Month: March 2020

CBP Officers in Louisville Seize Hundreds of Counterfeit IDs

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville have made no less than 400 seizures of counterfeit identification in the past six months.


U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Louisville have made no less than 400 seizures of counterfeit identification in the past six months.

Back in November, CBP officers seized six shipments containing 2,909 counterfeit driver’s licenses and 3,123 blank card stocks to make counterfeit driver’s licenses. And the seizures are not only of counterfeit IDs. These seizures include passports, I-551 Legal Permanent Resident cards, and miscellaneous ID cards. Many of the seizures involving driver’s licenses had officers finding 20 to 40 in each shipment.

On December 6, 2019, CBP officers intercepted a package from China. This small box had a false bottom, which contained 31 counterfeit driver’s licenses. After some investigating, one of the persons that was waiting for his fake ID was found to be a Trusted Traveler member. His membership was revoked, and on February 20, he was arrested in Newark by the Port Authority Police Department after returning from his vacation. Additionally, he had another counterfeit driver’s license in his possession at the time of the arrest.

“Counterfeit IDs directly aids and influences the availability of underage persons to purchase alcohol and tobacco products, said Chief CBP Officer Brian Lick. “CBP’s interception of these IDs significantly reduces the chances for alcohol to be procured in establishments and all the entanglements that often accompanies underage drinking. But alcohol is not the only risk; procurement of fake IDs plays a role in identity theft, immigration and public benefit fraud and terrorist motives.”

Identity theft and fraudulent activities are major concerns of CBP. Counterfeit identification can be very dangerous when it is used by criminals to take advantage of people or organizations. “I believe we are seeing more counterfeit IDs as they are being utilized in benefit fraud and scams,” said Louisville Port Director Thomas Mahn.

Over these past six months, CBP officers have seized 28 fake birth certificates, 5,063 counterfeit driver’s licenses, and 46 fraudulent passports.

CBP Officers remain diligent in searching for counterfeit identification, through the art of targeting and physical inspections, and coordinate findings with CBP’s Fraudulent Document Analysis Unit, Homeland Security Investigations and other federal partners in an effort to combat this illicit activity. CBP routinely conducts inspection operations on arriving and departing international flights and intercepts narcotics, weapons, currency, prohibited agriculture products, counterfeit goods, and other illicit items at our nation’s 328 international ports of entry.

Help a veteran in need by donating here.

CBP.gov (March, 2020) CBP Officers in Louisville Seize Hundreds of Counterfeit IDs

FBI Washington Field Office Statement on the 13th Anniversary of the Abduction of Robert A. Levinson

Today marks the 13th anniversary of the abduction of Robert A. “Bob” Levinson from Kish Island, Iran. Bob Levinson was abducted on March 9, 2007, and is the longest-held hostage in U.S. history. Tomorrow, Mr. Levinson will turn 72 years old.


Today marks the 13th anniversary of the abduction of Robert A. “Bob” Levinson from Kish Island, Iran.

Bob Levinson was abducted on March 9, 2007, and is the longest-held hostage in U.S. history. Tomorrow, Mr. Levinson will turn 72 years old.

Bob served his country for 28 years, including 22 years as an FBI special agent. This anniversary is another opportunity for the leadership of the government of Iran to finally return Bob home to his family.

During the past 13 years, the only credible evidence of responsibility in Mr. Levinson’s disappearance has pointed to those working for the government of Iran.

The FBI renews its repeated calls to Iran to uphold its prior commitments to cooperate and to share information which could lead to Bob’s return. To date, the leadership of the government of Iran has fallen far short of any such commitments.

Help a veteran in need by donating here.

“Bob’s wife and family have been waiting for his return for 13 years, waiting for the government of Iran to make good on its commitment to help make that happen,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Over those years Bob’s FBI family of agents, analysts, and professional staff have been working on his behalf with our interagency partners and will never cease the efforts to bring Bob home. We call on Iran to provide the necessary assistance and end this long wait so Bob’s family and friends get him back.”

Last year, the Department of State Rewards for Justice (RFJ) Program announced a reward of up to $20 million for information leading to the safe location, recovery, and return of Bob Levinson. 

More information about this reward is located on the RFJ website.

In addition to the Department of State Rewards for Justice reward, an FBI reward of $5 million remains unclaimed.

FBI.gov (March, 2020) FBI Washington Field Office Statement on the 13th Anniversary of the Abduction of Robert A. Levinson

Guarding Against COVID-19 Cyber Scams

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have released a warning to citizens to remain vigilant for scams related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).


The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have released a warning to citizens to remain vigilant for scams related to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Cyber actors may send emails with malicious attachments or links to fraudulent websites to trick victims into revealing sensitive information or donating to fraudulent charities or causes.

Exercise caution in handling any email with a COVID-19-related subject line, attachment, or hyperlink, and be wary of social media pleas, texts, or calls related to COVID-19.

