Category: Security

Source: US FBI

Defendant Repeatedly Harassed U.S. Resident and His Family to Coerce Repatriation to the PRC

Source: US FBI

The Justice Department today announced the leadership team and membership of Joint Task Force October 7 (JTF 10-7), an initiative that will seek justice for the victims of the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack in Israel and address the ongoing threat posed by Hamas and its affiliates.

“The barbaric Hamas terrorists will not win—and there will be consequences,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “As Attorney General, I have had the solemn honor of meeting with several families of U.S. citizens whose loved ones were kidnapped by Hamas on that dark day. This task force will strengthen the Department’s resolve to achieve justice for these families and their loved ones as we continue to fight antisemitism in all its forms.”

The Attorney General established JTF 10-7 on her first day in office, demonstrating the high priority the Justice Department is placing on honoring the memories of the approximately 1,200 people murdered by Hamas in the attack, including 47 U.S. citizens, and supporting the approximately 250 additional people that Hamas abducted, including 8 U.S. citizens.

JTF 10-7 will focus on targeting, charging, and securing for prosecution in the United States the direct perpetrators of the October 7 attack — the terrorists on the ground that day who murdered and kidnapped innocent civilians. JTF 10-7 will also assume responsibility for the pending charges against Hamas leadership relating to the October 7 attack and other acts of terrorism, and to bring those criminals to the United States to face justice for their reprehensible role in these atrocities. Finally, JTF 10-7 will investigate acts of terrorism and civil rights violations by individuals and entities providing support and financing to Hamas, related Iran proxies, and their affiliates, as well as acts of antisemitism by these groups.

“The victims of Hamas’s decades-long violent campaign of terrorism against Israel will always have the support of the U.S. government, and the Department will no longer permit illegal support of Hamas on our campuses and elsewhere in the homeland,” said Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Antisemitic acts of terrorism – whether here or abroad – will never go unpunished. This task force represents our unyielding commitment to those who have suffered at the hands of these brutal terrorists.”

“The FBI is committed to establishing the Joint Task Force October 7 to continue the FBI’s investigative and victim assistance efforts related to the horrific acts of terror committed by Hamas,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Working with our federal and international partners, this task force is a collaborative initiative between agencies, and together we will work to accomplish our vital counterterrorism mission.”

JTF 10-7 will be led by a senior counterterrorism prosecutor from the Justice Department’s National Security Division (NSD), a senior FBI Special Agent as the Task Force Commander, and an FBI Intelligence Analyst as Deputy Task Force Commander, all under the supervision of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. JTF 10-7 will also include trial attorneys from NSD, the Civil Rights Division, the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, and other detailees, with additional dedicated support from the Department’s Office of International Affairs.

JTF 10-7 will be supported by dedicated FBI agents, analysts, forensic accountants, data scientists, and linguists who are mostly co-located in Virginia. These professionals will contribute to JTF 10‑7’s expertise in investigating and prosecuting domestic and extraterritorial terrorism cases, including terrorism-financing matters, and serve as points of contact with the FBI’s Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell and Victim Services Division.

The FBI will coordinate with other law enforcement and intelligence agencies on JTF 10-7 activities, as well as foreign counterparts through the FBI’s Legal Attaché office in Israel. FBI agents will be embedded with Israel’s National Bureau of Counter Terror Finance, which has already been a tremendous partner in the ongoing investigations.

These efforts will build on the Justice Department’s ongoing investigations into the perpetrators of these heinous acts and demonstrate the Department’s commitment to degrading and dismantling Hamas, holding Hamas supporters accountable, achieving justice for victims, and fighting terrorist-led antisemitism.

Source: US FBI

Jack Rocker, 19, of Tampa, was sentenced to serve 84 months in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) followed by a lifetime of supervised release. The court also ordered Rocker to forfeit an iPhone 12, thumb drive, and Acer Laptop, all of which possessed CSAM. Rocker will also have to register as a sex offender and pay restitution to the victims.

