FBI’s Top 10 News Stories for Week Ending December 11, 2009

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending December 11, 2009

1. Chicago: Chicagoan Charged with Conspiracy in 2008 Mumbai Attacks in Addition to Foreign Terror Plot in Denmark

New federal charges allege that David Coleman Headley of Chicago, who was arrested in October for planning terrorist attacks against a Danish newspaper and two of its employees, also conducted extensive surveillance of targets in Mumbai for more than two years preceding the November 2008 terrorist attack on India’s largest city that killed approximately 170 people, including six Americans, and injured hundreds more. Headley allegedly attended terrorism training camps in Pakistan maintained by Lashkar e Tayyiba and conspired with its members and others in planning and executing the attacks in both Denmark and India. A criminal complaint was also unsealed charging Abdur Rehman Hashim Syed, a retired major in the Pakistani military, with conspiracy in planning to attack the Danish newspaper and its employees. Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a Canadian citizen and native of Pakistan, was arrested in October on federal charges filed in Chicago relating to the Danish terrorism plot. Full Story  

2. FBI Headquarters: Director Asks Judge Webster to Conduct Independent Review

FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III has asked Judge William H. Webster to conduct an independent review of FBI policies, practices, and actions prior to the tragic events at Fort Hood. Following the November 5, 2009 shootings, Director Mueller ordered an immediate, preliminary review of the FBI’s actions, as well any relevant policies and procedures that may have impacted FBI efforts before the shootings. The preliminary review has been completed, and Judge Webster will now lead an independent, outside effort that will look both at the initial findings and allow for additional review as he and his staff determine. Full Story

3. Philadelphia: Five Indicted in Foreclosure Rescue and Mortgage Fraud Scheme Involving More Than $14.6 Million in Loans

 A 15-count indictment was filed against five defendants charged in a $14.6 million mortgage fraud scheme that resulted in at least 35 fraudulent mortgage loans. Those charged include Edward G. McCusker and John Alford Bariana, owners of Axxium Mortgage, Inc., McCusker’s wife, Jacqueline, and Jeffrey A. Bennett and Stephen G. Doherty, owners of the Doylestown law firm Bennett & Doherty, P.C. Full Story

4. Washington Field: Former Military Officer Sentenced for Role in Bribery Conspiracy

Curtis Whiteford, a former colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, was sentenced to five years in prison for his participation in a wide-ranging bribery conspiracy in Al-Hillah, Iraq. He was also ordered to pay $16,200 in restitution and to serve two years of supervised release following his prison term. Full Story

5. Little Rock: Four Arkansas Men Sentenced on Civil Rights Charges in Cross Burning Conspiracy

Jacob Wingo, Clayton Morrison, Darren McKim, and Richard Robins were sentenced on federal civil rights and obstruction of justice charges related to a conspiracy to drive a woman and her children from their home because the victims associated with African-Americans. Full Story

6. Miami: Six Remaining Defendants Plead Guilty in $18 Million Fraudulent Investment Scheme

Defendants Jimmy L. Barker, Jr., Theodore Ginocchio, Ronald Bowsky, Jack Maddock, Robert Pozsony, and Rodger Brownson each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a scheme that defrauded more than 600 investors throughout the United States. Codefendants Robert Ladrach and Marc Rifkin previously pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and are awaiting sentencing. Full Story

7. Memphis: Drug Kingpin Sentenced to 24 Life Sentences

After an eight-month trial in federal court, Jamal Shakir was sentenced to multiple life sentences after being convicted in 2008 of multiple murders, being the kingpin of a violent interstate gang-based drug trafficking operation, money laundering, and obstruction of justice. The United States requested the jury sentence Shakir to death, but the jury did not unanimously agree on a sentence as required to impose the death penalty. The presiding judge sentenced Shakir to 16 life sentences, to be followed by an additional nine consecutive life sentences for the murders and the other criminal conduct. Judge Nixon also imposed a forfeiture verdict of $3 million on each of three counts, totaling $9 million. Full Story

8. Albany: Former New York State Senate Majority Leader Convicted

Following a three-week trial, Joseph L. Bruno, the former majority leader of the New York State Senate, was convicted on two felony counts of honest services mail fraud. Bruno was acquitted on five counts; jurors were unable to reach a verdict on one count of the indictment. Full Story

9. San Francisco: Taiwan LCD Producer Agrees to Plead Guilty and Pay $220 Million Fine for Participating in LCD Price-Fixing Conspiracy

A Thin-Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) producer and seller has agreed to plead guilty and pay $220 million in criminal fines for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices in the sale of liquid crystal display panels. According to court documents, Chi Mei Optoelectronics participated in a conspiracy to fix the prices of TFT-LCD panels sold worldwide from 2001 through 2006. Full Story

