Former Senior U.S. Navy Employee Convicted For Bribery Conspiracy And Lying To Investigators

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

A federal jury in the District of Columbia convicted the former Director of Operations of the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command Office in Busan, South Korea, today for his role in a bribery conspiracy and for lying to federal investigators.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Fernando Xavier Monroy, 64, of Brentwood, New York, engaged in a conspiracy to commit bribery with the owner of DK Marine, a South Korea-based company that provided services to the U.S. Navy, and a former civilian U.S. Navy cargo ship captain. Evidence at trial proved that Monroy conspired to unlawfully provide services for the Navy ship, captained by one of Monroy’s co-conspirators, during a December 2013 port visit in Chinhae, South Korea.

Evidence at trial also proved that Monroy provided a co-conspirator with confidential and other proprietary, internal U.S. Navy information. In exchange for the steering of business and the provision of such information, the co-conspirator paid bribes to Monroy, including cash, personal travel expenses, meals and alcoholic beverages, and the services of prostitutes. Monroy also repeatedly lied to special agents of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) during a voluntary interview in July 2019.

Monroy was convicted of conspiracy to commit bribery, bribery, and making false statements. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 18 and faces a maximum penalty of 35 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division made the announcement.

The DCIS and NCIS investigated the case.

Trial Attorneys Sara Hallmark and Amanda Lingwood of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

 

The Stealth Swimmers Whose WWII Scouting Laid The Groundwork For the Navy SEALs: The Underwater Demolition Teams Cleared Coastal Defenses And Surveyed Enemy Beaches Ahead Of Allied Landings

Smithsonianmag.com offers an excerpt from Andrew Dubbins’ Into Enemy Waters: A World War II Story of the Demolition Divers Who Became the Navy SEALs.

In the 1940s, most of the Pacific Ocean’s enormous underwater realm remained uncharted. Instruments and equipment were too rudimentary, the ocean too vast and much of the sea bottom too difficult to reach. Nautical charts showed the location of Pacific islands and atolls but offered little detail about the depths or underwater features of their beach approaches. Advances in sonar allowed United States ships to measure the ocean floor in deep water but not in the shallows surrounding land masses.

With no charts or technology available to guide vessels onto enemy shores, the job fell to the roughly 1,000 young swim scouts of the U.S. Navy’s Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT), who were assigned to reconnoiter enemy beaches and clear coastal defenses ahead of Allied landings during World War II. These so-called frogmen swam into beaches unarmed, wearing only swim trunks, dive masks and fins. 

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

WWII's Underwater Demolition Teams Paved the Way for the Navy SEALs | History| Smithsonian Magazine

You can also read my Counterterrorism magazine piece on the UDT and Navy SEALs, which featured my later father, former UDT 5 Chief Edward M. Davis (seen in the center of the above Photo), via the below link:  

Paul Davis On Crime: A Look Back At The World War II U.S. Navy Frogmen: My Piece On The Underwater Demolition Teams, Forerunners of Today's Navy SEALs 

Nine Members And Associates Of Genovese And Bonanno Organized Crime Families Charged With Racketeering And Illegal Gambling Offenses

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

In federal court in Brooklyn, two indictments were unsealed charging nine defendants with racketeering, illegal gambling, money laundering conspiracy, obstruction of justice, and related offenses.  As alleged, charged with racketeering are: Anthony Pipitone, a captain and soldier in the Bonanno organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra; Vito Pipitone, Bonanno soldier; Agostino Gabriele, Bonanno associate; Carmelo Polito, acting captain in the Genovese organized crime family of La Cosa Nostra; Joseph Macario, Genovese soldier; and Genovese associates Salvatore Rubino and Joseph Rutigliano. 

Eight defendants were arrested this morning.  Seven are scheduled to be arraigned this afternoon before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho.  Vito Pipitone was arrested in Wellington, Florida and will make his initial appearance this afternoon in federal court in Miami.  Joseph Rutigliano remains at large.

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Anne T. Donnelly, District Attorney, Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, announced the charges.

“Today’s arrests of members from two La Cosa Nostra crime families demonstrate that the Mafia continues to pollute our communities with illegal gambling, extortion, and violence while using our financial system in service to their criminal schemes,” stated United States Attorney Peace.   “The defendants tried to hide their criminal activity by operating from behind the cover of a coffee bar, a soccer club, and a shoe repair shop, but our Office and our law enforcement partners exposed their illegal operations.  Even more disturbing is the shameful conduct of a detective who betrayed his oath of office and the honest men and women of the Nassau County Police Department when he allegedly aligned himself with criminals.”