Rocker pleaded guilty on Dec. 16, 2024. According to court filings, Rocker was a member of “764” a network of violent online extremists who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad, in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability. These extremists work individually or as part of a network with these goals of destroying civilized society through the corruption and exploitation of vulnerable populations, which often include minors. 764 uses known online social media communications platforms, as mediums to support the possession, production, and sharing of extreme gore media and CSAM.

On Jan. 19, 2024, the FBI conducted a search of Rocker’s residence located in the Middle District of Florida. The FBI seized Rocker’s iPhone, thumb drive, and Acer laptop. At this time, the FBI has determined that Rocker’s devices contain over 8,300 images and videos of CSAM, including images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers, masochistic sexual behavior, and bestiality.

This case was investigated by the FBI. It is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the Counterterrorism Section of the Justice Department’s National Security Division.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Source: US FBI

Director Kash Patel has named Marshall Yates as the assistant director of the Office of Congressional Affairs. Mr. Yates most recently served as counsel for Congressman Thomas Massie (KY-04).

Prior to his appointment with the FBI, Mr. Yates worked in various roles as a lawyer on Capitol Hill. Mr. Yates moved to Washington, D.C., in 2015 to serve as legislative counsel to Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05). In 2020, he was promoted to chief of staff for Congressman Brooks.

In 2023, Mr. Yates was hired by Congressman Thomas Massie to serve as his associate counsel on the House Rules Committee and as a counsel to him as the Chair of the House Judiciary’s Subcommittee on Antitrust, Regulatory Reform, and the Administrative State. 

Mr. Yates graduated from Auburn University in 2011 and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law in 2015. Mr. Yates was a member of Hillsdale College’s James Madison Fellowship Class of 2022-2023.

Source: US FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has named Shohini Sinha as the assistant director of the Victim Services Division. Ms. Sinha most recently served as the special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City Field Office.

Ms. Sinha joined the FBI as a special agent in 2001. She was first assigned to the Milwaukee Field Office, where she worked in counterterrorism investigations. She also served temporary assignments at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, the FBI Legal Attaché Office in London, and the Baghdad Operations Center.

Ms. Sinha was promoted in 2009 to supervisory special agent and transferred to the Counterterrorism Division in Washington, D.C. She served as program manager of Canada-based extraterritorial investigations and facilitated liaison efforts with Washington-based Canadian liaison officers.

In 2012, Ms. Sinha was promoted to assistant legal attaché in Ottawa, Canada, working counterterrorism matters in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. In 2015, she was promoted to field supervisor in the Detroit Field Office, where she led squads responsible for investigating international terrorism matters.

In early 2020, Ms. Sinha transferred to the Cyber Intrusion squad, which worked both national security and criminal cyber intrusion matters. Later in 2020, she was promoted to assistant special agent in charge for national security matters, and later criminal matters, in the Portland Field Office.

Ms. Sinha was selected to serve as the executive special assistant to the director in 2021. She has been serving as the special agent in charge of the Salt Lake City Field Office since July of 2023.

Prior to her employment with the FBI, Ms. Sinha worked as a therapist and later as an administrator for a private, not-for-profit clinic. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in mental health counseling from Purdue University in Indiana.

Source: US FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has named Rachel A. Byrd as the special agent in charge of the Mobile Field Office. Ms. Byrd most recently served as the section chief of Investigation and Operations in the Weapons of Mass Destruction Directorate (WMDD).

Ms. Byrd entered on duty as a special agent with the FBI in 2004. Her first assignment was to the Honolulu Field Office, working criminal matters related to violent crimes, drugs and gangs. In 2010, Ms. Byrd was promoted to supervisory special agent in the Laboratory Division, Evidence Response Team. While in the Laboratory Division, Ms. Byrd served as the program manager of the training program in support of over 1200 field ERT personnel. In addition, Ms. Byrd provided support for policy development and multiple field operational matters.

