Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A dual Canadian American Citizen pleaded guilty today for his role in a human smuggling conspiracy that resulted in the deaths of a family, including two children under the age of three, in the St. Lawrence River.
According to court documents, Timothy Oakes, 35, from the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Territory in Canada, was a key facilitator in a human smuggling organization (HSO) that smuggled aliens from Canada into northern New York. Oakes, working with the HSO, routinely smuggled aliens into the United States by piloting boats across the St. Lawrence River. Additionally, Oakes used his home on Cornwall Island, Ontario as a staging area for aliens before the HSO smuggled them into the United States. Oakes earned approximately $1,000 for every alien whom he smuggled into the United States.
Beginning in and around 2023, the defendant worked with an HSO that smuggled aliens from mainland Cornwall, Ontario, Canada to Cornwall Island and through the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian reserve into the Northern District of New York. The organization routinely smuggled aliens from various countries, to include Romania and India. The organization arranged for aliens to stay in local motels in Cornwall before they were transported to the border area of the reserve. The organization would then transport aliens from mainland Cornwall to Cornwall Island and stage the aliens along the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Other members of the organization would then transport the aliens by boat over the St. Lawrence River to drivers who transported them further into the Northern District of New York. The defendant’s role in the organization was to stage aliens at his home and, at times, transport the aliens by boat across the river.
On the night of March 29, 2023, Oakes transported a family of four Romanian nationals to a public boat launch on the tip of Cornwall Island.At approximately 9:30 p.m., Oakes brought his boat to the boat launch where he left it and the Romanian family for his brother Casey Oakes to use to bring the aliens across the river into the United States. While in transit, and shortly thereafter, the boat capsized due to severe weather. As a result, the Romanian family and Casey Oakes died. The defendant proceeded with the transport despite members of the alien smuggling organization being aware of the dangerous weather conditions on the St. Lawrence River, specifically high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility.
Oakes pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling, four counts of alien smuggling for financial gain, and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 11 and faces a minimum penalty of five years and 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.
Co-conspirators Dakota Montour, 32, and Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 45, both of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian reserve, New York, and Janet Terrance, 46, of Hogansburg, New York, entered guilty pleas on Jan. 23, 2025, Oct. 8, 2024, and March 6, 2025, respectively. Co-conspirators Stephanie Square, 53, and Rahsontanohstha Delormier, also known as Storm, 31, both of the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Territory in Canada, were extradited to the United States from Canada in 2025 at the request of the U.S. government and are awaiting trial.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III for the Northern District of New York and Special Agent in Charge Erin Keegan of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo Field Office made today’s announcement.
HSI Massena engaged in an extensive years-long investigation of the case, with assistance from the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, New York State Police, Canada Border Services Agency, Akwesasne Mohawk Police Service, St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police Department, Ontario Provincial Police, Sûreté du Québec, St. Lawrence County Sheriff’s Department, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Cornwall Police Service. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Square and Delormier.
The investigation and indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 455 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 400 U.S. convictions; and more than 350 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
Trial Attorney Lyndsey Roberson of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt for the Northern District of New York are prosecuting the case.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
JAMES PAGLIARO, 27, of Middletown, New York, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Kari A. Dooley in Bridgeport to 600 months of imprisonment and a lifetime of supervised release for sexually exploiting minor girls with whom he initiated contact through social media apps.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
In observance of National Police Week, U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois recognize the courage and dedication of local, state and federal law enforcement partners and honor the officers who have fallen in the line of duty.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tallahassee, Pensacola and Gainesville – Today, United States Attorney John P. Heekin announced that fourteen previously deported illegal aliens have been separately indicted by a federal grand jury for illegal reentry into the United States, and seven illegal aliens were convicted of federal crimes in the month of April.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Orlando, FL – Emmet Bowens (57, Apopka) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dalton to 63 months in federal prison for wire fraud and money laundering. As part of his sentence, the court also entered an order of forfeiture in the amount of $739,582, the proceeds of the offenses. Bowens pleaded guilty on January 26, 2026.
