served as a liaison to the community in the 111th Precinct. Under the control and direction of the PRC Consulate in New York City, going back perhaps as far as 2014, Angwang reported on Chinese citizens in the New York area, spotted and assessed potential intelligence sources within the Tibetan community in New York and elsewhere, and provided PRC officials with access to senior NYPD officials through invitations to official events.

According to Court evidence, most probably obtained via an FBI wiretap, Angwang told his PRC handler that he wanted to get promoted within the NYPD so he could assist the PRC and bring “glory to China.”Angwang also told his handler that superiors in Beijing “should be happy . . . because you have stretched your reach into the police.”

In 2019, Angwang completed and electronically submitted an SF-86C form for an U.S. Army background investigation. On the form, Angwang lied by denying that he had contacts with a foreign government or its consulate and by denying that he had close and continuing contacts with foreign nationals, including his family members who live in the PRC, some of whom were affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army.

“The defendant allegedly violated the trust of his community and the New York City Police Department on behalf of a foreign power, the People’s Republic of China. This type of conduct simply cannot be tolerated,”said Alan E. Kohler, Jr., Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division. “This case serves as yet another reminder that China represents the biggest counterintelligence threat to the United States and that the FBI and our partners will be aggressive in investigating and stopping such activities within our nation.”

William F. Sweeny, the FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office, called the Angwang case a “the definition of an insider threat.” He said Angwang operated on behalf of a foreign government; lied to gain his clearance and used his position as an NYPD police officer to aid the Chinese government's subversive and illegal attempts to recruit intelligence sources.

“As alleged in this federal complaint, Baimadajie Angwang violated every oath he took in this country. One to the United States, another to the U.S. Army, and a third to this Police Department,” NYPD Commissioner Dermot F. Shea said.“From the earliest stages of this investigation, the NYPD’s Intelligence and Internal Affairs bureaus worked closely with the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division to make sure this individual would be brought to justice.”

If convicted, Angwang faces a maximum sentence of 55 years in prison.

FBI Director Christopher Wray, speaking at the Justice Department’s China Initiative Conference this past February at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., stated that one long-term threat to America’s information, intellectual property and economic vitality was espionage from China.

“China is using a wide range of methods and techniques — everything from cyber intrusions to corrupting trusted insiders. They’ve even engaged in physical theft,” Mr. Wray stated. “And they’ve pioneered an expansive approach to stealing innovation through a wide range of actors — including not just Chinese intelligence services but state-owned enterprises, ostensibly private companies, certain kinds of graduate students and researchers, and a variety of other actors all working on their behalf.”

Including, it appears, a New York cop.

Paul Davis’ Threatcon column covers crime, espionage, terrorism and other national security threats.

DEA announces Launch Of Project Safeguard

 The DEA released the below information:

 WASHINGTON – Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Timothy J. Shea (seen in the above photo) today announced that the DEA will direct resources to help reduce violent crime in communities throughout the country.  Under this initiative, called Project Safeguard, DEA will identify and prioritize ongoing drug trafficking investigations with a nexus to violent crime.

“Drug trafficking and violent crime are inextricably linked,” said Acting Administrator Shea.  “From the extreme levels of violence in Mexican cartels, to the open air drug markets in American cities, drug traffickers employ violence, fear, and intimidation to ply their trade.  Neighborhoods across our country are terrorized by violent drug trafficking organizations that have little regard for human life, and profit from the pain and suffering of our people.  Along with our law enforcement partners, DEA is committed to safeguarding the health and safety of our communities.”

Working in collaboration with our federal, state, and local partners, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service, DEA’s Project Safeguard will comprise three focus areas to address the growing violent crime threat in many cities across the United States:

• Disrupting, dismantling, and destroying the most significant violent drug trafficking organizations throughout the United States;
• Increasing collaboration with ATF to ensure effective federal prosecution of firearms traffickers associated with drug trafficking organizations; and
• Prioritizing the capture of DEA fugitives who employ violence as part of drug trafficking.

The traffickers that flood our communities with deadly drugs, including opioids, heroin, fentanyl, meth and cocaine, are often the same criminals responsible for the high rates of assault, murder, and gang activity in our cities.  These criminals employ fear, violence, and intimidation to traffic drugs, and in doing so, exacerbate a drug crisis that claims more than 70,000 American lives every year.  DEA is committed to treating these crimes as homicides, where appropriate.

In recent months, violent crime has spiked in numerous cities and regions around the country, from major cities like Detroit, which has seen a 19 percent increase in homicides this year, to smaller towns like South Bend, Indiana, which has witnessed an increase of 36 percent increase in violent crime.  Drug trafficking is responsible, in part, for this violence in America’s cities and towns. 

