Law Enforcement – Page 18 – Law Enforcement, Military, and Terrorism News

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.

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 His membership was revoked, and on February 20, he was arrested in Newark by the Port Authority Police Department after returning from his vacation.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.

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

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.

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.

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“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.”

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“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.

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.

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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.

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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

Franklin County Sexual Assault Fugitive Returned to U.S. From Canada

A fugitive sex offender who fled to Canada to avoid facing sexual assault charges in Franklin County has been removed to the U.S. and is awaiting extradition to Pennsylvania.

Juan Carlos Alcantara-Rivas, 36, formerly of Chambersburg, was charged Aug. 19, 2016, with two counts of aggravated sexual assault upon a minor victim by the Chambersburg Police Department. He was released with bail conditions that included electronic monitoring.

On June 19, 2018, Alcantara was convicted of the offenses but remained on bail while awaiting sentencing. He cut off his electronic monitor and fled the same day. On June 22, 2018, the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas issued a bench warrant for Alcantara’s arrest. Attempts to find him in the Chambersburg area were unsuccessful, and the Chambersburg Police Department requested the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task force.

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Deputy U.S. Marshals pursued leads in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, and the Dominican Republic until learning that Alcantara had fled to Montreal, Canada. On January 23, 2020, Canadian police officers arrested Alcantara at the request of American authorities. And on March 3 Alcantara was removed to the U.S. He was arraigned as a fugitive from justice and detained in Clinton County, New York, pending extradition to Pennsylvania.

“It’s important to bring those who are charged with serious sexual offenses to justice,” said Martin J. Pane, U.S. Marshal for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “We owe this to the victims of such crimes. It is my sincere hope that this arrest brings some measure of comfort to the victim and their family. ”

The USMS routinely provides assistance, expertise and training regarding international fugitive matters to federal, state, and local police agencies.

In 2019, the USMS closed 1,500 cases involving fugitives wanted by the United States who fled to a foreign country to avoid prosecution or incarceration.

TBI.com (March, 2020) Franklin County Sexual Assault Fugitive Returned to U.S. From Canada

AMBER Alert Update 3/6/2020: Evelyn Mae Boswell

During the search, investigators discovered human remains believed to be those of the missing 15-month-old girl. The remains will be sent for an autopsy and a positive identification.

*Updated on 3/6/20 at 10:10 (ET) to reflect the following new developments in the investigation.

This evening, as part of the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Evelyn Mae Boswell, and acting on new information developed in the case, TBI Agents and Detectives with the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office searched a property belonging to a family member of Evelyn’s mother, Megan Boswell, in the 500 block of Muddy Creek Road in Blountville. During the search, investigators discovered human remains believed to be those of the missing 15-month-old girl. The remains will be sent for an autopsy and a positive identification.

The TBI, Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI would like to thank the public for their support during the two-week AMBER Alert search for Evelyn Boswell.

The investigation remains active and ongoing at this time.

*Updated on 3/4/20 at 1:40 p.m. (ET) to reflect the latest number of tips received as part of the investigation.

*Updated on 3/2/20 at 10:15 a.m. (ET) to reflect the latest number of tips and additional frequently asked questions.

*Updated on 3/1/20 at 8:20 p.m. (ET) to reflect the latest number of tips received as part of the investigation.

*Updated on 2/28/20 at 4:25 p.m. (ET) to reflect the latest number of tips received as part of the investigation.

*Updated on 2/25/20 at 9:30 p.m. (ET) to include information about the arrest of Megan Boswell.

*Updated on 2/25/20 at 4:10 p.m. (ET) to reflect the latest number of tips received as part of the investigation.

*Updated on 2/24/20 at 2:55 p.m. (ET) to include a list of frequently ask questions associated with the search.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation continues to work alongside the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to locate and recover 15-month-old Evelyn Mae Boswell, who became the subject of a statewide AMBER Alert issued by the TBI on Wednesday, February 19^th.

TBI.com (March, 2020) AMBER Alert: Evelyn Mae Boswell

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