AGADIR, Morocco – After weeks of synchronized operations across land, air, sea, cyber, and space domains, African Lion 26 concluded with a series of complex, technology-driven culminating events that underscored the exercise’s evolution into the premier joint, all-domain multinational training event on the continent, May 8, 2026.
Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), executed alongside Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and a coalition of more than 40 partner nations, AL26 demonstrated the scale, speed, and adaptability required to meet modern security challenges. The exercise brought together multinational forces, academic institutions, and more than 30 U.S.-based industry partners to test emerging capabilities in realistic, high-pressure scenarios.
“The capstone combined field exercise showcased the future of warfare through multi-domain vignettes, including defense in depth, deep strike operations, and a coordinated counterattack,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Maj. Patrick Jeffrey, G7 Directorate sergeant major, SETAF-AF. “By integrating artificial intelligence-enabled command and control, autonomous systems, advanced intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, and unmanned aerial systems, we modernize and employ combat power.”
Those capabilities were put into practice across each phase of the exercise, demonstrating their impact in real-world scenarios.
“During the defense phase, layered networks of sensors, drone interceptors, and counter-UAS created a forward, tech-enabled bulwark that blunted enemy maneuver and preserved friendly forces,” Jeffrey said. “In the deep fight, special operations forces synchronized ISR, loitering munitions, and air-launch effects to dismantle adversary command nodes and air defense systems, opening corridors for precision fires. The exercise culminated in a combined counterattack, where remotely operated breaching systems and autonomous fire support platforms enabled maneuver forces to seize the initiative with reduced risk to personnel.”
Jeffrey emphasized that the exercise delivered effects beyond the battlefield it replicated, building on those tactical gains.
“What we accomplished during AL26 is readiness in action: realistic, joint, and multinational training that translated innovation into mission-ready capability,” Jeffrey said. “By combining rigorous academics, complex live fire events, and humanitarian outreach, we reinforced trust with our partners and proved we can operate together across every domain.”
Beyond tactical execution, AL26 served as a proving ground for integrating cutting-edge technologies directly into operational environments. Industry partners worked alongside service members to test AI-enabled systems, autonomous platforms, and advanced communications tools, accelerating the transition from concept to capability.
1 / 3Show Caption +Hide Caption –Radio frequency transmission operators with the 355th Communications Squadron, 355th Mission Support Group, 355th Wing; U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) G6 Directorate; and a Royal Moroccan Armed Forces communications service member validate a multi-language artificial intelligence capability that delivers real-time Arabic-to-English translation over MPU5 radios integrated into the Mobile Ad Hoc Network–Cloud High Mobility Radio system during African Lion 26 at Southern Zone Headquarters, Agadir, Morocco May 4, 2026. This proof concept tests the connection of allied and partner sensors to feed into a shared common operational picture, significantly improving interoperability and collective decision-making.
AL26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 civilian and military personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Raquel Birk) (Photo Credit: Staff Sgt. Raquel Birk)
VIEW ORIGINAL2 / 3Show Caption +Hide Caption –U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Brent Ottinger, an instructor assigned to 7th Army Training Command Combined Arms Training Center, conducts proficiency demonstration training on an unmanned aerial system with members of the Royal Moroccan Air Force during the inaugural African Lion 26 drone academics at Southern Zone Headquarters, Agadir, Morocco, May 4, 2026. The inaugural AL26 drone academics brought together subject matter experts and students from the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, Armed Forces of Nigeria, Ghana Armed Forces and U.S. forces to build foundational proficiency in unmanned aircraft system flight operations, reconnaissance and target identification.
AL26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Led by SETAF-AF from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 civilian and military personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (Photo by Jason Johnston) (Photo Credit: Jason Johnston)
VIEW ORIGINAL3 / 3Show Caption +Hide Caption –Keersten Ricks, Ph.D., chief of the Diagnostic Systems Division, U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), examines environmental pathogens during African Lion 26 at Southern Zone Headquarters, Agadir, Morocco, May 2, 2026. The biosurveillance team was composed of U.S. military and research organizations who delivered integrated biosurveillance support, focusing on strengthening commanders’ situational awareness and directly bolstering mission readiness.
