Category: MIL-OSI

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department announced today that a federal court has entered a stipulated order resolving a case against Disney Worldwide Services Inc. and Disney Entertainment Operations LLC, (collectively, Disney). Under the order, Disney will pay $10 million in civil penalties as part of a settlement to resolve allegations that Disney violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act and its implementing regulations (COPPA) in connection with Disney’s popular YouTube video content.

COPPA prohibits website operators from knowingly collecting, using, or disclosing personal information from children under the age of 13 (hereinafter, children), unless they provide notice to and obtain consent from those children’s parents. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, the government alleged that Disney improperly failed to designate YouTube video content as directed toward children. As a result, Disney, and others acting on Disney’s behalf, targeted advertising toward children on YouTube and unlawfully collected children’s information without parental notice and consent, in violation of COPPA. Disney’s YouTube video content is extremely popular, with billions of views in the United States alone.

“The Justice Department is firmly devoted to ensuring parents have a say in how their children’s information is collected and used,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department will take swift action to root out any unlawful infringement on parents’ rights to protect their children’s privacy.”

In addition to imposing a $10 million civil penalty on Disney, the stipulated order bars Disney from operating on YouTube in a manner that violates COPPA and requires Disney to create a program that will ensure it properly complies with COPPA on YouTube going forward.

The United States is represented in this action by Assistant Director Zachary A. Dietert, and Trial Attorneys Zachary L. Cowan and Francisco L. Unger, from the Enforcement Section of the Civil Division’s Enforcement and Affirmative Litigation Branch. Jacqueline Ford represents the FTC.

For more information about the Enforcement Section of the Civil Division’s Enforcement and Affirmative Litigation Branch visit www.justice.gov/civil/enforcement-affirmative-litigation-branch.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

A Columbia man accused of a hate crime was arraigned in federal court this morning. The Government moved for the defendant to be detained pending trial. The defendant waived his right to a detention hearing and will remain in custody.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

DES MOINES, Iowa – On December 12, 2025, United States Attorney David C. Waterman delivered remarks at his formal swearing-in ceremony at the United States Courthouse in Des Moines. The December ceremony marked the ceremonial commencement of Waterman’s tenure as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa, following Chief Judge Stephanie M. Rose’s administration of the oath of office on October 15, 2025.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, the United States announced that it is challenging Virginia laws providing in-state tuition and financial assistance for illegal aliens. These laws unconstitutionally discriminate against U.S. citizens who are not afforded the same reduced tuition rates, scholarships, or subsidies, create incentives for illegal immigration, and reward illegal immigrants with benefits that U.S. citizens are not eligible for, all in direct conflict with federal law.

“This is a simple matter of federal law: in Virginia and nationwide, schools cannot provide benefits to illegal aliens that they do not provide to U.S. citizens,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “This Department of Justice will not tolerate American students being treated like second-class citizens in their own country.”

The Department of Justice’s complaint is filed in the Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division against the Commonwealth of Virginia seeking to enjoin the State from enforcing the Virginia laws and bring them into compliance with federal requirements.

In the complaint, the United States seeks to enjoin enforcement of Virginia laws that requires colleges and universities to provide in-state tuition rates for all aliens who maintain Virginia residency, regardless of whether those aliens are lawfully present in the United States. Additionally, the complaint seeks to enjoin Virginia from enforcing state laws which afford financial assistance to illegal aliens.

This lawsuit follows two executive orders signed by President Trump that seek to ensure illegal aliens are not obtaining taxpayer benefits or preferential treatment: “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders” and “Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens.” This lawsuit also follows similar tuition lawsuits in Texas, Kentucky, Illinois, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and California.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Jackson, TN – A former correctional officer for the Dyer County Sheriff’s Department was sentenced on December 29, 2025. United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced the sentence today.According to the information presented in court, Tyrell Wallace, a guard at the Dyer County Jail, reported to work on October 24, 2024. Investigators stopped Wallace and announced an administrative search. Inside Wallace’s waistband, investigators recovered 53 grams of actual methamphetamine with a purity level of 100%, 165 grams of marijuana, 26 grams of fentanyl, 3 grams of crack cocaine, 8 Suboxone strips, and a Motorola cellular telephone.Investigators then searched Wallace’s vehicle… 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Yesterday a federal district court in the Southern District of Florida accepted the guilty pleas of two men to conspiring to obstruct, delay or affect commerce through extortion in connection with ransomware attacks occurring in 2023.

“These defendants used their sophisticated cybersecurity training and experience to commit ransomware attacks — the very type of crime that they should have been working to stop,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Extortion via the internet victimizes innocent citizens every bit as much as taking money directly out of their pockets. The Department of Justice is committed to using all tools available to identify and arrest perpetrators of ransomware attacks wherever we have jurisdiction.”

