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.

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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

Defense Department Linguist Charged with Espionage

Mariam Taha Thompson, 61, formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, was charged today in the District of Columbia with transmitting highly sensitive classified national defense information to a foreign national with apparent connections to Hizballah, a foreign terrorist organization that has been so designated by the Secretary of State.


Mariam Taha Thompson, 61, formerly of Rochester, Minnesota, was charged on Wednesday in the District of Columbia with transmitting highly sensitive classified national defense information to a foreign national with apparent connections to Hizballah, a foreign terrorist organization that has been so designated by the Secretary of State.

According to the affidavit filed in support of a criminal complaint, the information Thompson gathered and transmitted included classified national defense information regarding active human assets, including their true names.  By compromising the identities of these human assets, Thompson placed the lives of the human assets and U.S. military personnel in grave danger.

The announcement was made by John C. Demers, the Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Timothy J. Shea, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia; Robert Wells, Acting Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division; and Timothy R. Slater, the Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington Field Office.

“While in a war zone, the defendant allegedly gave sensitive national defense information, including the names of individuals helping the United States, to a Lebanese national located overseas,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers. “If true, this conduct is a disgrace, especially for someone serving as a contractor with the United States military. This betrayal of country and colleagues will be punished.”

“The conduct alleged in this complaint is a grave threat to national security, placed lives at risk, and represents a betrayal of our armed forces.  The charges we’ve filed today should serve as a warning to anyone who would consider disclosing classified national defense information to a terrorist organization,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Shea for the District of Columbia.

“This case shows the value of cooperation across the U.S. Government. Working closely with the Department of Defense, the FBI was able to investigate this willful disregard for keeping national defense information safe and partnered to bring the defendant to the United States to face justice,” said Acting Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence Division Robert Wells.

“Today’s announcement is a testament to the U.S. government’s commitment to protecting the U.S. from the unauthorized disclosure of classified information that can put our country at serious risk of damage – damage to people and damage to our country’s capabilities,”  said Timothy R. Slater, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.  “Human assets are the core of the U.S. government’s intelligence, and they have our assurance that we will go above and beyond to protect them.  I want to thank the men and women at the FBI and our partners here and abroad who answered the call to assist on this fast-moving investigation.  The FBI is charged with protecting our nation’s security and information for a safe and secure tomorrow for all Americans – we take this duty seriously and will not stand by while supposedly trusted individuals violate that trust in such an egregious way.”

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Thompson was arrested by FBI Special Agents on February 27, 2020, at an overseas U.S. military facility, where she worked as a contract linguist and held a Top Secret government security clearance.   

The investigation leading to this arrest revealed that starting on or about December 30, 2019, a day after U.S. airstrikes against Iranian-backed forces in Iraq, and the same day protesters stormed the U.S. embassy in Iraq to protest those strikes, audit logs show a notable shift in Thompson’s network activity on United States Department of Defense classified systems, including repeated access to classified information she had no need to access. 

Specifically, during a six-week period between December 30, 2019, and February 10, 2020, Thompson accessed dozens of files concerning human intelligence sources, including true names, personal identification data, background information, and photographs of the human assets, as well as operational cables detailing information the assets provided to the United States government.

A court-authorized search of Thompson’s living quarters on February 19, 2020, led to the discovery of a handwritten note in Arabic concealed under Thompson’s mattress.  The note contained classified information from Department of Defense computer systems, identifying human assets by name, and warning a Department of Defense target who is affiliated with a designated foreign terrorist organization with ties to Hizballah.  The note also instructed that the human assets’ phones should be monitored.

Thompson transmitted the classified information in the handwritten note to a co-conspirator, in whom she had a romantic interest. The FBI’s investigation revealed that Thompson knew the co-conspirator was a foreign national whose relative worked for the Lebanese government. The investigation also revealed that the co-conspirator has apparent connections to Hizballah.

Further investigation revealed that, in a separate communication, Thompson also provided information to her co-conspirator identifying another human asset and the information the asset had provided to the United States, as well as providing information regarding the techniques the human assets were using to gather information on behalf of the United States.

In today’s Criminal Complaint, Thompson was charged with Delivering Defense Information to Aid a Foreign Government in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 794(a) and conspiring to do so in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 794(c).

Thompson made her initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather on Wednesday afternoon. A Criminal Complaint is a formal accusation of criminal conduct for purposes of establishing probable cause, not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

If convicted, Thompson faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for violating § 794. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes only. If convicted of any offense, the sentencing of a defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Trial Attorneys Jennifer Kennedy Gellie of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section, Jennifer Levy of the Counterterrorism Section, and Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Columbia John Cummings are prosecuting the case.

Justice.gov (March, 2020) Defense Department Linguist Charged with Espionage

Pro-ISIS Media Outlet Publishes Magazine To Incite Violence In India

On February 24, 2020, pro-ISIS media outlet Al-Qitaal Media Center published a new online magazine titled “Voice of Hind” featuring Mahmood Paracha, a lawyer accused of inciting hatred and violence in India.


Terror Group Seeks To Further Inflame Tensions Between Muslim & Hindu Populations

On February 24, 2020, pro-ISIS media outlet Al-Qitaal Media Center published a new online magazine titled “Voice of Hind” featuring Mahmood Paracha, a lawyer accused of inciting hatred and violence in India.

The magazine also states that there is no place for nationalism in Islam, and that India’s Muslims should join the caliphate instead. The publication represents ISIS’s latest effort to gain a foothold in India.

Voice of Hind emerged in the midst of large scale sectarian violence fueled by the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which critics believe discriminates against India’s Muslims. The CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) now include religion as a criterion for nationality, representing a move away from India’s founding principle of secularism.

The new legislation provides a path for citizenship for practicing Hindus and five other South Asian religions—Buddhism, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism, and Zoroastrianism—but does not include Islam.

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Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reelection in May, his administration has largely endorsed a Hindu identity for the country and has demonstrated hostility towards secularism and Islam. The magazine, which seeks to exploit tensions, calls for Indian Muslims to join ISIS and praises individuals who have already done so or have committed attacks in the group’s name.

Though India banned ISIS in 2014, the Modi government has expressed concern about the group’s ability to attract members through online propaganda. The terrorist group has not made major headway in the country.

However, Indian security agencies have arrested more than 127 individuals with suspected links to ISIS.

Counterextremism.com (March, 2020) Pro-ISIS Media Outlet Publishes Magazine To Incite Violence In India

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.


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 19th.

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

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