Mr. Peace thanked the New York City Police Department, the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor, and the United States Department of Labor, Office of the Inspector General for their assistance in the investigation.

“Current members of the five families demonstrate every day they are not adverse to working together to further their illicit schemes, using the same tired methods to squeeze money from their victims. Enlisting alleged assistance from a member of law enforcement also proves they are willing to do all they can to hide their illegal behavior. Our active investigations show the mafia refuses to learn from history, and accept that at some point they will face justice for their crimes,” stated Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.

“This case is further proof that organized crime is alive and well in our communities,” stated District Attorney Donnelly.  “These violent criminal organizations operated secret underground gambling parlors in local commercial establishments, generating substantial amounts of money in back rooms while families unknowingly shopped and ate mere feet away. These Mafia figures were assisted by a sworn member of law enforcement, who helped these gambling dens to thrive by offering police raids on competing clubs.  The Mafia has brought untold violence and extortion into our neighborhoods for decades, even threatening the life of an individual as part of this case. This indictment sends a strong message that we are committed to rooting out corruption and organized crime. We thank the EDNY, the FBI and the Nassau County Police Department DA Squad for their partnership in helping to keep our communities safe.”

As detailed in the indictments and court filings, members of the Genovese and Bonanno organized crime families operated several illegal gambling operations in the Eastern District of New York.  Beginning in at least May 2012, the Genovese and Bonanno families jointly operated a lucrative illegal gambling operation in Lynbrook, New York called the Gran Caffe.  The profits earned through this and other gambling locations generated substantial revenue, which was then laundered through cash transfers to the defendants and through “kicking up” to the crime families’ leaders.  Rutigliano and Rubino collected the proceeds for the Genovese crime family and distributed them up to higher- ranking members, including Polito and Macario.  At times, Gabriele collected the proceeds for the Bonanno crime family and distributed them up to higher-ranking members of that family, including Anthony Pipitone and Vito Pipitone. 

In addition to the Gran Caffe, the Genovese crime family—through Polito, Macario, Rutigliano, Rubino and others—operated illegal gambling parlors at establishments called Sal’s Shoe Repair and the Centro Calcio Italiano Club.  The Bonanno crime family—through Anthony Pipitone, Vito Pipitone, Gabriele and others—operated illegal gambling parlors at establishments called the Soccer Club, La Nazionale Soccer Club and Glendale Sports Club. 

Carmelo Polito, an alleged acting captain in the Genovese crime family, is also charged with operating an illegal online gambling scheme in which bets were placed on sporting events through a website called “PGWLines.”  In connection with his operation of PGWLines, Polito is charged with attempting to extort an individual who lost several thousand dollars in bets he placed through the website.  For example, in an October 2019 call concerning a delinquent debtor whose “face” Polito had previously threatened to “break,” Polito instructed another individual to relay a new message to the debtor: “Tell him I’m going to put him under the f------g bridge.”

As also detailed in the indictments and other court filings, Hector Rosario, a detective with the Nassau County Police Department, accepted money from the Bonanno crime family in exchange for offering to arrange police raids of competing gambling locations.  Rosario is charged with obstructing a grand jury investigation by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and lying to the FBI. 

The illegal gambling locations include:

• La Nazionale Soccer Club, 80-13 Myrtle Avenue, Queens
• Glendale Sports Club, 74-03 Myrtle Avenue, Queens
• Gran Caffe, 31 Hempstead Avenue, Lynbrook
• Soccer Club, 129 Rockaway Avenue, Valley Stream
• Sal’s Shoe Repair, 41 Merrick Avenue, Merrick
• Centro Calcio Italiano Club, 1007 Little East Neck Road, West Babylon

The charges in the indictments are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.  Assistant United States Attorneys Tanya Hajjar, Drew Rolle, Anna Karamigios and Special Assistant United States Attorney Abigail Margulies are in charge of the prosecution. 

