Category: MIL-OSI

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MS-13 Gang Member Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Murder on Subway Platform in Queens

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Victor Lopez, also known as “Curioso,” a member of the Indios Locos Salvatruchas clique of La Mara Salvatrucha, also known as the MS-13, was sentenced by United States District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall to 35 years in prison for his participation in the murder of Abel Mosso in 2019 on a crowded No. 7 subway train platform in Jackson Heights, Queens.  Lopez, an El Salvadoran national, pleaded guilty in February 2025 to racketeering and causing Mosso’s death through the use of a firearm and has consented to be deported upon completion of his term of imprisonment. He is the fifth defendant convicted of Mosso’s murder to be sentenced. 

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Maryland Man Sentenced for Brandishing Firearm in Pasadena Neighborhood

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Baltimore, Maryland – A federal judge sentenced a Maryland man to prison, today, stemming from an incident in which the defendant walked down a residential street pointing a firearm at individuals and houses. U.S. District Judge Adam B. Abelson sentenced Paul Bond, 36, of Pasadena, to 51 months in prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person. Bond pled guilty to the charges on February 18, 2026. 

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Newcastle, Washington man sentenced to 5 years in prison for helping overseas fraudsters smuggle their proceeds via money transfers and bitcoin

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Seattle – A 47-year-old resident of Newcastle, Washington, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to five years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering for his scheme to take in fraud proceeds and forward them to coconspirators’ bank accounts and cryptocurrency addresses, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. 

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Justice Department Investigates Alleged Race Discrimination at the City University of New York

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division announced an investigation today into possible race discrimination by the City University of New York (CUNY). The Division received reports alleging that CUNY’s Black Male Initiative (BMI) provides educational benefits to minorities, particularly black males, on the basis of race.

“Race can never play a role when deciding how to distribute educational resources or opportunities,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This Justice Department will not tolerate universities directing educational benefits to certain students over others based on their race.”

CUNY’S BMI is a system-wide program that encompasses recruitment, admissions, student aid, as well as academic support and professional development. The program, as the name suggests, appears to favor select non-white minorities — primarily black males — over applicants of other races.

The Department opened the investigation of CUNY pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits recipients of federal financial assistance from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. CUNY receives substantial federal financial assistance.

The Civil Rights Division has not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation. 

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U.S. Attorney’s Office and Homeland Security Task Force Secure Nine-Year Sentence for Man on the FBI Most Wanted List

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

“Few things are more dangerous than a homicide suspect on the FBI’s Most Wanted list getting his hands on a machinegun,” said U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft. “The Department of Justice and our Homeland Security Task Force are committed to aggressively removing these types of offenders from the streets.”

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Former Assistant Superintendent of Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office Pleads Guilty to Ordering Employees to Perform Maintenance at His Home, as Well as Witness Tampering

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

BOSTON – The former Assistant Superintendent at the Norfolk County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) pleaded guilty on June 5, 2026 in federal court in Boston to using his official position to order NCSO employees to perform maintenance at his residence. The defendant is also convicted of witness tampering.

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Maryland Man Sentenced After Pleading Guilty to Charges Connected to Crash With Law-Enforcement Cruiser

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Greenbelt, Maryland – A Maryland man is headed to prison after pleading guilty to charges stemming from a crash involving a law-enforcement officer on B-W Parkway.  Judge C. Bruce Anderson sentenced Khoran Newell, 43, of Washington, D.C., to one year in federal prison for driving under the influence and failing to yield to an emergency vehicle in connection with the crash.

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Justice Department Concludes EEOC Disparate-Impact Guidelines Violate the Constitution

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Office of Legal Counsel found guidelines pressured employers to engage in racial discrimination

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice has issued an opinion to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) that its guidelines about disparate-impact liability under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act are unconstitutional.  The Office of Legal Counsel found that EEOC’s guidelines pressured employers to engage in racial discrimination.  Under those guidelines, employers could be held liable for unequal hiring and promotion outcomes among different groups, without regard to the employer’s likely intent.

The Justice Department’s opinion for EEOC helps to implement Executive Order 14281, which rejected disparate-impact liability insofar as “it creates a near insurmountable presumption [that] unlawful discrimination exists where there are any differences in outcomes in certain circumstances among different races, sexes, or similar groups.”

“Despite trying to promote equality, EEOC’s disparate impact liability interpretation under Title VII actually fosters the very discrimination its guidelines seek to address,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “This opinion will now allow businesses to hire based on performance, restoring equal opportunities in the American workplace.” 

“The EEOC is grateful for the thoughtful and insightful analysis provided by Assistant Attorney General Gaiser and Deputy Assistant Attorney General Craddock regarding disparate impact under Title VII,” EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas said. “We believe this opinion will provide clarity regarding the Constitutional limits of disparate impact in employment discrimination matters.”

According to the opinion, businesses can use hiring practices that are generally related to job performance—such as aptitude tests, knowledge-based tests, criminal-background checks, and SAT scores—without fear of violating Title VII simply because such practices may result in different outcomes for different demographic groups.  To justify using such tools, employers only need to show that the practice is reasonable, useful, or helps serve a valid business purpose.

The opinion also states that people bringing a disparate-impact claim must meet two requirements.  They must show that the specific hiring practice directly caused the unequal outcomes they are challenging.  And they must identify another approach that would be equally effective for employers but would result in fewer unequal outcomes.  This means plaintiffs must prove that the employer’s method specifically caused the unequal outcomes—and offer a workable, fairer alternative.

Read the full opinion here.

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Justice Department Opens Investigation of Philadelphia Police Department’s Allegedly Unconstitutional Permit Revocation Practices

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Today, the Justice Department opened an investigation to determine whether Philadelphia Police use a vague “good cause” standard to cancel permits to carry legal firearms. The U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment protects the civil right keep and bear legal firearms — including the right to legally carry firearms where allowed. The investigation focuses on the Philadelphia Police’s permitting system; the investigation does not support any armed obstruction of federal or local law enforcement.

“I have directed the Civil Rights Division, through our Second Amendment Section, to defend law-abiding citizens from local authorities who infringe the right to safely carry legal firearms,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Law-abiding Americans, regardless of where they live, should not have to worry that their city will revoke their means of self-defense.” 

It is a violation of the Second Amendment for government officials to use vague, personal discretion when determining whether to issue or revoke permits to carry firearms. In 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its landmark decision District of Columbia v. Heller, held that the Second Amendment protects the right of law-abiding citizens to possess weapons that are in common use for lawful purposes. In 2022, the Supreme Court held, in another case, that permitting officials may not base licensing decisions merely on their personal discretion. Here, it is alleged that Philadelphia Police use just such a discretionary standard to improperly limit Second Amendment rights.

The Civil Rights Division’s Second Amendment Section enforces the Second Amendment. If you believe your right to keep and bear arms is being infringed, please submit a complaint through www.justice.gov/crt/second-amendment-section.