Since it began in August 2020, Project Safeguard has resulted in more than 700 investigations, over 1,500 arrests – including nearly 40 DEA fugitives, more than 2,130 seized firearms, nearly $24 million in seized assets, and more than 6,100 kilograms of illicit drugs.

Today’s announcement was made at a press conference in Boston marking the successful conclusion of DEA New England Field Division’s Operation Under the Radar, a months-long investigation targeting street-level cocaine and fentanyl distributors with close ties to Mexico who had previously evaded prosecution.  This operation resulted in approximately 14 arrest warrants and eight search warrants spanning as far north as Lawrence, Mass., and as far south as Providence, R.I.   

A Little Night Music: Tori Kennedy and Andrea Bocelli's Perform 'The Prayer' Live

 Tori Kelly and Andrea Bocelli performed The Prayer live in Seattle. 

You can watch and listen to this beautiful performance via the below link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=l_VcRKlNnAg 

FBI: Child Abductors Potentially Using Social Media Or Social Networks To Lure Victims In Lieu Of An In-Person Ruse

 The FBI released the below information:

The FBI warns the public of the potential threat of individuals posing as minors on popular social media or social networks to lure victims in lieu of immediate, inperson ruse with the intent to abduct. Due to COVID-19 related school closures, minors likely will be at greater risk for encountering offenders online as they seek to occupy their free time with increased social media use.

DEFINITION

The FBI defines child abduction as the unexplained disappearance of a minor, especially very young minors (generally, any child under 12). Additionally, the FBI defines "social media" as websites and mobile applications that allow users to create and share content or to participate in social networking. "Social networks" however, are defined as websites and mobile applications used to interact with other users or to find people with similar interests.

METHODOLOGY

While criminals exploit social media and social networks to commit crimes involving child sexual abuse material, sex trafficking of a minor, and child sex tourism, the use of these platforms to facilitate child abductions is lesser known.

FBI investigations indicate child abductors can use social media, social networks, and dating applications to identify, initiate contact, and gain access to children prior to their abduction. Potential child abductors use these tools as lower-risk methods of gaining access to and luring child victims, compared to other methods such as an in-person ruse. In some cases, child victims are groomed online, enticing the victim to meeting with an abductor in person, which can then lead to them being taken against their will.

Due to the availability of the Internet to all age groups, potential abductors can mislead children by pretending to be someone in their age group and creating a relationship of false trust. While the stated minimum age for most social media and social networking websites and applications is 13, younger children can, and often do, find alternate ways to gain access.

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, children had access to playgrounds, bus stops, malls, and public spaces more frequently. And while the risk of abduction existed, a criminal abducting a minor in person in a public place was at greater risk of exposure due to potential witnesses. The risk of immediate detection is much lower online. Although the number of abductions in which offenders used social media and social networks as the initial contact accounts for a small percentage of FBI child abduction investigations, as children spend more time on a computer or mobile devices with access to social media or networks, the FBI expects the percentage of offenders using social media or networks as the initial contact method to increase. Open source research indicates 22 percent of teenagers log on to their preferred social media website more than 10 times per day and 50 percent of children log on more than once a day. Due to their limited capacity for self-regulation and their heightened susceptibility to peer pressure, children are at greater risk of falling prey to potential child abductors as they navigate social media.

With current restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, schools in many areas of the United States are likely to remain closed, resulting in children being left at home and potentially unsupervised due to reduced daycare options and parents having to return to work. As a result, they are likely to spend more time on the Internet, further increasing their vulnerability.

REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLES

During and prior to COVID-19 restrictions, the FBI identified instances where social media or social networks were used to facilitate child abductions, such as in the following examples:

• In June 2020, a 13-year-old girl was reported missing by her father, who stated she met someone on social media the week prior. The 13-year-old used social media to communicate with a 21-year-old man who traveled from Louisiana to Texas to pick up the girl. Customs and Border Protection intercepted the abductor's vehicle, recovered the victim, and arrested and charged the abductor with aggravated kidnapping and sexual assault. The victim later revealed she believed she found a new friend online who would help her run away to Mexico.
• In October 2019, an 11-year-old girl was reported missing. She had been using a social media application to connect with two people, who communicated with the child over the course of several months. The individuals later revealed they planned to abduct the girl and instructed her to bring her passport and immunization records when they met. The victim was recovered and reunited her with her family before the abductors could fully follow through with their plan.
• In March 2016, a 13-year-old girl left her home to meet with an individual she had been communicating with online, whom she thought was a young boy. When she arrived at the agreed upon meeting place, she realized he was not who he claimed to be, but he forced her into his car and sped away. The abductor physically and sexually assaulted her. The FBI recovered the victim four days after the kidnapping, when the abductor posted online images of himself abusing the victim.