AL26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF‑AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 civilian and military personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner‑led regional security. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Shane Killeen) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Shane Killeen)
“AL26 gave us an unprecedented opportunity to close the gap between emerging technology and the warfighter,” Jeffrey added. “Testing these capabilities alongside our partners accelerated decision making and shortened the kill chain, delivering tangible, battlefield-relevant effects to the combined joint force.”
The exercise also highlighted the enduring strength of the U.S.-Morocco partnership, rooted in more than two centuries of cooperation. U.S. Air Force Gen. Dagvin R.M. Anderson, commanding general of U.S. Africa Command, emphasized that the relationships built through exercises like AL26 remain the cornerstone of collective security.
“As the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary, we are reminded that true strength is built not only on independence, but on the enduring partnerships we cultivate,” Anderson said. “The U.S.-Morocco relationship stands as a testament to that principle, a friendship that began in 1777 and continues to thrive today.”
Anderson underscored that shared security challenges require unified action among partners.
1 / 2Show Caption +Hide Caption –U.S. Soldiers assigned to MoD Company, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Mobile Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), fire mortars down range during an African Lion 26 counterattack lane at Cap Draa, Tan-Tan, Morocco, May 4, 2026. The command field exercise counterattack lane tested new combined arms breach tactics by synchronizing unmanned ground vehicles, remote systems and maneuver elements, demonstrating the integration of autonomous and conventional forces to create standoff, reduce risk and generate new tactical possibilities on the modern battlefield.
AL26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christopher Sanchez) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Christopher Sanchez)
VIEW ORIGINAL2 / 2Show Caption +Hide Caption –A chemical biological integrator with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency decontaminates after exiting the stadium during an African Lion 26 simulated chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and high-yield explosive attack at the Grand Stade d’Agadir, Agadir, Morocco, May 5, 2026. The training sharpened the interoperability and response capacity needed to counter weapons of mass destruction threats. Morocco’s active role underscored its standing as a key partner in advancing collective security and building the regional readiness necessary to address shared threats.
AL26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Caitlinn Belcher) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Caitlinn Belcher)
“The threats we face today do not recognize borders, and neither can our response,” Anderson said. “From terrorism to transnational instability, these challenges demand a unified, multinational approach, one built on trust, shared responsibility, and the collective will to act decisively.”
Anderson noted that AL26 reflects the changing character of warfare, where success depends on innovation across multiple domains.
“No longer confined to land, sea, and air, the character of war is evolving rapidly,” he said. “African Lion serves as a laboratory for innovation, where we test, learn, and adapt in real time so we are prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.”
While the exercise demonstrated high-end warfighting capabilities, it also underscored the human dimension of partnership. During the event, multinational forces supported real-world search efforts, reinforcing the importance of trust and solidarity among allies.
“Though poignant, it is a tangible example of the partnership and friendship that this exercise represents,” Anderson said. “When tragedy strikes, our partners are there.”
1 / 2Show Caption +Hide Caption –Moroccan servicemembers prepare to dive to observe the Iver3-580 Autonomous Underwater Vehicle as part of African Lion 26 off the coast of Agadir, Morocco, May 7, 2026. The exercise challenged multinational naval forces to plan and execute operations across conventional warfare, maritime interdiction and unmanned underwater surveying, advancing the common operating procedures and interoperability essential to collective maritime security and regional stability.
AL26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nation and global allies. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Kalypso Braynen) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Kalypso Braynen)
VIEW ORIGINAL2 / 2Show Caption +Hide Caption –U.S. and multinational African Lion 26 command post exercise participants provide daily updates in the joint operations center at Southern Zone Headquarters, Agadir, Morocco, May 5, 2026. The CPX brought together multinational staff from across the coalition to establish a combined joint task force, execute the joint planning process, and conduct mission command procedures in a simulated operational environment. The exercise tested battle rhythm, staff proficiency, and command and control procedures, strengthening interoperability and decision-making capacity across the AL26 coalition force.