10. Atlanta: Couple Charged with Human Trafficking and Immigration Violations
A federal grand jury in Atlanta indicted an Ellenwood, Georgia husband and wife, Juna Gwendolyn Babb and Michael J. Babb, on charges of conspiracy, forced labor, document servitude – which is confiscating someone’s passport and visa – and harboring an alien for financial gain. Full Story

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FBI's Top 10 News Stories for Week Ending December 4, 2009

 

For Immediate Release

Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691
December 4, 2009

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending December 4, 2009

1. FBI Headquarters: FBI Continues to Seek Information about Robert Levinson
   
   December 3, 2009, marked 1,000 days since American citizen Robert Levinson—a retired FBI special agent—went missing on March 9, 2007 during a business trip to Kish Island, Iran. As the FBI is the lead agency in the investigation of the disappearance of Americans overseas, we continue to seek information about Mr. Levinson’s whereabouts, well-being, and the circumstances surrounding his disappearance. Full Story
   

2. Miami: Fort Lauderdale Attorney Charged in Billion-Dollar Ponzi Scheme
   
   A five-count criminal information was filed charging attorney Scott Rothstein of Fort Lauderdale with one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization statute, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and two counts of wire fraud. In addition, the information seeks the forfeiture of $1.2 billion, including 24 pieces of real property, numerous luxury cars, boats, and other vessels, jewelry, sports memorabilia, business interests, bank accounts and more. Full Story
   

3. Chicago: Canopy Financial Co-Founder Jeremy Blackburn Facing Federal Fraud Charges Alleging Deceit in $60 Million Stock Sale
   
   A co-founder of Canopy Financial, Inc., a health care transaction software company, is facing federal fraud charges alleging that he defrauded investors by creating and distributing false information about Canopy’s financial condition. The defendant, Jeremy Blackburn, allegedly deceived a private equity firm that invested more than $60 million in Canopy stock by submitting a bogus auditor’s report and falsified bank statements to the investment firm. Full Story
   

4. Atlanta: Former Senior Manager Pleads Guilty to Stealing the Home Depot’s Trade Secrets
   
   Guillermo Martinez pleaded guilty to a criminal information that charged him with stealing trade secrets from his former employer, The Home Depot. Full Story
   

5. Philadelphia: Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Charged with Fraud and Subscribing to a Materially False Federal Income Tax Return
   
   An information was filed charging Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas Judge Michael T. Toole with honest services fraud and subscribing to a materially false federal income tax return. The charges together carry a maximum possible penalty of 23 years in prison and a fine of $350,000. Full Story
   

6. St. Paul: Tom Petters Found Guilty of Orchestrating $3.65 Billion Ponzi Scheme
   
   A federal trial jury convicted Thomas Joseph Petters of orchestrating a $3.65 billion Ponzi scheme. Petters, who was originally indicted in December 2008, was found guilty of 10 counts of wire fraud, three counts of mail fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and five counts of money laundering. Full Story
   

7. Miami: FBI Announces Return of Pre-Columbian Artifacts to Peru and Ecuador
   
   Miami FBI Special Agent in Charge John V. Gillies announced the return of 153 pre-Columbian artifacts to the countries of Peru and Ecuador. Full Story
   

8. San Antonio: Army Officer, Wife, and Relatives Sentenced in Bribery and Money Laundering Scheme Related to DOD Contracts in Support of Iraq War
   
   A former U.S. Army contracting officer, his wife, his sister, and his niece were sentenced for their participation in a bribery and money laundering scheme related to bribes paid for contracts awarded in support of the Iraq war. Full Story
   

9. Dallas: Major Methamphetamine Trafficking Ring Leader and Founder of Aces and Eights Outlaw Motorcycle Gang Pleads Guilty
   
   Bobby Duwayne Froman, the leader of a motorcycle gang that is a support club of the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, pleaded guilty to his role as the leader and organizer of a large-scale methamphetamine trafficking organization that obtained large quantities of methamphetamine from California and distributed that methamphetamine throughout West Texas. Full Story
   

10. FBI Headquarters/New York: Computer Scammers Target Holiday Shoppers
    
    This holiday season, the FBI is warning holiday shoppers to be aware of cyber criminals and others looking to commit fraud. Headquarters Release | New York Release

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FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending November 20, 2009

For Immediate Release
November 20, 2009

Washington D.C.
FBI National Press Office
(202) 324-3691

FBI’s Top Ten News Stories for the Week Ending November 20, 2009

1.  Washington Field: Twenty-Six Charged in Nationwide Scheme to Defraud FCC’s Video Relay Service Program

Indictments were unsealed against 26 people charged with engaging in a scheme to steal millions of dollars from the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Video Relay Service program. Arrests were made by FBI agents and Postal Inspectors in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Maryland, and were the result of a joint FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and FCC Office of Inspector General investigation into the nationwide scheme. Full Story

