Tampa Felon, Previously Convicted of Attempted Murder, Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearms Charges

Tampa, Florida – DeShawn Torrell Salley (49, Tampa) today pleaded guilty to distributing at least 50 grams of methamphetamine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possessing a firearm


Tampa, Florida – DeShawn Torrell Salley (49, Tampa) today pleaded guilty to distributing at least 50 grams of methamphetamine, possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. He faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years, and up to life, in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, between 1999 and 2004, Salley was convicted of six felony offenses, including attempted murder in the first degree. On June 5, 2019, he sold 54 grams of methamphetamine to a confidential informant in Tampa.

On July 31, 2019, federal agents arrested Salley. During the execution of a search warrant at Salley’s apartment, federal agents recovered a loaded Glock .45 caliber pistol, a bulletproof vest, heroin, and marijuana. 

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher F. Murray.

This is another case prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s “Project Safe Neighborhoods” Program (PSN), which is a nationwide, crime reduction strategy aimed at decreasing violent crime in communities. It involves a comprehensive approach to public safety — one that includes investigating and prosecuting crimes, along with prevention and reentry efforts. In the Middle District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez coordinates PSN efforts in cooperation with various federal, state, and local law enforcement officials.

ATF.gov (February, 2020) Tampa Felon, Previously Convicted of Attempted Murder, Pleads Guilty to Drug and Firearms Charges

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American Contractor Kidnapped by Taliban in Afghanistan

Newsweek has reported that an American contractor was captured by Taliban-aligned militants in Afghanistan last week, prompting a nation-wide rescue effort.


Newsweek has reported that an American contractor was captured by Taliban-aligned militants in Afghanistan last week, prompting a nation-wide rescue effort.

Mark R. Frerichs of Lombard, Illinois, was kidnapped last Friday in Khost, a province located in the southeastern part of the country that borders the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, an underdeveloped region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, U.S. officials told Newsweek, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details publicly.

Newsweek went on to report:

Frerichs, 57, is a former U.S. Navy diver and the managing director for International Logistical Support, a U.S. government contractor. According to his LinkedIn account, he has worked as a civil engineer in several conflict zones from Iraq to Sudan during the past 10 years, where he has consulted on logistical contracts for both governments and non-governmental organizations. U.S. officials told Newsweek Frerichs had regularly traveled to Afghanistan since 2012.

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While no group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, U.S. officials believe the Taliban-aligned Haqqani network orchestrated the operation. Newsweek was unable to determine exactly how Frerichs was captured, but efforts to locate and recover him include a joint effort by Departments of State and Defense, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. If hostage rescue becomes an option for military commanders, typically the mission would be given to U.S. special operation forces.

During the past few days, American forces carried out both ground and intelligence-gathering operations to track the whereabouts of Frerichs while navigating difficult Afghan topography and severe winter weather that has prevented overhead surveillance missions by U.S. military drones.

Newsweek first learned about the kidnapping on Monday. The Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell, a multi-agency team based at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., asked Newsweek to hold the story until efforts to recover Frerichs progressed, and the publication agreed.

“The welfare and safety of U.S. citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State,” said Holly Jensen, a spokeswoman for the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell. “We have no further comment.”

A Defense Department spokesman referred questions to the State Department.

Newsweek.com (February, 2020) EXCLUSIVE: U.S. CITIZEN KIDNAPPED BY TALIBAN GROUP IN AFGHANISTAN

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Former Employee of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Facing Federal Indictment in Maryland

A federal grand jury has indicted David Laufer, age 63, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, formerly of Bethesda, Maryland, on five counts of the federal charge of making false statements.


Allegedly Failed to Report Financial Benefits He Received from Individuals and Companies Doing Business with Walter Reed

A federal grand jury has indicted David Laufer, age 63, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, formerly of Bethesda, Maryland, on five counts of the federal charge of making false statements.

The indictment was returned on December 16, 2019, and was unsealed upon his arrest on January 28, 2020. Laufer had his initial appearance yesterday in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt and was released pending trial.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Robert E. Craig, Jr. of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service -Mid-Atlantic Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Maureen Dixon, Office of Investigations, and Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services.