The Defendants:

JOSEPH MACARIO (also known as “Joe Fish”)
Age:  68
West Islip, New York

CARMELO POLITO (also known as “Carmine Polito”)
Age:  63
Whitestone, New York

SALVATORE RUBINO (also known as “Sal the Shoemaker”)
Age:  58
Bethpage, New York

JOSEPH RUTIGLIANO (also known as “Joe Box”)
Age:  63
Commack, New York

MARK FEUER
Age:  59
Oceanside, New York

AGOSTINO GABRIELE
Age:  35
Glendale, New York

ANTHONY PIPITONE (also known as “Little Anthony”)
Age:  49
Deer Park, New York

VITO PIPITONE
Age:  40
Wellington, Florida

HECTOR ROSARIO
Age:  49
Mineola, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket Nos. 22-CR-355 (ENV); 22-CR-356 (ENV) 

FBI Announces Results Of Nationwide Sex Trafficking Operation: Operation Cross Country XII Leads To Identification, Location Of Adolescent Victims

 The FBI released the below information:

The FBI, working with its state and local partners during two weeks in August, identified and located 84 minor victims of child sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation offenses and located 37 actively missing children during a nationwide enforcement campaign, dubbed “Operation Cross Country.” The FBI-led nationwide initiative focused on identifying and locating victims of sex trafficking and investigating and arresting individuals and criminal enterprises involved in both child sex trafficking and human trafficking.  
 
In addition to the identification and location of adolescent victims, the FBI and its partners located 141 adult victims of human trafficking. Agents and investigators also identified or arrested 85 suspects with child sexual exploitation and human trafficking offenses. Those suspects identified will be subject to additional investigation for potential charges. The average age of victims located during this year’s Operation Cross Country was 15.5, while the youngest victim discovered was 11 years old. 

“The Justice Department is committed to doing everything in our power to combat the insidious crimes of human trafficking that devastate survivors and their families,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “I am grateful to the dedicated professionals of the FBI and our law enforcement partners across the country for their tireless work to rescue trafficking survivors, including exploited children, to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators of trafficking crimes, and to provide the services and support that survivors need and deserve.” 
 
"Human trafficking is among the most heinous crimes the FBI encounters,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Unfortunately, such crimes—against both adults and children—are far more common than most people realize. As we did in this operation, the FBI and our partners will continue to find and arrest traffickers, identify and help victims, and raise awareness of the exploitation of our most vulnerable populations.” 
 
As part of Operation Cross Country XII, FBI special agents, intelligence analysts, victim specialists, and child adolescent forensic Interviewers working in conjunction with over 200 state, local, and federal partners and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) conducted 391 operations over the two-week period.  
  
“The success of Operation Cross County reinforces what NCMEC sees every day. Children are being bought and sold for sex in communities across the country by traffickers, gangs, and even family members,” said Michelle DeLaune, President and CEO National Center for Missing & Exploited Children “We’re proud to support the FBI’s efforts to prioritize the safety of children. This national operation highlights the need for all child serving professionals to continue to focus on the wellbeing of children and youth to prevent them from being targeted in the first place.”

Victim specialists provide a “bridge” for victims who are wary of the system, help the victim establish positive relationships with law enforcement, and ensure the human trafficking victim population receives any appropriate resources available to them. Victim specialists also provide services based on the individual needs of human trafficking victims, to include crisis intervention, emergency food and clothing, transportation to receive emergency services, and locating shelter or housing. The task forces in the recent operation included federal, state, local and tribal partners, with efforts in every state and even a few U.S. territories. 

Get Saul: AMC Crime Drama 'Better Call Saul' Comes To An End

My wife and I watched and enjoyed the final episode of Better Call Saul on AMC last night. 

I thought the finale was clever and interesting and an appropriate end for the wonderfully slimy crooked lawyer James “Slipping Jimmy” McGill, aka, Saul Goodman. 

Saul Goodman was a great character, portrayed so well by actor and comedian Bob Odenkirk. He was sleazy, smart and thoroughly bent. 

Goodman was a breakout character from the many unforgettable characters created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould in their fine crime series Breaking Bad. 

Better Call Saul looks back at how Jimmy McGill became so bent and transformed into Saul Goodman. 

Better Call Saul, their follow up series, revisited many of the great characters from Breaking Bad, such as former crooked Philly cop and enforcer Mike Ehrmantraut, portrayed by Jonathan Banks, and the brilliant and peculiar drug lord Gus Fring, portrayed by Giancarlo Esposito. 