“Ransomware is not just a foreign threat — it can come from inside our own borders,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Goldberg and Martin used trusted access and technical skill to extort American victims and profit from digital coercion. Their guilty pleas make clear that cybercriminals operating from within the United States will be found, prosecuted, and held to account.”

“Malware like ALPHV (BlackCat) ransomware is used by bad actors to steal, extort, and launder proceeds from victim businesses and organizations,” said Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office. “The FBI remains committed to working alongside its law enforcement partners to disrupt and dismantle criminal enterprises involved in ransomware attacks and to hold accountable not only the perpetrators but also anyone who knowingly enables or profits from them. We will continue to leverage our intelligence, law enforcement tools, global presence, and partnerships to counter cybercriminals who seek to harm the American public through these insidious attacks. We strongly encourage businesses to exercise due diligence when engaging third parties for ransomware incident response, report suspicious or unethical behavior, and to expeditiously report any ransomware attack to the FBI and our law enforcement partners to safeguard their security and privacy.”

According to court documents, Ryan Goldberg, 40, of Georgia, Kevin Martin, 36, of Texas, and another co-conspirator successfully deployed the ransomware known as ALPHV BlackCat between April 2023 and December 2023 against multiple victims located throughout the United States. The three men agreed to pay the ALPHV BlackCat administrators a 20% share of any ransoms received in exchange for access to the ransomware and ALPHV BlackCat’s extortion platform. All three men worked in the cybersecurity industry — meaning that they had special skills and experience in securing computer systems against harm, including the type of harm they themselves were committing against the victims in this case. After successfully extorting one victim for approximately $1.2 million in Bitcoin, the men split their 80% share of this ransom three ways and laundered the funds through various means.

According to court documents, ALPHV BlackCat targeted the computer networks of more than 1,000 victims around the world. The group used a ransomware-as-a-service model in which developers were responsible for creating and updating ransomware and for maintaining the illicit internet infrastructure. Affiliates were responsible for identifying and attacking high-value victim institutions with the ransomware. After a victim paid, developers and affiliates shared the ransom.

Today’s announcement follows the Justice Department’s prior actions in December 2023 to disrupt ALPHV BlackCat ransomware, in which the FBI developed a decryption tool that allowed FBI field offices across the country and law enforcement partners around the world to offer hundreds of victims the capability of restoring their systems, saving victims approximately $99 million in ransom payments. At that time, the FBI also seized several websites operated by ALPHV BlackCat.

Goldberg and Martin each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to obstruct, delay or affect commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in commerce by extortion in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1951(a). The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on March 12, 2026, and face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

The FBI Miami Field Office is leading the investigation, with assistance provided by the U.S. Secret Service.

Trial Attorneys Christen Gallagher and Jorge Gonzalez of the Justice Department’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Haggerty and Quinshawna Landon for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Hyman for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture.

CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cybercriminals and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds. 

Significant assistance in this investigation was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul B. Morris for the Eastern District of Texas and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel W.A. Peach for the Middle District of Georgia. Additional assistance was provided by the Policía de Investigación of the Aeropuerto Internacional de la Ciudad de México.

Private sector organizations can report any suspicious activities and threats to the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324), visiting www.tips.fbi.gov or contacting their local FBI field office.

If you are a victim of ransomware, contact your local FBI field office or file a report at ic3.gov.

If you have information about ALPHV BlackCat, their affiliates or activities, you may be eligible for a reward through the Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program. Information can be submitted through the following Tor-based tip line (Tor browser required):

he5dybnt7sr6cm32xt77pazmtm65flqy6irivtflruqfc5ep7eiodiad.onion. 

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle took the oath of office today at the United States District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana before family, former colleagues, members of the judiciary and a host of well-wishers.  Chief United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter Judge presided over the Oath of Office ceremony.  On June 30, 2025, Mr. Courcelle was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and confirmed by the United States Senate on December 18, 2025.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

PHOENIX, Ariz. – During the weeks of enforcement operations from January 20, 2025, through December 26, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona brought immigration-related criminal charges against more than 10,140 individuals. Specifically, the United States filed 5,128 cases in which aliens illegally re-entered the United States, and the United States also charged 4,260 aliens for illegally entering the United States. In its ongoing effort to deter unlawful immigration, the United States filed 638 cases against 734 individuals responsible for smuggling illegal aliens into and within the District of Arizona. Protecting law enforcement officers is a key part of border vigilance, and federal prosecutors also charged 17 defendants for assaults on federal officers related to immigration enforcement during this period.