According to the indictment, until May 2019, Laufer worked as the Chief of the Prosthetics and Orthotics Department at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the largest joint military medical center in the United States.

Walter Reed is located in Bethesda and provides medical services, including orthotic and prosthetic services to U.S. service members and their dependents, including wounded soldiers.

Laufer’s job required him to complete annual Confidential Financial Disclosure forms which required him to report: all sources of outside income greater than $200; any business outside the U.S. Government in which Laufer or his spouse was an employee or consultant, whether or not compensated; any agreements or arrangements concerning past, current, and future employment; and travel-related reimbursement or other gifts totaling more than $350 from any one source during the reporting period.

The indictment alleges that Laufer failed to report financial benefits he received from Person B and Company B, located in Germantown, Maryland and owned, operated, and controlled by Person B. Company B provided prosthetics and orthotics materials to Walter Reed in return for payments from the government.

According to the indictment, Person B regularly interacted with Laufer about Company B’s business with Walter Reed.

Furthermore, the indictment alleges that Laufer falsely told federal agents that he had never received money, gifts, or sporting event tickets from any vendor doing business before the Prosthetics and Orthotics Department when in fact Laufer had received financial benefits, including travel and sporting event tickets, from Person Band Company B.

DODIG.mil (February, 2020) Former Employee of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center Facing Federal Indictment in Maryland

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BBB Warns About Cell Phone Porting Scams

The Better Business Bureau first warned consumers of cell phone porting scams two years ago, but it appears the problem is getting worse.


Did you know that with a few easy steps someone could steal your phone number and phone service? 

The Better Business Bureau first warned consumers of cell phone porting scams two years ago, but it appears the problem is getting worse.

According to a CBC article, a farm family in Sasketchewan lost hundreds of thousands of dollars when a cell phone was stolen and their business bank account was emptied. This scam is another way for scammers to steal your hard earned money, and even your identity.

The scariest part is that this type of scam, called porting or port-out scamming, is that it can help scammers get past added security measures on personal and financial accounts and logins.

To put it another way, think of how many times you have set up an email address, social networking, or logged onto your bank account online or had to change your password. How many times did you have to verify your identity by being sent a code via text message? Now what if you weren’t the only one who was reading that message? This new type of scam absolutely could bypass that layer of security and has a huge potential for your identity to be stolen faster than you think.

Luckily you can protect yourself and your Better Business Bureau® is here to help you identify and protect yourself.

What is a cell phone porting or port-out scam?

A scammer finds out your name and phone number and then attempts to gather as much personal identifiable information (PII) as possible about you. PII includes name, address, Social Security number (Social Insurance number in Canada), date of birth, and other information that can be used for identity theft.  They then will contact your mobile provider, impersonating you, and inform them that your phone was stolen and request the number be “ported” with another provider and device.  In some cases, if they were really brave and in a retail location and/or online, they might even try to buy a new phone which could make a sales representative incentivized to quickly fulfill their request and forgo some formal verification procedures.  

The scariest part?  Once they have your number ported to a new device they can then start accessing and gaining entry to accounts that require additional authorization in terms of a code texted directly to your phone for security verification.  Those added security measures are usually in place on accounts provided by email providers, social networks, tax preparation software, and even financial institutions

BBB offers these tips to help protect you from this specific type of scam:

  • Inquire with your wireless provider about port-out authorization.  Every major wireless has some sort of additional security for accounts or for port-out authorization that customers can set up, like a unique pin, or add verification question, which will make it more difficult for someone to port-out your phone.  Contact your mobile provider and speak to them specifically about porting and/or port out security on your account.
  • Watch out for unexpected “Emergency Calls Only” status.  Call your mobile phone company if your phone suddenly switches to “emergency call service only” or something similar. That’s what happens when your phone number has been transferred to another phone.  
  • Be vigilant in about communications you receive.  Watch out for phishing attempts, alert messages from financial institutions, texts in response to two-factor authorization requests.

For more tips on how to protect your personal information and guard yourself against identity theft click here.

