Category: Security

Source: US FBI

Director Christopher Wray has named Christopher J.S. Johnson as the special agent in charge of the Springfield Field Office in Illinois. Mr. Johnson most recently served as an inspector in the Inspection Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Johnson joined the FBI as a special agent in 2004 and was first assigned to the Detroit Field Office, working violent crimes and crimes against children. In 2009, Mr. Johnson was promoted to supervisory special agent and worked in the Crimes Against Children Unit in the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters.

In 2010, Mr. Johnson transferred to the St. Louis Field Office, where he continued to work violent crime and crimes against children, as well as issues related to violent gangs. The next year, Mr. Johnson joined the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team.

The CARD Team currently includes 75 agents, analysts, and other Bureau personnel from across the country, and teaches local law enforcement officers how to respond to child abductions. Local law enforcement can also contact their local FBI office and ask for assistance from the CARD team when a child disappears. Mr. Johnson eventually became a CARD Team leader for the North Central and South Central regions.

Mr. Johnson returned to the St. Louis Field Office in 2014 and supervised a squad that investigated violent gangs and transnational organized crime matters. In 2017, while still in St. Louis, Mr. Johnson supervised another squad that investigated violent crime, violent crimes against children, and transnational organized crime from a different region.

In 2020, Mr. Johnson was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Detroit Field Office’s Mission Services and Administrative Branch. In 2022, Mr. Johnson was selected to serve as an inspector in the Inspection Division at Headquarters.

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Johnson worked as a police officer in the St. Louis metropolitan area in Missouri. He earned bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and in psychology from Saint Louis University and a master’s of management degree from Webster University in Missouri.

Source: US FBI

Director Christopher Wray has named Cindy Hall as the assistant director of the Office of Internal Auditing at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Ms. Hall most recently served as the acting deputy assistant director of the Inspection Division at Headquarters.

The FBI created the Office of Internal Auditing in 2020 to enhance the compliance, oversight, and accountability of national security activities at the Bureau.

Ms. Hall joined the FBI as a clerk in 1988, supporting the newly created Office of Automation at FBI Headquarters, and became an IT specialist in the Information Technology Division in 1991. Ms. Hall deployed numerous times over the next several years on the Rapid Start Team to support major case operations. She was also responsible for providing IT support to the FBI director and his staff.

In 2006, Ms. Hall was promoted to chief of the Field IT Services Unit at Headquarters and helped develop, implement, and coordinate polices, training, and administrative action for field office IT specialists. She also created the regional program manager position for IT specialists and established the staffing baseline for IT specialists across the Bureau.

Ms. Hall transferred to the Inspection Division in 2009 to serve as chief of the Inspection Management Unit. As unit chief, Ms. Hall contributed to the comprehensive review of administrative and investigative programs and national initiatives. She also ensured compliance with instructions and recommendations issued through the inspection process.

In 2017, Ms. Hall was promoted to inspector, the first FBI professional staff employee to hold the position. She was responsible for the oversight of administrative- and support-service compliance and for related national reviews. In addition, Ms. Hall was responsible for certain inspections the assistant director of the Inspection Division deemed necessary. 

Ms. Hall transitioned in 2019 to section chief of the Inspection Strategic Analysis Section. In 2022, Ms. Hall served as the acting deputy assistant director of the Inspection Division. The division conducts internal investigations, reviews operational performance and use-of-enforcement authorities in all investigative programs, and conducts special inquiries.

Ms. Hall was named acting assistant director of the Office of Internal Auditing in 2023.

Source: US FBI

An indictment was unsealed today charging Ping Li, 59, of Wesley Chapel, Florida, with conspiring to act as an agent of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) without notification to the Attorney General and with acting as an agent of the PRC without notification to the Attorney General. If convicted, Li faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison. 

According to the court documents, the PRC’s Ministry of State Security (MSS) is in charge of civilian intelligence collection for the PRC. The MSS often uses “cooperative contacts” located in countries outside of the PRC in furtherance of their intelligence goals, which include obtaining information concerning foreign corporate or industrial matters, foreign politicians or intelligence officers and information concerning PRC political dissidents residing in those countries. These cooperative contacts assist the MSS in a variety of ways, including by conducting research on topics of interest to the PRC that can be used to further the MSS’ mission.

