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Defense News: Falling for safety: A story of partnership, protection, people

Source: United States Army

FORT HOOD, Texas — Valentine’s Day is about caring for the people who matter most. At Fort Hood, that care is demonstrated every day in a far more practical way by protecting workers from fall hazards before an incident ever happens.

While “falling” may sound romantic in February, on the job it is one of the most serious risks faced by maintenance, construction and engineering professionals. Preventing falls is not about slogans or seasonal awareness; it is about deliberate planning, execution and a shared commitment to ensuring everyone goes home safely at the end of the day.

Thanks to a long-standing partnership between the Fort Hood Directorate of Public Works Safety Office and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Fort Worth District, Fort Hood has turned that risk into a model of collaboration, prevention and trust.

The DPW and USACE partnership did not happen overnight. Its roots go back more than 15 years, gaining momentum during the construction of the new Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center.

“That period was really when fall protection came to the forefront on Fort Hood,” said Daniel Juracek, safety occupational health specialist, USACE Fort Worth District. “As safety professionals, we found ourselves attending the same Career Program-12 safety certification courses, and started asking each other important questions, ‘What are you doing? Who are you training? Who is actually exposed to fall hazards?’”

Those early conversations revealed a significant opportunity to improve the safety of DPW personnel.

“We had maintenance personnel accessing rooftops and elevated areas with limited training and lacking a process to validate the required equipment was present,” Juracek said. “Once training improved, personnel started asking, ‘We’re supposed to have what?’ And that’s when the collaboration began, ‘Can you come look at this building and assist with developing a solution to this fall protection challenge?’”

From gaps to programs

This collaboration brought the expertise of DPW and USACE together to ensure DPW has a fall protection program that meets Army Regulation 385-10 and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Z359 requirements.

Juracek, a recognized subject-matter expert in fall protection, serves on the USACE High Hazard Working Group and the ANSI Z359 panel over the ANSI Z359 Standard for Fall Protection.

“Fall protection is one of our top three hazards for the DPW,” said TC Coffman, occupational safety and health program manager, DPW Safety Office. “One of my personal goals, for our directorate, was to develop, establish and begin implementation of a fall protection program, which hadn’t previously existed in DPW. Having a peer, colleague and friend with Dan’s competency was critical to the success and improvement of a fall protection program that was done right.”

That partnership soon extended beyond fall protection. DPW and USACE collaborated on confined space entry programs, installation-wide roundtable discussions and training for DPW personnel. Over time, hundreds of DPW employees, including maintenance staff, supervisors and engineers — received training.

“One of the strongest aspects of a good safety program and safety culture is buy-in,” Coffman said. “The more sets of eyes that you have focused on the health and safety of the team, the better the outcomes.”

Beyond programs and equipment, the partnership thrives on communication.

“We talk nearly every day,” Juracek said. “Any accident more serious than a smashed finger, we’re calling each other. ‘Hey, this failed. Are you doing the same thing?’”

Lessons learned, safety bulletins and hazard analyses are routinely shared between organizations. The collaboration also allows for resource sharing during complex operations. In one case, DPW equipment supported a USACE confined space entry operation involving a 20-foot manhole and underground drainage inspection.

“I didn’t have forced air systems, rescue and evacuation equipment, guardrail system and gas monitors,” Juracek said. “DPW did. We borrowed their equipment, developed the plan together and were able to safely access the manhole and run a remote-control car down the drainage culvert under Gray Army Airfield.”

A model for the Army

Through Juracek and Coffman’s efforts, Fort Hood has become the pilot location for developing and implementing a quality Fall Protection Program for the Army, including assessments and policy development from the ground up.

The DPW and USACE partnership has strengthened safety culture across the installation.

“We’re aware of what each other does, recognize our different strengths and bring them together,” Coffman said. “We’ve not only significantly increased the number of eyes on the work being done on installation, but also the capability to address concerns and observations more expeditiously … to get to an efficient response and get action.”

This Valentine’s Day, the DPW and USACE partnership serves as a reminder that safety is more than compliance. It’s collaboration. It’s trust. And it’s making sure everyone goes home safe. That’s a partnership worth falling for.