VICTIM REPORTING

If you believe you are or someone you know is the target or victim of child abduction:

·         Contact your local law enforcement agency or your local FBI field office (contact information can be found at https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices

·         File a complaint online with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.IC3.gov

·         Report child abductions and/or attempted child abductions to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)

·         Victims are encouraged to keep all original documentation, emails, text messages, and logs of communication with the subject. Do not delete anything before law enforcement is able to review it; and

·         Tell law enforcement everything about the online encounters. It may be embarrassing for the parent or child, but it is necessary to find the offender. When reporting online scams, be as descriptive as possible in the complaint form by providing:

• Name and/or username of the subject
• Email addresses and phone numbers used by the subject
• Web sites used by the subject
• Description of all interaction with the subject

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR DEVICE HAS BEEN COMPROMISED

• Do not forward any suspected e-mails or files.
• Disconnect the device from all networks immediately and turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
• Consult with your corporate IT department, ensuring they are notified of any significant changes.
• If there is no IT department, consult with qualified third-party cyber security experts.
• Report cyber attacks or scams to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.

It is helpful for law enforcement to have as much information as possible to use in the course of investigating these incidents; however, it is not required in order to receive assistance.

The FBI produced this public service announcement to bring awareness to parents and children of the threat posed by child abductors and increase awareness of the dangers of sharing details with or trusting strangers on social media or social network platforms.

The Case Of The Vanishing Blonde And Other True Crime Stories: My Washington Times 'On Crime' Column On Veteran Reporter And Author Mark Bowden

 The Washington Times ran my On Crime column on Mark Bowden (seen in the below photo) and his new collection of true crime stories. 

Mark Bowden is perhaps best known for his book “Black Hawk Down” and his other books about the American military, such as “Guests of the Ayatollah: The First Battle in America’s War with Militant Islam,” and “Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam.” But in his latest book, “The Case of the Vanishing Blonde and Other True Crime Stories,” he returns to his roots as a crime reporter.    

Mr. Bowden, who received a lifetime achievement award from the International Thriller Writers organization, offers six true crime stories he had written previously for the Philadelphia Inquirer, Vanity Fair and Air Mail. The stories range from a case of a campus rape at the University of Pennsylvania in 1983, to three stories involving cold cases investigated by a Long Island private detective named Ken Brennan, as well as a fascinating case of a Los Angeles Police Department investigation into a 26-year-old murder that leads to one of their own.

 

“Newspaper reporting hones an appetite for crime,” Mr. Bowden writes in the introduction to the book. “When I wrote for the Philadelphia Inquirer, back in its heyday, when it had reporters based all over the region, nation, and the world, we reporters competed vigorously for the paper’s limited news hole. You learned fast that a good crime yarn was a shortcut to page one.”

 

Mr. Bowden notes that crime has been part of his work ever since. Three of his books, “Doctor Dealer,” Finders Keepers,” and “The Last Stone” (which I reviewed here), are about crime, and he wrote that “The Finish” and “Killing Pablo,” his books about the hunt for bin Laden and Pablo Escobar, are arguably about crime as well.  

 

“For a writer like me, audio and video recordings are like a gift from God,” Mr. Bowden writes. “When I started as a newspaper reporter in the 1970s, it was rare to have a photo or recording of anything I wrote about. Today it is rare not to have such material. In fact, there is often so much of it that it poses new challenges.”

 

I reached out to Mark Bowden and I asked him why out of all the many stories he has written for newspapers and magazine, he chose these particular stories for the book.  

 

“I chose these stories because they are my favorites from the long-form crime stories I have written over the years,” Mr. Bowden told me. “I think they are because most — although not all — deal with issues that transcend the immediate drama. The fraternity rape story deals with changing attitudes toward sexual violence, the sexual predator story with entrapment, the Stephanie Lazarus story the tendency of institutions to protect their own, the Euhommie Bond story with racial divisions and attitudes. 

 

“I think the Ken Brennan stories are the most memorable, because they showcase his skill as an investigator, and each unravels a mystery that stumped local police. Ken contacted me out of the blue, and told me, in brief, the story that became ‘The Case of the Vanishing Blonde.’ I loved him as a character, and we have stayed friends. Some years later, over lunch, he told me the story of ‘The Body in Room 348,’ and again, years later, over lunch in Florida, he told me the ‘Euhommie Bond’ story.

 

 “Ken is like any writer’s gift from the heavens.”

 

You can read the rest of the column below or via the link:

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/oct/15/learning-crimes-behind-mark-bowdens-the-case-of-th/