The indictment alleges that Li was a U.S. citizen who immigrated to the United States from the PRC. At various times, Li worked for a major U.S. telecommunications company and an international information technology company.

From as early as 2012, Li allegedly served as a cooperative contact working at the direction of officers of the MSS to obtain information of interest to the PRC government. Li obtained a wide variety information at the request of the MSS, including information concerning Chinese dissidents and pro-democracy advocates, members of the Falun Gong religious movement, and U.S.-based non-governmental organizations, and to report that information to the MSS. Li also provided the MSS with information obtained from his employer. Li used a variety of anonymous online accounts for the purpose of communicating with the MSS, and traveled to the PRC to meet with the MSS.

For example, according to the indictment, in August 2012, an MSS officer requested that Li provide information about practitioners of Falun Gong and pro-democracy advocates in the United States. Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a religious movement that originated in the PRC in the 1990s. Falun Gong is not one of the five religions formally recognized by the PRC government, and it has been banned since 1999. Its adherents both in China and abroad are of particular interest to the PRC government because of Falun Gong’s advocacy of ideas deemed subversive to the PRC government. Less than a week after receiving this request, Li sent the name and biographical information of an individual affiliated with Falun Gong residing in St. Petersburg, Florida.       

In March 2015, an MSS officer requested information from Li about branch offices that Li’s employer, a major U.S. telecommunications company, had opened in the PRC. Li responded with the requested information three weeks later.          

In March 2017, an MSS officer requested a training instruction plan from Li. In April 2017, Li responded indicating that he had uploaded materials to an online account that he shared with the MSS officer and asked the MSS officer to delete the materials after reading them.         

In May 2021, an MSS officer requested information from Li concerning hacking events targeting U.S. companies, including a widely publicized hacking of a major U.S. company by the Chinese government. Within four days, Li responded with the requested information.      

In March 2022, an MSS officer requested from Li information concerning Li’s new employer, an international information technology company, as well as materials relating to cybersecurity training. That same day, Li sent the requested information about his employer as well as materials relating to cybersecurity training.          

In June 2022, an MSS officer requested from Li information concerning an individual who, according to the officer, had resided in the PRC but fled to the United States, and the name and suspected residential address in the United States of that individual. That same day, Li responded with information about the owners of that residential address.

Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the National Security Division, Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch and U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida made the announcement.

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel J. Marcet and Karyna Valdes for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Scott Claffee of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: US FBI

Note: View the indictment here. 

Hadi Matar, 26, of Fairview, New Jersey, was arraigned today in federal court in connection with attempting to provide material support to Hizballah, a designated foreign terrorist organization; engaging in an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries; and providing material support to terrorists. 

“We allege that in attempting to murder Salman Rushdie in New York in 2022, Hadi Matar committed an act of terrorism in the name of Hizballah, a designated terrorist organization aligned with the Iranian regime,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “The Justice Department will prosecute those who perpetrate violence in the name of terrorist groups and undermine the basic freedoms enshrined in our Constitution.”

“The defendant attempted to carry out a fatwa endorsed by Hizballah that called for the death of Salman Rushdie — a fatwa issued in 1989 by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “Violence directed at Americans for exercising their First Amendment rights will never be tolerated. The FBI will work with our partners to pursue and hold accountable those who resort to violence.”

“This defendant put time and effort into traveling to the Western District of New York with the intent of taking the life of another,” said U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross for the Western District of New York. “Only because of the brave efforts of those who were present that day, the defendant was prevented from completing his murderous intention. This indictment is a result of the collaborative efforts of our investigative partners in law enforcement, which is one step towards ensuring that the defendant be held accountable for his actions.”

According to the court documents and statements made by the government in court, between September 2020 and August 2022, Matar attempted to provide material support and resources to Hizballah. Matar did this by attempting to carry out a fatwa calling for the execution of Salman Rushdie, which Matar understood was endorsed by Hizballah.