AL26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Led by SETAF-AF from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 civilian and military personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (Photo by Jason Johnston) (Photo Credit: Jason Johnston)
Exercise leaders emphasized that readiness is not measured solely in capability, but in the strength of relationships built over time.
“We are grateful for the continued solidarity and tireless support of our Moroccan hosts as we work together through the most complex moments of this exercise,” Jeffrey said.
With participation from 28 African nations and 20 global allies, AL26 sent a clear message: multinational cooperation remains essential to addressing shared security challenges.
“African Lion is more than a training event, it is a demonstration of global partnership,” Anderson said. “Our shared commitment to a secure and prosperous Africa depends on our ability to work together, adapt to change, and act decisively to meet the challenges of the future.”
U.S. and Royal Moroccan Armed Forces service members perform a dance in the children’s tent during the African Lion 26 humanitarian civic assistance mission at El Faid, Morocco, May 4, 2026. The HCA mission reflected the enduring U.S.-Morocco partnership, with Utah National Guard and Moroccan military medical teams providing medical, surgical, dental and diagnostic services, reinforcing the commitment to regional stability built through cooperation.
AL26 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 civilian and military personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Lark Sine) (Photo Credit: Sgt. Lark Sine)
As AL26 concludes, the lessons learned from integrating advanced technology and strengthening multinational coordination will inform future operations and ensure that participating forces remain ready, resilient, and prepared to operate together in an increasingly complex security environment.
About African Lion
African Lion 2026 is U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise, designed to strengthen collective security capabilities of the U.S., African nations and global allies. Co-led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) from April 20 to May 8, 2026, and hosted in Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, AL26 involves over 5,600 personnel from more than 40 nations, using innovation to drive partner-led regional security.
U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) prepares Army forces, executes crisis response, enables strategic competition and strengthens partners to achieve U.S. Army Europe and Africa and U.S. Africa Command campaign objectives.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Last week the Department of Justice announced the launch of the remission compensation process to provide recovery to victims of AirBit Club, a purported virtual currency mining and trading company that was a pyramid scheme.
Beginning in late 2015, promoters marketed AirBit Club as a multilevel marketing club. Promoters promised victims that AirBit Club memberships earned passive, guaranteed daily returns on virtual currency mining and trading, and hosted lavish expos and small community presentations aimed at convincing victims to purchase AirBit Club memberships and further promote the scheme. While victims saw “profits” accumulate on their online portal, those representations were false; no virtual currency mining or trading took place.
In August 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced charges against five defendants, including the AirBit co-founders Pablo Renato Rodriguez and Gutemberg Dos Santos, who were sentenced in September 2023. Other defendants included promoters Cecilia Millan and Karina Chairez and attorney Scott Hughes, who were sentenced in October 2023 and ordered to forfeit all of their fraudulent proceeds realized from the scheme, which included substantial amounts of virtual currency.
To date, the United States has forfeited over $400 million in assets which are now available to compensate eligible victims for their compensable losses. Any victims who have previously provided their information to the FBI or U.S. Attorney’s Office will be contacted by the remission administrator, RCB Fund Services, LLC, (RCB) to file a petition. For more information about the remission process and to access the petition form, please visit the official website at https://www.airbitvictimfund.com/ or contact RCB at (800) 765-7551.
“The Department will vigorously pursue those that abuse new technologies to steal millions from hard-working individuals,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendants took advantage of virtual currency’s popularity to promote the scheme and recruit additional victims. The criminal convictions and substantial asset recoveries obtained by prosecutors and law enforcement partners have enabled the Department to successfully launch this significant victim compensation effort.”