If you’ve fallen victim to this type of scam, alert your mobile provider, financial institutions and take the standard steps to combat identity theft.

Also, BBB encourages you to file a report on BBB ScamTracker and be a hero to your community by warning others.

BBB.org (February, 2020) BBB Warns About Cell Phone Porting Scams

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Justice Department Secures Denaturalization of Convicted Terrorist Who Sought to Help al Qaeda Destroy the Brooklyn Bridge

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois entered an order revoking the naturalized U.S. citizenship of convicted terrorist, Iyman Faris. Faris, a native of Pakistan, was convicted in 2003 of providing material support


Court Denaturalizes Iyman Faris Based on His Provision of Material Support to al Qaeda in Early 2000s, Which Included a Personal Meeting with Usama bin Laden at Terrorist Training Camp Months After Taking Oath of Allegiance to the United States

On Feb. 3, Judge Staci M. Yandle of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois entered an order revoking the naturalized U.S. citizenship of convicted terrorist, Iyman Faris. Faris, a native of Pakistan, was convicted in 2003 of providing material support to al Qaeda and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Among other actions in support of al Qaeda, in 2002, Faris evaluated the practicality of a plot to collapse the Brooklyn Bridge in New York using gas cutters, communicating his assessment to al Qaeda via coded messages. In its order revoking his U.S. citizenship, the court found that Faris was ineligible for naturalization and unlawfully procured his citizenship through willful misrepresentation of material facts.

“A top priority at the Department of Justice is protecting our national security, and one of the things we do in support of that goal is tirelessly pursue denaturalization of known and suspected terrorists,” said Assistant Attorney General Jody Hunt for the Department of Justice’s Civil Division. “What Faris did is unconscionable – he pretended to support the United States and the Constitution to naturalize while he actively supported Usama bin Laden and senior al Qaeda leadership in their plans to attack the United States. The denaturalization of Faris and of others who similarly defraud the United States helps defend the integrity of the immigration system, promote the rule of law, and make America safer.”

“Iyman Faris is a traitor to the oath he took renouncing foreign allegiances and pledging to defend the Constitution and our American way of life. He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing who took advantage of American generosity with plans to terrorize and murder. He does not deserve the honor of being an American citizen,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft for the Southern District of Illinois. “Becoming a naturalized citizen is a privilege. The process must be guarded for the safety of our nation and to protect and recognize the sacrifices, determination, and honor of those who earn that privilege honestly.”

Faris, 50, was convicted in 2003 in the Eastern District of Virginia of providing, and conspiring to provide, material support to al Qaeda, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

Among other actions underlying that conviction, in 2000, Faris traveled to Afghanistan where he met Usama bin Laden and other high-ranking members of al Qaeda at an al Qaeda training camp, researched information about ultralight airplanes for a senior al Qaeda leader, and arranged for airline tickets to be issued to al Qaeda operatives.

In its Feb. 3 order, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois granted the government’s motion for summary judgment revoking Faris’s U.S. citizenship on multiple bases.

The court found that Faris’s admitted affiliation with al Qaeda within five years after naturalizing established that he was not attached to the principles of the Constitution and well-disposed to the good order and happiness of the United States at the time he naturalized in 1999.

The court also found that Faris was ineligible for naturalization based on his lies to immigration officers while under oath and his fraudulent entry into the United States in 1994 by using another person’s passport and visa.

Faris is currently serving his criminal sentence at the U.S. Penitentiary at Marion, Illinois, with a projected release date in August 2020. Because of the Court’s order, Faris is no longer a U.S. citizen and may be subjected to removal proceedings.

This case was investigated by the Civil Division’s Office of Immigration Litigation, District Court Section (OIL-DCS) National Security and Affirmative Litigation Unit (NS/A Unit), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with consultation and support from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The case was jointly prosecuted by Chief Tim Belsan and Counsel for National Security John Inkeles and Ed White (ret.) of OIL-DCS’s NS/A Unit and Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Biersbach of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois.

Justice.gov (February, 2020) Justice Department Secures Denaturalization of Convicted Terrorist Who Sought to Help al Qaeda Destroy the Brooklyn Bridge

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