In 2014, Ms. Byrd became the supervisory senior resident agent in the Jackson Field Office in Mississippi. She oversaw various resident agencies and criminal matters including gangs, drugs, violent crime, and health care fraud.

In 2017, Ms. Byrd was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Criminal Branch in the Mobile Field Office and later covered the National Security Branch as well. Ms. Byrd was promoted to section chief of Investigation and Operations for the WMDD in 2019.

Prior to the FBI, Ms. Byrd was a special agent with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation and a Medicolegal Death Investigator/Autopsy Supervisor with the North Carolina Medical Examiner’s Office in Greenville, NC. Ms. Byrd earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from Fayetteville State University and a master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida.

Source: US FBI

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Robert M. Harvey, 48, a registered sex offender, pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on June 29, 2022, Harvey was at Dismas Charities Inc., a Bureau of Prisons residential reentry facility in St. Albans, when facility staff found Harvey in possession of a cell phone. Harvey was not allowed to possess a cell phone without the approval of his probation officer, and any cell phone he possessed was subject to search and seizure.

Law enforcement analyzed Harvey’s cell phone and found it contained images and videos of child pornography. As part of his guilty plea, Harvey admitted that these images and videos include depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Harvey is scheduled to be sentenced on August 25, 2025, and faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to 20 in prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

At the time of this offense, Harvey was on supervised release as a result of his conviction for receipt of child pornography in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on March 12, 2007. Harvey was sentenced to 17 years and six months in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for that offense. On August 17, 2022, Harvey was sentenced to three years in prison for committing a crime while on supervised release.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is prosecuting the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:25-cr-69.

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Source: US FBI

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Zyair Dangerfield-Hill, 23, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was convicted Thursday at trial of participating in the gunpoint carjacking of a 73-year-old man in April 2021.

The defendant was charged by indictment in July of that year with one count of carjacking and aiding and abetting, and one count of carrying and using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and aiding and abetting, and was found guilty of both.

As proven at trial, just after 3 p.m. on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, the victim was walking his dog on Pine Street, in the Spruce Hill neighborhood of West Philadelphia, and had stopped to put something in his parked vehicle, when the defendant and his associate walked up and pointed loaded handguns at the victim. They demanded the victim’s car keys, cell phone, and wallet, and threatened to shoot him if he didn’t comply.

The victim told them that he didn’t have his wallet or phone on him, and handed over a $20 bill and his car keys. At that time, two other males approached, also pointing their guns at the victim. All four of the carjackers then jumped into the victim’s vehicle, with the defendant in the front passenger seat, and drove away.

The Philadelphia Police Department was alerted about the carjacking, with officers arriving on scene a few minutes later. They broadcast over police radio a description of the victim’s vehicle, the four carjackers, and their direction of travel, and two officers on patrol spotted a car matching that description about a mile from the carjacking scene.

The officers turned on their lights and sirens and pursued the stolen car, which was driving erratically and at a high rate of speed, soon crashing into yellow metal pillars at 52nd Street and Paschall Avenue. Four males jumped out of the car and took off running, with the officers giving chase on foot. A short time later, the defendant was found hiding behind a motorcycle about three and a half blocks from the crash scene. DNA, latent prints, location data, and other evidence subsequently linked the defendant to the crime.

Dangerfield-Hill is scheduled to be sentenced on August 14 and faces a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison and a maximum possible term of life imprisonment.

“It is tough to imagine yourself surrounded by armed strangers pointing their guns right at you,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Zyair Dangerfield-Hill used a firearm to terrorize an innocent 73-year-old man, in the middle of the afternoon on a residential block. We are committed to stopping such senseless acts of violence, which undermine Philadelphians’ public safety and quality of life. The jury’s verdict holds the defendant accountable and keeps him safely behind bars.”

“Carjackings are not just property crimes — they are dangerous acts that put innocent lives at risk,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “Together with our law enforcement partners, we will continue to pursue those who endanger public safety with relentless determination.”