“Investor euphoria over new technology is all too often fertile ground for fraudsters,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton for the Southern District of New York. “It is our job to root out those fraudsters. Here, the defendants led a multimillion-dollar pyramid scheme based on lies about virtual currency trading and mining. They now face justice, and this outcome should deter anyone who may be tempted to target others with false promises of high returns in virtual currency investments.”
“HSI New York’s El Dorado Financial Crimes Task Force, the largest anti-money laundering task force in the United States, is proud to have played a vital role in delivering justice to the victims of the fraudulent AirBit Club,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Alfonso of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York. “Virtual currency fraud is one of the costliest scams affecting victims today. HSI New York, along with our law enforcement partners through our newly formed Homeland Security Task Force, will continue to pursue fraudsters who promote these schemes, and will utilize every tool at our disposal to recover their ill-gotten gains for investor victims.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cecilia E. Vogel for the Southern District of New York represented the government in both the criminal prosecution and forfeiture proceedings with valuable assistance from forfeiture contract paralegal Christina Lopresti. HSI’s El Dorado Task Force, HSI Panama, the HSI Panama City Transnational Criminal Investigative Unit, and HSI New Orleans investigated the case. Attorneys and investigators at the SEC brought substantial expertise and diligence to develop the investigation.
The Department of Justice, through the Asset Forfeiture Program, works diligently to compensate victims of crime. Since 2000, the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section (MNF), which oversees the Asset Forfeiture Program’s victim compensation program, has returned more than $12.5 billion in forfeited assets to victims of crime. MNF Senior Attorney Advisor Carly Diroll-Black with MNF’s Program Management and Training Unit is leading the remission process.
Neither the Remission Administrator nor the Department of Justice will ask for any payment to participate in this remission process. Please be cautious of any individual or organization claiming to represent the Remission Administrator or the federal government in this matter. If you are a victim, any communications will come directly from the Remission Administrator or from government representatives with whom you have already had contact.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SAN DIEGO – Zhao Wang, aka “Oscar,” was sentenced in federal court today to 151 months in prison for leading a $27 million fraud and money laundering scheme targeting approximately 2,000 elderly victims across the United States. Wang, a Chinese national, was the lead defendant charged in a five-defendant indictment unsealed in 2024. According to public documents, members of the conspiracy operated a series of technical support, bank impersonation and government impersonation, and refund scams targeting elderly victims. Victims received unsolicited phone calls, emails, and pop-up ads directing victims to call a phone number. Unbeknownst to the victims, those phone numbers belonged to India-based scam call centers. Once a victim called the call center, members of the conspiracy used social engineering techniques to build trust with victims. In many instances, the conspirators had victims download commercially available remote desktop software, which the conspirators used to access victims’ computers and to carry on the scams.
MAUTHAUSEN, Austria – For the third year, Soldiers from 7th Army Training Command’s Joint Multinational Readiness Center represented the U.S. Army liberators during a ceremony commemorating the 81st anniversary of the Mauthausen Concentration Camp liberation, May 10, 2026.
“Each of us here, every country represented, must use courage and clear vision to defend and transmit the truth of what happened here,” said Ellen Germain, U.S. Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues. “Together, we remember those who died here, we thank the American Soldiers who liberated the camps, and we promise to do our best to ensure that it never happens again.”
Soldiers from JMRC’s 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment served as the color guard in two ceremonies honoring both the American victims and U.S. liberators, carried the U.S. delegation wreath, and marched and stood in formation alongside U.S. Marines from U.S. Embassy Vienna during the International Liberation and Commemoration Ceremony’s main procession through the former “roll call square” at the Mauthausen Memorial.
“Remember and honor the lives of those who perished here, but also the lives of those who survived here,” said Ambassador Art Fisher, U.S. Embassy Austria. “Although many atrocities happened here – things that we’ll never be able to make sense of; things we’ll never be able to put right – it’s so important that we remember.”
Fisher shared the story of the Mauthausen Survivors’ Flag. In the final days before liberation, some of the prisoners began to sew the American flag in hopes they would be rescued.