The indictment further alleges that Matar attempted to kill and did in fact assault Rushdie. Matar was motivated, in part, by a 2006 speech given by Hizballah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, in which Nasrallah endorsed the fatwa calling for Rushdie’s death, which was originally issued in 1989.

If convicted, Matar faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. 

The FBI is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy C. Lynch and Charles M. Kruly for the Western District of New York and Trial Attorney Frank Russo of the Justice Department’s National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section are prosecuting the case, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Source: US FBI

Director Christopher Wray has named Michael D. Nordwall as the executive assistant director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. Mr. Nordwall will oversee all criminal and cyber investigations worldwide, as well as international operations, critical incident responses, and assistance to victims.

Mr. Nordwall most recently served as the assistant director of the Criminal Investigative Division at Headquarters and brings more than 20 years of experience in the Bureau to this position.

Mr. Nordwall began his career with the FBI as a special agent in 2002 in the Phoenix Field Office, working counterterrorism, violent crime, crimes in Indian Country, and organized crime matters. In 2009, he was promoted to supervisory special agent in the Operations Unit of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate at Headquarters. In 2011, he transferred to the Tampa Field Office in Florida to oversee an organized crime drug enforcement strike force.

In 2014, Mr. Nordwall was selected as an associate director in the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces Executive Office. He served as the primary representative for federal law enforcement and oversaw an attorney general program to disrupt and dismantle the most significant criminal organizations.

Mr. Nordwall returned to the Tampa Field Office in 2016 to lead the Joint Terrorism Task Force. In 2018, he reported to the Denver Field Office as the assistant special agent in charge of the Criminal Branch and all Colorado resident agencies.

In 2019, Mr. Nordwall was promoted to chief of the Transnational Organized Crime Global Section in the Criminal Investigative Division at Headquarters, which manages investigations and intelligence collection against transnational criminal organizations. In 2021, he was promoted to special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh Field Office before returning to Headquarters in 2023 to serve as the assistant director of CID.

Mr. Nordwall earned a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Auburn University in Alabama. Prior to joining the FBI, he worked in the petrochemical industry.

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Central Oregon drug trafficker who conspired with others to traffic fentanyl and methamphetamine to Madras and Redmond, Oregon, and surrounding areas, was sentenced to federal prison today.

Israel Sarabia, 30, of Culver, Oregon, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

According to court documents, as part of a joint drug trafficking investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team (CODE), investigators learned that a Central Oregon drug trafficking organization was using a courier to transport bulk quantities of drugs from either Southern California or Mexico into Oregon. On December 10, 2022, investigators located and stopped the courier in Klamath Falls, Oregon. While searching the courier’s vehicle, investigators located three packages containing approximately 30,000 counterfeit Oxycodone pills that later tested positive for fentanyl.

Further investigation revealed that the courier was traveling to Sarabia’s residence and that he had been tasked by Sarabia with bringing him fentanyl from Southern California or Mexico. On March 15, 2023, investigators located and arrested Sarabia near his residence in Culver. On the same day, investigators located and seized 519 grams of methamphetamine, more than 1,000 fentanyl pills, 41 grams of cocaine, and nine firearms from the residence of a co-conspirator who was working for Sarabia and storing drugs on his behalf.

On March 15, 2023, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a six-count indictment charging Sarabia and an accomplice with conspiring with one another to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl, and distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine. A third individual was also charged with conspiracy. 

On August 21, 2023, Sarabia pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by DEA and CODE. It was prosecuted by Lewis S. Burkhart, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

The CODE team is a multi-jurisdictional narcotics task force supported by the Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) program. CODE includes members of the Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras, Sunriver, and Black Butte Police Departments; the Warm Springs Tribal Police Department; the Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson County Sheriff and District Attorney’s Offices; the Oregon State Police; the Oregon National Guard; DEA; and the FBI.

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.—A Nevada man with a lengthy criminal history was sentenced to federal prison today for stealing more than $163,000 in Covid relief program funds while on supervised release for two separate state criminal convictions.