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Colombian Transnational Robbery Crew Member Pleads Guilty to $5 Million Dollar Organized Jewelry Theft Ring in Miami

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

The last member of a transnational Colombian robbery crew in Miami pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a series of robberies of and thefts from jewelry couriers that targeted high-end retailers and resulted in losses exceeding $5 million dollars. Defendant Leroy Ortega, also known as “El Enano,” 43, of Miami, was the last of 11 defendants indicted as part of an operation against South American theft groups operating in the Southern District of Florida.

The 11 defendants were each convicted as part of Operation Boujee Bandits, an investigation of a Colombian South American Theft Group targeting jewelry salespersons in South Florida and elsewhere. The investigation resulted in three indictments and an information that charged robberies and money laundering activity from September 2019 to July 2021.

“This transnational theft crew came to the United States to steal from American businesses and preyed upon unsuspecting, hard-working citizens who were just trying to do their jobs as jewelry couriers,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Leroy Ortega played an integral role with other already convicted defendants to execute sophisticated, high-value robberies that caused millions of dollars in losses.  The Criminal Division will investigate and prosecute organized theft networks and hold to account those individuals who participated in them at all levels.”

“Eliminating these brazen South American Theft Groups reinforces the FBI’s mission of ensuring public safety,” said Special Agent in Charge Matthew Fodor of the FBI Atlanta Field Office. “With our hardworking special agents, analysts, and professional staff triaging leads and sharing threat intelligence with law enforcement partners around the world, we’ve been able to efficiently and effectively disrupt these criminal groups.”

According to court documents, Ortega was part of a group that forcefully took jewelry and other property from victims they believed were in the business of buying and selling jewelry throughout South Florida. To commit the robberies, defendants rented vehicles using false identification documents to follow jewelry salespersons from the International Jewelry Exchanges or the Seybold Jewelry Building. They would then rob victims of the jewelry that they were transporting, sometimes brandishing a knife-like weapon to ensure victims’ compliance.

Ortega admitted that he committed two robberies. On Oct. 16, 2019, Ortega and his co-defendants identified a person they believed was carrying a case of jewelry. In fact, the victim was not a jewelry courier but rather a professional photographer who had been photographing jewelry. Following the victim to a shopping center, co-defendant Allan Lucas, 33, of Miami, pushed the photographer and Ortega grabbed the photographer’s case, which contained photography equipment and a computer. The photographer chased Ortega and Lucas to their get-away car. When the photographer tried to open the car door to get his case back, Ortega reversed the car, causing injury as the photographer was thrown to the ground. 

Then, on Nov. 7, 2019, Ortega and his co-conspirators, including defendants Andres Barahona Poveda, 51, a national of Colombia, and Edwin Castillo, 45, of Pembroke Pines, robbed a jewelry salesman of approximately $125,000 of assorted jewelry. Ortega and his co-conspirators followed the salesman to his business in Miami Beach. As the salesman sat in the vehicle, Ortega approached and smashed the salesman’s windows while another co-conspirator took the salesman’s backpack containing the jewelry. When the salesman tried to exit the vehicle, Ortega held the salesman’s door shut trapping him inside the vehicle. To conduct the robbery, defendant Carlos Morales, 47, of Miami rented a vehicle using a fraudulent Venezuelan driver’s license.

Ortega pleaded guilty to Hobbs Act robbery conspiracy and two counts of Hobbs Act robbery. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 1 and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Defendants convicted under this Operation, in addition to Ortega, include:

Allan Lucas, who was sentenced to 168 months in prison; 

Diana Grisales Basto, 41, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 97 months in prison;

Carlos Morales, who was sentenced to 60 months in prison;

Giovanni Cardenas, also known as“El Mono,” 40, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 110 months in prison;

Andres Barahona Poveda, who was sentenced to 87 months in prison;

Edwin Castillo, who was sentenced to 108 months in prison;

Demian Gonzalez Contreras, 30, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 74 months in prison;

Victor Fabian Valenzuela, 39, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 57 months in prison;

Hernando Rodriguez Mahecha, also known as “Nando,” 42, a national of Colombia, who was sentenced to 60 months in prison; and

Mark Simon, 57, of New York, was sentenced to 57 months in prison.