The final episodes of Better Call Saul also brought back Breaking Bad's high school chemistry teacher turned meth dealer Walter White, portrayed by Bryan Cranston, and his partner Jesse Pinkman, portrayed by Aaron Paul. 

One particularly standout character in Better Call Saul was Goodman’s partner in crime and love, Kim Wexler, portrayed so well by Rhea Seehorn. 

Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad are two fine crime dramas infused with abundant humor. 

If you have not watched the two series, I suggest you begin at the beginning of Breaking Bad and enjoy the many hours of the best television can offer.  

Deadline: As His First Novel ‘Heat 2’ Hits Shelves, Michael Mann Shares Great Crime Stories

I’m reading Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner’s Heat 2, which is both a prequel and sequel to Mann’s crime film Heat. I plan to cover the novel in my On Crime column in the Washington Times.

Mike Fleming at Deadline.com offers an interesting piece and interview with Mann (seen in the above photo).

The publication of Heat 2 this week marks writer-director Michael Mann’s debut as a novelist, expands the mythology of perhaps his most beloved film, and becomes the first major release of the publishing imprint he set at William Morrow six years ago.

From the TV series Miami Vice and Crime Story to his feature debut Thief, to the Tom Cruise-Jamie Foxx thriller Collateral and the 1995 Al Pacino-Robert De Niro drama classic Heat, Mann’s crime procedurals are informed by an intimate knowledge of cops and robbers that breathes life and multi-dimensional characters with empathy to go with the violence in lawbreaking.

That is the same thing that Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo did with The Godfather films, David Chase for his The Sopranos series, and Martin Scorsese for Goodfellas and Casino, the other crime high-water marks of the last half century. What is interesting here is the difference in how Mann got there as opposed to those other filmmakers. Coppola and Chase have both told me that while the prospect had its attractions, they avoided getting to know or even directly interact with criminals. Scorsese relied on journalist-screenwriter Nick Pileggi, who once told me that Goodfellas was made possible by his good fortune to be included in Henry Hill confessions given with federal law enforcement officers standing over him, promising prison if he lied.

Mann’s crime canon has instead relied on direct interaction that began when he first met Charles Adamson, the Chicago cop who in 1963 hunted down and killed the real Neil McCauley, after once inviting him out for coffee. Coppola and Chase told me flat out they didn’t want to be indebted to criminals. Mann’s way brought its own challenges, and he quickly learned how to be mindful of the manipulative nature of current and former lawbreakers when he made his first film, the Emmy-winning telepic The Jericho Mile, which shot in Folsom Prison.

“There is a truth I can get by asking direct questions, but I’m not naïve,” he said. “At this point, I’m fairly street smart and world wise and I’m not naïve to the fact nobody could manipulate you faster than the guy doing a couple life sentences in Folsom. These guys could read you in, like, two minutes flat.”

They will lie when it suits them, he said, even someone in the inner circle like the late John Santucci. He is the round-faced guy who played a dirty cop in Thief, and later co-starred in Crime Story.

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

‘Heat 2’ Hits Shelves: Michael Mann Shares Great Crime Tales – Deadline

A Little Humor: 'The FBI Raid On Melania's Closet Was Justified,' Says Merrick Garland Wearing Gorgeous New Evening Gown And Sun Hat

The Babylon Bee offers a clever and funny satirical piece on the Trump raid.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — With many Americans up in arms over the unprecedented raid of former President Trump's residence in Mar-a-Lago by the FBI, Attorney General Garland released a statement to assure everyone the raid was completely justified. Eyewitnesses noted he looked unusually fetching in an elegant Dolce & Gabbana evening gown and a Dior sun hat.

"We wouldn't raid Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate or Melania's wardrobe unless it was absolutely, 100% necessary," said Garland. "I resent any accusation that this raid was influenced by partisan politics or my insatiable desire to wear pretty designer dresses." The Attorney General then did a little spin in his purple gown as the press gasped with delight.

FBI Director Christopher Wray echoed the statement as he strode up to the Hoover Building in a dazzling pair of diamond-encrusted Alexander McQueen stilettos. "The men and women of the FBI are paragons of unassailable integrity and impartiality, and any suggestion otherwise is murderous treason," he said. Several news outlets present also noted the delicious smell of Chanel No.5 in the air.

At publishing time, Trump took to Truth Social to announce that all his golf clubs were also missing.

You can read more Babylon Bee humor pieces via the below link:

Babylon Bee | Latest News