Justin David Goulet, 36, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison and three years’ supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $163,100 in restitution to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

According to court documents, in late December 2020, Goulet was released from Oregon state prison after completing concurrent sentences for felony forgery and theft. Less than four months after his release from prison, in April 2021, Goulet devised a scheme to defraud SBA of funds appropriated by Congress to help businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic. Specifically, Goulet applied for two Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) and successfully obtained one for $163,100.

To support his fraudulent applications, Goulet registered a straw company called Statement Venture Group, LLC, and falsely claimed to be doing business as an independent contractor while imprisoned in 2019. He further submitted bogus tax filings, including one purportedly created by a New York accounting firm, to the SBA to substantiate robust (and fictional) revenues and payrolls. Goulet used most of the $163,000 he obtained on travel, living expenses, cars, and illegal drugs.

On February 8, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Goulet with wire fraud and, on August 30, 2022, he pleaded guilty.

This case was investigated by the SBA Office of Inspector General and the FBI. It was prosecuted by Ryan W. Bounds, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Since January 2021, more than 50 people have been charged in the District of Oregon for their roles in fraud schemes targeting federal Covid relief programs. Together, these defendants attempted to steal more than $778 million in federal funds. 23 individuals have been convicted for their crimes and sentenced to a combined total of 477 months in federal prison and 894 months of probation and/or supervised release. 

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

Source: US FBI

PORTLAND, Ore.—The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced today that it has forfeited on behalf of the United States 14 real properties located in Oregon—together worth more than $5.7 million—that were used by an interstate drug trafficking organization to illegally grow marijuana for redistribution and sale in other states. The owner of a 15th property agreed to pay the government $400,000 in lieu of having their property forfeited.

Beginning at an unknown time, and continuing until September 2021, the properties, located in Clatsop, Columbia, Linn, Marion, Polk, and Yamhill counties, were used as illegal marijuana grow houses by an interstate drug trafficking organization led by Fayao “Paul” Rong, 53, of Houston, Texas. On July 19, 2023, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to manufacture marijuana, Rong was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison and five years’ supervised release.

“This prosecution and yearslong effort to forfeit properties used by the Rong organization to grow and process thousands of pounds of marijuana demonstrate the long reach of our commitment to holding drug traffickers accountable and mitigating the damage these criminal organizations inflict on neighborhoods and communities,” said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

“The goal of drug traffickers is to generate profits through their crimes,” said David F. Reames, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Seattle Field Division. “The DEA and our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon and the Oregon State Police worked hard in this case to investigate and forfeit the ill-gotten gains of this organization, benefiting our entire community.”

“The Oregon State Police is committed to disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking organizations operating within our state. Our priorities include safeguarding Oregon’s natural resources and mitigating the impact illicit marijuana has on them,” said Tyler Bechtel, Oregon State Police (OSP) Lieutenant. “This case is a great example of the results that can be achieved when all levels of law enforcement work together toward our common goals.”

According to court documents, Rong purchased numerous residential houses in Oregon using several different identities and, with others in his organization, used them to grow and process marijuana and prepare it for transport to states where its use remains illegal. In a 12-month period beginning August 2020, Rong’s organization trafficked more than $13.2 million dollars in black market marijuana.

In early September 2021, a coordinated law enforcement operation led by DEA and OSP targeted Rong’s organization. Federal, state, and local law enforcement partners executed search warrants on 25 Oregon residences and Rong’s home in Houston. During the precipitating investigation and ensuing search warrants, investigators seized nearly 33,000 marijuana plants, 1,800 pounds of packaged marijuana, 23 firearms, nine vehicles, $20,000 in money orders, and more than $591,000 in cash.

The Rong organization takedown followed a 14-month investigation initiated by OSP after the agency learned of excessive electricity use at the various properties, which, in several instances, resulted in transformer explosions. Multiple citizen complaints corroborated law enforcement’s belief that Rong was leading a large black market marijuana operation. With the assistance of the Columbia and Polk County Sheriff’s Offices, OSP found associated marijuana grows in Clatsop, Columbia, Linn, Marion, Multnomah, and Polk Counties. On February 18, 2022, Rong was arrested by DEA agents in Houston.