The FBI Tampa Field Office is leading the investigation of the case with valuable assistance from the FBI Miami Field Office, Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, Miami-Dade Police Department, Miami Beach Police Department, Tampa Police Department, Boca Raton Police Department, Palm Beach Sherriff’s Office, Boynton Beach Police Department, Fort Pierce Police Department, and the Jewelry Security Alliance. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs and the Criminal Division’s Office of Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Colombia, provided significant assistance.

Trial Attorneys Lakeita F. Rox-Love and Christopher D. Usher II of the Justice Department’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Dobbins for the Southern District of Florida are prosecuting the case.

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GEORGIA WOMAN SENTENCED TO AN ADDITIONAL TWELVE MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON AFTER FAILING TO SURRENDER FOR SERVICE OF SENTENCE

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall announced that U.S. District Court Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced Thanh Hoa Thi Bui, also known as Xena Bui, age 43, formerly of Valdosta, Georgia, to serve an additional twelve months in federal prison following her conviction for failing to surrender for service of a previously-imposed federal sentence. 

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Final Two Gang Members Convicted by Jury in Brazen Racketeering Murder

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Following a one-week trial, a federal jury in Memphis convicted two members of the Unknown Vice Lords (UVL) – a violent Memphis street gang – yesterday for murdering by gunshot a fellow gang member who they suspected of betraying the gang.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Edward Allen, also known as E-Money, 42, and Deandre Rodgers, also known as Dre, 29, both of Memphis, were high-ranking members of a criminal enterprise that controlled territory throughout the entire city of Memphis and extended beyond to Arkansas and Mississippi. Members of UVL committed murders, robberies, assaults, human trafficking, and drug trafficking on behalf of the enterprise. When the gang’s Supreme Elite Chief, the leader for the entire state of Tennessee, was murdered, the gang sought retaliation against anyone thought to be involved.

“Members of this gang carried out a calculated and merciless killing, leaving the victim in public to send a chilling message about the consequences of disloyalty,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Their repeated acts of violence, including shootings in broad daylight and in residential neighborhoods, demonstrate a profound indifference to human life and pose a clear danger to our communities. We will continue to stand with our law enforcement partners and relentlessly pursue those who bring violence into our communities – street-level violence has no place in this country, and those who engage in it will be identified, arrested, prosecuted.”

“This successful federal prosecution has significantly disrupted the leadership of the UVL street gang here in Memphis, and E-Money, Dre, and V-Slash are no longer unknown,” said U.S. Attorney D, Michael Dunavant for the Western District of Tennessee. “If you are a member of a criminal gang committed to a lifestyle of lawlessness, no matter your role or nickname — your days are numbered — there will be a reckoning.”

“Violent street gangs such as these that show a blatant disregard for public safety must be held accountable”, said Special Agent in Charge Jamey VanVliet of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) Nashville Field Division. “Through aggressive investigation, coordinated enforcement, and sustained collaboration, we will relentlessly continue to pursue, disrupt, and dismantle these violent criminal networks. The ATF, along with our local, state, and federal partners, will not rest until the safety and security of our communities are restored.”

As shown at trial, on Jan. 10, 2019, the Supreme Elite Chief and his girlfriend were murdered in broad daylight in a residential neighborhood. The gang immediately sought retaliation that same night against a rival gang, the Traveling Vice Lords, who they initially believed may have been responsible. Multiple Unknown Vice Lord members drove to a known Traveling Vice Lord hangout and committed a drive-by shooting where at least one person was shot. During the next few days, UVL conducted its own internal investigation and came to believe that a fellow UVL member was responsible for their Chief’s murder.

