Month: May 2020

$1 Million Reward Offered for Information Leading to the Return of Paul Edwin Overby, Jr.


This month marks the sixth anniversary of the disappearance of Paul Edwin Overby, Jr. from Afghanistan. In mid-May 2014, Paul Edwin Overby, Jr., an American writer, disappeared in Khost Province, Afghanistan, where he was conducting research on a self-authored book.

Prior to his disappearance, Overby suggested that he planned to cross the border into Pakistan in furtherance of his research.

In May 2018, the FBI Washington Field Office announced a reward of up to $1 million for information leading directly to the safe location, recovery, and return of Paul Edwin Overby, Jr.

The reward remains unclaimed.

The FBI is dedicated to locating American citizens overseas and returning them home to their families.

“This past Friday, we mark the anniversary of the disappearance of Mr. Overby and renew our public call for information,” said Timothy R. Slater, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office. “Paul Overby went missing along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2014 while researching for his book about the Afghan people, and he has not been heard from since. For six years, dedicated FBI special agents and analysts have been working tirelessly to determine Mr. Overby’s whereabouts and return him to his family. Our pursuit of justice will not end until Mr. Overby has returned home to the U.S. and his loved ones. We ask anyone with information to please contact the FBI.”

We encourage anyone with information concerning the kidnapping of Paul Edwin Overby, Jr. to contact the FBI or the nearest American Embassy or Consulate or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.

Tips can be kept strictly confidential.

FBI.gov (May 2020) $1 Million Reward Offered for Information Leading to the Return of Paul Edwin Overby, Jr.

Pittsburgh CBP Seizes Counterfeit and Potentially Harmful Cat and Dog Flea Collars


You wouldn’t feed your family dog or cat cheap animal food, so would you protect them with cheap, counterfeit flea collars?

During the past two weeks, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the Port of Pittsburgh have seized 13 international parcels that consisted of a combined 31 cat and 27 dog flea collars under the Bayer Seresto brand name.

The collars were counterfeit.

Veterinarians warn pet owners against purchasing counterfeit flea collars because the fake collars may not protect your pet, they may consist of harmful ingredients that may sicken your pet, or they may cause chemical burns or hair loss.

CBP officers began detaining the shipments in mid-April and then confirmed with the trademark holder that the products were counterfeit. The last of the 13 parcels were seized through Sunday. The shipments, which arrived from China and Hong Kong, were destined to addresses in Allegheny, Beaver, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland Counties in southwestern Pennsylvania.

If genuine, the flea collars would have had a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of more than $3,500.

“Caveat emptor; buyer beware. If the price seems to be too good, then the product likely isn’t too good, and it can be downright harmful,” said Kathleen Killian Schafer, CBP’s Acting Port Director for the Port of Pittsburgh. “Consumers should be aware that counterfeit goods pose a serious health and safety threat and should protect their families and their pets by purchasing safe, authentic goods from reputable vendors.”

CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement program.

Importation of counterfeit merchandise can cause significant revenue loss, damage the U.S. economy, and threaten the health and safety of the American people.

On a typical day in 2019, CBP officers seized $4.3 million worth of products with Intellectual Property Rights violations.

Learn more about what CBP did during “A Typical Day” in 2019.

CBP officers and Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) agents seized 27,599 shipments containing counterfeit goods in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. The decrease from 33,810 seizures in FY 2018 can be attributed to the challenges at the Southern border and the one-month government shutdown.

However, the total estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of the seized goods, had they been genuine, increased to over $1.5 billion from nearly $1.4 billion in FY 2018.

E- Commerce sales have contributed to large volumes of low-value packages imported into the United States. In FY 2019, there were 144 million express shipments and 463 million international mail shipments. Over 90 percent of all intellectual property seizures occur in the international mail and express environments

The People’s Republic of China (mainland China and Hong Kong) remained the primary source economy for seized counterfeit and pirated goods, accounting for 83 percent of all IPR seizures and 92 percent of the estimated MSRP value of all IPR seizures.

Read CBP’s Intellectual Property Seizure Report for Fiscal Year 2019 for more IPR stats and analysis.

CBP’s border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations.  Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders. Learn more about CBP at www.CBP.gov.

Follow the Director of CBP’s Baltimore Field Office on Twitter at @DFOBaltimore and on Instagram at @dfobaltimore for breaking news, current events, human-interest stories and photos.

CBP.gov (May 2020) Pittsburgh CBP Seizes Counterfeit and Potentially Harmful Cat and Dog Flea Collars

10 alleged MS-13 members and associates charged with murder, attempted murder, murder conspiracy and firearms offenses


Following an investigation by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the FBI, four complaints were unsealed Thursday in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, variously charging 10 members and associates of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS-13, a transnational criminal organization.

The members were charged with murder in-aid-of racketeering, attempted murder, murder conspiracy, related firearms offenses and marijuana distribution conspiracy.