This case was investigated by DEA, OSP, and the U.S. Marshals Service with assistance from the FBI; Homeland Security Investigations; Oregon Department of Justice; Portland Police Bureau; the Yamhill, Clatsop, Marion, Multnomah, Columbia, and Polk County Sheriff’s Offices; Central Oregon Drug Enforcement Team; and Linn Interagency Narcotics Enforcement Team. It was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon. Forfeiture proceedings were handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Asset Recovery and Money Laundering Division.

The proceeds of forfeited assets are deposited in the Justice Department’s Assets Forfeiture Fund (AFF) and used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of other law enforcement purposes. To learn more about the AFF, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/afp/assets-forfeiture-fund-aff.

This prosecution is the result of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the U.S. by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Source: US FBI

OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, AKIN ZHON WOFFORD, 29, of Oklahoma City, was sentenced to serve 135 months in federal prison for armed bank robbery and possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On February 7, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a two-count Indictment against Wofford, charging him with armed bank robbery and possessing and brandishing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. On August 21, 2024, a federal jury convicted Wofford on both counts.

According to evidence presented at trial, on November 7, 2022, Wofford entered a branch of City National Bank and Trust in Oklahoma City. After he waited several minutes in the lobby, Wofford pulled out a firearm, jumped over the teller counter, pointed it at a bank employee, and demanded money. Wofford then opened the teller drawer and grabbed handfuls of cash before he exited the bank. An investigation into the vehicle used during the bank robbery ultimately led authorities to Wofford. He was arrested on November 18, 2022.

At the sentencing hearing on January 9, 2025, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced Wofford to serve 135 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted the circumstances of the offense, including the risk of danger caused by the robbery, and Wofford’s history of violence.

This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office and the Oklahoma City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daniel Gridley and Stanley J. West prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.

Source: US FBI

OKLAHOMA CITY – JEFF WENG, 47, of China and Brooklyn, New York, has been sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison for his role in a drug trafficking conspiracy, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On June 6, 2023, a federal grand jury charged Weng and co-defendant Tong Lin, 29, with conspiracy to possess marijuana plants with intent to distribute.  On January 18, 2024, after a two-day trial, a federal jury deliberated about an hour before it found Weng and Lin guilty of drug conspiracy.

Between December 2022 and May 2023, evidence at trial indicated that Weng managed a marijuana grow in Wetumka, Oklahoma, and licensed by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority. Evidence showed that Lin managed matters when Weng was not present. One witness testified that, as part of their participation in the drug conspiracy, they drove delivery vans disguised as commercial vehicles, including one disguised as an “Amazon” delivery van, to the Wetumka Grow 10 to 15 times between December 2022 and March 31, 2023.  The witness further testified that they picked up between 150 and 200 pounds of marijuana each time from the Wetumka Grow, and that Lin helped load the fake “Amazon” delivery van with marijuana. The witness testified they transported the marijuana to a stash house in Oklahoma City. Every Friday, the witness transported the marijuana from the stash house to a warehouse in Oklahoma City. There, they loaded more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana at a time into a semi-truck trailer, which transported the marijuana from Oklahoma to the East Coast. Over approximately seven months, the witness shipped upwards of 56,000 pounds of marijuana out of Oklahoma via semi-truck. Evidence also showed that law enforcement searched the Wetumka Grow in May 2023 and located 19,661 marijuana plants in various stages of growth, more than $100,000 of vacuum-sealed cash hidden in Weng’s closet attic space, and a firearm.

At the sentencing hearing on December 19, 2024, U.S. District Judge Scott L. Palk sentenced Weng to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. In announcing his sentence, Judge Palk noted the role Weng played in a “significant” illegal marijuana operation, and the need for deterrence. On June 17, 2024, Lin was sentenced to serve 120 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

This case is the result of an investigation by the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office, along with assistance from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics. It is also a part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation.  OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wilson D. McGarry and David Nichols, Jr. prosecuted the case.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.