2.   Atlanta: Kuwaiti Company Indicted for Massive Overcharging of United States for Soldiers’ Food

Public Warehousing Company, K.S.C., a logistics company organized under the laws of the Nation of Kuwait, was indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States, committing major fraud against the United States, making false statements, submitting false claims, and wire fraud. All of the charges concern multi-billion dollar contracts issued by the Department of Defense for feeding American troops in Iraq, Kuwait, and Jordan. Full Story

3.   FBI Headquarters: Seeking Civil Rights-Era Cold Case Victims’ Next of Kin

Nearly three years after the launch of the Civil Rights-Era Cold Case Initiative, the FBI is publicly releasing updated information demonstrating the progress made so far, and requesting public assistance with a new challenge: locating victims’ next of kin in 33 cases.  Full Story

4.   Los Angeles: Athens Park Bloods Street Gang Members Charged with Narcotics Violations

Hundreds of Sheriff’s deputies and FBI agents executed arrest and search warrants in the final phase of “Operation Blood Klot.” Seventeen members and associates of the Athens Park Bloods street gang were charged for their alleged roles in a narcotics trafficking conspiracy that operated within a South Los Angeles. Full Story

5.   San Diego: Man Pleads Guilty to $25 Million Investment Fraud Scheme

Richard M. Hersch pled guilty to mail fraud and conspiracy to structure financial transactions in connection with a $25 million investment fraud scheme. The plea agreement provides for Hersch to pay at least $9.2 million in restitution to investors he defrauded. Full Story

6. New York: United States Charges 43 Members of Cocaine Trafficking Ring

An indictment was unsealed charging 43 members of a cocaine trafficking ring with conspiracy to distribute approximately $1 million worth of crack and powder cocaine across Westchester County. Full Story

7.   St. Louis: Former State Senator, Former State Representative, and Associate Sentenced on Federal Obstruction Charges

Former Missouri State Senator Jeff Smith, former Missouri State Representative Mark Brown, and Nicholas Adams were sentenced on federal obstruction charges involving their conspiracy and attempt to obstruct a Federal Election Commission proceeding. Additionally, Smith and Adams were sentenced for conspiracy and attempt to obstruct a Federal Grand Jury proceeding. Full Story

8.   Baltimore: President of Metropolitan Money Store Sentenced for $37 Million Mortgage Fraud Scheme

Joy Jackson, the president of the Metropolitan Money Store, was sentenced to 151 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud in connection with a $37 million mortgage fraud scheme that falsely promised to help homeowners facing foreclosure keep their homes and repair their damaged credit. Jackson was also ordered to pay restitution of $16.8 million and to forfeit three residential properties and three vehicles. Full Story

9.   Philadelphia: Former Business Owners Indicted for $136 Million Fraud

The former owners of Schuylkill Products Inc. were indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with one of the largest disadvantaged business enterprise fraud schemes in U.S. Department of Transportation history. The scheme, which is alleged to have run for over 15 years, involved the improper award of hundreds of federally-funded highway and mass transit contracts in Pennsylvania and other states. In Pennsylvania alone, over 300 contracts were improperly awarded that were valued at approximately $136 million. Full Story

10.   San Francisco: Former Ukrainian Prime Minister Sentenced to 97 Months in Prison

Former Ukranian Prime Minister Pavel Ivanovich Lazarenko was sentenced to 97 months in prison for his role in laundering $30 million in extortion proceeds. He was also ordered to pay a $9 million fine and forfeit $22,851,000 and various specified assets for eight. This case is the first prosecution of a foreign leader for laundering the proceeds of extortion through financial institutions in the United States. Full Story

The Twitter Phenom

Disclaimer: I am in no way advertising or promoting the use of Twitter. I'm just sharing my experience with it.

A while back i blogged about the Facebook Phenom.. It is now the hub of my life! I love it there.
Now, i have come upon the twitter phenom. I've been a tweeter now for a couple of weeks. I've been finding some of my normal twitters to follow: HGTV, Wine, fitness, and just yesterday came upon the NYPD, NJSP, and the FBI and Homeland security. They twitter too!

Now some people might say.. yeah? so what? we hear about it in the news! yeah.. ummm.. no we don't.. The FBI is tweeting about stuff i would never hear about in the news because it hasn't happened in my area. The NYPD puts out tweets about suspects, i'm right over the water so i might actually come upon them. The NJSP does the same thing, along with traffic stops (that's cool!). Homeland security tweets about everything related to them: threat levels, why, where, what's affected etc.. it's great. Officer.com, Policelink, Amber Alert, and NLEOMF tweet as well. This is about as fast as you can get any story, unless you work with that news org.

On an off-law enforcement note: a very famous female trainer that trains on the biggest loser? she's a very negative person.. I've been following her tweets for shits and giggles, and quite frankly she's annoying! lol (just thought i would throw that in there lol)