This gang investigation was prompted by three murders, occurring on the street, at Kissena Park and on an elevated Subway Platform in Queens.

One defendant was arrested May 13 in Maryland. Five defendants were arrested May 14 in New York and California. On May 15, four defendants will be arrested and transferred to federal custody from detention facilities where they are currently held.

“Public executions are just another sobering example of the savagery that MS-13 engages in with the alleged criminal mayhem caused by those charged today,” said Peter C. Fitzhugh, special agent in charge of HSI New York. “This multi-agency OCDETF investigation is an excellent example of how law enforcement at all levels will continue to use all available resources, aggressively exploit all available intelligence, and work as a unified team with a simple and singular goal – ridding the scourge of MS-13 from our communities.”

“The murders and crimes of violence allegedly committed by these defendants are trademark MS-13 offenses – cold-blooded, senseless and brutally violent – and pose a grave danger to the residents of our communities,” stated United States Attorney Richard P. Donoghue. “Thanks to the hard work of federal and local law enforcement officers, the defendants will now face prosecution for the charged crimes. No matter what obstacles may arise, this office will not rest until our mission to eradicate the MS-13 threat is accomplished.”

“It is only through our joint efforts to relentlessly disrupt and dismantle this kind of senseless criminality that we can continue to keep New Yorkers safe. I applaud our NYPD detectives and our federal and local law enforcement partners for investigating and prosecuting this case,” stated NYPD Commissioner Dermot F. Shea.

“MS-13 members do all they can to propagate a violent, deadly image as a gang. Their calculation that shouting the gang’s name out in front of people on a subway platform will prevent anyone from interfering with a man being brutally beaten and murdered boggles the mind. Thanks to the work of the FBI Metro Safe Streets Task Force and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), their violent reputation won’t protect them from going to federal prison,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William F. Sweeney, Jr.

Murder of Andy Peralta

As detailed in the complaints and the government’s detention letter filed earlier today, alleged MS-13 associate Juan Amaya-Ramirez is charged with the murder of 17-year-old Andy Peralta. On the night of April 23, 2018, Amaya-Ramirez and two others lured Peralta to Kissena Park in Flushing, Queens where they confronted him. Peralta had a tattoo of a crown on his chest which Amaya-Ramirez and the others mistakenly believed to be a symbol of the rival Latin Kings gang. The assailants fatally beat, stabbed and strangled Peralta. The victim’s tattoo was also slashed. Peralta’s assailants used Amaya-Ramirez’s iPhone to photograph Peralta’s corpse, while they displayed MS-13 gang signs with their hands. The photograph was found in Amaya-Ramirez’s iCloud account during a court-authorized search.

Murder of Victor Alvarenga

Alleged MS-13 associates Douglas Melgar-Suriano and Jairo Martinez-Garcia are charged with the murder of Victor Alvarenga, who was shot and killed near his home in Flushing, Queens. In the early morning of November 4, 2019, the two defendants and a third individual laid in wait for Alvarenga. The men approached Alvarenga, who was walking down the street. After walking with him briefly, Melgar-Suriano allegedly shot Alvarenga multiple times in the head and body. As Alvarenga writhed on the pavement, Martinez-Garcia also shot him.

Murder of Abel Mosso

Alleged MS-13 member Ramiro Gutierrez and alleged gang associates Tito Martinez-Alvarenga and Victor Lopez are charged with the murder of Abel Mosso on a subway platform in Queens. In the early afternoon of February 3, 2019, Lopez and Martinez-Alvarenga followed Mosso, who they believed to be a member of the rival 18th Street gang, onto the Number 7 train at the Main Street station in Flushing, trailed by Gutierrez. Lopez and Martinez-Alvarenga assaulted Mosso inside the subway car and then dragged him out onto the platform at the 90th Street station in Jackson Heights.

The defendants produced a gun, but Mosso wrestled it away. Gutierrez shouted in Spanish, “Nobody get involved, we’re MS-13, we’re going to kill him.” Gutierrez then grabbed the gun from Mosso and shot him multiple times, killing him. Law enforcement recovered a video posted on Facebook depicting the murder.

Conspiracy to Murder and Attempted Murder

Alleged MS-13 members Marlon Saracay-Lopez and Ismael Santos-Novoa, and alleged gang associate Emerson Martinez-Lara, are charged with conspiring between May 2019 and July 2019 to murder an MS-13 associate who failed to kill a rival gang member as ordered by Saracay-Lopez and Santos-Novoa. Saracay-Lopez, Santos-Novoa and alleged gang associate Victor Ramirez are also charged with attempting to murder an 18th Street gang member.

During the resulting shooting on August 25, 2019 in Jackson Heights, Queens, a co-conspirator wounded an innocent bystander in the leg.