The case was investigated by the Philadelphia Police Department and the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Jeanette Kang and Special Assistant United States Attorney David Weisberg.

Source: US FBI

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Rodney Ermel, 71, of Colorado entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Court Judge Mark Kearney on charges of tax evasion and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Ermel owned and managed a Colorado-based accounting firm. Along with co-defendant Kenneth Bacon, Ermel provided accounting and tax preparation services for co-defendant Joseph LaForte, LaForte’s wife and co-defendant Lisa McElhone, and their business entities. Ermel conspired with LaForte, Bacon, and others to hide approximately $20 million in income.

He did this through various fraudulent accounting practices, such as fabricating shareholder loans and “bad debt” deductions. Ermel also filed tax returns which he knew underreported taxable income by over $20 million between 2016 and 2018. Ermel’s fraud caused a loss to the United States of over $8 million.

Ermel is the fourth defendant to plead guilty to criminal conduct related to this tax scheme. Sentencing is scheduled for September 3.

The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Newcomer and John J. Boscia for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Trial Attorney Ezra Spiro of the Justice Department’s Tax Division are prosecuting the case.

Source: US FBI

PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Alan Kane, 60, of Jamison, Pennsylvania, was sentenced today by United States District Court Judge Michael M. Baylson to 12 months and a day in prison and three years of supervised release for his actions linked to multiple fraud schemes. The defendant was also ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $160,072 and a $1,000 fine.

In September, a federal jury convicted Kane, an attorney, on two counts of bankruptcy fraud, one count of filing a false claim in a bankruptcy proceeding, and one count of making a false statement to the FBI.

Kane and two co-defendants were charged in a 12-count indictment in January 2024 that laid out three different fraud schemes: (1) a scheme to steal a house from a dead man’s family; (2) a scheme to defraud the City of Philadelphia out of property taxes that were due on the stolen house; and (3) a scheme to defraud co-defendant Jonathan Barger’s creditors through bankruptcy.

In a suit filed by the family to get their house back, Kane represented the party who had stolen the house, Joseph Ruggiero[1], and made repeated false statements supporting Ruggiero’s claim to good title, despite knowing that the deeds transferring the property away from the family were fraudulent. Kane also filed a false counterclaim against the family, claiming Barger’s company was entitled to more than $133,000 for work purportedly done to improve the house after it had been stolen.

After claiming in the state court suit that Ruggiero had good title to the house, Kane represented Ruggiero before the Social Security Administration and represented that Ruggiero did not own the house because the deeds were fraudulent. This was done to ensure Ruggiero would still receive SSI benefits.

Kane next filed a bankruptcy for Ruggiero, in which they claimed that Ruggiero had valid title to the house. The bankruptcy served to stay the family’s state court suit and prevent them from winning back the house. Kane then filed a false claim against Ruggiero in the bankruptcy, on behalf of Barger’s company, in an effort to steal some of the equity in the house for Barger in the event that Ruggiero lost the house to the family.

Barger was implicated in all three schemes and pleaded guilty in June of last year to all counts with which he was charged. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 12.

“As officers of the court, attorneys have an ethical and professional obligation to uphold the law,” said U.S. Attorney Metcalf. “Instead, Alan Kane used his law license to help three clients commit federal crimes. Today’s sentence holds Kane responsible for his outrageous conduct and underscores the importance of respect for the rule of law.”

“White-collar crimes may not involve physical violence, but they are far from victimless,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “Crimes like bankruptcy fraud undermine trust in our financial systems and harm individuals, businesses, and communities alike. The FBI, working alongside our partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, is firmly committed to protecting the integrity of our financial institutions and holding accountable those who manipulate, deceive, and defraud the public through complex and deceptive schemes.”

The case was investigated by the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mark Dubnoff and Special Assistant United States Attorney Hannah McCollum.

[1] Mr. Ruggiero died in June 2020.