“It’s sometimes at the darkest point in life – and at night – that we see the light,” he said. “It’s important that as a society, we remember that light. That light is so important to continue to shed on what happened here, so that darkness can never return.”
U.S. troops liberated almost 40,000 people in the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camps, May 5-6, 1945. At least 90,000 people had died there over seven years, with thousands more gravely injured, unable to recover even after the liberators arrived.
A survivor was quoted as saying, “Mauthausen was unlike anywhere else, a place of physical and mental torture, and abuse beyond our imaginations. Mauthausen prisoners were forced to climb the 186-infamous steps with granite blocks on their backs.”
Germain said, “the horrors of Mauthausen remind us of the need for vigilance in combating antisemitism and protecting fundamental freedoms, because when we don’t, unthinkable terror ensues.”
Special visitors walked alongside this year’s U.S. delegation, including Paul Blackstone and Robert Pettit, the grandsons of Capt. Jack Blackstone, 26th Infantry; the son of Robert Esterley II, Robert III who donated his father’s WWII uniform to the Mauthausen Memorial; David Greenfield, son of a survivor; and Helen Ayer Patton, granddaughter of Gen. George S. Patton Jr.
Col. Jonathan Drake, Defense Attache at U.S. Embassy Vienna, shared recollections of U.S. Army liberators from the 71st Infantry Division and 11th Armored Division, just two of the 36 U.S. Army divisions who are credited as being WWII concentration camp liberators, meaning they were on site within 48 hours of the discovery of a camp.
“The Soldiers of these divisions were battle-hardened,” Drake said. “They had been through an incredible amount of things. They had seen all sorts of untold hardship. Nothing they saw, prepared them for what they would see here. They thought the worst of the war was behind them, but the scenes of cruelty, starvation and systematic torture and death would horrify them and stay with them the rest of their lives.”
“Today, we remember that the struggle against the harshest of pressure, the worst injustice and against the cruelest violence – is never in vain,” he said. “We honor the sacrifice.”
One wreath ribbon inscription read: “In Remembrance of the Liberators of the Oppressed.”
Representing that ideal, fourteen Soldiers from JMRC supported the 2026 “Never Forget” ceremony, including 1st Lt. Camden Skinner, Sgt. Joshua Parks, Sgt. Evan Rouse, Spc. Aiden Burke, Pfc. Joseph Brennan, Pfc. Nathan Wagenius, Pfc. Cody Case, Spc. Tristan Grace, Spc. Daniel Lester, Pfc. Aiden Nipp, Spc. Joaquin Andrade, Spc. Tyler Mcearchern, Sgt. Tai Ormsbee, and Sgt. Matthew Dillon.
KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – USAG Rheinland-Pfalz chaplains opened a new chapter of spiritual well-being May 7 by dedicating the Sembach Resiliency Center as an official U.S. Army Chapel on Sembach Kaserne.
The garrison’s Religious Support Office gathered leaders, Soldiers and families to formally dedicate the chapel. They chose to hold the ceremony on May 7 to correspond with the 2026 National Day of Prayer.
The event featured chaplains from across the garrison’s tenant units and Unit Ministry Teams (UMTs) and offered perspectives on the importance of a dedicated sanctuary within the Sembach community.
Chaplain (Col.) Eric Dean, command chaplain for the 21st Theater Sustainment Command, opened the ceremony by sharing a vision for the chapel as an inclusive place of worship for the entire community.
“The vision includes space for Catholic, Jewish, Protestant and other traditions, unified in seeking truth, hope and love,” Dean said.
Dean also said the dedication marks the beginning of the chapel’s next chapter and that its future depends on continued support from the community.
“The community must ensure no one feels like an outsider and that the chapel remains alive with prayer, song and diverse worship,” he said.
Chaplain Peter Bahng, the garrison’s family life chaplain, echoed Dean’s thoughts on holistic readiness and community connection.
“The chapel honors the legacy of service and strengthens unity across Soldiers, families and our partners,” Bahng said. “It reflects the Army’s commitment to caring for the whole person and building a connected, mission-ready community.”