Soffe Men’s 3 Pack-USA Poly Cotton Military Tee

CISA encourages individuals to remain vigilant and take the following precautions:

Help a veteran in need by donating here.

US-Cert.gov (March, 2020) Defending Against COVID-19 Cyber Scams

Bangladeshi National Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Bring Aliens to the United States

A Bangladeshi national formally residing in Tapachula, Mexico, pleaded guilty for his role in a scheme to smuggle aliens from Mexico into the United States.


A Bangladeshi national formally residing in Tapachula, Mexico, pleaded guilty for his role in a scheme to smuggle aliens from Mexico into the United States.

Mohamad Milon Hossain, 39, admitted that from March 2017 to June 2019, he conspired to bring, and brought, Bangladeshi nationals to the United States at the Texas border in exchange for payment.  Hossain operated out of Tapachula, Mexico, where he maintained a hotel that housed aliens on their way to the United States. 

Hossain provided plane tickets and other assistance for the aliens to travel from Tapachula to Monterrey, Mexico where co-conspirator Moktar Hossain assisted their illegal crossing into the United States.

U.S. District Judge Diana Saldana accepted the guilty plea. 

Sentencing has not been scheduled.

Cell Phones and Accessories

“Hossain’s brazen scheme to smuggle Bangladeshi aliens into the United States put our national security at risk,” said Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.  “This guilty plea underscores the Department’s commitment to working with our law enforcement partners here and abroad to disrupt the flow of illegal aliens into the United States and bring human smugglers to justice.”

“Border Security is national security,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas.  “Our DHS law enforcement partners work on both sides of the border to make sure it is secure. The Southern District of Texas is on the front line of the fight against illegal immigration and we will continue to lead the nation in doing so.”

Help a veteran in need by donating here.

“This plea is a clear statement that defendants who smuggle illegal aliens across the United States border for profit will face consequences in a U.S. courtroom,” said Special Agent in Charge Shane Folden of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Antonio.  “HSI remains committed in aggressively investigating and prosecuting members of transnational criminal organizations that exploit and endanger the people they smuggle into the United States.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners both domestic and international to maintain the integrity of our border and the safety of our communities.”

HSI Laredo is investigating this case with assistance from the HSI Human Smuggling Unit, HSI Mexico City, HSI Houston, HSI Calexico, HSI Monterrey, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Field Operations, CBP Border Patrol and the U.S. Marshals Service. 

The investigation is being conducted under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a joint partnership between the Criminal Division and HSI. 

The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. 

ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence and prosecutorial resources.  ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.

Trial Attorneys James Hepburn and Erin Cox of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section are prosecuting the case with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.

Justice.gov (March, 2020) Bangladeshi National Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Bring Aliens to the United States

Former Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Indicted on Theft of Government Property and Scheme to Defraud the United States Government

A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a 16-count indictment against a former Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and a former subordinate for their alleged theft of proprietary software and confidential databases from the U.S. government as part of a scheme to defraud the U.S. government.


A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned a 16-count indictment against a former Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and a former subordinate for their alleged theft of proprietary software and confidential databases from the U.S. government as part of a scheme to defraud the U.S. government.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea for the District of Columbia, DHS Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari and Inspector General Tammy L. Whitcomb for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) made the announcement.

The indictment charges Charles K. Edwards, 59, of Sandy Spring, Maryland, and Murali Yamazula Venkata, 54, of Aldie, Virginia, with conspiracy to commit theft of government property and to defraud the United States, theft of government property, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft.  The indictment also charges Venkata with destruction of records.

Help a veteran in need by donating here.

According to the allegations in the indictment, from October 2014 to April 2017, Edwards, Venkata, and others executed a scheme to defraud the U.S. government by stealing confidential and proprietary software from DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), along with sensitive government databases containing personal identifying information (PII) of DHS and USPS employees, so that Edwards’s company, Delta Business Solutions, could later sell an enhanced version of DHS-OIG’s software to the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Agriculture at a profit. 

Although Edwards had left DHS-OIG in December 2013, he continued to leverage his relationship with Venkata and other DHS-OIG employees to steal the software and the sensitive government databases.

Soffe Men’s 3 Pack-USA Poly Cotton Military Tee

The indictment further alleges that, in addition to stealing DHS-OIG’s software and the sensitive government databases, Venkata and others also assisted Edwards by reconfiguring his laptop so that he could properly upload the stolen software and databases, provided troubleshooting support whenever Edwards required it, and helped him build a testing server at his residence with the stolen software and databases, which contained PII. 

As further part of the alleged scheme, Edwards retained software developers in India for the purpose of developing his commercial alternative of DHS-OIG’s software.

The indictment is the result of an ongoing investigation by DHS-OIG and USPS-OIG and is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Victor R. Salgado of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney David B. Kent of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. 

Justice.gov (March, 2020) Former Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Indicted on Theft of Government Property and Scheme to Defraud the United States Government