Martinez-Garcia, Melgar-Suriano, Ramirez and Santos-Novoa are scheduled to make their initial appearances this afternoon via teleconference before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy. Saracay-Lopez’s initial appearance will take place in United States District Court for the Central District of California. Martinez-Lara’s initial appearance will take place in the United States District Court in Maryland.

The charges in the complaints are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the murders, Amaya-Ramirez, Melgar-Suriano, Martinez-Garcia, Gutierrez, Martinez-Alvarenga and Lopez face mandatory sentences of life in prison and are eligible for the death penalty.

If convicted of the firearms and attempted murder charges, Saracay-Lopez, Santos-Novoa and Ramirez face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison. If convicted, Martinez-Lara faces up to 15 years in prison for marijuana distribution conspiracy and murder conspiracy.

This case was investigated as part of the ongoing efforts by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a partnership that brings together the combined expertise of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply. A special thanks to the Queens County District Attorney’s Office and the New York City Department of Investigation for their assistance in the investigation.

In fiscal year 2019, HSI agents made nearly 4,000 arrests of transnational gang members; of those, more than 300 were tied to MS-13.

Individuals across the world can report suspicious criminal activity to the HSI Tip Line 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Highly trained specialists take reports from both the public and law enforcement agencies on more than 400 laws enforced by HSI. Contact the toll-free tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form.

Both are staffed around the clock. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

The government’s case is being handled by the EDNY’s Organized Crime and Gangs Section.

ICE.gov (May 2020) 10 alleged MS-13 members and associates charged with murder, attempted murder, murder conspiracy and firearms offenses

People’s Republic of China (PRC) Targeting of COVID-19 Research Organizations


FBI and CISA Warn Against Chinese Targeting of COVID-19 Research Organizations

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) are issuing this announcement to raise awareness of the threat to COVID-19-related research.

The FBI is investigating the targeting and compromise of U.S. organizations conducting COVID-19-related research by PRC-affiliated cyber actors and non-traditional collectors.

These actors have been observed attempting to identify and illicitly obtain valuable intellectual property (IP) and public health data related to vaccines, treatments, and testing from networks and personnel affiliated with COVID-19-related research.

The potential theft of this information jeopardizes the delivery of secure, effective, and efficient treatment options.

The FBI and CISA urge all organizations conducting research in these areas to maintain dedicated cybersecurity and insider threat practices to prevent surreptitious review or theft of COVID-19-related material.

FBI is responsible for protecting the U.S. against foreign intelligence, espionage, and cyber operations, among other responsibilities.

CISA is responsible for protecting the nation’s critical infrastructure from physical and cyber threats. CISA is providing services and information to support the cybersecurity of federal and state/local/tribal/territorial entities and private sector entities that play a critical role in COVID-19 research and response.

Recommendations

  • Assume that press attention affiliating your organization with COVID-19-related research will lead to increased interest and cyber activity.
  • Patch all systems for critical vulnerabilities, prioritizing timely patching for known vulnerabilities of internet-connected servers and software processing internet data.
  • Actively scan web applications for unauthorized access, modification, or anomalous activities.
  • Improve credential requirements and require multi-factor authentication.
  • Identify and suspend access of users exhibiting unusual activity.

Victim Reporting and Additional Information

The FBI encourages victims to report information concerning suspicious or criminal activity to their local field office.

For additional assistance and best practices, such as cyber hygiene vulnerability scanning, please visit cisa.gov/coronavirus.

FBI.gov (May 2020) People’s Republic of China (PRC) Targeting of COVID-19 Research Organizations

Church in Pakistan Desecrated in Attack by “Land Grabbers”


On Saturday, May 9, a mob of Muslim men attacked and damaged a church in Hakeempura, located in Pakistan’s Shekhupura district. As a result of the attack, the church’s wall and main gate were damaged and a cross was desecrated.

According to local Christians, the attack on Trinity Pentecostal Church in Hakeempura was led by Aoon Abass and Ali Shan.

Pastor Samuel Barkat, head pastor of Trinity Pentecostal Church, reported to police (FIR # 461/20) that the mob had attempted to set the church on fire.

Pastor Barkat told International Christian Concern (ICC) that Trinity Pentecostal Church serves over 350 Christian families in Hakeempura. Pastor Barkat claims that Aoon Abass is attempting to steal the land from the church. Abass’ land is adjacent to the church and he has threatened many times to steal the church’s property.

“Following the COVID-19 lockdown, the church has been closed down and the worshipers are not visiting,” Pastor Barkat explained to ICC. “Therefore, a group of land grabbers wanted to utilize this opportunity for their motives.”

Trinity Pentecostal Church sits on 11 Marla (1 Marla = 272.25 square feet) of land in Hakeempura. The church building is utilized for social gatherings of the Christian community in addition to its use as a center of worship.

For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org.

Persecution.org (May 2020) Church in Pakistan Desecrated in Attack by “Land Grabbers”