Five days after the Chief was murdered, on Jan. 15, 2019, the implicated Unknown Vice Lord member, the victim for this trial, was murdered at the hands of Allen, Rodgers, and other UVL members. On Jan. 14, 2019, co-defendant Vincent Grant, also known as V-Slash, a keeper of guns for the gang, provided guns to multiple gang members for the purpose of going on a “demo” which is their term for committing violent acts. Early the next morning around 1:00 a.m., Allen, Rodgers, Grant, and another gang member drove the victim to the back of a rundown apartment complex, where Allen and Rodgers took the victim behind one of buildings and executed him with guns provided by Grant.

The jury convicted Allen and Rodgers of causing death by use of a firearm during a racketeering murder. Sentencing is scheduled to be held on May 11. Allen and Rodgers face a maximum penalty of life in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Grant was previously convicted at trial for his involvement in the murder and sentenced to more than 24 years in prison.

The ATF investigated the case, with significant assistance from The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, The FBI, Memphis Police Department, and U.S. Secret Service.

Trial Attorneys Lisa M. Thelwell and Sarah J. Rasalam of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section are prosecuting the case with substantial assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee.

This case is part of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime Initiative to prosecute violent crimes in Memphis, Tennessee. The Criminal Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee have partnered, along with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, to confront violent crimes committed by gang members and associates through the enforcement of federal laws and use of federal resources to prosecute the violent offenders and prevent further violence.

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California Man Sentenced in Connection With Drug Trafficking Crimes

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Baltimore, Maryland – U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar sentenced a California man to prison in connection with a federal investigation that led to law enforcement seizing more than 100 kilograms of cocaine. Mario Valencia-Birruetta, 35, of Corning, California, received a 121-month sentence for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Valencia-Birruetta’s sentence also covers a possession with intent to distribute cocaine charge. 

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Justice Department Sues Harvard University for Withholding Race-Related Admissions Documents

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Note: View complaint here.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division (DOJ) filed a lawsuit yesterday against Harvard University (Harvard), accusing Harvard of unlawfully withholding from the United States admissions data information necessary to determine whether Harvard is continuing to discriminate in its admissions process, even after the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice is demanding better from our nation’s educational institutions,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Harvard has failed to disclose the data we need to ensure that its admissions are free of discrimination — we will continue fighting to put merit over DEI across America.”

“The Justice Department will not allow universities to flout our nation’s federal civil rights laws by refusing to provide the information required for our review,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “Providing requested data is a basic expectation of any credible compliance process, and refusal to cooperate creates concerns about university practices. If Harvard has stopped discriminating, it should happily share the data necessary to prove it.”

The lawsuit alleges that Harvard repeatedly slow-walked the pace of production and refused to produce pertinent data and documents requested by the DOJ, including individualized applicant admissions data, admissions policies, and correspondence related to race; ethnicity; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and Students for Fair Admissions. The suit alleges that Harvard — a recipient of DOJ funding — violated Title VI by failing to comply with the DOJ’s request for sufficient document production for compliance review. The suit also notes that by failing to make timely and complete document productions or otherwise permitting the DOJ to access Harvard’s applicant-level admissions data, Harvard breached a material term of DOJ federal financial assistance. 

The lawsuit seeks only to compel Harvard to produce documents related to any consideration of race in admissions and does not accuse Harvard of racial discrimination.

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Ponce Man Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Bank Fraud

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On February 12, 2026, United States District Court Judge María Antongiorgi Jordan sentenced Melvin E. Rivera-Oliveras to 57 months in prison and five years of supervised release, and restitution for his role in a bank fraud scheme involving fraudulent point of sales (POS) transactions. Rivera-Oliveras utilized a company called Rossy Sport Bar Panorámico, LLC to further the bank fraud scheme. Rossy Sport Bar Panorámico, LLC pleaded guilty and was sentenced on January 15, 2026.  

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Sequoyah County Resident Sentenced To Thirty Years For Aggravated Sexual Abuse Of A Minor

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Justin Floyd Qualls, a/k/a Jay Qualls, age 40, of Muldrow, Oklahoma, was sentenced to 360 months in prison for one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country.On August 7, 2025, Qualls was found guilty of the charge by a federal jury at trial.At trial, the United States presented evidence that in May of 2024, Qualls knowingly engaged in a sexual act with a child who had not attained 12 years of age.